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Collaborations, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Parenting, Travel

Exchange Screen Time for Family Time with Teal Firefly

The other day I went into the kids playroom while they were at school and it dawned on me that the way I spend time with my kids has drastically changed over the last two years.  Two years ago, both started their journey in full day school which meant them spending more time out of the house than in it.  Gone were the days where every waking moment was spent trying to “pass the time” with the kids.  As I rummaged through the jumble of toys, I began to reminisce when the kids were babies. In those days, I remember looking at the clock and wondering how it was only 9 AM when it felt like I had already been up for 12 hours.  The toys and trinkets were my saving grace, and just what the kids needed to keep busy.  While those days were amazing, it didn’t require much more from me other than supervised self-play.

As I filled bags with toys that the kids no longer play with, I couldn’t fight the bittersweet feeling of having both kids gone all day.  On one end I was thrilled to have a little bit more time for myself, but on the other end, I was sad that our time together was reduced to just a few hours before bedtime.  With after school clubs and sports I’m finding that the time I spend with the kids is engrossed in “the grind.” It has become so much more important to make those short windows of time together meaningful in some way.  

Teal Firefly DIY Card Kit
Teal Firefly DIY Card Kit

My daughter, who is seven years old, loves to craft and do projects.  What I learned was that she not only has a genuine interest in doing it, but relishes in the face to face time she gets with just me when working on a project. Juggling time between making meals, picking up, going to activities, doing homework and dropping off….things get busy!  I try not to be hard on myself, but I too crave those moments… alone with each child, one-on-one.  

My husband and I are big travelers and especially love to travel with the kids.  It’s an opportunity to break from the grind and make time to do things together as a family.  We’ve had travel plans scheduled for the Thanksgiving holiday for some time.  Knowing we would have some down time, I wanted to do some fun crafty projects with my daughter, so I poked around the internet for some meaningful projects for us to do together.  

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I stumbled across Teal FireFly, whose DIY crafting kits have everything you need to make creative, embellished cards from start to finish.  And they are not overwhelming or messy.  The kit contained cards/envelopes, direction cards for 4 designs, tags, glue dots, embellishments (rhinestones, glitter confetti) and a glitter glue pen. These kits come in a small box, so are easy pack and do while at the airport.  Like most parents with little ones, we always give ourselves some extra time in case the kids walk at a snail’s pace or Chicago traffic does what it does best….take forever!

While sitting in the lounge I pulled out one of the cupcake card set and my daughter’s eyes lit up! She was excited to have a box of goodies with instructions toward a useful finished product!  I loved the simplified, full color direction cards, as the illustrations made it easy enough for Carina to follow on her own.   We made fun cupcake cards from the Celebration kit that we plan to distribute with gifts during the holiday season.  She, and I, loved the one-on-one and even shared the goodies for some quality father-son time for my husband and son.  It was such a great alternative to screen time as we had a chance to chat and be creative together!  These cards will make a thoughtful touch to holiday gifts that can seem so impersonal sometimes.  I know that family members and friends will appreciate the extra effort!

Founder, Laxmi Shah, breaks it down best, “When you make a card by hand, you pour your heart into it!! I have found that there’s immeasurable pleasure in that for both kids and adults alike.”

So even though one chapter of endless hours in a day are over, I am grateful for companies like Teal Firefly for making products that we can do ourselves while spending quality time together.  Bye Bye supervised self-play….Hello creative togetherness! 

Right now Teal Firefly is offering 10% off the entire store in honor of the shopping season!!  Check them out here: www.tealfirefly.com

Your Chick,

Sonia

Fashion, Lifestyle, Travel, trending, women

Dressing for the Fall is a Hobby!

Fall means brisk mornings and chilly evenings. Colder weather also means layering which means it’s time for just a few of my favorite things: cardigans, jackets, and sweatshirts!  Having grown up in the Midwest, pairing boots with hats and scarves has always been a hobby of sorts.

Layering is not only a cute fashion statement but one with high functionality.  We make sure to layer up our kids when they go outside — but when it comes to ourselves, we fall into patterns and bad habits of reaching for that old over sized cardigan from years ago!  Lucky for all of us the trends this fall have our back, having both comfort, fashion, and practicality in mind.

 

I took me 5 years, but I FINALLY found an army green jacket that I can jive with.  At Rebecca Minkoff right now, there is a lot to love.  My newest purchases for this year includes a camouflage Rebecca Minkoff jacket that is just right. It is warm and gorgeous and the silver studded detail that makes just enough of a statement. If I leave the house in basics like all black (aka the Chicks Uniform), this Minkoff jacket makes it seem like I am having fun with it.  

The LOVE sweatshirt, also by Rebecca Minkoff, is trendy and comfy.  Somewhere along the line I missed the ‘retro’ look trend, but this year I scooped this up.  This sweatshirt is a must for getting that cute #streetstyle look, I paired this look with my three-year-old-and-still-rocking Stuart Weitzman OTK boots.  

Lastly, since denim is ALWAYS trendy, this long denim jacket by Akira is just edgy enough that a mom can still rock it without feeling overly conscious.  If you are in Chicago, you are lucky enough to just be able to walk into this amazing local boutique, but for the rest of us, we can go online, shop this jacket here.

Akira Denim

 You don’t have to stop there either. Belts over outerwear and scarves make layering so much more dynamic and functional, I will attempt a post with a few of those looks next month.  Resist the urge to grab for those old sweaters, and see if you can “UMPH” up your closet. Try starting with some of these outerwear pieces that you can wear over and over again.

Cheers to being cozy!

Rina  

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friends, girl talk, Life, Lifestyle, Party, Travel, women

Forget Boat Ownership – Why Boat Sharing is Perfect for Me!

