Getting Ready for Groundhog Day: Activities for Kids

The weather today in Chicago is positively spring-like, but we won't know for sure if it will last until February 2nd, when our friendly psychic Groundhogs consult with their shadows to confirm when spring will be here to stay.  






Here are some fun Groundhog Day activities for kids:

• On February 2, Lincoln Park Zoo researchers will be responding to groundhog-related queries on Lincoln Park Zoo’s Twitter feed and Facebook page, as well as posting live updates from the field.
• Make a Groundhog paper bag craft.
• Color or paint some images of Groundhogs.
• Serve a GroundHog burrow breakfast treat! Scale down and then print and cut out this image of a groundhog. Tape a wooden craft stick to his back to give him some standing support, then stick him in a burrow (a.k.a. inside the hole of a bagel or donut). 

Time to Order Business Cards

I am a tad bit late to the blogging conference world. Because I have a full time job (teaching!) in addition to a part-time job (writing!), and then an all-encompassing job (mothering!), there is very little time left for me to pursue conferences/networking. That said, I do plan on attending Social RevUp's Brands and Bloggers Conference this upcoming summer. Not only is it taking place in my hometown, but it's also being organized by a group of wonderful women that I'm happy to have connected with through my involvement in the world of social media. 

Good old-fashioned business cards still play a role in my professional life, despite the fact that most of my professional connections are made by a pretty small device that is attached to me at all times. I take care of most of my photo and greeting card needs at tinyprints.com. I also look to them for business stationary and cards - and it's time for an update. 


tinyprints.com has an excellent selection of business cards, all easily personalized. I am liking this bright and colorful model, but I'm also liking this one. 


Today is a good day to order your business cards, too. tinyprints.com is offering 20% off any order or 25% off any order of $125 or more. Use the code TP25 - it expires tonight at midnight! 

Special thanks to tinyprints.com for sponsoring this post

#makesmesmilemondays

Riding a camel with my kids at the Chicago Travel and Adventure Expo.

The travel bug is biting me again and January in Chicago always makes me anxious to get out and see the world. After riding this friendly camel (and having spent some time in a desert clime already), I would seriously love to do this.

Be Mine: Sweet and Unique Valentine's Day Cards

It's been my tradition, for the past three years, to create a Valentine's Day card, featuring a photo of my kids, to send to family and friends. I might not be able to get my act together over the busy holidays and get my holiday cards sent out on time (though this year I did!), but I know I can find time in the lull of winter to send out something sweet for Valentine's Day. 
Tinyprints has a ton of cute personalized Valentine's Day cards, both create-your-own photo and greeting cards, as well as a sweet collection of classroom-ready Valentines. I have a feeling my 10-year-old, music loving son is going to appreciate this one. 
Now the hard part: getting my two kids to sit together and smile at the same time - not an easy feat with a 2-year-old. 


For an interesting guide to the history of Valentine's Day, check out http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day 

For great offers and ideas, follow tinyprints on twitter, facebook, and pinterest. 

***special thanks to tinyprints.com for sponsoring this post

#makesmesmilemondays Papa's Weekly Visits and Fresh Frozen Wild Blueberries

Every Thursday, my Dad comes to town to spend some time with my children. Like all awesome Grandpas, he comes bearing gifts: Scamorza from Caputo's Cheese Factory, butter cookies from Veseckys in Berwyn, lollipops for Chiara. One such gift was a giant, 3 pound bag of Wyman's of Maine fresh frozen wild blueberries.

I never really liked/purchased frozen fruits, but these blueberries made me change my mind. They are just sweet enough and still bursting with fresh picked flavor. Having a three pound bag of blueberries in the freezer means that there is always a healthy snack on hand: Blueberries topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Mixed with plain yogurt and a spoonful of honey in the food processor for a delicious, easy and quick homemade "ice cream" (my Dad's invention). They are the perfect add-in to pancakes, waffles and muffins. I've been having a small bowl of plain blueberries, every day as a mid-morning snack, to bring a few vitamins and a sweet taste of summer to my (crummy, January, winter-in-Chicago) day. And wow! - blueberries really are nutrition powerhouses to boot!

Breaking News: Hope

Normally, the daily news just depresses me, but today, I was so very touched by two stories. 


In the first, Killed in Interstate Pileup, Antioch Woman Saves Others, I read of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Collins, who died at age 19, a day after being injured in a car accident.  She donated every organ possible, a decision she shared with her sister. "We had a pact, and deals, and everything," said sister Katie Collins, 25. "That was something that she and I had spoken about." If I close my eyes to imagine this young woman's heart being airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where it was then carried to the operating room to save the life of a 26-year-old mother of two, I know that I am visualizing hope in action. 


In the second, Homeless NY Teen Up for $100,000 Science Prize Gets County Housing Help, Donations, I learned about Samantha Garvey, a 17-year-old aspiring marine biologist who has made it to the semifinals of the prestigious Intel Science Competition. Samantha's family became homeless after her parents fell behind on rent after a car accident left them both too injured to work. Samantha told Newsday that her family's setbacks are a source of motivation and not just despair: "I want better," she said, "so that's why I do well in school."  Once again, a story of hope, and faith in a better tomorrow, despite all, in action.


In this day of social media whining and articles that reflect hate and hopelessness, it was so refreshing to see some positive stories in the news today! 


P.S. Have you signed up for the new organ/tissue donor registry? 

 

#makesmesmilemondays Ready for Restaurants

Finally, at age two and three months, I can *enjoy* a semi-relaxing restaurant date with my daughter. She sits (and stays!) in a big person chair and doesn't need a purseload of distractions and constant mommy attention to keep her occupied and content. It's a new year's miracle.

I took my kids to lunch on Thursday to Greek Islands in Greektown: Chiara was amazed by the flaming saganaki and Daniel stole my zucchini fritters. We stopped at the fantastic new National Hellenic Museum where Daniel climbed into a Trojan horse and Chiara tried her hand at weaving. For dessert, we headed to the Pan Hellenic Pastry Shop: cookies for the kids and Galaktoboureko for Mommy. 

I see many fun restaurant dates in our 2012 forecast!

Sole Society: the Shoe-flix for the Shoe Obsessed

As a young woman in my teens and twenties, I almost always wore heels. I spent a large part of that chapter in my life in Italy, where, despite the cobblestones and large amounts of walking that people do, women tend to wear tacchi alti (and only an Italian researcher would have taken upon this study). Then came my babies and I officially entered the Sensible Shoe Phase, where I've been stuck ever since.
Sole Society, a new online shoe subscription service, invited me to a little soiree recently, hosted by a fantastic Chicago area blogger. We were invited to peruse the fantastic shoe selection, and even choose a pair to keep(!), over wine (!!)  and Vosges Chocolat (!!!).  At first, I could only laugh - no way would I be able to get anything done in my life in these shoes! And then I tried them on, and was reminded of my long ago love affair with shoes.
Sole Society is a personalized shoe club. You take a style personality quiz - the Individual Style Bio - and every month, Sole Society will select six pairs of shoes for you to choose from. There is no obligation to buy. Even better, it's entirely affordable.
While I simply can't conduct my life in 4-inch heels, Sole Society will help me keep up with my promise to step out of my mom duds at least every once in awhile. Here's to a new year, and to re-igniting a love affair with shoes.

Check out upcoming shoe trends at Sole Society.










Disclosure: Sole Society gifted me with a lovely pair of grey, three-inch heeled booties, but did not ask me to review their site. All opinions are my own.