It has been a great week so far. Not only have a tried a few new places and enjoyed the challenge of focusing dollars locally, I have gotten a chance to talk to quite a few business owners. The biggest thing that has struck me is how committed these business owners are to our community. This is not just about running a business or making money for most of them, it is about enriching a community that they care about. It was very inspiring.
I have been surprised how easy it has been to change my behavior once I was just conscious of my habits. There have been only a few areas where I have have not found a great solution without our community (but I am still checking!)
Here is a list of things I have not been able to find inside Elmhurst. None of these (outside of kids shoes) are a big concern, but I wanted to be fair that I can't find everything.
Please comment if you know of a place I can go for these items. I would love to know if there is a great place I have not found:
Electronics (accessories): My niece wanted an iPad cover for her birthday, but I could not determine where I could pick on up within Elmhurst (we went with a gift card as well - a great option as I can't pretend to know what is "cool" these days)
Art/craft supplies: I have a love affair with Modge Podge & Glitter, but couldn't figure out a store where I could buy those things. Similarly, I want to make a small fleece blanket, but don't know where to get fabric.
Kids Shoes: Our daughter is about to need new tennis shoes. We are partial to Stride Rite and other quality kids shoes. It would be great to have a good kids shoe store in town. I guess I could go to Kohls or Kmart, but she has wide feet and those are harder to find. I haven't tried Shoe Carnival and will likely stop in soon to see if they will have wide shoes (and quality brands).
Not so bad for week one!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Girls Night Out at Rosalia's Deli
Poor Scott came down with the flu yesterday so I worked from home. I wanted to keep our daughter out of the house a bit while Scott was feeling so poorly. I both wanted to give him a break as well as (hopefully) minimize her exposure. She was in preschool for a chunk of the day. In the evening when I finished my final conference call I decided that it would be a "girls night out". It had been a long time since her and I had a chance to have time that was just the two of us.
I need a place that was casual and easy so we headed to Rosalia's Deli. I love that Rosalia's is a full scale deli, but also a great place to get a wonderful meal. They have great paninis, wood fired pizza, soups and gelato. It is an awesome place to get a fresh, home cooked, meal. I ordered for us at the counter (wood fired cheese pizza) and also placed a "to go" order of soup for Scott. I figured that once his appetite was back, he would love some homemade soup.
They cook the pizza in a wood fired oven right to the left of the deli. Our daughter loved seeing her pizza go in the oven. It was very tasty and we enjoyed sitting and talking about our day. I noticed that this seems to be a great local spot. There was a ton of chatter and people coming and going to pick up dinner to either eat in or take out.
We split a homemade lemon ricotta cookie on our way out and my daughter declared (with her mouth full) that "this cookie is suupa dewicious". It was good enough that she actually passed the gelato counter without asking 25 times if we could get some.
Rosalie's isn't just for home cooked food, but it also is a great place to get deli meat as well as fresh made frozen pasta. To be honest, we have come here a few times for sandwiches, but often forget to come to pick up more "grocery" items. To further support a family owned local business, I picked up some Pumpkin Ravioli to take home to serve on Halloween night as a post trick or treating meal. Perfect!
So in one stop we got a great meal, a meal to take home (to the poor sick hubby) and pasta for later in the week. I call that a productive (and tasty) stop.
I need a place that was casual and easy so we headed to Rosalia's Deli. I love that Rosalia's is a full scale deli, but also a great place to get a wonderful meal. They have great paninis, wood fired pizza, soups and gelato. It is an awesome place to get a fresh, home cooked, meal. I ordered for us at the counter (wood fired cheese pizza) and also placed a "to go" order of soup for Scott. I figured that once his appetite was back, he would love some homemade soup.
We split a homemade lemon ricotta cookie on our way out and my daughter declared (with her mouth full) that "this cookie is suupa dewicious". It was good enough that she actually passed the gelato counter without asking 25 times if we could get some.
Day 6: Halloween decor shopping at Philips
We don't have a lot of Halloween decorations around the house. Every year we add about one item to our decorations so that eventually we will have a good mix of Halloween decorations. Our daughter has been excited to go shopping at the "Halloween store" to pick something out.
