April Foolery!

It is so cliché to type but seriously— how did March fly by so quickly?

I'm grateful that Easter falls late this year, which gives me time to prepare for the next holiday, my 3-year-old's birthday party (I'm excited to host it at the newly opened Sunny Village Cafe) and pack for our Spring Break in South Carolina.

The bunny pics are booked (which should be interesting with a feisty 3-year-old), I have Martha’s deviled egg recipe ready to go (truly the best, and I’ve tried about 50 recipes), and after a few years of Easter with toddlers under my belt I finally learned to give in to small prizes and toy fillers to avoid the candy crashouts before brunch.

My husband and I are also heading to Vegas this month for his 40th birthday for some quick R&R and a show at the Sphere. Vegas is usually not my first choice for a vacay, but I'm excited to stay at the Four Seasons property (their rates were shockingly low for a White Lotus-approved hotel chain) and experience a bit of old-school Vegas with dinner and a show at Delilah.

What does a 37-year-old mom of 2 wear in Vegas? Great Q and I’ve been only slightly panicking about this for the past few weeks. I felt confident (safe?) picking up this Farm Rio cutout dress, and this daisy cutout swimsuit from Tuckernuck paired with this mesh coverup. Basically, I’m betting that classic pieces with strategic holes are the answer??? Will report back.

Lastly, screen time has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm slowly trying to wean my 2-year-old off the YouTube Kids endless doom loop and guide her toward more educational, story-based shows like Daniel Tiger - a new study showed the lessons stick with kids even into their teenage years. Or even give Paw Patrol another go - apparently Malcolm Gladwell approves? This month, I also listened to a podcast interview with Jonathan Haidt, who wrote The Anxious Generation—a book that's everywhere right now. The episode did a great job of highlighting his research - very helpful, considering I have six unread books on my nightstand. 🙈

All that is to say, parenting in the age of streaming, AI, tablets, and smartphones is something no previous generation has faced, and it's a reminder that you're probably doing better than you think. One thing my husband and I implemented this year was a "no tablets at home" rule—making them only for travel or restaurants. We noticed a huge shift in our kids' moods on weekends, even just from watching shows on our TV vs. staring at a tablet screen. If you have any game-changing tips for kids and screen time, feel free to share and I'll post them next month.

✨🎱 April Top 8 🎱✨

Remember when someone was your favorite, and they were in your Myspace Top 8? 
This is kind of like that - minus the super, super, low-rise jeans (plz never come back)

Here is a list of things I saved, bought, or that caught my eye this month:

 🧺 Unique Easter Basket Finds:

🛁 Peep Bath Bombs: I saw these Peep bath bombs on Instagram, and I love that they are made with all-natural ingredients + a toy inside. Musee also has cute bunny surprise bombs (I got these last year) and Lush has a good Easter collection as well.

⚾ Super Smalls Cubs Necklace Kit: Supersmalls is my go-to brand for unique and fun kids gifts, and they just released an MLB necklace collection that’s getting me excited for a warm sunny day at Wrigley and a ballpark hotdog! Their Disney collection is also incredible for Princess fanatics.

🐰 Fluffy Bunny Purse: No self-respecting Easter basket is complete without a fluffy bunny. Rather than adding to our already enormous collection of stuffed animals, I opted for utility and picked up two adorable fluffy purse bunnies at Nordstrom Rack (now sold out online, but you can get them here). Jellycat also just released an adorable bunny backpack that makes me nostalgic for my ’90s teddy bear backpack.

🌷 Aesthetic Kids Gardening Kit: My kids love "helping" outside all summer in our yard, so I picked up these gardening kits from Amazon—mostly because I'm a sucker for the pastel and wood color palette. (affiliate link)

👙 Sunnylife Summer Toys: Even though it's nowhere near pool season in Chicago, I picked up these Sunnylife mermaid divers and these butterfly glitter pool floaties since literally anything I’m buying for my kids this month are going straight into their Easter baskets. I.E. the kids need new toothbrushes and kids’ vitamins? Wrap them in gingham and put them in the basket.

🖍️ Magic Playbook Activity Book: The coloring book is an Easter basket staple, but I was intrigued by these creative activity kits designed to be taken to restaurants or when traveling. I love that these were created by a mom and are sold at Nordstrom if you want the Nordy Club points.

🌈 Not your mom’s sidewalk chalk: Last week, I picked up these fun chalk sets at my local Whole Foods for a little fun twist on the traditional chalk that I normally stock up on for Spring/Summer.

