How to Host a Chili Cookoff

I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I make a darn good chili. Not too spicy, not too sweet…the perfect amount of beans, meat and veggies…my mouth is watering just writing about it. Don’t believe me? Well, I’m not the only one who thinks it is amazing, my friends do, too. And I have […]

How to Throw a Birthday Party on a Budget

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. With all of the great inspiration it gives me, it also leaves me feeling very overwhelmed and inadequate. I mean, do you really need to go all out for EVERY single holiday?  No. Hell no. When does Pinterest make me feel my worst?  When planning my kids’ birthday […]

Party Planning 101

Remember when a preschool birthday party meant gathering in someone’s home to bat around a few balloons, streaking through the hallways like sugared-up cheetahs, and pausing just long enough to enjoy home-baked cake? We still think this sounds like a wonderfully age-appropriate celebration. Unfortunately, many city families just don’t have the space, and many of […]

Chicagoland Birthday Party Venues

Thanks to social media, parents now have a major challenge that rears its head every year…throwing a creative, unique, and “Pinterest Perfect” birthday party for their kiddo.  If you are able to avoid the pressure of making the day absolutely perfect with every small detail thought through and planned in advance, congratulations.  You are much, […]

Chicagoland 1st Birthday Party Guide

Congrats, mom and dad, you made it almost a full year! You have figured out when to freak out and call the pediatrician at 3 a.m., when to simply relax and pour yourself a glass of wine, how to get your little one to sleep through the night (hopefully), and have memorized oh so many […]