My husband & I are headed to Milwaukee at the end of the week for Summerfest! We’ve visited Milwaukee several times over the last couple of years and with it being just 90 minutes away from Chicago it’s the perfect one night getaway.
Winter Toddler Birthdays
Happy March! If you have been following along on instagram you may have seen my oldest recently turned 4! I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by! We are not at the point where we are hosting birthday parties for her friends yet (sigh of relief!) but we do like to do something special as a family for the girls for their birthdays. When you have a child born in the winter you need to get a little creative when it comes to family activities! Here are a couple of things we have done in the past – at a variety of price points! While I’m linking to local spots near me I’m sure these will provide plenty ideas of similar places near you!
Time away
This past weekend my husband and I drove to Milwaukee for their annual Summerfest. The fest is right off of Lake Michigan and a huge outdoor area with food, music and great views of the city and lake. They have a range of music, from free shows to huge headliners like Florida Georgia Line, who we were lucky enough to see. While Milwaukee is about an hour and a half away from us and we were only going for the afternoon/night coordinating the weekend was a huge ordeal. Time away from our kids doesn’t happen often but it’s definitely important for our marriage. I really believe in family time but it’s easy to lose sight of marriage time with busy working lives and two young children.
Summer bucket list
Today I realized it’s almost mid-June and I feel the summer months are already getting away from me! My girls are in daycare year round and I work full time so we are not on a traditional summer break, but we only get so many warm months in Chicago I want to make the most of it! I feel if I write down my top ten items it will not only inspire you but hold me accountable! Plus, I’ve heard so much about putting what you want to do out in the universe to make it happen, so here goes!
Fun Chicago spots for kids (and adults!)
Above photo taken at the Chicago Botanic Garden
Whether you live in the area or are just visiting, with the amount of things to do in the Windy City, choosing can be overwhelming. Factor in children and it gets even more complicated. As someone who has lived in the city for over 5 years and the surrounding suburbs the rest of my life, here are some of my favorite outdoor activities with kids.
The quest for the perfect iced coffee
Like most Moms I run on coffee, hot, cold or lukewarm it doesn’t matter the kind or the time, give it to me. A few months ago I started to notice how much money I was spending on this habit. It seemed like I was always having to reload money on my app. I sat down and calculated  that I was spending close to $10 per day on coffee, which meant about $300 per month! Yikes! I decided that I would still treat myself to my afternoon coffee at my brewer of choice, however I was going to start bring my coffee to work in the morning. Baby steps, this is an addiction! 🙂 All was well until the weather started to get warmer and I wanted an iced coffee in the morning, thus began my quest for the perfect at home recipe!
Binky fairy
With my oldest, I’ve successfully weaned her from boob and bottle, transitioned her to a big girl bed and potty trained. Nothing scares me more though than taking away her binky. She is very low maintenance and adapts to change better than most people I know (adults included!) but ever since she was little the binky has been a great source of comfort. Currently she only has her binky when she’s sleeping and in the car but thought of permanently taking it away makes me very nervous.
Daycare series – Holidays
What’s in a name?
Like most, the second my husband and I found out we were pregnant we started thinking of baby names. If you’ve had a child you’ve probably seen the popular meme, “you never know how many people you dislike until you have to name a baby.” It’s not easy! Luckily with our first as soon as we found out it was a girl we were able to narrow the choices down to two pretty easily.