Will Blog for Sleep

As the stockings are hung by the chimney with cries of Don't-Touch-Those-or-the-heavy-stocking-holder-thingy-will-crush-your-little-head , it appears we are ready for the season!     Kevin and Tracy are still plugging away at Heitman (as a Finance Manager) and BMO Financial Group (as a Manager in Event-Based Marketing). While both of us enjoy our companies and roles, that's probably is enough work talk. Outside of work, Kevin made the difficult decision to hang up his magician's hat after two years with  Open Heart Magic  - though is still known to carry a pack of cards just in case there is an entertainment opportunity or need. Tracy increased her volunteer work for our neighborhood elementary school: South Loop School.  While her strongest skill is her "inability to say no" to new committees and tasks, it has truly been a great community to support and a wonderful way to meet families in the area.  [small plug: Would love to connect you ...

Happy Holidays! 2016 was a good year for us, and hope it was for you as well ~ Below is a quick summary of our most memorable notes of the year (in no particular order): Had some great travel time in San Diego and St. Louis - highly recommend both!  Shipped the kids to the Grandparents (in Iowa) to get their little hands dirty on the farm. Then Mom and Dad HIT THE TOWN. And slept. A lot. Kevin became a magician after graduating from Magic University (lesser known competitor to Hogwarts). He volunteers regularly at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital (Comer), bringing home inspiring and sweet stories with each experience. Tracy planned to pick up tennis again -- purchased a membership, gathered gear, and made court reservations. Then fell down some stairs, twisted her knee, landing her in physical therapy. Trying again in 2017! Chase loves Kindergarten, has become a confident reader/writer, and recently started making his own dinners (always with a "t...

The other day we took the boys to see Zootopia, an undeniably fantastic movie. Which you already know, so that won't be dissected today. But here's the thing.  I went to this movie like all other films I watch -- with as little preparation as possible. Loving the surprise factor, my best-case scenario is knowing nothing pre-show. Yet early into this movie, it became clear my tactic may not be ideal when it came to kids' films. The movie had many themes expertly woven throughout and laid a fantastic foundation to have discussions around stereotypes, teamwork, and grit. And I wasn't prepared. By walking blindly into the movie, this dumb bunny missed an opportunity to have those questions and conversation starters ready to go as the credits rolled. You may be thinking this has never been a problem for you.  Well, I am happy for you.  Sort of. While many parents can quickly convert what they see and hear into appropriate dialog for their children on the s...

After finishing up an amazing trip to San Diego, wanted to share our experience and tips so you can have a great time as well! Quick Facts: We are a family of 4 living in downtown Chicago: 2 boys, ages 5 and 3.   Our trip was short, limited to 4 days. We like to save money & time where we can We wake up at the crack of 6 am (or 4 am San Diego time), so we over-prepare and plan to fit in everything we can into each day before the kids tire out and/or have melt downs.  This has continuously worked well for us and wanted to share some of the tips. Assume for each section, we arrive at or before the place opens. Accommodations, Transportation, & Misc: We stayed in downtown San Diego for 3 nights and then La Jolla for 2 nights. We scoured Trip Advisor for good hotels for kids and good proximity to where we were visiting. Hotels: Courtyard San Diego: This location was good: close to Balboa Park/Zoo, Beaches, Downtown, and grocery stores, restaurants. ...

Ah, it's that time of year again.  The time of year when the Carlsons wage a battle of multi-color vs. white lights on the tree.  Tracy learned the best tactic is to decorate the tree under cover of night and was crowned this year's victor. Tracy is still plugging away at the same job, and for the sake of managers potentially reading this, is loving every minute of it (doing Event-Based Marketing at BMO Financial Group)!  Due to frequent trips to Canada, she is becoming somewhat of an expert on all things Toronto - hit us up if you are heading that direction and need some travel recommendations. Many of you know Tracy's father passed away this year from a short battle with an aggressive brain cancer.  Thank you so much for all the thoughts, prayers, and kindness shown to our family as we deal with the loss and the first moments without him as we move throughout the year. Kevin started a new job at Heitman as a Finance Manager.  While it was tough to lea...

Family Game Night is so nostalgic.  To remember family game night is to remember nights with family and friends -- evenings filled with laughter, teasing, bickering...and general hilarity with everyone around. That, and my dad peacocking around as he annihilated his 8-year-old daughter in ping pong, cards... anything else, really. Finally the day came when our children were functional enough and ready to start a new tradition.  Most importantly, ready for me to kick everyone's butt (in an absolutely gracious, lovely way) with my mad skills in games like Sneaky Snacky Squirrel . Things went really well...for the first full minute. Until our older son realized he wasn't winning. There were tears.  Pieces went flying. Not exactly the idyllic family bonding moment I had envisioned. To be fair, research does say it may take time for kids to catch on and be able to play without getting upset.  Many stress how important games are to learn the art of winning...

Thought I would come out of my semi-blog-retirement to post a completely untypical blog for the Will Blog for Sleep site. This weekend I pulled together a Car Themed Do-It-Yourself Party for my 3 year old, and wanted to share for those who also have car enthusiasts at home!  After spending hours researching ideas online, I pulled together these favorites, which ended up being hits for the kids too! Invitations The theme revolved around the collateral found on Etsy - LuluPaperPrints She worked with this pattern to create invitations, Food Tent Cards, and some of the signs below: Activities Next came the activities - wanted something where kids didn't have to be watched 24/7 (it's a party for parents, too, for goodness sake!) and where everyone would still have fun! We  chose (we, who are we kidding...my husband learned what was happening the day of): Car Photo - Made with cardboard and Spray Paint, specialized license plate Race Track  - Race...