We started at the Halloween City pop up store over on St. Charles and Rt 83. She has asked over and over if we could go in the store. So we went. And it was mostly full of this...
If you want a place to get a costume, this is a good place to go. They had a big variety My daughter loved looking at the costumes, but there were so many scary masks and statues that it didn't take long before she said "uhhh..I think we should check somewhere else". Keep in mind that she is only 4. She actually likes villains and ghosts, but the Disney kind. This was a little much and didn't have much in the way of decorations.
We were on our way to see Dr. Kelly at Tree of Life and we happened to park near Phillip's Flowers and Gifts. Once we got our of car and our daughter saw all the Halloween decorations and flowers and exclaimed "oh..a Halloween Store!". I explained that it was a florist, but we went in. They had the CUTEST decorations. They were having a 50% sale for Halloween decorations which was even better!
They had more the decorations I was looking for. I was eyeing a very cute decoration with three pumpkins that lit up. As I showed her the decoration she spied a bright green, glittery pumpkin. She so very proudly picked it up and announced that THIS was the one we needed to take to our house. I tried to sell her on the three light up pumpkins, but she was insistent. It was pretty cute so that was the one we brought home. Here is her picture - proudly holding her choice for this years' decoration!
Monday, October 27, 2014
Day 5: It's a family thing!
When I started this challenge I was focused on mostly my behavior. As I explained to Scott (husband) what I wanted to do, he didn't hesitate to jump into the challenge himself. So, we quickly made this a family thing. Just a little background on us (in case you are wondering). We have an awesome 4.5 year old and Scott is a stay at home dad while I work downtown. He is an amazing dad and enjoys living in Elmhurst.
So I had very little to write about today as I was downtown all day for work and had very little planned in terms of shopping today. Today's blog is focused on Scott's day today (whew - thank goodness I have some content). It also made me think of the balance between local and national businesses that make up our community (and the need to support both).
A few things they did today:
1. Animal Spa Day: From Head to Tail
So, typically we will go to Petco for grooming (or do it at home), but today he decided to try a local business instead. Now, please don't get me wrong, I like Petco. They have a great selection of products, including kitten toys which have been harder to find than I expected. They support rescue organization and adoptions (this is where we adopted two of our pets). That said, I do believe that it is important to support BOTH and when there is a local business available, we should try them and support them when possible.
So today, it was From Head to Tail. This was our first time bringing the dogs there and Scott said they were "friendly" and that the experience was "excellent". So how did the dogs like it? I tried to ask, but they were too tired from their day at the "spa". Oh well, they smell great!
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Second Stop - Groceries: Marianos
No pictures, but just wanted to give a shout out to Marianos. Best.grocery.store.ever. Enough said.
Third Stop - Lunch: Meatheads
This is an interesting one. Their original plan was to go to Nu Crepes (which we will do soon and I will write about). That is one of our daughter's favorite places. She loves "The King" (peanut butter and banana crepe) and every time eats the entire thing. We have a fairly picky kiddo so I love anything where she will actually EAT. They went over to Nu Crepes forgetting that they are not open on Mondays. Uh oh...
Scott had promised her lunch out and as he suggested "the Chicken Place" (see earlier post), she pointed to Meatheads and declared that she wanted a hot dog. We are always happy when she will actually eat something, especially if it has some protein in it. So, they went to Meatheads. The most interesting thing is that Scott emailed me and said "don't blog about that...we wanted to go to Nu Crepes instead". I thought that was interesting. He was bothered because it wasn't locally owned. I told him that we will go to Nu Crepes soon (and write about it), but he was still supporting Elmhurst by having lunch in town vs. going to a neighboring suburb instead.
To that point, one of the key things I want to note is that I have a few priorities in my challenge:
1. Support businesses within the city limits of Elmhurst. I hate seeing empty storefronts as that is bad for everyone. Small, big; one location, multiple locations; local, national - all of them. More business = more revenue & jobs for our town. Too often I hear and read Elmhurst residents refer friends and neighbors to businesses in neighboring 'burbs without thinking about options in our town first.
