On The Go Chicago

If you are looking for the latest trends in baby and toddler services, furniture, gear and toys, then check out Bebe Paluzza this weekend. They have over 125 vendors, educational seminars and even a Mommy Pampering Lounge.  They will have licensed babysitters available to watch the kids, while you get to enjoy a manicure and spa treatments.

They will also have live music including Mr. Singer and the Sharp Cookies on Sunday at 11:30 on the Mamapalooza stage.

• Where – Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center
• When – July 31-August 1
• Cost – $10 (kids under 5 are free)

My girls and I spent the morning at North Park Village Nature Center and Peterson Park.  It is truly an urban oasis of nature.  Both are located just off Pulaski road in Northwest Chicago, although the hiking trails, ponds and small waterfalls make you feel like you have truly escaped the city.

We parked near the Nature Center (which is tucked away on the left side just past the gymnastics building), and headed to Peterson Park.  I wanted to get a little workout in, so I ran along the shady, paved trails around the park.  There are two playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts and lots of open grass areas.  The trails are wide, shady and perfect for a stroll or run.  They would also be a great place to take beginner bike riders.  We ran the loop of trails a couple of times, and then had a picnic near the bigger of the two playgrounds.

After lunch my kids had a great time exploring the pirate ship, playing in the sandbox and swinging on the swings.  We then headed over to the Nature Center.  If you are going with a stroller, you have to go through the side gate to get to the stroller friendly entrance.  The front door has steps.  The Nature Center itself is quite small, but they do have some bones and horns your little ones can touch, and a real beehive that they can look inside (this was the highlight for my girls).

Next we headed for the 155 acre preserve behind the Nature Center.  The nature preserve features trails that wind through woodlands, wetlands, prairie and savannas.  There is a huge pond in the wetland area that has beautiful lily pads and dragonflies buzzing around.  The main trail is a loop and is less than a half-mile.  Although the trails are not paved, they are very stroller friendly and shady.

The morning was fun, educational, outdoors and best of all FREE!

North Park Village Nature Center

• Where – 5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
• Phone – 312.744.5472
• Cost – Free

Tags: free

It’s National Picnic Month, and if you are looking for a yummy picnic without having to do any of the work, check out the summer picnic at Julius Meinl on Southport. Chef Jeff Adamek has put together a gourmet take on picnic favorites and there will be a live performance by Ralph Covert from Ralph’s World.

• Where – Julius Meinl (3601 N. Southport)
• When – Thursday, July 22^nd at 7pm
• Cost – $40 adults, $20 children
• Reservations required – 773.868.1857

Stanley’s (1970 N. Lincoln Ave.) offers delicious food, affordable prices and a kid friendly environment. Their “soul-soothing” American comfort food is sure to please both you and your kids.  They are famous for their mac’n’cheese and fried chicken, which are both delicious.

Not only is the food delicious, but kids eat for free on Wednesdays and for only $0.50 per year (2yr old eats for $1.00) for brunch.  They only have 4 highchairs, and they get quite busy for brunch, so I recommend arriving at 10am (when they open) if you want to ensure a highchair and not wait to be seated.

I recently found this great website called MomsMinivan.com.  In addition to listing products and advice for traveling with kids, they have a list of 101 Car Travel Games.

Here are our top 5 pics for fighting boredom on the road…they are all FREE too!

1. Aluminum Foil Art – Give everyone a sheet of aluminum foil. Have them mold it into anything they want: animal shapes, Frisbees, balls, jewelry, crowns, headband, necklaces and masks. Be creative. 
2. The License Plate Game – Print a U.S. map off the computer and color in the states as you see license plates from each one.  See if you can get all 50 states between Memorial Day and Labor Day. You might even record the time and date and the state where you saw it. This can be a family project as you build your “collection” of license plates together.  Here’s a collection of printable maps you can use for this game.
3. Car Travel Bingo – Travel Bingo boards that you flip the red area when you see the picture on the board. Look for them at dollar stores or Cracker Barrel. OR, try creating your own by writing words or simple pictures of roadside items or roadsigns. They have some readymade printable car bingo games posted at the Moms Minivan Printables page.
4. Scavenger Hunt – Give each child a list of items to watch for while driving. The list can be made up ahead of time and adjusted for the scenery. Here’s a sample printable list of items to hunt for!
5. Pipe Cleaner Creatures – Use fuzzy pipe cleaners to create all kinds of creatures that kids can also use for creative play. See this article for pipe cleaner craft ideas! 

My girls and I recently attended a music class at Musical Magic in Roscoe Village.  I am always looking for sibling classes, and they offer Musical Medley (birth to 4 years old).  Both my one and two year old loved the class.  They really enjoyed playing with the puppets, parachute, bubbles, instruments and a host of other props.  The class has a great pace, and they switch up activities effortelssly.  It really kept both of their attentions, and seemed age appropriate for both of them.

The facility is cozy, cheerful and  VERY clean.  I especially liked their drool bag for toys/props that had been in your child’s mouth.

Best of all, they let you try the class for free.  I always like trying out classes before signing up for the entire series.

