Meet Kelly, mom of 2 and the new curator of Lincoln Park Area Moms! I am so excited to introduce Kelly and just know she will be loved. I’m blown away by how many activities she takes part in with her kids throughout Chicago! She’ll be a wealth of knowledge for city moms! While it’s so hard to say goodbye to this site, I know that I’m leaving it in good hands with Kelly! Get to know her a little below!
Favorite Chicago neighborhoods To explore, with kids- and without! Best finds within?
This is such a hard question, because there are so many neighborhoods that I love! This summer, I’d have to say Lakeview East during the Dine Out on Broadway weekends. It’s a great place to bring the kids, especially first thing in the morning when they can ride their scooters right down the middle of an empty street! It feels like a lovely (socially distanced) street festival, and it has been so nice to grab a brunch/dinner and just soak in the energy of the neighborhood. Nothing beats a visit to Intelligentsia followed by a pain au chocolat from Maison Marcel (enjoyed one-handed while chasing after my little ones)!
What are you reading and listening to this fall?
I’m a major podcast junkie, and my current favorite is “Nice White Parents” from the New York Times. It’s a powerful look at the public school system in America, and it has been incredibly eye opening. The book on my nightstand right now is “The Heir Affair” by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan because what can I say, i’m royally obsessed!
When you find a way to sneak in some “me time”, what’s the number one thing you like to do?
I absolutely love to walk and listen to a podcast, and bonus points if I get to explore a new neighborhood while doing it! I have yet to reach my threshold of walking too far, I think I could seriously go on forever. Since it’s difficult to disappear on long walks for hours at a time, I also really enjoy sneaking in a run or taking one of Robin Arzon’s classes on my Peloton.
Parents have had to get creative with how we’re spending time as a family through the pandemic. What are a few favorite activities or outings you’ve experienced together?
We purchased a bike trailer for our kids last year, so our favorite escape has been riding bikes on the North Branch Trail. I’m so embarrassed that I have lived in the city for 12 years and never knew this existed! We made it all the way to the Chicago Botanic Gardens one time this summer, and it felt like such an accomplishment.
What’s the best advice you’ve received with parenting? What is the best advice you can give?
When I was pregnant with my first, a good friend told me that “everything is a phase” which made no sense at the time. Now that I understand what she meant, this is my favorite piece of advice to give. The morning sickness I thought would be with me FOREVER eventually went away, the sleepness infant nights are now a distant memory, we WERE eventually able to leave this house during potty training, and so on! The things that seem absolutely impossible in the moment will be a fleeting memory someday!