I’m a Chicago gal….well mostly.  Though I was born in Missouri, I’ve spent most of my life in the Chicagoland area.  I moved to downtown when I started my undergraduate career at Depaul University in 2001.  It wasn’t long before I realized the beauty of living in this not-so-hidden Midwestern gem of a city!

From quaint storefronts, to cute coffee shops, and culinary excellence;  I knew  what would make this glorious city even more amazing is having or renting a boat.  Lake Michigan sits on the shorelines of, arguably, one of the most beautiful skylines in the US.  After getting married and doing a brief stint in the suburbs, my husband, two children and I decided to move back to Chicago.  Despite awkward questions and wonder of doing what most people don’t, it was one of the best decisions for our family.

One of the things we love the most about this city is all the green spaces, the family friendly events and the accessibility to Lake Michigan and it’s beautiful beaches.  We couldn’t help but question the possibility of boat ownership.  I feel like it rung in our ears every time we thought of it….the comments of the best days of boat ownership are the “day you buy” it and the “day you sell it.”  That’s when we discovered boat shares.

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One thing was certain, we wanted to share our love for the city and Lake Michigan with our children.  We chose to work with Pinnacle Yachts as our first boat share.  Kudos to my husband who took all the coursework to get certified to get “behind the wheel” of the boat.

Personally speaking, some of the pros of boat sharing are:

-Lifelong memories

-Hosting

-Jumping in the Great Lake Michigan

-The Play Pen

-Being directly under the fireworks as they take off from Navy Pier

-Seeing the beauty of our city from the water day or night

-Cruising the Chicago river

-Tying up to a restaurant for some yummies to share on the boat

-Sleeping on the boat after a long day in the sun

-Joining the likes of others with shared interest of the great outdoors

-Having the option to hire a captain should the driver want to enjoy a cocktail or two with friends and family

-No Mortgage

-No Maintenance

Here are some of the cons:

-Opening and closing the boat

-Scrubbing it down

-Not having first pick on popular dates on the boat

Clearly the pros outweigh the cons and though it’s a luxury, it’s a one to look into for Summer 2018 indeed.  The costs for boat sharing vary greatly based on the type of boat, days you would like to spend on the water and amenities you need when you are out there.  If you have any more questions or would like to learn more about my experience, email me at [email protected]

See you on the water!  Check out our Boat Party for Savvy Chick Vlog here.

Your Party Chick,

Sonia

 

friends, girl talk, Life, Travel

Windy City Playhouse Ticket Giveaway!

When the chicks were invited by the Windy City Playhouse to see their current play, “King Liz” I thought that it would make a fun date night and invited my husband along.  We were unfamiliar with this newly-founded playhouse and were excited for our evening in the city!

The theater seats 80-100, depending on the play. We were pleasantly surprised by the charming lobby with bar, comfortable seating, and friendly staff.  The contemporary decorating includes faux animal skin rugs, leather couches and a fireplace.  You can bring alcohol into the performance.  The chairs are roomy and comfortable leather lounges (not recliners) that swivel, and there are tables between the seats to place your drinks.  There’s plenty of room, which is really nice.

What I liked most about the theater was its design.  The audience faces each other with the stage in the middle, allowing two sets accessible by the actors merely by crossing the stage.  This was used to great effect during the performance, and kept the action going at a quick and fun pace. This setup also allows you to sit very close to the performers, and with the stage lighting and great acoustics, made this theater experience really visceral.

“King Liz” is a story about Liz Rico (Lanise Shelley), a brassy, highly successful African American basketball agent, who’s worked her way up to partner in the Candy Agency.  She’s a Yale grad from the projects, and was originally Mr. Candy’s (Frank Nall) assistant when he started the agency in his garage.  The story centers around her relationship with Freddie Luna (Eric Gerard), the hot new client she must recruit and help get drafted, to make the big splash needed for the board to name her as Candy’s successor.  Liz is self-centered, doing whatever it takes to make it to the top.  She’s sacrificed love, children, and friendships for her career.  Freddy comes from a troubled inner city background.  He lived in foster homes and has an assault charge that dogs him.  His tough exterior hides a need for guidance and love.  We see how Liz’s career goals conflict with Freddie’s unpreparedness for the world of professional sports, and how ultimately she finds her humanity.  It’s a fast paced play that keeps you engaged and entertained.

The lead actress, Lanise Shelley, who has an impressive resume including extensive Shakespearean training, plays the intense and powerful role of Liz Rico very well.  In fact, all of the actors were excellent.  They were well cast.

I liked the play.  The actors were engaging and their timing was great.  I laughed out loud several times.  It was even fun to recognize actor Phillip Edward Van Lear, who played Coach Jones, from Prison Break!

Try this theatre out!   King Liz runs through July 16th.  If you share this post on Facebook, you will automatically be entered to win a pair of tickets to see King Liz or their upcoming production of Becky Shaw!

 

Also, after some performances you can stay and have a “night cap” with one of the actors.

If you would like to go out for dinner beforehand, I’d highly recommend “Bread and Wine” down the street.  It’s a Michelin-rated restaurant.  My husband and I were thrilled with the food, atmosphere, and friendliness of the staff.  The owners even let us leave our car in the parking lot while we went to the play!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will really enjoy an evening combining Bread and Wine and the Windy City Playhouse.  Coming in from the suburbs, Irving Park is not as far as going all the way downtown.  Both restaurant and theater are walking distance from each other, and both are just east of I90.  That makes it very easy to drive.  It’s a lot less hassle than going downtown for an evening and, frankly, it was a lot more fun.

Your Savvy Chick,

Johanna Croll