2. When available, prioritize local businesses and discover the interesting businesses and owners that make Elmhurst unique. When you truly shop local MORE dollars stay in your community. Local business owners are the biggest advocates for this community. When you spend with local businesses, you are literally supporting your neighbor which is what community is all about.
Anyway..now that those points are out of the way...
I am enjoying that this has now become a family thing and that Scott is committed as well. So much so that he is using this blog as an excuse to eat out more in order to support "more" businesses. (and now he has a "make up" lunch scheduled with our daughter for Nu Crepes..haha).
So I had very little to write about today as I was downtown all day for work and had very little planned in terms of shopping today. Today's blog is focused on Scott's day today (whew - thank goodness I have some content). It also made me think of the balance between local and national businesses that make up our community (and the need to support both).
A few things they did today:
1. Animal Spa Day: From Head to Tail
So, typically we will go to Petco for grooming (or do it at home), but today he decided to try a local business instead. Now, please don't get me wrong, I like Petco. They have a great selection of products, including kitten toys which have been harder to find than I expected. They support rescue organization and adoptions (this is where we adopted two of our pets). That said, I do believe that it is important to support BOTH and when there is a local business available, we should try them and support them when possible.
So today, it was From Head to Tail. This was our first time bringing the dogs there and Scott said they were "friendly" and that the experience was "excellent". So how did the dogs like it? I tried to ask, but they were too tired from their day at the "spa". Oh well, they smell great!
Second Stop - Groceries: Marianos
No pictures, but just wanted to give a shout out to Marianos. Best.grocery.store.ever. Enough said.
Third Stop - Lunch: Meatheads
This is an interesting one. Their original plan was to go to Nu Crepes (which we will do soon and I will write about). That is one of our daughter's favorite places. She loves "The King" (peanut butter and banana crepe) and every time eats the entire thing. We have a fairly picky kiddo so I love anything where she will actually EAT. They went over to Nu Crepes forgetting that they are not open on Mondays. Uh oh...
Scott had promised her lunch out and as he suggested "the Chicken Place" (see earlier post), she pointed to Meatheads and declared that she wanted a hot dog. We are always happy when she will actually eat something, especially if it has some protein in it. So, they went to Meatheads. The most interesting thing is that Scott emailed me and said "don't blog about that...we wanted to go to Nu Crepes instead". I thought that was interesting. He was bothered because it wasn't locally owned. I told him that we will go to Nu Crepes soon (and write about it), but he was still supporting Elmhurst by having lunch in town vs. going to a neighboring suburb instead.
To that point, one of the key things I want to note is that I have a few priorities in my challenge:
1. Support businesses within the city limits of Elmhurst. I hate seeing empty storefronts as that is bad for everyone. Small, big; one location, multiple locations; local, national - all of them. More business = more revenue & jobs for our town. Too often I hear and read Elmhurst residents refer friends and neighbors to businesses in neighboring 'burbs without thinking about options in our town first.
2. When available, prioritize local businesses and discover the interesting businesses and owners that make Elmhurst unique. When you truly shop local MORE dollars stay in your community. Local business owners are the biggest advocates for this community. When you spend with local businesses, you are literally supporting your neighbor which is what community is all about.
Anyway..now that those points are out of the way...
I am enjoying that this has now become a family thing and that Scott is committed as well. So much so that he is using this blog as an excuse to eat out more in order to support "more" businesses. (and now he has a "make up" lunch scheduled with our daughter for Nu Crepes..haha).
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Shopping for our Four Legged Family: It's a Ruff Life
One last errand we had today was to get a few things for our pets. We have quite a group of pets at our house at the moment: 2 pugs, a puggle and a kitten. We needed treats, kitten toys and a special supplement for one of our pugs.
I stopped by Ruff Life to pick up the items we needed. We had first gone to Ruff Life this summer during and adoption event they were having. We didn't adopt an animal at that time, but we made a mental note to go back. Now was a great time.
They have a wide selection of natural food and treats. Their "bakery" items look good enough for humans to eat (don't worry, I didn't). I picked up some Halloween colored bones for the pugs.