• Where – Musical Magic (2255 W. Roscoe)
• Class Name – Mixed Medley
• Cost – Free trial, $152 for 8 week class (10% for siblings)
• Tip – They offer a 15% referral bonus

I have to admit that I was a bit shocked at how few 4th of July events I found in Chicago.  Usually there are more holiday events than I can list, but for the 4th all I could find was fireworks and a few other events.  If you know of any other, post them in the comments section.  Thanks!  Have a great time celebrating our nation’s birthday with your family!

Navy Pier Firewoks

• Where – Navy Pier (600 E. Grand Ave.)
• When – 9pm

South Side Fireworks

• Where – 63rd St. Beach to Promontory Point
• When – 9pm

North Side Fireworks

• Where – Foster to Montrose
• When – 9pm

Independence Celebration in Millennium Park – Celebrate our country’s birthday and musical heritage in a program featuring selections by American composers as well as three Europeans.

• When – July 3 at 1:30pm
• Where – Jay Pritzker Pavilion
• Cost – Free

Shoreline Sightseeing July 4 Fireworks Cruise

• Where – Ogden Slip (61 E. Streeter Dr.)
• When – July 4 at 7:45
• Cost – $45

51st Annual Fourth of July Festival – Celebrate our nation’s independence with festivities for the entire family! Highlights include patriotic musical performances, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and a children’s parade led by the World’s Tallest Uncle Sam!

• Where – Chicago History Museum (1601 N. Clark)
• When – July 4 from 10am-noon
• Cost – Free

Molly’s Stand-up Star Craft at American Girl Place – In 1944, Molly and her friends loved to say “Hurray for the USA!” Show your own patriotic spirit as you design a stand-up paper star that you can take home and display.

• Where – American Girl Place (835 N. Michigan)
• When – July 4 at 11am
• Cost – Free

I recently met Pooja Gugnani, owner of Organizing With You.  As a city dweller and mother of two, I am limited on space, but not STUFF!   How is it that two little human beings can need so much stuff?  I loved Pooja’s philosphy of re-using what you have instead of spending a lot of money on new products.  I ask Pooja to do a guest post on the topic.  I hope you enjoy her tips.  Follow Pooja on Twitter of Facebook for more great organizing tips.

Chicago Mommies and Chicago Mommies-to-be,

It seems to me that every other article offering  tips on organizing your baby’s room/toddler’s room/ kid’s room, involves an investment in one more or more organizing products.  How about some tips on using what we already have?  Raising a child is expensive in itself, especially in a busy city like Chicago where time and space are often limited.  Here are some tips on how you can achieve the same goals of space maximization and decluttering by getting a little creative.

• Give your furniture multiple uses.  For example, you can use your dresser as a changer by using the drawers to store your diapers, wipes, lotions, burp cloths etc., and use the top as a changer by placing a changing table pad on it.  The same dresser can then be used when your baby is older to store clothes, blankets, socks etc.  If you want, paint the dresser you already own in a fun color and make it look baby pretty!
• Even babies and young kids have seasonal wardrobe.  You can re-use the same storage tub with two seasons- for example- label one side ‘winter clothes’ and the other ‘summer clothes.’  In the summer, store your winter clothes in it and have the winter label facing forward, and reverse in the winter.  This way you don’t have to make room for four different bins.  You can apply the same storing concept to other things as well.
• Laundry baskets are a great way to store toys.  Use your old laundry baskets to store different types of toys such as stuffed toys, cars, blocks etc.  Train your toddler to be organized at an early age and make it easy for him/her by attaching a picture of the type of toy on the front of each laundry basket.  Children are quick learners and with a little visual help they can do wonders!
• Your tiny tots’ belongings hardly take up space.  Use your over the door hanging shoe bag to store shoes, socks and other small items.  This is a great way to compartmentalize and fit a lot of items in one area.

Babies are tiny but their budget not so much! So plan efficiently and only buy what you need. Try to reuse as much as possible and if you know you want to have more kids, plan their nursery/room by keeping your long term plans in mind!

A girlfriend and I were strolling through Roscoe Village the other day and found this great little restaurant, Nohea Cafe (2142 W. Roscoe).  It is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat after the park or shopping.  They have a kids table with a dollhouse and a few other toys, which my girls had a great time playing with while I ordered our sandwiches.  I had the Smokin’ Turkey, and my girls had the ever popular grilled cheese.  My sandwich was delicious and the staff could not have been more friendly.  They also have one large oval table that is perfect if you are meeting a few friends with kids for lunch.

Don’t forget to save room for ice cream.

Being board this summer is not an option!  There are so many amazing and free family activities to choose from.  EVERY DAY from now until September 3rd between 10am and 3pm you can enjoy family performances and hands on activities in Millennium Park’s Family Fun Tent, located on the Chase Promenade North.

In addition to the free Wiggleworms classes at 10am, 11am storytime and 1pm concerts every day, you can also enjoy a number of other amazing family activities and performances.  Click here for a complete list of activities.

We will definitely be enjoying Wiggleworms a few times and one of Emerald City Theatre’s performances of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs on Sundays in August at noon (August 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29).

All I have to say is YEAH for summer!!!!!

