ParentSphere » Events

Kidzapalooza Chicago is one week away!

Amy — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:14:21 +0000

Alright. It’s about time we get a post up that is music-related. This family loves music, so we should be talking about it WAY more than we do. I suppose I should speak for myself because the hubs is always talking about music on his blog. I have a very good reason to talk music at ParentSphere right now and that is because Kidzapalooza is only a week away.

In case you really don’t know…Kidzapalooza is part of Lollapalooza. You’ve surely heard of Lollapalooza, right? If you haven’t, where the heck have you been?! Lolla was founded by Perry Farrell and has been around since 1991. It was the first, huge outdoor music festival that I attended and that was way back in 1995, when the festival was still touring the country. Since 2005, Lollapalooza graces its presence in one city each summer and lucky enough for me, that city happens to be Chicago.

I took the preschooler to Kidzapalooza in 2008 and we caught one of our favorite kid acts, The Terrible Twos (Matt from The Get Up Kids/New Amsterdams). Here’s a video from their performance:

It was Kidza that rekindled my love for Lolla (are you getting confused yet?). How many of us can say that we attended our first big outdoor music festival twice before we were 5 years old? My kid can.

Anyway, we’re stoked. We’ll be there on Sunday the 8th. We’re thrilled to feature Recess Monkey here on ParentSphere. We’ll be dancing with them, singing with them and interviewing them in just over a week. We’re equally as stoked to finally catch Dan Zanes. He’s been a favorite for a long, long time around here.

Here is the 2010 Kidzapalooza line-up for all three days:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 6th
11:30–11:55 12:30–12:55 1:30–1:55 2:30–2:55 3:15–3:45 3:45–4:00 4:00–4:30	The Happiness Club School of Rock The Candy Band Tim and the Space Cadets Rocknoceros Ed Kowalczyk Recess Monkey
SATURDAY, AUGUST 7th
11:30–11:55 12:30–12:55 1:30–1:55 2:30–2:55 3:00–3:25 3:45–4:10 4:15–4:35	Tim and the Space Cadets The Candy Band Rocknoceros The Verve Pipe The Happiness Club Dan Zanes and The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra JP, Chrissie & the Fairground Boys
SUNDAY, AUGUST 8th
11:30–11:55 12:30–12:55 1:30–1:55 2:30–2:55 3:15–3:40 3:45–4:00 4:00–4:15 4:30–5:00	School of Rock The Q Brothers Recess Monkey Dan Zanes and The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Peter DiStefano & Tor thenewno2 Perry Farrell The Verve Pipe

Give us a shout if you’re planning on attending the festival and would like to guest post your review(s) here!

American Baby Faire – Part 2

Amy — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:23:17 +0000

Here is part 2 of our visit to the American Baby Faire in Schaumburg, IL. Sarah from What to do, Poopsy Woo? and I chat with the following exhibitors:

clek (booster seats)

Tutu Savvy

BelliDeep Design, LLC

Watch for Part 3 coming soon…

American Baby Faire – Part 1

Amy — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:15:19 +0000

The American Baby Faire is in Schaumburg, Illinois this weekend. Mothers-in-waiting and new moms, this show is a must-see for you! Take a sneak peak at our video of some of the exhibitors:

In this video:

Interview with Amy: Local Chicago mom

Zoobie Pets

Me Art

Valerie (Le Leche League of IL) demonstrates a Maya Wrap

Part 2 of our video coming soon

Reporting LIVE from the American Baby Faire

Amy — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:30:11 +0000

Generation Huggies in Chicago

Amy — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:38:02 +0000

Today is day three of the Generation Huggies van tour in Chicago. I’ve been having such a blast the last few days! The crew is fun and energetic and it’s been great to see all of the participation from the moms in the area. I’m anxious to get inside of the van and witness some of the interviews in person.

More updates to come later!

Day one of Generation Huggies

Amy — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:49:41 +0000

Listen to my voice message below to find out where the Generation Huggies van will be located today!

