Breakfast At Buttermilk And A Visit ToThe DuPage Children’s Museum

  Do you ever feel there are a lot more fun things for little kids today than there when you were a kid?  I sure do!  Other than public parks, we didn't have all the activities kids have today.  Growing up, our McDonalds didn't even have indoor seating, now they have that plus a play land!  I remember having to walk or bike miles to go to the public pool, now splash pads are popping up everywhere.  It isn't fair!  But, I guess I can enjoy these fun, new activities now through the eyes of my grandchild.   Look how happy she is in the photo below!  She is learning about wind at the DuPage Children's Museum.  She loved putting a scarf in the wind tube and watching it blow out the top.

The DuPage Children's Museum is located in the city of Naperville.  It is a place where children can come to play, but learn about art, math, and science too;  although they are usually having so much fun, they don't even know they are learning!

We were there on President's Day and it was so crowded!  We had difficulty even finding a parking space.  I highly recommend not going on a holiday when everyone is off of work and school.  

Of course when Alethea saw a set of stairs, she had to climb them.  She got a kick out seeing her dad's hand through the plexiglass.

There were several structures for kids to climb onto like a wooden boat and this train.

Because of the crowd,  little Alethea had to squeeze in some of the play stations to participate.

Ashley, Alethea's mom, said that the water exploration area was Alethea's favorite part of the museum.  But of course she had to get covered with a vinyl apron before being allowed to play, or she would have gotten her clothes soaking wet.

Alethea had so much fun playing all the water activities!

The DuPage Children's Museum is guided by three core beliefs:  1) Respect for all children and their ability to learn,  2) The power of play as a basis for constructing knowledge, and 3) The importance of child-adult learning partnership.

 Here Alethea is learning how much energy it takes to create power.  Of course, she is a little young to understand pedaling, but she enjoyed getting up on the bike and trying.

Alethea really loved walking on this wavy bridge.

The DuPage Children's Museum focuses their exhibits on science, math, art, and where they intersect.
According to their website, "These areas are ideal vehicles to encourage critical thinking because they are process oriented, relate to everyday life, and naturally interest children."

This is an overview shot of the 'Awesome Energy' part of the museum.   Here is where children explore the forces that power our world:  Air, water, and electricity.

The "Creative Connection" provides art centered exhibits that "draw inspiration from the science and math principles of light, shadow, color and positive and negative space."  As an art lover, I really enjoyed this exhibit!

Here Alethea is learning basic physics in the "Make It Move" exhibit.  In this exhibit children "roll, bounce, slide, and spin objects to discover the energy of motion and find out what factors create change."

Of course, it was President's Day so we had to do our annual tradition of "Breakfast At Buttermilk"!  Buttermilk is my FAVORITE restaurant.  Every time I visit my kids, we go have to go there!  We learned from our experience last year, to get there earlier to beat the crowds, and we were so happy we did!  There was no wait for a table at all, but they sure were lining up when we were done eating!

The food is so fresh and delicious! Every time I go I try something different.  Ashley on the other hand orders the same thing every time:  her favorite omelet "The Frenchie" and gluten free pancakes.



I decided to try this beauty for a change and I am so glad I did, cause it was delicious!  It was also very huge.  I ended up taking it home and getting three meals out of one plate.  It's called "Stuffed Breakfast Biscuit".  It is a freshly made buttermilk biscuit stuffed with cherry wood smoked bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, cheddar jack cheese, topped with more sausage gravy, cheddar, and crumbled bacon.  It has farmhouse potatoes on the side with sautéed peppers and onions.  IT WAS SO GOOD!  I liked it so much, I may have to be like Ashley and order this every time I visit Buttermilk.



The one item I ALWAYS order is a Toasted Almond Latte!  Yum, it is so good!  Best latte I've ever had anywhere!



So what about you?  Do they have Children's Museums where you live?  Do you take your children/grandchildren to Children's Museums?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

A Breakfast Fit For A President!

 Every year I spend a week or two during the winter with my children.  We try to do something fun every day, even it's just out to breakfast or shopping.  Last year, we went to Geneva, Illinois for an evening stroll on their River Walk and downtown main street (Read "An Evening Stroll in Geneva, Illinois" HERE).  The stores were closed or closing when we were there last year, so I promised myself I would get back there the following year.  The number one item on my list was to eat breakfast at Buttermilk.

Well fast forward one year later, and I was back in Geneva...on President's Day.  We arrived at the restaurant and we couldn't believe how crowded it was on a Monday.  It was a 45 minute wait for a table.  I was shocked.  How do all these people have off of work on President's Day?  Where I'm from, no one but a bank employee would have the day off!

Well, because the wait was so long, Ashely and I decided to go check out the stores I missed the first time I was in Geneva.  And guess what?  They were all CLOSED!  I couldn't believe it!  This was the second time I've been to Geneva and couldn't go shopping.  Whoever heard of a store closed on President's Day?  Had these businesses never heard of "President's Day Sales?"  I was beginning to think I was in the land of Oz, because this certainly was not the norm in the state of Wisconsin.

Although the weather was warmer in Illinois than it was in Wisconsin, it was rainy and I didn't have a coat, so I was quite chilled walking down main street.  I was so disappointed the stores were closed.  I really wanted to get a cupcake at the cute cupcake store I spotted last year!  Oh well, it was probably better for my waist line that it was closed.

Alethea patiently waited in her carrier with daddy back at the restaurant.  She was in a good mood despite the crowd and long wait.

The restaurant's decor is just stunning!  I'd like to redecorate my house to look like this restaurant. I love the modern, fresh, farmhouse style.

This restaurant is famous for the amazing coffee drinks, pancakes, and well, everything breakfast related!  Everything looked so good, I didn't know what to order.  I wanted to taste everything!  I looked on the menu for a sampler platter, but there was none.  There were 'add-ons'..but it would have been too costly to add-on everything I wanted to taste!  I finally decided to order something I would never make for myself at home and promised to return every time I came to Illinois to try something new on the menu.

I ordered "Strawberries and Cream" crepes...and I'm so glad I did!  My, oh my were they delicious!
I made the right decision.  I could never make these crepes at home!

My coffee drink was so good I forgot to take a picture before I had a sip.  It felt so nice to have a hot beverage after a brisk, cold walk in the rain.  This is the "Toasted Almond Latte".

Ashley and Jason both ordered omelettes with a side order of crispy potatoes and gluten-free pancakes.  They let me taste their omelettes and potatoes and they were so, so good!  They also said the gluten-free pancakes were so good they worried they weren't gluten-free!  haha!

Look at all this food!  It was definitely a breakfast fit for a president!

I think next time, I will order an omelette too!  Then I can do the $2.50 add on and try these pancakes!

Well the restaurant was crowded, the weather sucked, the stores were closed, but the food and company was wonderful!  Not much to complain about after all!  I got the most important thing that day:  good food and time with my loved ones.  And, now I have another excuse to go back to Geneva!  haha!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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