A Family Adventure to Chicago Staying at the Millennium Knickerbocker!

A stay at the historic Millennium Knickerbocker is a special occasion for anyone but especially for a little girl that wants to take her American Girl Doll downtown for a little fun! The Knickerbocker has a fabulous location just footsteps away from Water Tower Place--the home to the American Girl Store--as well as many other Chicago attractions. While it is close to the magic, it is about a block from Michigan Avenue so is actually pretty quiet. An ideal place for some relaxation after a busy day on the Magnificent Mile!

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Madame ZuZu's Tea Shop and Art Studio {Date Night} (CLOSED)

**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

A couple weeks ago my husband and I had a night out. We both enjoy tea, so we thought that we would check out Madame ZuZu's in Highland Park for a little relaxation. We visited on a nice summer night and enjoyed the ambiance of Highland Park as diners assembled to eat outdoors at some of the neighboring restaurants.

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Made with Dad: From Wizards' Wands to Japanese Dolls, Craft Projects to Build, Make, And Do With Your Kids {Review}

**Disclosure: We received a copy of this volume in order to make an accurate review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

We love, love, love crafts in our household and are always scanning for new ideas and projects. Recently, we had the opportunity to review Made with Dad: From Wizards' Wands to Japanese Dolls, Craft Projects to Build, Make, and Do with Your Kids by Chris Barnardo and let me tell you, this book is a treasure!

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Grand Rapids Eats {Our Dining Discoveries in Grand Rapids}

One really fun aspect of travel is the ability to have some new foodie adventures! Travel invites exploration and new discoveries. During our visit to Grand Rapids we found a few places that we liked quite a bit! Each of our culinary adventures were recommended to us by travel writers and they were really spot on!

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Beach Time in Grand Haven {Michigan}

When I first moved to the Chicago area, I had no idea about the beauty of the nearby Michigan beaches and beach communities. I am originally from New Jersey, so that longing for the ocean quickly kicked in. So, before I knew it--we were exploring beaches along Lake Michigan and quickly fell in love with beaches in Michigan! So many stunning finds and the adjoining communities reminded me of home. During our visit to Grand Rapids, we spent a little time visiting Grand Haven and discovered a wonderful community for a little family rest and relaxation!

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Rosy Mound Natural Area for a Family Respite

Everyone needs those places that seem far, far away from the real world. Rosy Mound Natural Area in Grand Haven, Michigan is one of those places. Rosy Mound has a fairly secluded, rustic beach ideal for a little tuning out.

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Inspirational Walk through the Grand Rapids Art Museum

One of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of our Grand Rapids vacation was our discovery of the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The museum is steps away from the downtown hotels, so very convenient for a visit on any trip to Grand Rapids.

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A Foundation for Your Trip at the Grand Rapids Public Museum

If you want to learn more about the history of Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Public Museum is the place to go. The museum presents several exhibits on the foundations of the city which will give you more of a connection. Of all of the exhibits, we were entirely amazed by the old city streets of Grand Rapids which is one of the best city street reproductions we have seen.

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Capturing Serenity at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park {Grand Rapids}

When on vacation, you are fortunate to experience one utterly awe-inspiring moment. At Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we experienced several. A number of scenes and gardens captured our hearts and left us with us with special memories to take home.

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Family Weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan

This past weekend we headed up to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a little summer exploration. Grand Rapids is about 3.5 - 4 hours from the Chicago area making it great for a long weekend. As the second largest city in Michigan, you can imagine there is a lot to experience in the city! This week, we will be talking about our Grand Rapids discoveries as well as our fun at nearby Grand Haven for a little beach time.

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On Top of the World at Wind Point Lighthouse in Racine, Wisconsin

**Disclosure: We receive complimentary tickets to Wind Point Lighthouse for the purpose of this review. No compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Over the past year, I have truly fallen in love with Racine's view of Lake Michigan. Entirely spectacular! Once summer weather returned to the region, our family knew that we needed to spend at least one summer day in Racine. We learned about Wind Point Lighthouse on a previous trip and since we had never climbed a lighthouse before, we immediately added the landmark to our "need to visit list." We were thrilled to find a day this summer to visit the treasure last weekend!

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Morton Arboretum Ticket and Sean Kenney Book Giveaway {Winner}

Congratulations to Melissa L. who has won our Morton Arboretum Giveaway! She has won four tickets to the Morton Arboretum and Lego Artist Sean Kenney's book! Congratulations, Melissa! Thank you to everyone that entered our giveaway! Nature Connects: Art with Lego Bricks by Sean Kenney will be at the Morton Arboretum until November 1. Well worth a visit!

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Chicago Bears Meijer Family Fest at Soldier Field, August 8th

Image via The Chicago Bears.

I can't believe that it is already August. Where. Did.The.Time.Go! With our summer weekends dwindling, I am sure that plenty of you are planning excursions into the city. This weekend, we can get ready to cheer on the Bears this fall during the Chicago Bears Meijer Family Fest at Soldier Field August 8. The event involves a ton of fun but fans may be most excited about the opportunity to see the Bears in action during a practice. Here is a run down of some of the events:

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Chicago Athenaeum International Sculpture Park {Hidden Treasure in Schaumburg}

A week ago, my daughter was enjoying a summer camp at Volkening Heritage Park in Schaumburg. Whenever she is in camp, I try to arrive to pick her up a little early so that I can get some walking in before she gets out of camp. On one visit, I spied a sign for the Chicago Athenaeum International Sculpture Park. In all of these years of visiting the farm, I had never seen this sign before, so I was inspired to explore this new discovery.

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