☔☘️ March Funletter ☔☘️

My Spring Break Packing List and Staycation Ideas + Meet North Shore Mahjong!

March 07, 2025

Welcome Spring!

We made it to March! This February seemed to fly by faster than normal and I for one am welcoming warmer temps and longer days. Plus, I love March! It’s my birthday month, (I share a birthday with Chicago 🥳) daylight savings hits and the entire city seems to thaw out, especially with fun events like St. Patrick’s and Spring Break on everyone’s calendar.

Despite my Irish(ish) heritage, I don't quite embrace St. Patrick's Day like other holidays - I blame PTSD from my downtown shenanigans involving too much green beer, Jello shots, and other revelry of my 20s, but I will make the occasional Lucky Charms Pinterest snack and line up for the North Side Parade (if it’s not too cold!) That said, I am OK with letting this holiday peacefully pass by without too much planning or stress.

If you are ALL IN on going green this year my suggestion would be to book an AM boat cruise on March 16 while the river is still green and most of Chicago is still in bed! Also, Meggan from Mamma Knows Chicago put together a great list of kid-friendly St Patrick's events.

Next month, we're heading to South Carolina on our first official spring break trip as a family of four. So with warm weather on my mind, I'm sharing my complete packing list—plus activities for staying local during March and April.

I started this newsletter on a total whim in December, not knowing if anyone would read it—and I've been blown away by the warm reception and growing number of subscribers! If you're brand new—welcome! Each month, I share my favorite unique finds and recommendations, including kid-friendly activities in Chicago, travel tips, and highlight female-owned businesses that I love. You can read all the past Funletters here, and follow me on Instagram here.

I also LOVE hearing from you so if you want to drop a note, say hello or send me any ideas for content for future Funletters please feel free to reply to this email!

✨🎱 March Top 8 🎱✨

Remember when someone was your favorite, they were in your Myspace Top 8? 
This is kind of like that - minus the extraordinarily tight Hollister polos.

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

🏖️ My Spring Break Packing List

👟 Native Shoes in Cool Prints: I love Native shoes and these are an annual buy for both of my kids for Spring / Summer. These shoes are basically indestructible, can be worn without socks (if you have sock-phobic kids like mine) and somehow don’t start to smell bad even after months of wear. On my quest for new ones, I found some cool new patterns on DSW - I love this stars pattern and the solar system print and they are Buy 1 get 1 half off right now. 🙌

🌼 Zara Spring Line: Zara has the cutest line of crochet dresses, 2-piece sets and boys tops that are completely impractical but so cute for Spring Break fits.

👙 Reversible Swimsuit: I have never once in my adult life proclaimed my love for a swimsuit - until now. I got SO many compliments on this reversible swimsuit in Florida last month that I had to share.The designer makes so many cute patterns (I also have this one) and the fit is super-flattering for all body types. I also picked up one of this designer’s dresses.

🧳 Kids Packing Cubes: If you are a family that travels, packing cubes will change your life. I now have our packing down to a system and these cubes for kids are great. I also have the larger set. My hack when we get to our destination is that I throw the cubes in drawers and never fully unpack them so that laundry and packing up to go home is super easy.

🧴 Supergoop Unseen Stick: I love just about every Supergoop Product but the clear unseen stick is by far my favorite. My kids love to put it on themselves and since it’s clear there is ZERO mess. In the summer there is one in my beach bag, purse, my husband’s golf bag - truly great for the whole family.

🕶️ Goodr Sunglasses: These are a new-to-me brand that was one of the most popular items at my Favorite Things Christmas party. For only $25 they are perfect if you want to branch out with a colorful style but are meant for being active and can be worn while running, biking, swimming, or the ultimate sport - wrangling toddlers. Plus the names are super fun - like “Pink Flamingo on Booze Cruise”.

🚀 Travel Magnatiles: I am finally at the phase of parenting where my kids can pretty much get by on a flight with some new snacks, a fully charged tablet, and maybe a sticker book. That said, it’s always nice to have a few toys on hand for downtime at the hotel or Airbnb so I picked up some Travel Magnatiles including this Crayola set.

