We've been sticking to the quarantine life despite the reopening of many businesses and activities in the Chicago area. But when the Chicago Botanic Garden announced its reopening this month, we felt comfortable planning a visit. This is because its outdoors and visitors must make a reservations and pick a time slot for entry. While the entry time is reserved, you may obviously stay as long as you ... Read more
Brilliance: The Orchid Show 2020 at Chicago Botanic Garden
* Chicago Botanic Garden hosted our visit to Brilliance: The Orchid Show. All images and opinions are my own. Update: The 2020 Orchid Brilliance show has been canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. When Chicago Botanic Garden invited us to the preview for Brilliance: The Orchid Show, Graham and I were thrilled because we love plants. We decided to make a date night out of it. It may be cold ... Read more
Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve at Eataly Chicago
We had no plans for NYE, so I figured we would stay home with the girls and have a nice home-cooked meal. But then I saw a giveaway on Instagram hosted by ChicagoGoodLife and Eataly that looked like it would be perfect for us: a family-friendly NYE dinner at Eataly for four (two adults, two children). I won! We were able to have a lovely last meal of 2019 by spending a part of New Year's Eve at ... Read more
Halloween Family-Friendly Events in the Chicago Area
I've been adding fall family-friendly events to my calendar for this month in hopes that we will get out more and get festive! I know I can't get to all of these, but it would be fun to attend at least a couple of them in October. These events are all family-friendly and some are free to attend! These are events I've found so far in the Chicago area: Pumpkin Pier Lights: After dusk in October ... Read more
How to Prepare for Family Photos
One of my favorite Flora family traditions is taking photos around the time of our wedding anniversary. It began when Graham and I moved to Chicago in 2015 and we were celebrating our first anniversary. I researched Chicago photographers and found Abigail Joyce Photography and I really liked her style. I chose a city skyline background and she suggested the perfect spot for our photos. This year ... Read more
Family Spring Bucket List Ideas
I'm so ready for the Chicago area to start blooming and showing more signs of life now that spring is officially here. It's still pretty chilly, though, and there's no greenery to be found anywhere. I can't wait for that to change! As I wait for those warmer days, I'm sharing my family spring bucket list of things I hope to accomplish this season. Our family spring bucket list: Take the ... Read more