Rockabye Bucktown

Former city mom turned suburbanite, discussing all things style, sustenance and sleep training. Follow me as I explore and navigate motherhood beyond the quirky Chicago neighborhood where my family of four began.

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Dancing to an "Eagles" cover band at the first Uniquely Thursday concert of the summer. Burke already does a mean rendition of "Heartache Tonight." Must have been all of that classic rock I played for him in the womb...

[christinekellyandpartners-deact]

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[rockabyebucktown]

Add "black ceiling" to my list of home decor obsessions...

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Goal this week: add feta and avocado to everything. Check! [Left: mixed greens, blueberries, strawberries, feta, avocado, grilled chicken and balsamic; Right: kale, arugula, mandarin oranges, grape tomatoes, slivered almonds, feta, avocado and balsamic]

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First day of school and last day of school... Excuse me, who is that "baby" on the left?! The cautious, Thomas the Train loving toddler has transformed into a fearless, super hero-obsessed big boy. He is constantly making observations ("Mom, why are your nails gray? They should be blue."; "Your car is black, next time, you should get blue."; "The blue Popsicles are the best, don't you think, mom?" Sensing a theme?), ensuring his sister is behaving ("Bwaine! Eat your bwekfast!") and planning our days ("Mom, first, we will go to the park, then to Target, then Standard Market, the wine store and Atlantis"). Have to admire his motivation and priorities?! I look forward to our conversations and adventures everyday. He holds me accountable ("Mom, don't say "Jesus Christ.") and makes me a better person ("We should do something nice for daddy today, mom."). I certainly hopes this continues and am so proud of my little man!

[death-by-elocution]

[rockabyebucktown]

I have been living in my distressed white denim lately. Casual running errands or dressed up for a night out, they have replaced black distressed denim (for now). The leopard loafers are just a bonus...

[ambuhlynnn]

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Crisp and clean

[yummyinmytumbly]

Broccoli Carrot and Orange Slaw

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Perfect alongside of a grilled salmon burger this weekend (and that aforementioned rose...)

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Easing into summer…

If you are (a mom) like me, 45 degrees seems suitable for outdoor play after a long winter. While today fits that description (seriously, May?!), we have been fortunate with the weather gods these past few weekends and have taken advantage of al fresco dining, park time, running (pushing that double stroller is no joke) and playing on the new swing set (you are basically required to have one if you no longer have a direct view of the Sears Tower…).

The kids are bursting with excitement every time I open the back door and yell, “time to play outside!” The energy they burn, thus resulting in 2+ hour naps, is a definite win-win. Those two hours give me a chance to clean up the disaster caused by the indoor confinement if mom doesn’t get her act together fast enough…and to wash the outdoor play clothes that are most likely covered in sand and dirt.

With this coming weekend being the (unofficial) kick off to summer, I am looking forward to spending more time outdoors, kissing sunscreen-drenched kiddie faces and popping open some rose (the official wine of summer) as that sandy/dirty laundry piles up!

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Fact: we go to the library to socialize, build Lego towers and borrow Ninja turtle DVDs. There are actually no books involved.

[coveteur]

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Breezy jumpsuits and structured heels = Spring staples

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Statement stones

[Images via Bergdorf Goodman]

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A weekend of performances! This weekend was all about (kids') entertainment. Friday was for a fun concert at Land of Nod where Blaine was the first to get up "on stage" and dance. Have I mentioned how much she loves to dance? I am still scratching my head at this one (seeing that I have zero rhythm), but I love it! In fact, when she wouldn't sit in her seat on the flight to Arizona, I put her favorite Taylor Swift song on my phone and let her dance in the aisle. Problem solved! Well, unless the passengers around us were Kanye fans... On Saturday, we jammed with Elmo and Cookie Monster at Sesame Street Live. Both kids danced and sang...fueled by the monster-sized snow cones and buckets of caramel corn, of course. It's often difficult to keep these two entertained with the same activities, but one thing they have in common is music...I just hope neither is interested in playing the drums. God help me...

[rockabyebucktown]

Pop quiz: did he get into my lipstick or paint his own face at the museum today?

[christinekellyandpartners-deact]

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[rockabyebucktown]

Easter in the desert

This time last week we were still recovering from our post Easter haze. We were stuffed with Starburst jelly beans, milk chocolate rabbits and white chocolate dipped carrot cake eggs (trust me on this one). We were master egg dyers and bunny hoppers…not to mention, competitive egg hunters. Our cheeks hurt from taking twelve thousand family photos. Our faces were sun-kissed from being outdoors all weekend long in the 90 degree desert sun. It was a sugary, pastel-coordinated, memorable holiday.

This week, by comparison, we are loaded with Starbucks (to combat a slight jet lag) and left-over allergy meds (damn pollen). We are settling back into our normal routine (which has been much easier to ease into with 63 degree weather instead of the frigid temps that motivated us to fly south in the first place), getting the kids' Spring/Summer calendars together (also motivated by the warm weather to get outside!) and packing up all of the boots, gloves and puffy coats...Spring is finally here!

[rockabyebucktown]

Spring essentials: fringe (skirts), floral (pouches) and (toe-bearing) footwear

[Images via Les Nouvelles, Neiman Marcus and Intermix]

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Baby showers, birthdays…and a little break…what have you been up to?