5 reasons why you need to bring the kids to Lolla next year.

We've been bringing the kids to Lollapalooza for years, and to be honest, it keeps getting better. Kidzaplooza is the small party going on inside the gates of Lollapalooza, one of Chicago's largest music festavals. You and the kids will walk through the main festival gates, right past Buckingham fountain, and there you'll spot the brightly colored archway.

After you snap some photos under the arch, you'll spot skateboarders and people blowing gigantic bubbles. You'll hear the kid-friendly bands. You'll find it's filled to the brim with free activities, crafts and sponsored snacks for your little concert-goers.

There is so much I want to tell you, but for now, I'll narrow it down to the top 5 reasons we keep bringing the kids back to Lollapalooza. 

1.) It's fun and safe!

Kidzapalooza is an area designated for parents and kids only. Children 10 and under get into Lollapalooza FREE with a parent who wears their festival wristband. Once you walk past the Kidzapalooza arch, the kids get their own wristband. "Tag-A-Kid" allows the wristband to be scanned with their parents' contact information in case of emergency. Rest assure, Lolla is fun and safe! 

2.) The kids get rockstar swag.

Psychobaby hooks them up with a monogrammed rocker bag where they can keep gifted snacks from Clif Kid, drinks from Lifeway Kefir, sunscreen and TK snaps photos in the rockstar photo booth. They get temporarily tatted up at KTX and Co Tatooz, hair color and styles at Snippet's, and all the crafts they can create from Easel Art Studio. The kids look and feel like rockstars and it creates the coolest atmosphere.

3. Kids become the rockstars.

After they look the part, they get to play the part. The Rock Band tent allows kids to choose their favorite song, and jam out karaoke style. They can play drums in the Rhythm Revolution area, and swing the paddles at the ping-pong tables. The Big City Readers "Kidza Lounge" lets them chill out on bean bags, in tents, or on a play-mat between sets. While they lounge, they can plan their next ig worthy photo op to show their fans what they've been up to. 

   

4.) The live music.

Grab a snow cone and head over to the stage. It's magical. Performers of all kinds are creating an interactive space for all ages. My kids (and niece and nephew) rocked out to the School of Rock All-Stars, and even got to ask some band members a few questions. As you can see, I also got to meet my favorite artist. Hozier was unreal, and seeing our favorite bands on stage was at the top of our Lolla highlight reel.  

5.) Meeting old friends and making new ones. 

The concert is huge enough to need a map to navigate, but small enough where you'll run into a familiar face at least once. The Lolla scene is the most beautiful mix of races and ages, all posing at interactive installations, creative artwork, and festive backdrops. We are all enjoying the same music. Helping each other navigate stages and bathroom locations. Kids are on shoulders, strangers are singing and dancing together, and the illuminated city is the most impressive backdrop of all. 

                    

Did you bring the kids to Lolla this year? What was their favorite part?
Find me at @Michelle.Elfvin on ig for more behind the scenes playing on my highlight reel!

Go big or go home for your next girls' night out

Getting together with the girls should happen often. Monthly, if possible, though I realize that is rarely the case. It’s good to maintain a social life outside of your life with kids, and nights out with the girls are like tune-ups for your own sanity. 

Still, even these few and far between nights out can become same-old, same-old; you space out thinking about the work week, you wonder if the kids got to bed OK, and you kick yourself for wearing the 19th outfit you tried on when the third was totally acceptable. 

Where's the drama? The spark? The giggling whispers that made up the most memorable nights out in your college days? 

You are in need of an epic night out with the ladies. I’m talking one for the record books, one for the diary you're meaning to start, and one worthy of your yearly profile picture overhaul. 

Here are five ways to ensure your next GNO will leave you texting your crew highlight reel memories for years to come. 

Start with the venue

I don’t know about you, but mundane bar seating leaves me feeling uninspired. For an epic night out, a beautiful venue is key. The “Rosé all day” neon sign at Hampton Social is on point, and so is the rest of the decor. The Flamingo Rum Club not only has a beautiful flamingo mural on the side of the building, but the decor inside is perfection. Cindy’s, the rooftop at the Chicago Athletic Center, has unobstructed views of Millennium Park, and I also have Apogee, the rooftop at The Dana Hotel, on my summer bucket list.

Pick an outfit theme

No, I'm not talking about a bachelorette LBD that you can’t breath in, accompanied by male member hats. I'm talking something fun that is a good conversation piece, and will unite the group everywhere you go. Pick a color theme (jewel tones, metallics, or (gasp!) a color that will compliment your destination, such as shades of pink for the Flamingo Rum Club), a genre (can’t beat an ‘80s MTV-inspired night), or when all else fails, unite in hair. Have a friend fishtail braids, or get real creative and build flower crowns while you pre-game. There’s also a Chicago based company that will help you build the perfect crown for your bad ass group of queen b’s. In the same way bachelorette themes unite a group, this is an exciting way to bond in preparation for your night out.