The biggest thing I was in for was something called Cranimal. Last time we were in Chris, the owner" turned us on to Cranimal. We have a pug with chronic UTIs and we have to buy him special (ie...expensive) food or he has issues. This would mean that we 2 kinds of dog food and cat food at any given time. We tried Cranimal and we are able to use the SAME food for all the dogs and still keep him healthy. I will admit that I was skeptical, but it totally worked (yea!). That is one thing I love about shopping local. The ability to have a very knowledgeable person (the owner in this case) available to discuss, guide and help customers towards the right products! I can't tell you how many times I have wandered a larger store needing help (or just an explanation) only to be unable to find a single person. The moment you walk in Chris engages you in order to find out what you need and how they can help. A great experience.
When I got back Scott and I started talking about our dog food. We currently get it at Costco, but once it runs out we are going to look at getting our food at Ruff Life. They seems to have a great selection and I would much rather see this store profit from our sale!
I stopped by Ruff Life to pick up the items we needed. We had first gone to Ruff Life this summer during and adoption event they were having. We didn't adopt an animal at that time, but we made a mental note to go back. Now was a great time.
They have a wide selection of natural food and treats. Their "bakery" items look good enough for humans to eat (don't worry, I didn't). I picked up some Halloween colored bones for the pugs.
The biggest thing I was in for was something called Cranimal. Last time we were in Chris, the owner" turned us on to Cranimal. We have a pug with chronic UTIs and we have to buy him special (ie...expensive) food or he has issues. This would mean that we 2 kinds of dog food and cat food at any given time. We tried Cranimal and we are able to use the SAME food for all the dogs and still keep him healthy. I will admit that I was skeptical, but it totally worked (yea!). That is one thing I love about shopping local. The ability to have a very knowledgeable person (the owner in this case) available to discuss, guide and help customers towards the right products! I can't tell you how many times I have wandered a larger store needing help (or just an explanation) only to be unable to find a single person. The moment you walk in Chris engages you in order to find out what you need and how they can help. A great experience.
When I got back Scott and I started talking about our dog food. We currently get it at Costco, but once it runs out we are going to look at getting our food at Ruff Life. They seems to have a great selection and I would much rather see this store profit from our sale!
Day 3: Buying gifts - Some wins and some challenges
When I woke up today I had a mental list of things to do today. City Center trick or treating (check), getting pumpkins, decorating them, etc. I literally thought this morning and about when I would make it to Target and then reminded myself that I was on a challenge! The biggest thing on my mind is that we needed to find gifts for our 2 nieces and 1 nephew as we were celebrating family birthdays with my husband's family on Sunday.
Typically we would have ordered the gifts from Amazon this week, but we set out to find them in Elmhurst!
As we were trick or treating I looked around at the Uptown Shop and saw the Rainbow Loom stuff and I thought "bingo!" as one of my nieces was very into Rainbow loom. We texted her dad only to find out that she didn't need any Rainbow Loom stuff and that she really wanted and iPad case. Wha Wha. I gave it some thought and realized that there really wasn't a local Elmhurst place where I could get an iPad case (is there??).
His 16 year old nephew wanted a gift card - wha wha again. I actually hate giving gift cards as they seem so impersonal. I know they are practical, blah, blah, blah.
We decided to gift cards for all 3, BUT to include a small gift that we found in Elmhurst.
First Stop: A Book Above
I absolutely LOVE a Book Above. I am surprised that there a still a lot of people who do not know about this store. It is an independent book store here in Elmhurst. They are an AWARD WINNING independent book store.
One thing that makes me go here vs. a larger bookstore like B&N is the personalized service you get at A Book Above. There was a time this past summer where we were looking for books about "listening" (we do have a 4 year old ). I contacted the owner of A Book Above (Carolyn) and she ordered us a selection of books to take a look at. The biggest thing is that this is a store where you can not only find popular books, but also books of QUALITY! They are great stories that are engaging, but also have real value. I always feel good about what we purchase there.
I also love that she stocks unique books and has a great selection of holiday books. Our daughter was born on Groundhogs Day and A Book Above was the ONLY place we found a selection of Groundhogs' Day books. They are some of her favorites (all year long btw). Today they had a selection of Halloween Books available.
