Happy Mother’s Day

“Life doesn’t come with a manual. It comes with a MOTHER”

To all mommas out there, a big Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you enjoyed the day that is just for you.

Although quarantines can be a huge hindrance to your celebration, there are still a lot of ways you can celebrate Mother’s Day. Why not reward yourself with a glass of your favorite wine. Another idea is to gift yourself a coffee subscription from your neighborhood coffee place? This way, you not only celebrate YOUR day, you also get to help your local coffee shop!

Take the time, too, to enjoy art. Today’s art is by my very talented daughter that I am naming, “A Portrait of My Mother.”

Today’s dish is a lite fare. Avocado Toast.

You will only need:
– 4 slices of your favorite bread, toasted
– 1 small ripe avocado
– 1 teaspoon lemon juice
– a pinch of salt (I prefer the Himalayan Pink Salt)

To create you Mother’s Day feast,
– Crush the avocado in a small bowl. Add the salt and lemon to taste
– Spread the avocado mixture over your toast.
– You may even add egg and cheese

Enjoy this meal, this art, keep safe and stay home!
Again to all moms, Happy Mother’s Day!

Heal the World

“The Earth does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” – Lao Tzu

This may well be a very good day for the earth. Today marks the 50th Earth Day celebration. This annual tradition to promote environmental protection first started in 1970.

Today, amidst this global pandemic, people around the world are celebrating Earth Day, “Quarantine Style.”

Today’s ART is a T-shirt design by Tag All Team.

This will be a nice shirt to wear when you are talking your regular walk or run around the park closest to you. Remember, to wear a mask and stay at least 6 feet away from other joggers or families on taking their regular walks.

Of course, if like everyone else, you are staying home and helping flatten the curse, you would be cooking.

So, as a chicagohousewifey, here is an Earth Day recipe that your little ones will surely love.

This website may be familiar to you. This site has ads on Facebook and they should! Their recipes are easy-to-make, easy-to-follow and most certainly delicious. Their recipes are perfect for a chicagohousewifey, not a chicagohousewifey-in-quarantine.

So, without further ado, below is the recipe and link here. Enjoy, have fun and Happy Earth Day 2020, Chicago! 

Ingredients
1  (17.5-oz.) bag sugar cookie mix
6 drops blue and green food coloring

Directions
Preheat oven to 375º and line two baking sheets with parchment. Prepare sugar cookie mix according to package directions. Place about 1/4 of dough in one bowl and dye green using green food coloring until desired color is reached. Dye remaining dough blue until desired color is reached.

Then, pull out pieces from each color and start shaping into a 1″ ball, patching if necessary to create an Earth effect.

Finally, place cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets and bake 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges are set. Remember that not all ovens are the same, so check your cookies after 5 or 6 minutes to make sure they are cooking properly. This will also give you an idea if you should be taking them out of the oven or keeping them there for the full 9 minutes.

Treats for Your Sweets

Everyone has a sweet tooth or a sweets craving every once in a while. You do not always indulge your craving. However, once in a while, you may want to. Especially, if giving in to your craving comes with discovery, learning and of course, if it is for free!

Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory

Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory is said to be the largest and most captivating botanical conservatories in the Illinois. It is known as a “landscape art under glass.” The conservatory has thousands of plant species from around. When you do visit, check out one of the following:

Palm House

From the name, you will know that you will visit different kinds of palms in this room. It is 65 ft high and 90 ft wide and is the largest room in the Conservatory. The room features plants from warm habitats all around the world. (description from the conservatory website)

Remember, entrance to the Conservatory is free. It is all the more enjoyable learning about different palms for this reason.

Fern Room

Have you heard of Lady Fern? This type of fern makes frequent appearances in Illinois. For this reason, the Conservatory dedicated a room for lush ferns and rocky outcroppings. This is to showcase what prehistoric Chicago might have looked like.

If you are a native of Chicago or the surrounding suburbs, wouldn’t you love to learn about what the Chicago looked like a long time ago? The best part of it is, it is for free!

Sugar From the Sun

The ability of plants to photosynthesize makes them big heroes in our world. Do you want to talk about this with your little ones for free? Come to this exhibit and have fun learning.

