Summer Fun at Home in the City

I really love our new neighborhood.  When we moved a month ago I had no idea that so many families with young children called our block home, and now that we are here I feel so grateful.  I’ve always said that the hardest part of every day is the dreaded 4-6 pm stretch, but now that we share a courtyard with so many kids early evening is so much fun. All the kids share their toys and bikes so nicely, and its nice for me to have some adult conversation.  “Happy hour” has taken on a whole new meaning!

Perhaps the best part of living so close to people in the same stage of life is the advice I cull from the parents.  Its nice to have a new group of people with fresh ideas and inspirations.  One of the neighbors lets her 3 year old daughter run around with a simple $0.99 spray bottle filled with water, and I quickly realized that Evie and Mack would love one, too.  Sure enough, the other day they spent a solid hour spraying bushes, the curb, our car, each other, the air…why didn’t I think of this sooner?!

Our old apartment was in a great location in the heart of the city.  We moved less than two miles away, but its a world of difference when it comes to the space we can afford.  While we don’t have a yard, we do have a roof deck.  Shortly after moving in the kids quickly decided that it was the perfect spot for a kiddie pool – and I have to agree!

City living is certainly different from what most kids are used to, but we’re making it work for now.  We enjoy plenty of time as a family and there’s never a shortage of things to do with the little ones.  For the longest time I was so undecided: city? suburbs? country? But as soon as I shifted my focus on what will work now – rather than what might work further down the road – I realized that the city is a good place to raise my Homemade Family.

 

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6 Comments for this entry

  1. Laura says:

    Gald you are loving your new place! Quick question… Where in Chicago are you? We just moved to evanston from Minneapolis this past week with our 11 month old. We went from the suburbs to the “city” life and are loving it so far!

  2. Laura says:

    Glad you are loving your new place! Quick question… Where in Chicago are you? We just moved to evanston from Minneapolis this past week with our 11 month old. We went from the suburbs to the “city” life and are loving it so far!

  3. Laura says:

    That is why we are here! My husband is starting at Kellogg this fall. :). We will check it out? Thanks for the suggestion

  4. Courtney says:

    Maureen, besides the spray bottles, my kids love paintbrushes and buckets of water so they can “paint” the house, sidewalk, etc.

    This time of year is so hard in Texas. It’s kind of like winter in the mid-west–It’s not really possible to be outside for more than an (uncomfortable) short amount of time. We live in a small space, so it’s hard to host playdates and the kids are bonkers by the end of the day. I’m anxiously awaiting the 60-70 degree days of late fall, winter and spring!

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