WEEKEND ADVENTURE: CHICAGO

At the beginning of the summer my sister moved to Chicago. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in May and started working at Yelp in June! What a big transition and an amazing opportunity. Everyone is so proud of her hard work and adventurous spirit. We miss her like crazy, but it’s given us a good excuse to visit her and the cool city! 

Instead of a big vacation this year, my family decided to take a few short trips to Chicago to visit Hope. After our first visit in June to help her move in we planned a longer trip for July. Jack and I went up for a few days before the rest of my family arrived and we had so much fun soaking in as much Zia (aunt) time as possible! I’m so glad for the bond that Jack and Hope share. He truly looks up to her and she loves him beyond measure. 

Hope took us to some of her favorite new spots, including a vegan cafe to get THE BEST chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had (sorry, Mom). We also go to visit Hope’s office in the Merchandise Mart, right in the middle of the city! (Fun Fact: the Merchandise Mart was so big when it was built that it was given it’s own zip code!) It was awesome to see the Yelp offices, which give their employees free breakfast and lunch everyday, as well as barista-made coffee! Jack loved checking out Zia’s desk and hanging out with her co-workers! 

Since, Hope had to work while we were there, Jack and I got to explore some of the city on our own. We used our Carnegie Museum pass from back home to get into the Field Museum for free! We saw the dinosaur bones and explored the Africa exhibit. Jack is still a bit young to really appreciate museums, but I want to get him used to the spaces and it was also nice to get out of the heat! The next day we went to Lincoln Park and saw the working farm right in the middle of the city as part of the Lincoln Park Zoo! We even got to feed hay to the cows! 

For the weekend, the rest of the family arrived. Hope took us to some hip restaurants and showed us around her new city. On our final day we spent some time at Lake Michigan to cool off and then we were on our way back to the ‘Burgh!  It was such a nice little family vacation and I’m excited for many more trips to Chi-Town! 

HIP MAMA: THE WARHOL

I’m starting a new series of the some of the cool places that Jack and I go to with my mom group. Ok first off, is it weird I’m in a mom group? It sounds weird. But it’s hard being the first out of my friend group to have a kid and I needed to hang out with other moms! I found the group on Meetup.com and was initially a little worried about meeting people online. But the group I joined, Hip Mamas (eye-roll at the name, I know), has a really good plan in place for accepting new members. There’s a questionnaire to fill out and before you can see the group events with times and locations you attend one intro event so that the group can meet you and be sure you’re not a creeper without a kid. There’s also a small yearly fee for group parties and to maintain the page. 

We’ve had a lot of fun so far and have tried out some cool places that I might not have taken Jack to otherwise. I am such a shy person so it’s not been easy to make any close friendships with the moms yet, but it’s still good for both Jack and I to be around other families. This summer we went to an event at the Warhol. 

If you didn’t already know, Andy Warhol is from Pittsburgh and we have a whole museum (and a bridge) dedicated to the famous artist. Recently, the museum opened an exhibit geared towards kids. I have taken Jack to the Warhol before,using our Carnegie Museum pass, but it was before this new exhibit and we were excited to see it. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I was overwhelmed with excitement after experiencing it. The kid room had a bunch of stations with toys, mostly from Ikea, around the room. There was a dress-up station, coloring station, block station. Jack did have fun with the other kids in our group. It was actually one of the biggest group events of the summer with at least 10 kids. The staff in the room seemed a bit overwhelmed with all of us. 

The toughest part of the exhibit is being so close to the real Andy Warhol work hung on the walls. They were all put at kid level, but anytime the kids went near the walls the staff would tell us to keep them at least 2 feet back. That’s a bit tough with a 20-month old (as you can see above)! The exhibit is a neat idea and I hope the Warhol continues to try to be more kid-friendly, but this wasn’t a total win in my book. The big thing that Jack loves in the Warhol, though, is the silver cloud room. We could have spent all day in there. Same with the other kids, from the youngest in a stroller to the 7-year-olds. 

