Posted in go shop | July 28, 2010
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)
Posted in go play - outside | July 26, 2010
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
Posted in go eat | July 16, 2010
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 22nd at 7pm
- Cost – $40 adults, $20 children
- Reservations required – 773.868.1857
Posted in go eat | July 13, 2010
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.
Posted in inside scoop | July 13, 2010
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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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!
Posted in go learn | July 9, 2010
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
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Hi, I'm an urban explorer of mom and kid friendly events, activities, classes, and restaurants in Chicago. My mission is to discover, explore and share my adventures with other families.