Tags: free

One of the many things to love about Chicago public parks is the water playgrounds and spraypools.  They vary in size and amenities, but they all offer a chance to get wet, cool off and have some fun.  The spraypools tend to be more like sprinklers, where the water playgrounds can be quite elaborate. Best of all, they are FREE.

Our personal favorite is Adam’s Park (1919 Seminary), but we spend some serious time splashing at Jonquil (1024 West Wrightwood) too.

I am always looking for something new and fun to do, so I checked Park District website, and I was shocked to learn there are 30 Water Playgrounds and 127 parks with sprinklers/spraypools.  Time to grab the swim diapers and check out a few new ones!

Tags: free

The girls and I were walking to Carter’s last week and noticed a new burger joint in the Pottery Barn/Best Buy shopping center on Sheffield and North, Epic Burger (1000 W. North Ave.).  I am a lover of burgers and milkshakes (really, who isn’t!), so we stopped in for lunch.

They basically offer burgers (beef, turkey, veggie & Chicken), fries, shakes and smoothies. Everything is fresh, made to order and not processed.  We had burgers and fries, which were both delicious.  The burger was very tasty, and one order of fries was more than enough to feed my entire family.  There were a handful of other families there, so the owner, David, put cartoons on the big screen.  Always nice to have a bit of entertainment for the little ones, so that I can actually eat my burger at a normal speed instead of shoving bites in my mouth between catching flying sippy cups and wiping mouths. My only complaint is that they don’t have a kids menu.  Not the end of the world, since the girls just split a burger.

The food was delicious, the service was fast and friendly and the environment was kid friendly…we will definitely be back!

PS – They have another (original) location at 517 State St.

One of my family’s favorite activities is listening to music and dancing.  Almost every weekend we go somewhere with live music (we even took them to Jazzfest in New Orleans this year).  This weekend we are going to jump on our bikes and head down to the Chicago Blues Festival.

The Chicago Blues Festival is the largest free blues festival in the world and remains the largest of Chicago’s Music Festivals. During three days on five stages, more than 640,000 blues fans will prove that Chicago is the “Blues Capital of the World.”

• Where – Grant Park (Jackson & Columbus Dr.)
• When – June 11-13
• Hours – 11am-9:30pm
• Cost – FREE

Tags: free

Davis Theater in Lincoln Square (4614 N. Lincoln Ave.) has an amazing summer program called Camp Hollywood Family Film Series.  All seats are only $1.00 every Tuesday and Wednesday.  Shows start at 10:00am (doors open at 9:30).  There is a great line up of family friendly shows.  We are definitely hitting Curious George and How To Train Your Dragon.

After the show, check out Costello Sandwiches for lunch.  They have live music every day during lunch and yummy sandwiches.

• June 15 & 16 – Cloudy with a chance of Meat Balls
• June 22 & 23 – Percy Jackson & Olympians The Lightning Thief
• June 29 & 30 – Babe
• July 6 & 7 – Where the Wild Things Are
• July 13 & 14 – Alvin and The Chipmunks, the Squeakquel
• July 20 & 21 – Tooth Fairy
• July 27 & 28 – Diary of a Wimpy kid
• August 3 & 4 – Curious George
• August 10 & 11 – How to Train Your Dragon
• August 17 & 18 – Furry Vengeance

Following are a list of free days at Chicago Area Museums & Attractions this June.  Great for a rainy day!

• Field Museum –  June 14 (every second Monday is free) and June 2 & 3
• Adler Planetarium – June 7-11
• Chicago Children’s Museum –Thursdays from 5-8pm the museum is free to all.  Every first Sunday, 15 and under are free.  Plus, if you are a member of the DuPage Children’s Museum, you can always get in free.
• Museum of Science and Industry – June 7-11
• Art Institute – Every Thursday from 5-8pm
• Museum of Contemporary Art – Every Tuesday
• Chicago History Museum – Every Monday
• Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum – Thursdays are suggested donation days
• Shedd Aquarium – June 14-18.
• Lincoln Park Zoo – ALWAYS free

One thing to note is that free days generally only include general admission.  If you want to see a special attraction or exhibit you normally have to pay a small fee. Also, free days tend to be crowded.  A lot of neighborhood schools do field trips on free days.

Parking

As a mom always looking to save a few bucks, I tend to scope out the cheapest parking options.  Here are a few insider tips on saving money on Chicago parking.

• Shedd, Adler and Field Museum Campus – If you get there early (before 10:30), you can almost always find a metered spot.  Drive past the normal parking and head towards the Adler.  Turn right down Solidarity Drive. Metered parking spots line both sides of Solidarity Drive.
• Art Institute – There is metered parking on South Columbus Drive directly behind the modern wing.  You can only stay a few hours without feeding the meter again, but, honestly, my kids only have a two-hour attention span anyways.
• Museum of Science and Industry – Don’t be fooled by the parking signs telling you to take the 57^th St. exit from Lakeshore Dr.  Instead, exit onto Science Dr. from Lakeshore.   There is a HUGE free lot.  I was told last week that they plan to eventually install meters, but even meters will be cheaper than the $16 underground lot.