Before we left we grabbed a snack from the cafe. Is it weird I completely love museum cafes? They always have the best food! I mean look at that sugar cookie shaped like Andy! Anyways, we did have fun, despite a little worry about ruining priceless artwork. 

THIS MOMENT

Jack is such a water baby! He loves to swim, play in sprinklers, and best of all, take baths! This might not be the case when he’s like 10, but right now he’s all about bath time! Also, he just started saying “Duck” and he gets SO excited when he sees his rubber ducky so he can shout “Duuuuck!”. It’s ridiculously adorable. When he starts quacking I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it! 

HOUSES OF PITTSBURGH

This past summer, my sister and I started a new Instagram account together,@HousesOfPittsburgh. We’ve always admired the cool houses in our hometown of Pittsburgh, so one day while walking around the city we just started taking pictures of every cool house we saw and decided to start a gallery. A lot of cities have their own Insta pages (@HousesOfChicago Houses Of London, etc etc etc) and we thought it was about time for Pittsburgh! And who better to do it than us?! 

It’s been a blast to explore new parts of the city that I might not have ventured to otherwise. And the best part is that we made it really interactive, starting our own hashtag (#HousesOfPGH) so that others can share their favorite houses in the ‘Burgh. I really love seeing all the photos that people are sharing and admire how people take care of their beautiful, historic homes!

There are just so many benefits to having this little account for me. It’s very motivational to get out there in the city, especially when it’s too hot or I’m tired and don’t feel like doing anything, I can remind myself that I need a few new photos! Also, I love showing off Pittsburgh. It hasn’t always had the best reputation for being pretty city, but it is seriously drop. dead. gorgeous. now! I’ve been so inspired by the @SteelCityGrammers and wanted to be an additional source of pride for our beautiful city! And it’s a good reminder of Pittsburgh for my sister while she’s living in Chicago, post-grad. There’s also a very personal reason for maintaining this account…it’s motivation to become debt free so that I can manage to buy my own house in Pittsburgh. I really want to own a home and make it mine, but I can’t do that realistically with the debt I have. I need to look at this account every day for the next 18 months (while living with my parents) to encourage me to pay down debt and save, save, save so that I can enjoy a beautiful home of my own with my little family. 

Check it out @HousesOfPittsburgh and use #HousesOfPGH to share your own photos! 

FRESH START

I’m ready for a fresh start. I need it for so many reasons, the first probably being the most relatable, a new season. Autumn has always been my favorite season and I’m eager to jump in to colder weather, sweaters, hot apple cider, pumpkin spice whatever and all that jazz. But, September also brings some big changes in life and so I’m trying to soak up the last bits of summer in the city. 

Right now we’re living in Lawrenceville, an area that has been completely revitalized and has become beyond hip. There’s a movie theater, bowling alley, pinball shop, too many bars and restaurants to count, several playgrounds and parks all within biking distance to work. But all of these amenities, plus renovated 100-year old houses comes with a price tag. With a husband in grad school and a baby to take care of at home (equaling less freelance work) means we can no longer afford that price tag. So after a year in the coolest part of town, we’re moving into a new place with my parents. Luckily, our lease is up and my parents are getting a townhouse, further outside of the city, with enough room for us. We’ll still pay rent, but it will be quite lower and we’ll have built in babysitting. It’s a good plan. I know it is, but it’s hard at 28 years-old 27-years old (for another week) to move back in with my parents. I’ve been on my own since college. I never went back home like a lot of people do to save money…so I’m doing it now, just a bit later. 

I’m also ready for a new work schedule. I’ve been on a weird rotation of 3-11pm and 11pm-7am shifts. It’s been completely wacky and hard to manage with a family, but we’ve made it work up until now. Fingers crossed, I’ll have a consistent 3-11pm schedule starting in October with regular days off. I think it’s going to make a world of difference in my happiness level. 

So with my favorite weather, a solid plan to get out of debt and a better work schedule I’m ready to rock this fresh start! 

LITTLE ITALY DAYS

We are so lucky to live in such a diverse city with neighborhoods full of different cultures and nationalities. This weekend we explored Bloomfield on the East Side of Pittsburgh for it’s annual Little Italy Days. It’s a great street festival along Liberty Avenue full of Italian foods, music and games. 