You can follow me while I’m with the Generation Huggies van today on Twitter and over at The Motherhood

Generation Huggies Van: blowing into the windy city!

Amy — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:25:16 +0000

Chicago parents – the Huggies van will be in town Wednesday, October 22nd through Friday, October 24th. Follow me on Twitter and at TheMotherhood.com to find out the exact locations! Hope you can stop by and say hi!

Click the image above to head over to the Generation Huggies site to get the full scoop!

***ALSO – We’ll be running a special giveaway here in coordination with the Generation Huggies event! Check back here Wednesday, October 22nd for your chance to enter to win a really, really cool prize.

Method madness in my home

Amy — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:34:05 +0000

Just last week, I co-hosted a Method party with my girls, Steph and Arianne. We invited all of our Chicago land and NW Indiana girlfriends to get out for a night of delicious food, wine, crafts and fun! We hosted our event at non other than the Chicago Method pop-up store on Halsted. I couldn’t have picked a cleaner place for our party myself.

So, check it. I’m a long time fan of Method products. When approached by Brand About Town Marketing about hosting this party, it was a no brainer. Products that I dig and that I trust…of course I want to be involved!

We spent the night chatting with our friends and guests and hanging out with none other than Danny Seo, Mr. Eco Friendly. Apparently, there was also someone at our party from Apartment Therapy. Not to defer or anything but I DROOL over Apartment Therapy and CB2′s Fall Colors Contest each year (inspiration central, helllooo ?!?).

So, I arrived fashionably late (as always) and everyone was already mingling, eating, drinking and having a good time. So far so good! I love a lively party.

Look at the wall! And the owl on the couch! I should have stuffed him in my bag while I had the chance. Only kidding. There was a table set up for us to work on some craft projects. Danny has excellent ideas for reusing old dinnerware; we cut out shapes and designs using adhesive labels and stuck them to these plates. Then, we painted over the plates with porcelain paint. A couple of coats, let it dry, peel off your label design and voila! There you have a recycled dinnerware turned decoration/appetizer plate.

(That’s my plate before the paint)

We all milled about, enjoying our evening and of course, took way too many funny, yet strange photos of ourselves in the Method photo booth.

To top off all of the fun of the evening, we were sent home with gift bags of Method products. Snap!

Here is a line up of my all-time favorite Method products:

cucumber hand soap, pink grapefruit dish soap, lavender and lemongrass aroma pill and almond wood for good surface cleaner

There’s not a time when these four products are not in my house.

Some of my new favorites that I’m sure I’ll stock up on are these:

So there you have it. I think that Chicago rocked Method and vice versa. Method, you’re always welcome back to our city!

*Check out Arianne and Steph’s party wrap-ups too!

Have you had your 3 today?

Amy — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:19:15 +0000

I spent my evening on the southside last night, maybe that’s why the Cubs got crushed. But I digress. I spent my evening with a group of women and we ate breakfast…for dinner. And that’s alright with me!

MDA (Midwest Dairy Association) and Edelman brought 3 local Chicago bloggers together; Erin of the state that i am in (I think I’m in love…with baby Rufus! ), Caroline of Whipped (she had me at Bougatsa ) and yours truly of, you know, here, there and everywhere. We gathered with our friends together at Chicago’s Washburne Culinary Institute (yes, WCI is where Season 4 of Top Chef was filmed! – yay Ted Allen!)

The three of us introduced ourselves and talked a little about our blogging addictions habits and what fascinates us about dairy products. We went around the room and everyone in attendance shared their favorite breakfast. I was inspired by…..

some of the breakfasts that were mentioned. Some like cereal, some like omelettes, bagels and…donuts! Yum! Of course, I shared that I’m a freak about Special K’s Yogurt and Berries – can’t live with it (because I’m always eating it all), can’t live without it.

