It’s time to wrap up 2015 and welcome 2016! I’m working on reviewing 2015, preparing some financial records for taxes, and planning for 2016, but my kids have other priorities – they’re negotiating bedtime for tonight. Every New Year’s Eve we have a buffet of appetizers and snacks in place of dinner. In the past, […]
Archives for 2015
Target Curbside Pickup Arrives in Chicago
December 30, 2015 By
It’s cold out, you have a sick kid, and another who will fall asleep the minute the car starts moving, and you need some staples – diapers, peanut butter, Tylenol. And it’d be nice to have a bit of chocolate in the house or some fuzzy socks to treat yourself. And a dvd to keep […]
Chicago New Year’s Eve Events for Families 2015
December 27, 2015 By
Looking to celebrate the end of 2015 and start of 2016 with a family-friendly event? Even if the kids can’t make it to midnight there are plenty of options for earlier celebrations in Chicago and the suburbs. Pre-New Year’s Eve Pre-New Year’s Eve Party, Little Beans Play Cafe, 1809 W. Webster, Chicago Wednesday, December 30 […]
Meet Grizzy, Our New Fisher-Price Smart Toy
December 20, 2015 By
There are lots of choices for kids toys this holiday season, but I think you’ll be especially interested in meeting our new toy/friend, the Fisher-Price Smart Toy Monkey. Grizzy arrived at our door a few weeks ago and Campbell’s eyes grew wide when he saw the box and demanded we help him open it. Inside […]
Unique Gifts for Christmas (That You Still Have Time To Get!)
December 19, 2015 By
The holidays are about giving, but sometimes it can be difficult to find a gift that will really stand out and be something that will excite the recipient. I’ve created this list of some unique gifts that you can still get in time for Christmas that are sure to be outside the norm. BrickSwag Have […]
5 Great Gifts for Her
December 19, 2015 By
I have a lot of important women in my family – my mom, sisters-in-law, aunts, friends. I want to get them gifts they’ll really enjoy to let them know how important they are to me, but it can be difficult to find just the right gift. Here are a few of my favorites and maybe […]
5 Great Gifts for Guys
December 17, 2015 By
It’s getting down to the wire now, but if you’re struggling for some ideas for a special guy in your life – husband, boyfriend, friend, brother, father, son – I have some suggestions. I’ll also say that I think any of these gifts could be great gifts for women too (well, except for one), but […]
WaterWipes for Wee Ones
December 15, 2015 By
Having a baby means lots of diaper changes, which means lots of diapers and even more wipes. I can’t even imagine how many wipes we’ve used in the 8 years since I became a mother, and I thought once the diaper stage was over we’d be done with wipes too, but it turns out we […]
‘Tis the Season to Be Streaming {+ Giveaway!}
December 13, 2015 By
‘Tis the season of holiday lights, giving, shopping, parties, and family time! Unfortunately, it’s also the season of germs, colds, and flu. We’ve been experiencing a little of this (okay, a LOT of this) lately. We’ve been using our Netflix account a lot lately, whether it’s to unwind after a busy day, to catch up […]
Battling the Bedtime Staller
December 2, 2015 By
There’s one word that strikes joy and fear into every parents heart: Bedtime. It’s a lovely time when you get to relax and unwind after a long day, watch tv shows and movies that aren’t appropriate for kids, and eat whatever you want without having to share. But to get to that, you often have […]
Brick Swag: The Monthly Subscription Box for LEGO Lovers [plus discount code]
November 17, 2015 By
As a long-time LEGO fan, and wife and mother to even bigger LEGO fans, I’m pretty excited to tell you about Brick Swag. BrickSwag is a monthly subscription box that is the #1 membership for LEGO fans. Each month includes official LEGO kits to build and keep, exclusive t-shirt (in the size you choose), Build […]
Home Is In the Air with Air Wick’s Life Scents Holiday Collection
November 13, 2015 By
The holidays are quickly approaching and like most people I have a list of activities and traditions they we have to do so it feels like Christmas. In a couple weeks we’ll be decorating the tree, playing Christmas carols, and driving around the area looking at Christmas lights. We’ll probably do a little baking, and […]
Celebrate Neighborhood Toy Store Day with Building Blocks
November 13, 2015 By
Saturday, November 14 (tomorrow!) is Neighborhood Toy Store Day, a day to support your local toy store and for local toy stores to connect with the community. Building Blocks Toy Store is celebrating with a special event at both of their locations. The Lakeview location will be hosting Hogwarts Day from 11:00 am to 2:00 […]
Holiday Performances in the Chicago Area 2015
November 6, 2015 By
The Chicago area is always bursting with amazing performances and this is especially true during the holiday season – everything from old classics like the Joffrey Ballet’s Nutcracker and the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, to newer shows like Elf and It’s a Wonderful Santaland Miracle Nut-Cracking Christmas Story… Jews Welcome. Attending a show with your family is a great […]
Halloween Inspired by Netflix Streaming
October 31, 2015 By
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays – I love the idea of adopting a different character (or thing) for the day. I wish we had Halloween ever couple of months instead of just once a year. I love helping the kids come up with costume ideas and putting the costumes together. This year, […]
Indoor Trick-or-Treating 2015
October 27, 2015 By