We watched a round of the Bocce Ball tournament and made plans to learn one day! We ate Italian Ice, which Jack thoroughly enjoyed. And we even sat down for an Elvis impersonator concert. The best part of the day was riding the little train that traveled the length of the festival street and back again. I love showing off my city to this little boy, hopefully instilling in him a love for Pittsburgh even stronger than mine! 

KENNYWOOD DAY

Kennywood is a summer tradition for PIttsburghers. The Ginger and I took Jack for his first visit this year and he loved it! True Pittsburgher!

Kennywood is an amusement park that opened in 1898. It has so much history and so many memories for me and my family and I was thrilled to show it off to Jack! We did all of our favorites, stopped by Cowboy Joe to say hi, ate corndogs and Potato Patch Fries and rode as many rides as we could handle! 

We spent much of the day in Kiddie Land where he rode almost everything! He didn’t want to get off the rides so he rode a few rides more than once! But he had so much fun and never stopped smiling! 

To end the day we rode the Carousel. It was always the last ride my family would go on when we had Kennywood Days. Even my grandparents would ride! I’m so happy we carried on this little tradition with Jack! I’m so looking forward to the many years of Kennywood trips with this little guy! 

FAMILY BIKE RIDES

One of my favorite parts about living in the city this summer has been the ease of riding our bikes. I started riding to work several days a week and it’s a completely different commute experience. 

But my favorite rides are with the family. We have a little seat for Jack on the front of my bike and he LOVES it! He’s all about the wind in his face and pointing out he river and the passing boats. We’ve been taking a great route from Lawrenceville, crossing the 40th Street Bridge to the Millvale Riverfront Park and riding the trail next to the Allegheny River. Then we get to the North Shore, loop around at Heinz Field and turn back for home, stopping for photos, of course! 

I really cherish these moments with my family.When we go on these rides I feel like am the parent I want to be. I don’t always do the things I imagined I would when I became a parent. More often than I ever planned Jack is watching Daniel Tiger on TV or on the iPad, he’ll sometimes have crackers and peanut butter for dinner when he refuses everything else, and I sometimes go days without storytime. I feel bad for these things, but that’s life sometimes. I can’t be the perfect parent that I have in my mind and I’m learning the balance. But when we ride our bikes I’m exactly who I want to be, bringing this great experience to my kid. I hope he remembers these trips fondly when he’s older. I love that we’re taking advantage of our city, getting exercise and having fun all together minus screens. 

In regards to Jack’s bike seat, we love it! I did a lot of research on which seat to buy and for me I felt more comfortable with Jack in front where I can see him. I have no trouble with balance, but I’m careful getting on and off my bike. He’s getting taller and we already bought a bike trailer off of a family friend for the future. But for right now our little seat for him is great. While on a ride once we had someone comment on how unsafe the front seat is, but families abroadhave been doing this for years and years. I feel safe in my ability to ride my bike and Jack’s temperament in sitting still in the seat. 

THIS WEEKEND I:

Watched: Jack play in his newly set up water table outside
Listened: to a Rodrigo y Gabriela Pandora station 
Ate: this trifle
Read: blogs rather than my renewed book from the library #fail
Drank: half a glass of spiked iced tea (and then realized I’m a wimp and             switched to rootbeer)
Thought: about visiting Chicago this week!! 
Wished: I saw my grandparents on Thursday rather than being busy and tired
Realized: I will never be able to go camping with my family without using            vacation days because my weekend is in the middle of the week
Bought: groceries to start a new round of the #Whole30  

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

So ready to celebrate ‘Murica! This has always been my favorite holiday and I’m excited to celebrate it with my family and friends! I’m looking forward to a quiet morning with the Ginger and Jack then a picnic at a dear friend’s house, followed by a low-key evening, maybe watching fireworks…probably watching TV, at my parent’s place! Not an epic plan for today, but awesome none-the-less. 

(Also, I love that the only “patriotic” photo I could find involves stuffing one’s face and breast pumps in the background. #honestmotherhood)