Desert House

The Desert House holds one of the region’s most varied collections of cacti and succulents. These plants owe their popularity to their spectacular and unique forms, the promise of brilliant, short-lived flowers and their ability to withstand harsh, dry conditions. The size of the plants in this room varies from the tiny living stone plant to the large century plants. (description from the conservatory website)

Aroid House

Indoor gardeners are sure to find something familiar here, as many aroids are popular houseplants. A variety of aroids growing in a landscape setting are on display. A spectacular feature is the “Persian Pool,” sixteen yellow lily pads, which were created by the world acclaimed glass artist Chihuly expressly for the Aroid House. (description from the conservatory website)

Valentine Sweet Treats in Advance

Are you planning a valentine outing in advance? The Conservatory is a good place to visit! Since entrance to this wonderful place is for free, you do not even need to worry about your budget. Make sure you make a donation at the entrance, though. Your donation will keep making this place enjoyable for a lot of Chicago residents and visitors!

Free Valentine Event

Sweet Saturday event is from noon to 3 P.M. You will be treated to sweet treats like chocolates, vanilla, banana and papaya. Children will also get to enjoy crafts activities like leaf rubbing and paper flowers!

A Free Chicago Valentine

What is Valentines Day to you? It is the day when you enjoy wonderful sweets given to you by your love ones.

Is that there is to it?

In Chicago, you will have tons of exciting and fun-filled activities to be done and it’s absolutely free! Valentines Day is a good time to enjoy with your family and it is more than eating sweets all day.

One way to spend Valentines, particularly for your daughter, is by bringing her on a father daughter activity. In Chicago, there are a lot of place where you can go.

Let It Go and Skate

A free Chicago Valentine can look like a father daughter skating day. What a precious picture it will be to take a photo of your husband and daughter skating. Whether you are a Chicago resident or you are just visiting, you can skate for free at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink at the Millennium Park. You can always get a good spot to stand and wait for your skaters to pass and take a good picture. It is free to skate at this rink and if you bring your own skates and come early, you may be able to skip the lines when borrowing skates. If you bring your own skates, you will not have to rent skates too!

Another place to skate is at the Maggie Daley Park just a hop and a skip from the Millennium Park. This rink presents an even better opportunity for a good photo. Your skaters will be skating around climbing walls and under pine trees. Finding a good position is key and you may be able to get a photo that will be good for hundreds of “likes” on Facebook. Like the Millennium Park, skating at the Maggie Daley Park is free. You should either bring your own skates or time your visit in order to avoid the lines when renting your skates.

Love of Science

If your daughter loves science, Valentines is the day to indulge her. Bringing her to the Museum of Science and Industry is one way to do it! Oh what an experience it will be! If you are a Chicago resident, you are in for a treat! February 14 is one of the days when Chicago residents can get free admission at the museum. You can go to the museum to see exhibits like Oceans: Our Blue Planet, The Story of Earth, Tornado Alley, U-505 On-Board Tour, Coal Mine and Flight and Ride Simulators.

To get free admission, make sure to bring an identification showing that you are a Chicago resident. You should also plan your visit ahead of time. There are a lot of exhibits to see and you may want to schedule ahead of time which exhibits you want to go to first.

 

 

Museums to Visit for FREE

The best things in life are free and indeed, doing something with your kids and doing is for free would definitely fall under the same category.

In Chicago, there are a lot of museums you can go to for free or at discounted price. You just need to know when to go, what to bring and how to make the most out of your visit! Here are some suggestions. 

Museum of Contemporary Art

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago features words of artists of today. They feature international artists. Most especially, though, they feature works of locals. If you want to support local artists, visit the museum or check out the website for what are currently being featured. 

If you are a Chicago resident, you are in for a treat! Admission is free for all local residents every Tuesday. Just bring an ID as proof of residence. Bring your little on with you to the museum 10 AM to 9 PM every Tuesday and from 10 AM to 5 PM on most all other days except for Mondays. The museum is located at 220 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. To make the most out of your visit, research the different features on the website and prior to your visit, decide which works to see during your visit.

