Holiday Photo Card Contest - First Email Wins!!!

A few weeks ago I featured holiday photo cards and photo announcements by Mommies Ink on Windy City Tot.  Jen, the local designer/owner of Mommies Ink, has now offered to give a free photo card to one lucky WCT reader!  The first one to email me at: windycitytot@gmail.com wins a free photo holiday card!  The winner will simply pick their favorite design (um, she has some new ones up that are AMAZINGLY CUTE), then send Jen the photo(s) to appear on your card, pick your font and wording, and she'll send you back an adorable photo card for you to send to everyone on your holiday card list.  Jen also told me about press printing, so that your photo card can be printed on card stock instead of on photo paper.  Check out mpix or A Printing Press for photo or press printing options or print on photo paper through Walgreens, Costco, Kodak, etc.  It is a totally simple, unique, and inexpensive way to impress everyone on your holiday card list!  
Good luck in the contest!

Notebart Nature Museum on the Cheap! Monday 11/16 - Sunday 11/22

Readers, sorry I've been a blogging slacker.  38 weeks pregnant + colds in our house + a stomach bug for mom + trying to organize my life for a newborn = no blog last week.  As much as I'm trying to savor the last weeks of relative sanity in this house, the above scenario has been par for the course with this pregnancy and I'm ready to birth this baby.  Now.  So, over the next month you can expect more of the same blogging slackerness as I'm juggling life with a new baby and a toddler.  My plan is to publish one giant posting for December encompassing much of the holiday festivities in Chicago.  That's the plan anyway.  Hopefully it will come to fruition.  In the meantime, here's what's happening now and an awesome deal that you should jump on to help keep the family entertained during the doldrums of winter:

Groupon for Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - Hurry, this deal is about to expire.  Don't miss your chance to purchase a  1 year family membership to the Nature Museum for only $27!  What an awesome price for access to the indoor play area, the butterflies, discounts on classes, and everything else the museum has to offer.  I just bought mine.  I'm so excited!  Hit this link to purchase.

THIS WEEK:

Morning Glories for Families: Every Monday morning families with preschoolers are invited to the Garfield Park Conservatory for a hands on nature project and story time followed by the opportunity to dig in the dirt, water the plants, and play with musical instruments.  $1 suggested donation per family. 

Where: Garfield Park Conservatory • 300 N Central Park, Chicago

When: Mondays 10a-12n

Park District Fall Family Night: Head to Gompers Park with the fam to meet live animals, make nature themed crafts, enjoy refreshments and even a bonfire if weather permits.  

Where: Gompers Park • 4222 W Foster, Chicago

When: Thursday 5p-6:30p

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival: The annual lighting procession along Michigan Ave led by Mickey Mouse is this weekend.  It is a fun family event, but be prepared for massive crowds.  Last time we did it we camped out in the Citibank on Michigan Ave.  Yes, it is a random place to watch, but it is elevated a bit above the crowds and you don't have to stand in the cold.  Use your ATM card to get in and then hang out in the window to watch the Disney characters float by and the lights come on along the Avenue.  For pre-lights festivities, hit the Justin Roberts show at 11a and the Ralph's world performance at 12:15p.
Where: Pioneer Court • 401 N Michigan Ave, Chicago
When: Saturday • 11a-10p

Talkin Turkey at the Nature Museum: Get the kids gobbling  about Thanksgiving at the Nature Museum this weekend.  They'll see a wild turkey, play turkey trivia and make turkey crafts.  Free with admission.  This is a great time to activate the Groupon you purchased above and hit the Green City Market as well!

Where: The Notebaert Nature Museum • 2430 N Canon Drive, Chicago

When: Sat and Sun 11a-3p

Baby Loves Disco: Head to the Metro on Sunday for entertainment including a DJ spinning hits from the 70s - 90s, dancing, bubbles, props, bean bag chill out area, free product samples, snacks and more.  It's the best of both worlds.  Mom and dad can get a bloody and the tots can get an organic juice box.  $12 per walking human in advance and $15 at the door.

Where: The Metro • 3730 N Clark, Chicago

When: Sun 12n-3p 

Harvest Hootenanny: Old Town School of Folk Music is holding a Harvest Ho-Down concert featuring country kiddie-tunes.  $12 non-members / $11 members. 

