Ask Candid Candace: Trouble with contractors and tips for how to get the family to enjoy a baseball game

Dear Candid Candace: With baseball season approaching, I always like to take my kids to at least a couple games a year. When we go, I like to breathe in the full ambiance of the game by getting there extra early, walking around the stadium outside, watching the people, soaking up the pre-game atmosphere, and even strolling through the bowels of the stadium just to take in all the smells of the delicious concession foods. My wife and kids, though, have a different approach. They basically have a level of about 2.4 on the patience meter, so they would rather pay for parking close to the stadium, get to the seats right away, and be there just in time for the first pitch. Not my style, but right now I am outnumbered.  Any words to convince the rest of my family to enjoy more of the full baseball experience? Signed, Soaking up the Atmosphere or at Least Trying 

Dear Soaking up the Atmosphere: I too am a big baseball fan and always like getting anywhere early but especially so in the case of a Chicago baseball game, particularly at Wrigley Field, one of the most beautiful stadiums in the country. I agree that it is a must-do to be able to get the most out of the experience. ChicagoParent.com offers some great tips on how to encourage your family to enjoy the game like you do. 1) Seek out tickets to a kid-friendly themed game like Sesame Street, Marvel Heroes, Star Wars, NASCAR and more. 2) Download the MLB app before you go for exclusive in-app activities and prizes. 3) Show up early for autographs. Batting practice begins about 2 hours before the first pitch, which is just when Wrigley Field opens its gates. You may be able to score an autograph as players exit practice and head to locker rooms. 4) Interact with Clark the Cub, the team’s official mascot, as he roams the stadium. 5) If you attend a game on Kids Sunday, you have a chance to run the bases! (The first 1,000 children, ages 13 and younger, will have the opportunity to run the bases post-game). 6) Arrange a special video message for your family to spot on the left field board. These are just a few of the ways to make the game more interesting for your family. Check out ChicagoParent.com for more fun ideas! LET’S PLAY BALL!

Dear Candid Candace: I might be getting you out of your comfort zone here, but I have a home improvement question for you. We have been doing a couple remodeling jobs in the past few years, ones that have required meeting with different contractors for different jobs. They have almost all been very nice, very competent, and easily willing to work with us, so no problem there at all. My issue is this: When it comes time to do the actual work, it is not the contractor we talked to doing the work but somebody else who comes to the house, one of his employees.  We went over everything and all the particulars in detail with our lead guy, so he knows exactly what we want to have done, but the person who shows up to do the work, just has a blueprint diagram and instructions to follow, not really all the inner workings of the job. I am new to all this and probably don’t understand the proper protocol, but my request is quite simple. That is, whomever I talk to about the work to be done, all the particulars and the nuances, I want that person to be the one doing the actual work, not somebody else! Unfair? Am I at least warm? Signed, A Guy in Repair Despair

Dear A Guy in Repair Despair: Well, you would be surprised to learn how involved I am in home improvement projects, especially since my husband doesn’t seem to know what a hammer looks like. We have also had a few professional home repairs but have never had an issue like the one you described before. I think the first thing to think about is how much you trust your contractor. Because, if you have a good relationship from the get-go, someone who you feel understands your needs, then in all likelihood, he will be competent to see your project through and have the ability to articulate your desires properly to his workmen. In my experience, the way most similar businesses operate, is that a salesman goes out and talks to the client. The client shares his vision with the salesman who then relates this info back to the company (to the proper person/department) for execution. But, if you want the type of service you describe, then perhaps you need to look at a handyman or a one-man-band type of operation. And, as a last resort, maybe I could pop over and give you an estimate.

(Send any questions to "Ask Candid Candace" at CandidCandace@ChicagoStarMedia.com; Follow Candid Candace (Candace Jordan) on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook: CandidCandace.com.)