July 8, 2016 marks a day I have been looking forward to all year! With my two little ones in tow, I went back to my hometown of Chicago to visit family. I’ve been missing them so much and so have my kids - this trip was so long overdue!
For the first week in Chicago we stayed with my twin sister. Guess which one is me?
My sister and her husband had their house built for them and it was completed in November 2015. This was my first time seeing it! Isn’t the view from their family room amazing?
No, not the view of the kids playing on their Kindles, all of the windows and the nature! It was everywhere! We saw little bunnies and a fox family running around the yard everyday. I was in heaven. After coming from "city living" we had such a blissful time running around with so much space. And of course, to commence the beginning of our stay, my twin sister purchased a trampoline for us all to jump in! High fives to Grandpa and my sister's husband who assembled it. We had way too much fun in there. See?
My suggestion is if you have kids and the space for it you should go out and purchase a trampoline asap!
We were on-the-go nonstop the entire trip. It was the best kind of chaos! Especially cousin chaos. I have no idea what is going on in this photo but it sure looks like a perfect example of chaos to me :)
And after a long day out having fun, the kids relaxed and had their baths. Guess what products they used to get clean and moisturized? That’s right! Pleni Naturals! PS How awesome is my sister’s tub and how cute are these kids?!
I noticed when we arrived in Chicago my sweet little niece had some dermatitis on her skin. Good thing I brought the Pleni Naturals along! I am so happy to say that after two weeks of using strictly Pleni Naturals products, my niece’s skin cleared right up! Yeah! Love that little lady...look at her sparkling blue eyes! 
The second week in Chicago we stayed with my parents. We slept in the house most nights but my mom thought it would be fun to pull out the camper so the kids could have a "camp out" in the driveway.
The kids LOVED IT. Major hit. The kids begged to sleep in the camper every night! I also suggest if you have the space to "camp out" at home you should do it at least once before summer ends!
Of course the trip wasn't without some challenges. The first night my daughter told me she was leaving and going home so she could sleep in her bed. My son slept with me for the first week of our trip and could finally sleep on his own the second week. Sometimes the cousins argued. Sometimes my kids didn't cooperate. However, the biggest challenge was the camp I signed my kids up for didn't work out for us. The reason why this was a challenge is because I was supposed to WORK while the kids were at camp! Yikes! Good thing my mom and dad came to the rescue! They took the kids out for a few hours here and there so I could get some work done. The rest of the time, I worked after the kids went to bed. This did put a bit of a damper on playing Rock Band with the adults after the kiddos went to bed but we did get a few sessions in. What band member do you like to play? I always want to be the singer!