Where: Old Town School of Music • 4544 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago

When: Sunday 11a

Kids Music at the Beat Kitchen: Mary Macaroni will perform the matinee kids show on Sunday at the Beat Kitchen.  Make a meal of it and grab lunch/brunch there beforehand.  The kids can get a grilled cheese while you chow down on a breakfast wrap. Hang out for arts and crafts after the show.  

Where: The Beat Kitchen • 2100 West Belmont

When: Sunday Brunch starts at 11:30 and Karen performs at noon.

Monday 11/2 - Sunday 11/8

Thought of the Week:  The Holiday Card Your Friends Won't Have

Apparently it is the holiday season. On Saturday I was in Target, doing a last minute Halloween supply mad dash, and was shocked, as I am every year, that the Christmas season seems to be starting weeks, maybe months, earlier than it did back in the days pre-Big Box retailers.  On one hand, I'm pissed that Target and other retailers have defined mid-October as the start of the holiday season.  On the other, I feel that maybe this is the kick in the butt I need this year to get a head start on all things holiday.  After all, my due date is two days after Thanksgiving, which means my normal last minute shopping routine is not going to be ideal given I'll have a newborn attached to my boob and a 3 year old vying for my attention.  Just as all these thoughts of stressful holiday chaos was floating through my head, I saw that a local mom with a business called Mommies Ink, had started following me on Twitter.  When I clicked on her Etsy site to figure out what she's selling, my first thought was: BRILLIANT.  For $10, yes only $10, she will insert one of your pictures into her cute photo card designs.  You pick the design, you pick the font, you pick the wording.  She sends the completed card back to you, you upload it to Kodak, Walgreens, Costco, wherever you get your online photos printed (I personally prefer mpix).  Have them printed shiny or matte, 4x6 or 5x7, and then stuff them in envelopes that you can purchased online as well (try Action Envelopes).  According to my rough number crunching, photo cards done this way will cost about 1/2 the price you would pay on Tiny Prints.  Plus you'll send out a card that most of your friends have never seen before.  And if you are willing to pay a little more, Mommies Ink will customize a design for you.  If only I had thought of this...if only I had majored in graphic design....if only I knew how to use my bootleg copy of PhotoShop.  Until then, I'll use Mommies Ink for my birth announcement/holiday card this year!

THIS WEEK:

Tots on Tuesdays at the Shedd: Every Tuesday the Shedd Aquarium offers activities devoted to toddlers and pre-schoolers. There are story times, crafts, animal touch programs, videos and costumed characters.
Where: The Shedd Aquarium • 1200 S. Lakeshore Drive, Chicago
When: Tuesdays • 9a-5p

Nature Pals Playgroup: Bring your 1 to 4 year old to the Nature Museum to meet new friends and explore hands-on nature themed activities. $15 for an adult + 1 child.  $10 for additional children.   

Where: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum • 2430 N Cannon Drive

When: Wednesday 9:30a-10:30a

Park District Fall Family Night: On Thursday night, why not have the nanny drop the kids off at your office downtown and then head to Northerly Island with the fam.  You'll meet live critters, make fall themed nature crafts, and enjoy refreshments.  This is an indoor activity.  FREE.

Where: Northerly Island • 1400 S Lynn Wright Drive

When: Thursday 5p-6:30p

Green City Market Moves Indoors: As sad as it is to see the Green City Market move inside for the season,  we have to be thankful that we have access to an amazing farmers market in the city all year round.  Plus, this is one of the best family activities going on cold winter weekends.  Mom or dad get to shop for produce, meat, dairy, etc and kids get to spend a morning with the butterflies, at the indoor play area, and checking out the Critter Cam Exhibit.  

Where: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum • 2430 N Cannon Drive

When: Saturdays 8a-1p

Drum Circle at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center: Come make music with your little ones ages 6 and under on Saturday in Lincoln Park.  An hour of beating on drums sounds like a more sane plan than a drum set at home!  FREE!

Where: Lincoln Park Cultural Center • 2045 N Lincoln Park West

When: Sat 10a-11a

Kids Music at the Beat Kitchen: One of our favorite Wiggle Worms teachers, Karen of the Karen for Kids Band, will perform a matinee show on Sunday at the Beat Kitchen.  Make a meal of it and grab lunch/brunch there before hand.  The kids can get a grilled cheese while you chow down on a breakfast wrap.