The forecast for Halloween calls for a bit of rain. If the weather’s not cooperating for outdoor trick-or-treating, or you just prefer to be indoors, here are places you can trick-or-treat inside in Chicago and the suburbs. Events are free unless otherwise indicated. Friday, October 30 Westfield Hawthorne Mall from 11 am-1 pm (ages 6 & […]
Tea Time: Getting a Boost from Bigelow
October 26, 2015 By
#MeAndMyTea #SwapYourCup #CollectiveBias In the eight years since I became a parent I still struggle with one thing more than anything else – taking care of myself. It’s so easy to get caught up in making meals, helping the kids, chauffeuring kids to activities, participating in school fundraisers and events, and taking care of the […]
Fresh Thyme Celebrates Three New Chicago Area Stores
October 14, 2015 By
Today, October 14, 2015, Fresh Thyme celebrated the Grand Opening of three new locations in the Chicago area in Midtown/Lincoln Park, Crystal Lake, and Naperville. Each location is open 7am-10pm daily. Midtown/Lincoln Park, 2500 N. Elston Ave. Naperville, 790 Royal Saint George Dr. Crystal Lake, 5340 Northwest Hwy. Fresh Thyme is a full-service specialty retailer focused on providing fresh, […]
Westfield Hawthorn and Dave & Buster’s: Getting Things Done & Having Fun
October 7, 2015 By
John, the kids, and I all spend the entire week looking forward to the weekend. We love having time to get errands done, and especially time to spend some fun time together as a family. It seems like the weekends are never long enough though. If we take care of errands there’s not much time […]
Dust Off Your Shelfies on Netflix Streaming
September 30, 2015 By
In the olden days, before kids, John and I had some favorite shows that we’d watch when they aired on regular tv. You could always find us in front of the tv on Sunday evenings for The X-Files, or on Wednesday nights for The West Wing. Now that we have kids, our routine has changed […]
Free Chicago Museum Days – Fall 2015
September 27, 2015 By
Want to visit Chicago museums and attractions free? Don’t we all?? Below is a list of days that local museums, zoos, and gardens offer free admission this fall. Please keep in mind that most free days only apply to Illinois residents with valid identification and only apply to general admission, not special exhibits or events. Adler […]
Cirque du Soleil’s KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities
September 14, 2015 By
Website: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/kurios Location: The Big Top in the parking lot of the United Center, 1901 West Madison Street, Chicago Phone: Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 800-653-8000. The United Center phone number is 312-455-4500. Hours: The remaining Chicago shows are: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at 8:00 pm Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 8:00 pm Thursday, […]
My Son Wears Princess Shoes With Confidence and I Love It
September 3, 2015 By
The day before school started this year we went shopping for new gym shoes for the kids. The kids are picky, we’re cheap, and the stores had been pretty picked-over by responsible parents who didn’t wait until 18 hours before school to get new shoes, so it took us a while to agree on a […]
Netflix Helps with Back-to-School Blues
August 31, 2015 By
I’m very lucky to have children who enjoy going to school. They have amazing teachers, great friends, and they both genuinely enjoy learning new things. Still, returning to school is a bit difficult. Our day is starting much earlier now than it did during the summer and bedtime is earlier; with occasional school events in […]
Fashion Outlets of Chicago
August 27, 2015 By
I’ve probably driven past the Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont dozens of times since it opened in 2013, but until recently I’d never actually been inside. A friend and I visited a couple weeks ago for the first time. Fashion Outlets of Chicago is an enclosed outlet shopping center with over 130 outlet retailers. […]
Family Dining at Weber Grill
August 21, 2015 By
We were invited to Weber Grill to experience their amazing signature dishes and kids meals. Our meals were complimentary in order to facilitate this post, but all opinions are my own. The thought of grilled steak makes my mouth water so I was really looking forward to this dinner, so much so that I was a […]
Back to School, Back to OshKosh B’Gosh
August 17, 2015 By
Summer vacation is officially over for my kids and even though we’re a little sad, it’s exciting to start a new school year. It means new school supplies, new teachers, new friends, and, of course, new clothes. There are lots of places we could shop, but I know that OshKosh B’Gosh has clothes my kids will […]
Thomas the Train and Percy Chug Into Union This August {with Giveaway}
August 9, 2015 By
All aboard for the biggest and best Thomas & Friends® celebration to date! Little engineers everywhere are invited to celebrate with Thomas when the #1 Engine and his best friend Percy™ pull into Illinois Railway Museum August 15 and 16, August 22 and 23 for Day Out with Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2015, presented by […]
Gifts for the New Mom
August 7, 2015 By
Mompact is the inspiration for this post, and although this is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own. Becoming is a mom is one of the most amazing and wonder things in the world. It can also be very stressful, exhausting, scary, and lonely. Everyone loves shopping for gifts for a cute little baby, […]
Chicago Bears Family Fest & Discount Code
August 4, 2015 By
The Bears season won’t start until next month, but this Saturday at the Bears Family Fest fans of all ages can see the team in action. When: Saturday, August 8, 2015 Outdoor activities begin at 9:30 am, gates open at 10:00 am, practice begins at 10:35. Where: Soldier Field 1410 Museum Campus Drive Chicago Schedule: […]