Chicago Children’s Museum

There are a lot of ways to enjoy the Chicago Children’s Museum. The museum features a lot of exhibits. They have the Zoom Room that features toy cars and “roads” for kids to drive on. Kids can experiment on different outcomes when they drive up and down different “roads.” 

WaterWays is another way to experiment and this time, with water! You can play with different levers and see how it changes the water movement or you can put small boats and see where they will flow to as you direct the water movement. 

The other exhibits are Pritzker Playspace, Dinosaur Expedition, Kovler Family Climbing Schooner and Kids Town. Each exhibit features a different way for kids to enjoy the museum while learning and exploring. 

Make the most our of your visit by coming early. When you get to the museum, spend a few minutes in each exhibit then move on to the next. If you have more time after seeing all the exhibits, go back to the exhibit that you enjoyed the most. 

Visit the museum on the first Sunday of the month for free admission to all ages 15 and below. Also, if you are an Illinois EBT or WIC card holder, bring your ID and pay only $3 per person for up to 6 persons. Each family should include at least 1 adult and 1 child age 15 or younger. 

Shedd Aquarium

Shedd Aquarium is another great place to visit with your little one. They feature several exhibits such as Amazon Rising, Polar Play Zone, At Home on the Great Lakes, Abbott Oceanarium, Caribbean Reef, Wild Reef and Waters of the World. 

When plan your visit, check out the schedules for aquatic presentations with Beluga Whales and Dolphins. Watch these see creatures and their trainers as they wow you with their tricks and skills. You will even learn a thing or two about how they live and their anatomy. 

Before you go to the aquarium, makes sure to check out any special events or presentations for the day so you can plan and make the most out of your visit. Know how much time you can spend at each exhibit and which ones will definitely interest your little one. 

If you are a resident of Illinois, make sure to bring your ID during one of the museum’s free days. In January, the free days are January 17 to 21. You can also visit on February 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22 and 25-28. The museum is located at 1200 S Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60605. 

 

 

IHOP Norridge

I’ve always loved IHOP. It has a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, not all IHOP branches have a good reputation. On the other hand, the IHOP in Norridge impressed me on our visit.

On entering the place, I was surprised by how much space they have and the lighting is great! Unlike another IHOP place nearby, this one is well lit and the open space gives a warm and welcoming feeling. Since it is the holiday season, this IHOP is also decorated for the season. Their decorations were simple and did not crowd the restaurant at all.

I inspected everything. I had to. I checked all the napkins, I looked at the floor under the table. I made sure the chair was clean. I even went to the bathroom and was satisfied by the cleanliness. I gave each a thumbs up.

Of course, if you are a Chicagohousewifey, you’ll be looking for freebies or deals and guess what? Kids eat free on weekdays from 4pm with a purchase of one adult meal. A good deal!

Go-To for Personalized Items

Whether you are a business owner or you just like having your birthday or holiday giveaways personalized, it helps when you have a local guy (or girl!) as your go-to for these items. This is where Noni Print (noniprint.com) comes in.

Noniprint can make personalized pens, mugs, letter openers, etc. The good thing about having them as your go-to is you just need to let them know what you need and chances are, they can find it for you. They may even be able to give you one better than what you had in mind. Just call or shoot Noniprint and email with what you need and they will get back to you with an option or options to meet your hearts’ desires.

The best part? You get someone from your neighborhood or at least someone close, so you get the sense of getting the best service from your neighbor.

So, look up noniprint for those 2018 calendar or Holiday giveaway and you can be on your way to getting the personalized you need.

FREE Admission to the Brookfield Zoo in October 2017

A day at the zoo is always fun. It is not just fun for the kids. It is also fun for adults who just can’t help but oooh and aahhh at the amazing and interesting animals. In Chicago, the place to go for a whole day of fun is the Brookfield Zoo.

Are you interested in seeing a polar bear? Yes, you will find one here. A Rhino? Present! There are just so many animals that you can find. Make it a fun learning experience with you and the kids or maybe just by yourself.

The best part? Of course, you can enjoy learning for FREE! Just visit Brookfield Zoo on the following days. Make sure to bring lots of energy, food and drinks. There are several places where you can sit comfortably and eat at the Brookfield Zoo.

So, schedule your trip during any of the FREE days soon and make the most out of what are for FREE in Chicago!