I go there often to find books for our 4 year old, but today, I was looking for a good young adult book for my niece. The younger kids books are downstairs and the young adult and teen books are upstairs so I have rarely ventured upstairs. They steered me towards a few authors and I settled on a few books by Kate DiCamillo. I am excited to see if she likes them.
Of course, I couldn't resist picking up a few more Elephant and Piggie books (Mo Willems) for our daughter. We are doing the Switch Witch with her this year. The idea is that if she gives the Switch Witch her Halloween candy she will leave her a present instead. These will be perfect.
Last thing I noticed is that A Book Above is now carrying the Goldie Blox set of toys. These are great toy sets that encourage young girls to build and engineer. We have a few of these at home, but I was very excited to see that they had the newest sets that were just released! I picked up a new set and put it away for Christmas!
Second Stop: Main Street Candy and Toys
This is another store I love to find gifts. I will admit that it was easy to find something small for my niece to go with her gift card (Washi Tape Sticker book), but it was a challenge to find something suitable for a 16 year old boy. I was about the give up when my husband found the Ring Stix. It is a very cool looking outdoor toy that consists of what looks like 4 swords and a ring. I won't do it justice so click on the link above if you are interested. It looks like something every age will love.
So, we were happy that we found some good items to go with the gift cards and that we found them in Elmhurst. Fingers crossed that they are as excited as we are :) Stay Tuned...
Typically we would have ordered the gifts from Amazon this week, but we set out to find them in Elmhurst!
As we were trick or treating I looked around at the Uptown Shop and saw the Rainbow Loom stuff and I thought "bingo!" as one of my nieces was very into Rainbow loom. We texted her dad only to find out that she didn't need any Rainbow Loom stuff and that she really wanted and iPad case. Wha Wha. I gave it some thought and realized that there really wasn't a local Elmhurst place where I could get an iPad case (is there??).
His 16 year old nephew wanted a gift card - wha wha again. I actually hate giving gift cards as they seem so impersonal. I know they are practical, blah, blah, blah.
We decided to gift cards for all 3, BUT to include a small gift that we found in Elmhurst.
First Stop: A Book Above
I absolutely LOVE a Book Above. I am surprised that there a still a lot of people who do not know about this store. It is an independent book store here in Elmhurst. They are an AWARD WINNING independent book store.
One thing that makes me go here vs. a larger bookstore like B&N is the personalized service you get at A Book Above. There was a time this past summer where we were looking for books about "listening" (we do have a 4 year old ). I contacted the owner of A Book Above (Carolyn) and she ordered us a selection of books to take a look at. The biggest thing is that this is a store where you can not only find popular books, but also books of QUALITY! They are great stories that are engaging, but also have real value. I always feel good about what we purchase there.
I also love that she stocks unique books and has a great selection of holiday books. Our daughter was born on Groundhogs Day and A Book Above was the ONLY place we found a selection of Groundhogs' Day books. They are some of her favorites (all year long btw). Today they had a selection of Halloween Books available.
I go there often to find books for our 4 year old, but today, I was looking for a good young adult book for my niece. The younger kids books are downstairs and the young adult and teen books are upstairs so I have rarely ventured upstairs. They steered me towards a few authors and I settled on a few books by Kate DiCamillo. I am excited to see if she likes them.
Of course, I couldn't resist picking up a few more Elephant and Piggie books (Mo Willems) for our daughter. We are doing the Switch Witch with her this year. The idea is that if she gives the Switch Witch her Halloween candy she will leave her a present instead. These will be perfect.
Last thing I noticed is that A Book Above is now carrying the Goldie Blox set of toys. These are great toy sets that encourage young girls to build and engineer. We have a few of these at home, but I was very excited to see that they had the newest sets that were just released! I picked up a new set and put it away for Christmas!
Second Stop: Main Street Candy and Toys
This is another store I love to find gifts. I will admit that it was easy to find something small for my niece to go with her gift card (Washi Tape Sticker book), but it was a challenge to find something suitable for a 16 year old boy. I was about the give up when my husband found the Ring Stix. It is a very cool looking outdoor toy that consists of what looks like 4 swords and a ring. I won't do it justice so click on the link above if you are interested. It looks like something every age will love.