Play an ongoing game of Truth or Dare

You may think I'm going to recommend a drinking game. You'd be correct. But this is even better. An ongoing game of Truth or Dare will keep you giggling and entertained all. night. long. First, pick a word commonly used with your group. “Literally” works on almost every level. Each time it is used during the night, that person is in the hot seat for Truth or Dare. Truth: What’s the funniest thing you ever got busted doing -- and where? Dare: Seek out the man in the skinniest jeans in the bar and ask him the brand (because you'd totally love to be twinsies!) 

Plan a group photo

Something that captures the theme of the night perfectly. ‘80s theme? You'll all need to get your highest of high kicks, and boomerang ‘80s dance moves on camera. Human pyramids rarely fail (bahahaha!), and props from around the bar (hammocks, neon signs or specialty drinks in coconuts) can take the usual duck face group default photo to a level one only thought was possible in T. Swift’s music video for “Bad Blood.”

Relocate for dessert

The dessert at the restaurant might be tempting, but take your squad somewhere else to get a change of scenery. Relocate to grab unicorn milkshakes, banana splits for six or cookies as big as your head. Places like Margie’s Candies are open until midnight, so check the times before you head out for a sugar fix! This is a fun way to recap the night and plan your next epic girls' night out.

3 healthy recipes to keep you on your game this spring

If you’re anything like me, your resolutions for the new year started to get a bit fuzzy by the second week of January. You are currently eating a cookie from your hidden freezer stash, your produce drawer is a ghost town and there hasn’t been a green in sight since you packed away the last of the Christmas decorations (last week).

Spring is just an extension of the holiday's, one more reason it’s near impossible to stay on your game, and why you’ve benched your best skinny jeans. 

This spring, I’m calling in the replacements. I’m tossing the cookies and making the kids part of my assembly line -- which I will warmly refer to as quality time. We’ll scale back on the meat, go light on the cheese, and everyone will applaud our willpower when we go in for seconds on the veggie tray.

Whether you’re hosting a party, or attending one, here is your X and O game plan on bringing home the win this spring. 

Vegetarian Charcuterie board

I’m a picky eater. I don’t mean there are a ton of foods I don’t like, I mean I literally pick. I will circle the buffet like a hawk, picking off my prey one by one until I have eaten my weight in six different kinds of chips. A beautiful vegetarian charcuterie will take your focus off the greasy, processed foods, at least for a little while.  

Ingredients and Directions:

There’s no right or wrong way to do this. Load up on the veggies and nuts you’ll eat and you can’t go wrong. I made my Charcuterie with hard-boiled eggs, apples filled with yogurt, apple crisps instead of crackers, pistachios and plenty of fruits and veggies.

Avocado dip

(via togetherasfamily.com)

Dips are going to be plenty at the Super Bowl buffet. Queso and seven-layer dips are NOT your friend. Friends would never make your butt look big … ever. This vegan and gluten-free avocado dip is tasty and filling, and you certainly won’t miss the added calories.  

Ingredients and Directions:

6 avocados

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1/3 cup red onion

1 cup salsa verde

Mash the avocados, finely chop the onions, dice the tomatoes, and mix the corn, black beans and salsa verde together in a mixing bowl. Either eat right away or let it refrigerate for 1-3 hours before serving.

Turkey Chili

(via snixykitchen.com)

It’s still winter, and I tend to not feel satisfied until consuming something warm, like this gluten-free chili that serves six. While there will probably be burgers, sausages, meatballs and hotdogs around, choosing a meat that’s low in fat is the perfect substitute to less lean meat. 

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb ground turkey, lean

1 15-ounce can black beans

5 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 15-ounce can Kidney beans

3/4 tsp oregano, dried

1 15-ounce can pinto beans

1 red bell pepper, small

1 cup sweet corn, frozen

1 28-ounce can tomatoes

1 yellow onion, small

2 tsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari, reduced sodium

Spices

1/2 tsp black pepper, ground

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, ground

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cocoa powder, unsweetened

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp cumin

2 cups water

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook until browned, stirring to break it up as it cooks. Add the onion, red bell pepper and garlic, and cook for a few minutes, stirring until tender. Mix in canned tomatoes, beans, corn, spices, and soy sauce. Add the water and stir to combine. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes until the chili thickens. (If you're finding that your chili isn't thickening to your desire, try removing the lid completely.) Serve with freshly baked corn bread.

Revamp your wardrobe with these Pantone Color of the Year 2018 picks

When Prince first sang Purple Rain, it was hard for many to understand why he chose that particular color in the first place. However, we can all agree that the energy it omits is as mysterious and magnetic as the universe itself. Pantone must have felt the same pull to the shade when they officially named Ultra Violet their 2018 Color of the Year. 

Pantone's website introduces the color as "a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future." 

Purple symbolizes something greater, counterculture, unconventionality and artistic brilliance that we are all going to need to contribute more of to move us forward in 2018. Here are uber chic ways to radiate Ultra Violet from local bloggers who have fully embraced the 2018 Pantone Color of the Year.

 OPI Purpetual Emotion

 Packed Party confetti tote

 Fashaholic's purple trench

Sanem's tassel earrings