📖 Chic Easter Books: Can kids’ Easter books be chic? If they are Claris the Chicest Mouse in Paris - then YES. This adorable children’s series is a favorite in our household and I’m happy to add Claris’s Easter book to our growing pile of Parisian mice books. I also love Who is in the Egg and Eggs are Everywhere.

🌸 🥕 Easter Events Around Chicago:

📸 🐰 Bunny Photo Ops

• 900 North Michigan Shops (tickets include a photo, Psycho Bunny Giftcard, Bubbles Academy Voucher and Cookie / Treat at Aster Hall)

• Easter Bunny Tea @ Hyatt Oakbrook Lodge

• Bunny photos at Waterlemon Kids LaGrange

• Where is Bunny at the Skydeck Willis Tower

🥐 🍳 Kid-Friendly Easter Brunch Ideas:

• Alma Hotel Bunny Brunch (April 12 / 13)

• Avli Greek Easter (April 20)

• Bunny Brunch @ The Walnut Room (April 12/13/19)

• Brookfield Zoo Bunny Brunch (April 19/20) includes Zoo admission

• Bunny Brunch at Morton Arboritum (April 20)

• Chicago Botanic Garden Easter Brunch (April 20)

• Chicago Dogs Brunch with Bunny (April 13)

• Lambs Farm Easter Brunch - (April 20) visit the farm and playground

🗓️ Mark Your Calendar

All month: 🐶 Go Dog, Go! at Chicago Children’s Theatre

April 5 🍅 Green City Market Lincoln Park Opening Day

April 5/6 🐾 Paw Patrol Live @ The Chicago Theatre

April 5-20 🥕 Beatrix Potter Tea Party @ Raven Theatre

April 10 🪄 Harry Potter Shop opens on Michigan Ave.

April 11 🏀 Chicago Bulls Family Pack ticket night

April 11-13 🐱 Gabby’s Dollhouse character meet n greet @ CAMP

April 12-13 🌷 Springfest at Brookfield Zoo

April 19 🥚 Egg Extravanganza @ Lincoln Park Zoo

April 24 🚸 Fireside chat with Dr. Becky @ Monica and Andy LP or catch her at CAMP for a book signing

May 4 🛻 Touch a Truck @ Kohl’s Children’s Museum

🐷 A Farm-Themed Birthday at Wagner Farm

Last week, I started planning out the details for my daughter's 3rd birthday and was reflecting on how great her 2nd birthday celebration was at Wagner Farm in Glenview last spring.

For a spring birthday, it is honestly the perfect venue. The parties are hosted indoors in party rooms, and you also have access to the Heritage Center Museum, playground, and farm grounds to visit all the animals. Wagner allows you to customize your party with various activities—we chose a painting craft and added on the tractor ride, which was a huge hit.

For catering, I ordered lunch from nearby Foodstuffs, and the spread was absolutely gorgeous and delicious but there are tons of nearby options for ordering pizza or doing an Uber Eats food delivery.

Etsy came to the rescue for all my farm décor theme (making it easy to pull off), and I was ambitious enough to make "Adopt a chick" party favors, which were the biggest hit with both kids and adults.

📣👩‍💻 Small Business Shoutout

Meet Elana Cepa aka The Life Lady!

I met Elana as most mom friendships start, through the pre-school group chat and she is now my go-to health and wellness guru for all things adulting.

After facing a scary medical diagnosis in 2020 with 3 young children to protect, she experienced firsthand the importance of having the right insurance carrier and network for your specific medical needs, especially when facing overwhelming and scary medical decisions, paperwork, and countless insurance hoops to jump through - aka a mom’s worst nightmare.

Now, Elana makes it her mission to help Chicago families secure proper life and health insurance coverage. She truly is like talking to a knowledgeable friend who happens to know a lot about insurance and makes it simple to understand. If you need help or advice on health and life insurance for you or your family, she’s a great resource to have in your corner.

📮 But wait, there’s more!

If you want even more Big Weekend content, follow me on Instagram where I will share more content and resources like this, and be sure to tag me if you find yourself doing any activities from this list! If you know someone in your network who would like this content, you can forward this email or have them subscribe here.

Keep an eye on your inbox for May for the next Funletter - I aim to send these out at the beginning of every month.

P.S. While I do my best to highlight as much as possible, I may miss an event or two (or have a typo or three) since I am a one-woman show.💃 

Feel free to send me any leads or ideas for future Funletters by replying to this email.

XOX
💌 Kaitlyn