So, we were happy that we found some good items to go with the gift cards and that we found them in Elmhurst. Fingers crossed that they are as excited as we are :) Stay Tuned...
A Boo-tiful Saturday in City Center & a Courageous meal
Today was the annual downtown Elmhurst Trick or Treating. You could not have asked for a better day for it. There were so many people out and a lot of businesses in the City Center participated (we have more candy in the house than we know what to do with!). I think it is so cool that the City Center merchants put this on every year. It is a lot of fun, not to mention FREE. There isn't only candy, but a pumpkin patch, balloon artists, photographs, etc.
Here is our "pirate fairy" daughter carefully picking out her "perfect" pumpkin!
All of the merchants that participate pay to put this event on every year. I hope that the increased traffic downtown ends up equaling more business. For anyone who loves the yearly trick or treating, lets take time to support the businesses that work hard to create these events for all of us.
We started our day supporting one of the City Center businesses. Since I didn't do Courageous Bakery any justice the other day with my measly coffee cup picture, I used that as an excuse to go back! We have been for breakfast here before and it is one of our favorites. We usually ask our daughter where to go to breakfast and she usually picks one out of 3 places: Crepe place (Nu Crepes), Chicken Place (Egg Harbor) or Cupcake Place (Courageous Bakery). Today is was the cupcake place. A lot of people just think that this is a cupcake shop, but it has one of the best breakfasts in town. Everything tastes fresh and REAL (think - real maple syrup, etc). Also, I have a strange obsession with their bacon. It has a sweet maple and smokey flavor and it literally melts in your mouth.
Today we shared a salted caramel donut (I would post a picture, but we ate it too fast). I had pancakes, eggs and bacon and Scott had their chilaquiles.
One last thing that we love about Courageous is that on the weekends during breakfast they often have live music. It just adds that extra element to the place. One of the very first times we went there for breakfast was last winter. It just felt great to be out of the house even though it was freezing outside. It was so warm in the bakery that the windows were a little foggy. We sat there eating some great food, feeling warm and listening to a great guitarist. At that moment everything just felt right in the world. A great memory
Today they had Peter Jens playing guitar and singing. Our daughter was compelled more than once to get out of her seat and dance a little!
Friday, October 24, 2014
Pizza Friday!
AHHHHH...it is Friday
When I can catch a 5pm train, my husband and daughter will meet me and we will grab a bite to eat before heading on home. Tonight when I got off the train - there they were waiting. Also, there was this amazing pizza smell in the air. I looked at my daughter and said "pizza??" and she literally jumped in the air with a "who hoo". So pizza it was.
The past two days I have mostly talked about the coffee in Elmhurst as we have a lot of coffee shops. I think I could do an entire blog on the coffee AND pizza places (oh, and frozen yogurt).
Tonight we went to Two Brothers Ristorante for a quick pizza and some beer. I will be honest that I am not a great judge of pizza because I like nearly ALL pizza I eat. I just love it. I try not to eat it too often so it is always a treat.
The pizza a Two Brothers was very good. Crispy with just enough sauce. The cheese was delightfully salty. The menu looked yummy and for a few minutes I considered ordering gnocchi vs. pizza, but my pizza love won.
Great way to spend a Friday night!
Day 2: Its Friday!!
I promise that at some point this blog will be about more than just coffee shops in Elmhurst..(although we do have a few - we like our coffee) haha.
Today I stopped by Brewpoint Coffee House. What an adorable place. I was able to talk with Melissa, their owner for a minute as well. They have only been open for 7 weeks so far!
The things I loved the most about Brewpoint were:
1. The atmosphere: The inside is really cute and comfortable. It has a global vibe to it. It seems like a great place where you can hang out to work, chat, etc. There were two people who were on laptops in the coffee shop and it seemed like a comfy place to hang out. I am excited to bring the family here.
