Monday, September 17, 2012
The former Patch columnist's business is called Poppy Event Design and she's currently in the process of planning seven parties.
After her Pinterest Party got national recognition earlier this year, Kristi Gilbert is turning party planning into her job. Gilbert recently launched Poppy Event Design, a two-person planning business willing to take on the design of any event, from birthdays, to anniversaries, to baby showers. "Really anything that comes my way I’m willing to take on," said Gilbert, a former Patch columnist. Gilbert is launching Poppy with Jillian Bouchard, a nursing student and Gilbert family babysitter who has a knack for baking cakes and other sweets. The two got the idea after they had fun putting on a recent birthday party for Gilbert's daughter, Ava. (Whom many Patch readers probably got to know well during the last couple of years.) The …
Monday, June 18, 2012
A busy day with Ava this weekend proved that too much can be just that ... too much.
This past Saturday I woke up with excitement for the special day I had planned three months in advance for my 2-year-old daughter, Ava. Despite that morning's 4 a.m. wake-up call (aka feeding Ava's little brother), when 6 a.m. came I was "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" to begin the day that was to be Ava’s Special Day. On the docket was a 10 a.m. Wizard of Oz performance at Drury Lane in Oak Brook; I had heard about it from a friend and was told it was 2-year-old-friendly, so I immediately bought tickets. I even went above and beyond to buy the tickets that included a breakfast with the cast. So I purchased our seats and made arrangements for our sitter to watch Baby Jack during the show. After all, it was Ava’s Special Day—no babies …
Monday, June 11, 2012
We kicked off the summer with a luau party in our backyard and I'm looking forward to long days at the local pools before Ava starts preschool in the fall.
Summer has officially begun! The pools are open, the weather is scorching, and the ice-cold beer tastes that much better! It’s nice to see you again, sun! Ken and I decided to kick off Summer 2012 by co-hosting a super-fun party for our local friends. Me and three of my girlfriends threw an all-out luau bash in my backyard this weekend, and were surrounded by more than 70 of our closest friends. Talk about a great time! On Thursday we had a 20 x 30 tent delivered to my backyard, complete with gorgeous colored linens for the tables. As for the lighting, we were inspired by things we found on Pinterest—beautiful, colored hanging lanterns—and we executed them beautifully! To complete the ambience, we had more than 60 tiki torches surrounding …
Monday, June 4, 2012
I want to offer a few life lessons I've learned since my graduation days.
I vaguely remember my graduation from high school. I say this because it was 15 years ago, and since then a load of other great memories have flooded my poor memory. Well, that and a boatload of wine. What I do recall, though, is the excitement of the open opportunity awaiting me—that I could do whatever I wanted, be who I wanted, and that the world was just out there, waiting for me to snatch it up and make it mine. How amazing, right? I mean, how many times to we get that opportunity in our lifetime? I, like many high school grads, didn't have a clue what I wanted to do, but I was accepted to the University of Missouri for the following fall, so I was stoked. The freedom of being two hours from home, away from the parents was thrilling …
Monday, May 21, 2012
"50 Shades of Grey" and impromptu dance parties are among the things that can help keep your relationship strong.
It’s no secret, being a parent reeks havoc on romance. How the heck do you keep the spark alive, when you’re inundated with dirty diapers, whiney kids and crusty spit-up on your neck?! Well, I must first say that I am NO expert when it comes to this. Yes, Dr. Phil, you can keep your day job. But I can certainly tell you what works for us. First and foremost, date nights are a must! My husband and I try to get out once every couple weeks for an adults-only dinner. It’s not always a fancy one; sometimes we hit up a greasy Mexican joint and celebrate a kids-free evening with margaritas and a shared plate of enchiladas. Other times, we hit up Gibson’s in Oak Brook and throw back a martini or two. It’s just important to get away from the …
Monday, May 14, 2012
New to the area and looking to meet some fellow moms? Here's a head start on making some new friends!
When we first moved to Clarendon Hills in October 2010, we didn’t really know what to expect. We had heard wonderful things about the community from our realtor, Mike Long, but other than that, we didn’t know a thing (or anyone)! What we did know is that we LOVED the area and the schools were top-notch. So we made the offer and moved in shortly thereafter. Once we were settled, I got to work on our social calendar—or lack thereof. I knew that if I wanted us to plant our roots, I was going to need to step out of my comfort zone and get out of the house to meet some other people. After all, it’s hard to feel at home if you don’t have any friends, right? At that time, all of our friends were still in the city, living the party life; I needed …
Monday, May 7, 2012
As Hinsdale Central students celebrated prom over the weekend, I couldn't help but reminisce about "The Good Old Days."
If you were out and about this weekend, then you know prom season is in full effect! There wasn't a mani/pedi salon around that I could squeeze into, and scheduling a hair appointment on Saturday was next to impossible. Seems as though a lot of our local teens were getting prepped for prom night 2012. As a woman who's a bit removed from my last prom night, I wonder about what has changed? Is it still the fun, semi-innocent night that everyone gets fancied up for? Or has it become something different—less fancy and more naughty? In my day (I know, I sound like Grandpa) 15 years ago, prom was pretty tame. There was the awkward doorbell ring by my date, followed by the 120 pics my mom and dad snapped with their little Vivitar camera. Then, …
Monday, April 23, 2012
Between late-night frolics and food refusals, Ken and I have our hands full with Ava while little Jack watches quietly.
Most days I feel completely outnumbered. I sometimes ask myself, how on earth do mothers of multiple kids do it? Shock treatment? Cages? Having one baby is hard; don't get me wrong. Though absolutely worthwhile, it's a huge adjustment, giving your own life up to commit your days (and nights) to such a small little being. But two kids? Holy crap! What have I taken on? Some days I feel like I can totally relate to those old Calgon commercials. For starters, Ava and Jack are on different schedules for all their activities—playing, eating, sleeping, you name it. Between the two little whippersnappers, it's hard to ever get a break, which means my blogging, Pinterest and Facebook addictions have taken a major step back. (Not that my absence …
Monday, April 16, 2012
An upcoming vacation has me back in the saddle.
One of the hardest things about being a new mom is trying to get your figure back. At the hospital, they give you this tiny bundle of love, swaddled up like a loaf of bread, and you are overjoyed. You finally get to see the fruits of your labor (no pun intended). But not long after, it hits you: “How is this baby only 6 pounds? Didn’t I gain 40?” Damn you Halloween candy. I curse you! I remember looking at my belly immediately following my kids’ births, wondering where this jell-o-mold-of-a-belly was going to go? And lucky for me, most of it came off quickly. Nursing helped, as did the absence of late night meals that I indulged in during my last few months of pregnancy. Most of it's gone, that is except for the dreaded last 5 to 10 pounds…
Monday, April 9, 2012
The long drive to Quincy was well worth its weight in colorful eggs.
Every spring for Easter, we load up the family and make our way to my hometown, Quincy, Ill. (known as Q-Town to its natives) to visit my sister and her family. It's a five-hour drive, which can prove to be a challenge when you've got a 2-and-a-half-year-old and 5-month-old in the back seat. Lucky for us, our infant is an angel and the DVR puts toddler into a Toy Story trance, leaving us free to enjoy the drive without screams from the back. (Translation: Ken drives while I play on my iPad.) We arrived on Friday and got settled in. We were treated to a delicious dinner, compliments of my sis and brother-in-law, while our daughters ran and played their little hearts out. On Saturday, we went to the Quincy Country Club for their annual …
jion
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