✈️ State Suitcase: I have been eyeing State suitcases for a durable carry-on that my kids can haul through the airport. I like that they have multiple sizes - minis for ages 3-5 years and a bigger one for 6 and older. Select styles like this cute daisy pattern are up to 45% off which is the lowest price I have seen for this brand if you’re in the market for cute, kiddo-approved luggage.

🌸 Local Spring Break Activities:

One of the best parts about raising kids in Chicago IMO is living where others vacation. If you're staying local for spring break, embrace being a tourist in our city! I’m always shocked at how easily I can fill the calendar with activities when I venture out of my routine and comfort zone.

🖼️ Spend a morning at the Art Institute: Did you know kids 14 and under are free at the Art Insitute!? Start at the museum’s Ryan Learning Center (just inside the Modern Wing entrance) open Thursday–Monday, 11:00–3:00. This is a family-friendly space where you can plan your visit and even do little art projects. Before or after the museum you can grab lunch across the street at Shake Shack or around the corner at Goddess and the Baker and if it’s nice out you can hit up Maggie Daley Park for a full day of (almost free!) activities downtown.

🧀 Take a Day Trip to Milwaukee - At only a 90-minute drive, this is an easy day trip. You can check out Milwaukee’s Public Museum, Aquarium or Children’s Museum for a change in scenery. If I were staying overnight, the Saint Kate looks like a very cool boutique hotel, and the Pfister Hotel - while on the pricier side - is centrally located and one of the few downtown hotels with an indoor pool.

🎨 Mom-and-Me Paint at Home: I discovered these paint-by-numbers kits for kids and adults and at just $14/$19 for a set—they'd make a perfect shared activity. They even have the option to upload your own photo to paint (you could do your favorite travel pic, a pet, or your kids) which would make a fun gift.

🏙️ Spend a Day at Willis Tower: If the weather isn’t great you can easily spend an entire morning/afternoon at Willis with a visit to Color Factory (see my full review here) and to save money you can bundle your tickets with the Sky Deck called the “Views and Hues bundle”. The newly renovated food hall makes it easy to find food for everyone’s tastes including Sweetgreen, Sushi San and Tortazo.

⚾ Take a Tour of Wrigley Field: This is a guided tour for $30 per person (2 and under are free) that would be so fun for young baseball fans. Friday and weekend tours are still available for March bookings.

🍕Take a Walking Food Tour: If your kids are old enough to do some walking and the weather is nice, this Donut Tour, Tour of Chinatown (free for 6 and under), and this Pizza Tour (also free for 6 and under) all look delicious.

🛝 Try a new play place our playground: I am excited to check out the Social Play Cafe in Hoffman Estates which is getting rave reviews. Otherwise check out Chicago Playgrounds, Common Playground or LC Park Mom to find a cool new playground near you.

Spring Break Cooking Camps: Have an aspiring chef or kid who likes to be in the kitchen? Schoolhouse Kitchen + Studio, Kidz Can Cook and Junior Chef’s Kitchen all have Spring Break Camp offerings.

🗓️ Mark Your Calendar

But seriously, if you have little kids - birthday parties are now your life so plan accordingly 😜

Fete Papier

🪩 Small Biz Party Supplies

This year, I'm trying to be more intentional about supporting small businesses, particularly women-owned ones, instead of giving all my hard-earned money to Bezos and other big corporations.

I've started following several women-owned party supply shops that I check first before turning to Amazon, that I wanted to share for your next event planning:

📣👩‍💻 Small Business Shoutout

Meet Sam Meza of North Shore Mahjong

You may have seen Mahjong popping up on your feeds lately as the centuries-old game is becoming popular again and for good reason! Last month my girlfriend hosted a party with Sam of North Shore Mahjong and it was such a fun and unique event - the perfect winter weekend activity for a mom’s night out!

All of us were total beginners and we came away with a new love of this fun and social game thanks to Sam’s amazing teaching skills. Be warned: you will probably want to buy alllllll the gorgeous Mahjong tiles, and colorful accessories and start your own social club! 🀄️

Be sure to follow @northshoremahjong for her local teaching events or you can hire her for a private party! You can see my full recap here!

-Scenes from our Mahjong 101 night!

📮 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 April 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 business or two since 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