2. The coffee: I had a latte and it was delicious. The coffee tasted very rich and my latte was a perfect MIX of coffee and milk. I have had lattes that fast much more like steamed milk than anything else. This just tasted like rich coffee. They seemed to have a great selection of coffee and coffee drinks. I will try something more interesting next!
3. Food: I had the pumpkin bread which was also very delicious. I noticed that they had a fairly big selection of "gluten free" items as well. I don't eat gluten free, but I know that a lot of people do and would love to have more that one choice!
I was actually able to take some photos of the inside. I am not the best photographer so no judgements! You can see how cute it is!
As I mentioned below, I will go to more than coffee shops. I do think it is awesome that we have a nice coffee culture in this town.
Also - I posted this blog last night to Elmhurst ETalk which made me a little nervous. I am excited that I am receiving such positive response! Sounds like a few people may join me in this challenge!!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Day one: Afternoon evening
My plan for lunch was to bring my lunch with me instead of spending money downtown. Win win. It sticks to my challenge AND saves me money. I did not have my wits about me this morning to get a lunch packed..wha wha. Luckily my boss brought in lunch for our meeting so I didn't technically break my challenge after all..ha!
I had to jet out of work today to make it to my Chiropractic appointment. I have had some shoulder issues and Dr. Kelly at Tree of Life Chiropracticis helping me out. One thing I love about Dr. Kelly's practice is that she focuses on the whole body and not just your one specific issue. Also, Dr Kelly is one of my neighbors and it feels great to support a neighbor.
Tomorrow is another day!
I had to jet out of work today to make it to my Chiropractic appointment. I have had some shoulder issues and Dr. Kelly at Tree of Life Chiropracticis helping me out. One thing I love about Dr. Kelly's practice is that she focuses on the whole body and not just your one specific issue. Also, Dr Kelly is one of my neighbors and it feels great to support a neighbor.
Tomorrow is another day!
Day 1: Morning
Day One - Morning
So starting day one I began by thinking about where I would be spending money today. My day usually goes like this:
Morning: Starbucks downtown near work after getting off the the train
Lunch: Au Bon Pain or Potbelly downtown
Not to mention the flash sales on Zulily or Gilt that come up on the phone. I am the queen of shopping and riding the Metra at the same time. Multi-tasking at its best!!
This morning I decided to shake up the coffee routine and instead of waiting until I got downtown to get my coffee on the way, I would take a few minutes and buy coffee in Elmhurst instead.
My goal was to leave a few minutes early so I would have time. Well - I left late as usual and found myself rushing to make sure I made that 732am train (I had a meeting at 830 with our CEO - not one I can miss). Despite my hurry I ducked into Courageous Bakery and got a small coffee and a blueberry muffin. It was lovely. They were playing music. It was bright, friend and quiet. I was worried that I would not have enough time, but it only took less than 4 minutes and I was able to make my train.
I had grand plans to take photos inside the bakery, but I only had 4 minutes so all I managed was a pic of my coffee from the train.
So, did I miss my skinny vanilla latte? Honestly, I did a little. BUT - I loved that my day was much calmer. Courageous Bakery was so calm and quiet (and friendly). I walked to work with coffee already in my hand (which was great as it was COLD out there today). I didn't wait in a long line, bark my order and huddle with everyone else hoping mine comes up next.
Also, best part is that my $4.90 stayed in Elmhurst.
So starting day one I began by thinking about where I would be spending money today. My day usually goes like this:
Morning: Starbucks downtown near work after getting off the the train
Lunch: Au Bon Pain or Potbelly downtown
Not to mention the flash sales on Zulily or Gilt that come up on the phone. I am the queen of shopping and riding the Metra at the same time. Multi-tasking at its best!!
This morning I decided to shake up the coffee routine and instead of waiting until I got downtown to get my coffee on the way, I would take a few minutes and buy coffee in Elmhurst instead.
My goal was to leave a few minutes early so I would have time. Well - I left late as usual and found myself rushing to make sure I made that 732am train (I had a meeting at 830 with our CEO - not one I can miss). Despite my hurry I ducked into Courageous Bakery and got a small coffee and a blueberry muffin. It was lovely. They were playing music. It was bright, friend and quiet. I was worried that I would not have enough time, but it only took less than 4 minutes and I was able to make my train.