Where: The Beat Kitchen • 2100 West Belmont

When: Sunday Brunch starts at 11:30 and Karen performs at noon.

Halloweenapalooza Monday 10/27 - Sunday 11/1

Pick a neighborhood, any neighborhood, there are Halloween activities in every one of them this weekend.  Here's some of the many hallow happenings. 

THIS WEEK:

Wild Wednesdays: On the last Wednesday of the month, Garfield Park has a live animal show-and-tell with professional animal handler Scott Heinrichs. This week, in honor of Halloween, kids can get a close-up look at bats, participate in a scavenger hunt as well as other animal-themed activities. FREE.

Where: Garfield Park Conservatory • 300 N Central Park Ave

When: Wednesday 3p-6p (drop in anytime)

Trails of Terror: Peterson Park has created a half mile of trails through a haunted seaside town. Kids brave enough will experience a haunted boardwalk, abandoned fishing boats, and a spooky general store all crawling with ghosts and scary creatures.  Recommended for kids 8+.

Where: Peterson Park • 5801 N Pulaski, Chicago

When: Wednesday 6:30-9:30p

Pump It Up Halloween Spooktacular: Pump it Up is having a costume party on Friday including spooky decorations, pumpkin decorating and bowling, and of course the inflatables.  Buy tickets in advance by clicking on the above link.  $15 per child or $25 for two kids.  Adults are $5

Where: 821 W Eastman, Chicago

When: Friday 10a-1p or 5p-8p

Creatures of the Night: Looking for a fun and educational Halloween activity that doesn't involve a candy stroll?  This might be the event for you.  Hit the Garfield Park Conservatory where kids can get a rare close up look at nocturnal creatures such as fruit bats, spiders, owls, armadillos, and hedgehogs.  There will be treats for the kids at every critter station as well as spider plant painting, nectar cups, wormy apples and more.  FREE!

Where: Garfield Park Conservatory • 300 N Central Park Ave

When: Saturday 12n-3p

Green City Market: Parents and kids can enjoy a healthy dose of Halloween on Saturday morning in Lincoln Park.  There will be a kid's tour of the market, treats tasting, a costume contest, and kids cooking demo.  The market moves inside after this week.

Where: South end of Lincoln Park between Clark and Stockton

When: Saturday 9a-12n

Trick or Treat in Northcenter: Head to the Northcenter Town Square for a costume contest, refreshments, prizes and trick or treating along Lincoln Ave.

Where: 4100 N Lincoln - in the square just north of CVS

When: Saturday 11a

Lincoln Square Halloween Happenings: Trick or treating at businesses along Lincoln Ave as well as other free activities.

Where: Lincoln Square • Lincoln Ave

When: Saturday 10a-4p

Wicker Park & Bucktown Boo-Palooza: Wicker Park/Bucktown is going all out for Halloween this year.  Kids can enjoy everything from a haunted house, hayrides, store-to-store tick or treating, arts and crafts, etc. Hit the link above for times and locations of all the events.

Where: Bucktown and Wicker Park (hit above link for details)

When: Saturday 12n-4p

Andersonville Kids Trick or Treat and Costume Contest: Andersonville takes their kids' costume contest very seriously with a $200 prize to the first place winner.  Kids trick or treat from 3p-5p on Clark Street and the store owners vote on best costumes.  Make sure to register your kids at Cheetah Gym before you start trick or treating.

Where: Start at Cheetah Gym • 5248 N Clark Street

When: Saturday 3p-5p

Halloween in Rogers Park: Kids can enjoy a fortune teller, cookie decorating, games, trick or treating, and pumpkin decorating.

Where: Rogers Park • Jarvis and Greenview

When: Saturday 4p-8p

Also make sure to hit the Chicago Park District website for all the park Halloween parties this week.  There are simply too many to mention.  Click here for details.

Halloween Jamboree on Sunday Chase Park

Looking for some Halloween fun on Sunday but want to avoid the crowds at the Southport Stroll?  Head to Chase Park for the Halloween Jamboree pet and human costume parade and activities.  There will be pumpkin decorating, face painting, spooky storytelling, arts and crafts and trick or treating all in the big Chase Park field.
When: Sunday 12n-4p • Costume Parade at 2p
Where: Chase Park • 4701 N. Ashland

Monday 10/19 - Sunday 10/26/09

There are so many Halloween festivities in the coming weeks that I'm not sure how to choose between all the options.  Below I've highlighted some of the spooky spectaculars that sound the most promising.  Also, if you are looking to get away from the costumes and candy for a short period of time this weekend, check out the FREE Spanish classes for kids on Saturday.  Perhaps treating your kids to some brain food will make you feel a little better about two weekends of trick-or-treating for sugary sweets.  






