Friday, December 1st
@Bumble and Bustle- (Go follow and check out her Etsy page. It’s awesome and she has THE cutest mugs around. I have two).
- What’s your favorite blog post you ever wrote?
Great question. I would have to say Our “Planned” Birth Story. I wrote this in honor of my first mother’s day and it has been by far the most therapeutic post I have ever written. It was my birth story, but much more than that. I had been carrying around a lot of mom guilt (still do) on the birth of my son. We had a c-section and it was planned, which really bothered. For once, I didn’t want something planned in my life. I wanted him to come naturally and on his own, but it didn’t work out that way. But there are just some things out of our control I guess….
2. What’s on my Christmas list this year? Honestly, we really don’t exchange anymore. I would rather do something like dinner or an overnight trip with my husband. Creating memories and spending time together is all I want. I know it sounds cheesy, but its 100% true. That’s actually what inspired me for my family gift guide this year. You can find it here.
@Jacksondecree (one of the stylish/classiest/funniest guys on Instagram. And he blogs about all the fancy places he dines at. Check it out here.)
1.What are the best tips you can give for party hosts?
Coming off Friendsgiving and the When I dip, you dip, we dip party, hosting parties is fresh on my mind. In fact, it’s on most people’s around the holidays.
I think of three things (seriously, even for my wedding I had this in mind) my dad always told me when entertaining: Flow, food, fun (music, dancing, alcohol etc). Two of my biggest pet peeves at an event is when people congregate in one area or there isn’t enough food or wine to go around. I always visualize how the party will flow from how the guests will enter, to dancing to or where they will put their coats and bags. Little details like that go along way and can make or break a party.
Also, I over buy everything. Always have enough. Whether you are buying or asking sponsors to donate, over estimate and know your crowd.
Thank you so much for submitting questions and let’s chat next week
Until next Friday…
Friday, November 17th
Yay! First week of Coffee with Christine has officially started. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if anyone was going to submit any questions, but I did get a few. We all have to start somewhere right? 😉 Enjoy!
@Afitgerald5858 (Go follow this newly married instagrammer. She’s the best.)
1. How did you get started blogging?
I started the Instagram account in May of 2015 and the blog in 2016. I found that having the Instagram account just wasn’t enough. I wanted to show more aspects of my life and Chicago, rather than just photos of food.
I initially got the idea for The Good Life when my husband and I were dating. We were constantly discovering new restaurants or testing out recipes. Our date nights consisted of city tours, cooking classes, comedy shows, etc. Being a Chicago native, I wanted to share so much this city has to offer. Recently, Chicago hasn’t had the best reputation and that breaks my heart. I want to raise my son here and show how amazing our culture, food and people make this city the best! Hence, the Chicago Good Life (there was a little inspiration from Kanye’s song too. haha)
@Afoodiegoescleanish (Go follow this doctor in training through her foodie adventures)
1.What was the biggest change for you in your personal life when you became a mom?
Such a great question! I really had to think about this one. But to be honest, my personal life hasn’t changed tremendously. I still have the same friends, we still have date nights, I cook, try different restaurants, etc. The biggest change is the frequency these things happen. It’s a lot less than it used to be, but it is all about balance.
I talk to my friends the same amount and we have kept the same traditions like Friendsgiving, holiday gift exchange, girls night, etc. Many of my friends are moms too, but we have made it a point to stay in touch. This might not be the case for everyone, but I feel like if you don’t make your personal life a priority, your whole family will be effected. It is really, REALLY easy to get swallowed up by your children and family, but if you have goals and dreams you want to accomplish, go for it! You will not be happy or fulfilled at the end of the day if you don’t work toward something for YOU.
Being a mom is a part of me, but I am also a wife, friend, daughter, sister, etc. I want to be able to fulfill all of these roles, which THAT is difficult for me. Balancing it all that can be the most stressful part of motherhood. I want to do it ALL. Women in general always want to do everything and sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. I am learning that some days I can be supermom and other days I suck at being a wife, blogger or friend. But I have a very supportive family and husband that have helped. I am a work in progress and it’s definitely getting easier as Noah is getting older.
Thank you so much for submitting questions.
Until next Friday…
November, 2017
Hi! Every you can submit your questions about ANYTHING! Food, motherhood, marriage, recipes, etc. Either through Instagram or email throughout the week. I will answer the questions every Friday and post it here. I will tag you, your Instagram handle, blog, Facebook, etc. That way, you can learn a little bit more about me and also follow some other awesome people on #followfriday!
I can’t wait to start this and see the questions you guys have. The good, the bad and the interesting….
Christine