I had grand plans to take photos inside the bakery, but I only had 4 minutes so all I managed was a pic of my coffee from the train.
Also, best part is that my $4.90 stayed in Elmhurst.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
My 30 day local challenge
I believe in local communities.
That is what brought me to Elmhurst 2.5 years ago. After living in the city of Chicago for 16 years, we wanted to be part of a community. Not just a neighborhood, but a community. My husband and I grew up in small towns and enjoyed knowing our neighbors, visiting local shops and being part of the civic fabric of those towns. We took a hard look at 5 different suburbs - I may have made an extensive scoring sheet in Excel (but that is beside the point) and Elmhurst was the winner. Why? It was the best of both worlds for us. Close to the city with an easy commute both to downtown and to the airport (where I spend a lot of time) AND a real community. Friendly people, local shops and restaurants - not to mention it is just darn cute. We had very clear criteria. I wanted to live somewhere that didn't look just like everywhere else.
This brings me to now. I love the local shops and restaurants in Elmhurst. I also love the chains who come into our town and offer us convenience. I love everything about shopping in Elmhurst, but I am becoming very alarmed at the number of businesses (especially local) that are going out of business. It seems like every single month there is another business that is closing it doors.
When that happens we all lose. We lose variety. We lose memories. We lose the flavor that is a community.
Every time I hear that another business is closing I start to think about what I could do to make a difference and help support our local businesses. It feels overwhelming and unstoppable. What I finally realized was that I had to start with my own behavior.
I shop a ton online looking for the best deal
Target is my happy place
A lot of my dollars go downtown while I am at work
Quite simply, I don't prioritize our local community.
So, I am challenging myself over the next 30 days to spend nearly all shopping and services within the city limits of Elmhurst. I want to change my own behavior and make sure that I doing my part to support my community. I want to show that nearly everything we need...is right here.
I want my money to stay in my community.
So, here goes. I will update on my progress. I know some days will be easy and some days I will hit roadblocks, but at least I am trying. Hopefully I will pick up a few people on the way who want to do it too! Until next time, I leave you all with this info graphic from a group called CustomMade.
That is what brought me to Elmhurst 2.5 years ago. After living in the city of Chicago for 16 years, we wanted to be part of a community. Not just a neighborhood, but a community. My husband and I grew up in small towns and enjoyed knowing our neighbors, visiting local shops and being part of the civic fabric of those towns. We took a hard look at 5 different suburbs - I may have made an extensive scoring sheet in Excel (but that is beside the point) and Elmhurst was the winner. Why? It was the best of both worlds for us. Close to the city with an easy commute both to downtown and to the airport (where I spend a lot of time) AND a real community. Friendly people, local shops and restaurants - not to mention it is just darn cute. We had very clear criteria. I wanted to live somewhere that didn't look just like everywhere else.
This brings me to now. I love the local shops and restaurants in Elmhurst. I also love the chains who come into our town and offer us convenience. I love everything about shopping in Elmhurst, but I am becoming very alarmed at the number of businesses (especially local) that are going out of business. It seems like every single month there is another business that is closing it doors.
When that happens we all lose. We lose variety. We lose memories. We lose the flavor that is a community.
Every time I hear that another business is closing I start to think about what I could do to make a difference and help support our local businesses. It feels overwhelming and unstoppable. What I finally realized was that I had to start with my own behavior.
I shop a ton online looking for the best deal
Target is my happy place
A lot of my dollars go downtown while I am at work
Quite simply, I don't prioritize our local community.
So, I am challenging myself over the next 30 days to spend nearly all shopping and services within the city limits of Elmhurst. I want to change my own behavior and make sure that I doing my part to support my community. I want to show that nearly everything we need...is right here.
I want my money to stay in my community.
So, here goes. I will update on my progress. I know some days will be easy and some days I will hit roadblocks, but at least I am trying. Hopefully I will pick up a few people on the way who want to do it too! Until next time, I leave you all with this info graphic from a group called CustomMade.
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