THIS WEEK


Little Builders Exhibit: Is your child fascinated with household tools or Bob the Builder? If so, they'll love the new exhibit at the Kohl Children's Museum which allows kids to don a hard hat and build structures with blocks and pvc pipes, drive a dump truck and crane, paint with rollers, play with a wall of tools, etc.  
When: Daily through 1/10/10
Where: Kohl Children's Museum • 2100 Patriot Blvd, Glenview 


Hallow Fest at the Botanic Garden: The Botanic Garden celebrates a garden of good an evil in honor of Halloween this weekend.  There will be children's concerts and entertainment, pumpkin decorating, and ghost trains in the Model Railroad Garden.  
When: Fri and Sat 6p-8:30p • Sun 3p-5:30p
Where: Botanic Garden 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe


Brookfield Zoo: The Brookfield zoo celebrates halloween with Boo at the Zoo and Dino Nights this weekend.  There will be scarecrow building, pumpkin decorating, a corn maze, hay rides, etc during the day.  There will also be a nighttime entrance to Dinosaurs Alive as well as spooky Halloween activities into the evening. Combo tickets for both events are $18 for adults and $12 for kids 3+.  

When: Dino Nights is Fri-Sun Night Boo at the Zoo is Sat and Sun day (hit above link for exact times)

Where: Brookfield Zoo • 8400 31st Street, Brookfield

Free Spanish Classes for Kids: Multilingual Chicago, a new language school opening in Logan Square, is offering free preview classes this weekend.  As every parent knows, kids' minds are little sponges so the earlier they are exposed to a second language the better!  And just for Windy City Tot readers, Multilingual Chicago is offering a 10% off coupon code good until the end of the year.  Use code WCT09 when registering for classes.  Click the link above to register for the free classes this weekend.
When: Sat 9a-9:50a Parent and Tot Spanish 18mo-3yrs • Sat 10:30a-11:30a Spanish for Kids 3-5yrs
Where: 2934 N Milwaukee Ave, Suite C


Andersonville Halloween Get Together: Bring kids age 5 and under to the playground to celebrate Halloween with your Andersonville neighbors. 
When: Sat 10a-12n
Where: Andersonville Playlot • 5233 N Ashland


Lincoln Park Zoo's Spooky Zoo Spectacular: Families can enjoy entertainment, a haunted house, arts and crafts and trick-or treating all while hanging out with the zoo animals.  
When: Sat 11a - 2p
Where: Lincoln Park Zoo • 2200 N Cannon, Chicago


Peterson Park No Scare Trail: Events at Peterson Park include costumed characters, face painting, pumpkins, games, treats, and Halloween trails.  
When: Sat 10a-1p
Where: Peterson Park • 5801 N Pulaski Road


Roscoe Village Halloween Parade: RV's annual Halloween parade marches up Damen for trick-or-treating at the local businesses.  
When: Sunday 2pm
Where: Parade starts at Leavitt and Roscoe


Southport Halloween Stroll: One of the more popular Chicago retail Halloween strolls takes place on Sunday.  You'll see a lot of cute costumes along a great street, but be warned: this is one of the most crowded kids' strolls of the season.  I wish traffic on Southport was blocked for this event as there is barely any room to walk on the sidewalks.  Be prepared for bumper to bumper Bugaboos. 
When: Sunday 1p-4p
Where: Southport north of Belmont

Fall Fest & Petting Zoo in the City This Weekend!

Just found out about a great fall festival for kids happening this weekend in the city!  Grand Street Gardens, an organic garden store/nursery/gift shop (think Gesthemane south), is bring all the fun of the farm to the city this weekend!  Kids can celebrate all things autumnal with a petting zoo, pumpkin decorating, live music, scarecrow building, face painting, costume characters, games, etc.  They also promise an amazing selection of pumpkins and gourds!.  So if you want to give you kids the fall farm experience without trekking 90 miles outside of city, hit Grand Street this weekend.
When: Sat and Sun 11a-4p
Where: 2200 W Grand, Chicago