We sampled dairy products and a variety of Cabot cheese – my favorite: the Chili-Lime Hand Rubbed Cheddar, LE YUM! Then, we all joined registered dietitian and National Dairy Council’s spokesperson, Melissa Dobbins in the kitchen for a recipe demo of Cheddar and Red Pepper Breakfast squares. Melissa answered some dairy questions for us while cooking up this delish dish.

After the presentation, we went back out to the dining area to enjoy a fully catered breakfast for dinner! The spread was fantastic.

Of course, none of us left empty-handed. We were all given a 3-A-Day of Dairy cooler bag full of great products!

The contents included: A Tastebook and 5 Tastebook coupons, 3-A-Day of Dairy measuring cups, apron, cereal to-go container, handouts, and a ridiculous amount of coupons for free and discounted products!

The special giveaways weren’t too shabby either. I would have loved to have won the gift basket, which included a Crate and Barrel cheese board and tools, a cheese making kit, a Williams and Sonoma Pizza Stone and a Williams and Sonoma Cow Creamer. Other giveaways were copies of Lisa Drayer’s new book, “The Beauty Diet” and a Mukka Express Machine.

I have to say, it was a very “good morning” kind of evening. Thanks MDA and Edelman for putting this lovely event together! You can view more of my pictures from the Chicago 3-A-Day meet-up HERE.

Who else is talking about 3-A-Day?

Popular bloggers like, CityMama over at BlogHer, The Pioneer Woman and Gather among others.

Now, being so dairy-inspired, I’m going to post a few of my favorite recipes over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

*To my guests: Joanne and Sarah, thank you for coming! I am grateful that you were able to attend!

MBT: the “anti-shoe” Chicago Scavenger Hunt (update)

Amy — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:41:55 +0000

*Update: Unfortunately, the Chicago MBT scavenger hunt has been canceled. We’ll update you with more MBT events as they become available!

MBT, the anti-shoe, is hosting its first-ever Chicago Scavenger Hunt. The MBT Scavenger Hunt is a great opportunity to discover new, fun facts about Chicago, while playing a game and getting a bit of exercise too!

All participants will receive MBT prizes and the winning team will receive MBT shoes!

Socialize. Compete. Win. And have a blast! Can’t beat that!

When:
September 27, 2008

Hunt:
The Secrets of the Loop

Time:
Time: 2pm (2:30pm – 4pm hunt)

Meet:
Daley Plaza benches, near corner of Clark/Washington

Email MBT@skadaddlemedia.com to register (limited to 50 people so get in NOW !). Email us your name, email address and phone number and we’ll get you signed up! Make sure to specify in the subject line “Chicago Scavenger Hunt”. Tell them, “ParentSphere.net” sent ya!

To learn more about MBT, check out MBT30Reasons.com

*Here is a sneak peak at into the scavenger hunt from Watson Adventures’ website:

Rediscover the historic heart of Chicago on a hunt that reveals the secrets of such places and sights as the Sears Tower, the Picasso in Daley Plaza, Millennium Park, the spectacular rooms in the Chicago Cultural Center, Marshall Field’s (or Macy’s, if you insist), the Rookery, the surprising lobby of the Marquette Building, and the giant orange Flamingo in Federal Plaza. You’ll discover the answers to such questions as…

• At the Chicago Theatre, what sounds like a bird, a car, and a doorbell? Answer: The organ, as explained in the entrance.

• On Michigan Avenue, visit two giants who face off. When he’s constructed properly, what’s the profession of Juan Sam Peel? “Reconstruct” the letters of that name and you get Jaume Plensa, the artist of a plaza with a fountain here, as indicated on a sign.

• Near the Chicago Board of Trade, what Sunday had two noons? November 18, 1883, according to a sign that marks the spot where time zones were established—and on the day they went into effect, Chicago had two noons as the official time was reset.

**Please note that we haven’t included here the directions and other clues that lead you to the answers.

*ParentSphere is not affiliated with MBT or the MBT 30 Reasons to Walk campaign. We’re just here to spread the good word!