March Fourth LIVE at Martyrs Circus Pole & Stilts Act Nov 3 2012. Shot by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiIL Live Shows. Check out this wild duo on stilts and circus pole HELD by the stilt walker! We adore Portland's March Fourth and catch them every chance we get. We'll be shooting their show this Tuesday at Lincoln Hallwith another favorite of ours, Liquid Soul! Click here for the full show details. Here's the basics:
The International Home and Housewares Show is a mecca for retail sales, media and inventors, but closed to the public. So earlier this monthChiIL Mama went as your eyes and ears, and got the scoop for YOU.
My daughter was excited to hear that her birthstone, emerald, is the color of the year for 2013. Her namesake, Saige, is the American Girl Doll of the year, too. So this really IS her year! She's fond of saying "I have a green name, green birthstone, green eyes, and my favorite color is green." This year she'll be in good company as everyone's going emerald. Speaking of going green... The final day of the International Home and Housewares Show we spent exploring The McCormick Place Lakeside Building which included an impressive Eco-Friendly round up,
awesome artistic displays,
the Hall of Innovation Student inventor awards
and Wired & Well. Speaking of wired...
McCormick Lakeside was also the hall of coffee, so as a self confessed caffiend, I was in my element.
Thanks to Bodum for the rockin' insulated mug! You had some of the sweetest swag at the show. These travel mugs are hot....and stay hot for a good long time.
After tasting an excellent array of espresso shots, hot & iced coffee, flavors, and individual custom cups, we hit a hot new thing that really knocked our socks off. I love my coffee as dark and rich as possible, but I usually make a mocha at home with the kids' 2% organic chocolate milk boxes to cut the acid. I was able to drink a cup of coffee black and love it at the icoffee booth!
The tale of icoffee by Remington:
I was so impressed we set up a video interview/ demo with Bruce Burrows, CEO. His enthusiasm is contagious and his icoffee maker rocked our world. Roll over Beethhoven. icoffee makers aren't even available yet and they're already scoring rave reviews and garnering lots of attention. Retailers were practically begging for inventory at IHHS. We're working on setting up a review and giveaway for our readers as soon as stock is available, and we'll have a more comprehensive feature just on icoffee in the near future.
Soda Stream, hasbeen an eco-friendly fav of ourssince we ran our first review on them back in 2009. They're back again with more innovations and awards. We'll have a full blown feature & review on their latest and greatest in the very near future. We're also working out the details on a giveaway for our readers. We always enjoy their sobering, visually stunning IHHS booth displays. This year they got international with their cage of shame, with bottles and cans that had literally littered the globe! Thermal-Aid made our ChiIL Picks List for family friendly must haves. These adorable animals serve as hot or cold packs for injuries, fevers or even just a warm snuggle for bed time. We came home with "blue bunny" and he's become a treasured nightly ritual. Just 45 seconds in the microwave and these cuddly corn filled critters are ready to hug. We'll have a full feature on Thermal-Aid's 100% natural, washable animals and their other products in the very near future, too.
Kalorik has a unique twist on your standard "food on a stick" fare with Rollie. I tried a tasty french toast stick and was pretty impressed. They also have eggspresso kits and more.
There was a LOT to dig at Zojirushi, besides their cute elephant logo. They have smart rice cookers, fabulous travel tea mugs and eco-friendly containers to keep things hot or cold for hours. They also put out an excellent spread for lunch :).
KitchenAid makes our ChiIL Picks List for embracing their wild side. They had an impressive array of appliance colors and patterns to fit any personality! Rrrrrwow!
We're eager to give some new vacuums a run for their money. We haven't partnered up with any brands, but we'll publicly issue a challenge right here. We live in "the death vac home" with 4 people with long hair, dust allergies, and two large, hairy dogs! We've been buying pet specific, bagless, HEPA vacs in a variety of brands for years and their motors burn out and they all die young. If you think your vac can hold up to our challenges, then you're on. We'd be happy to review and endorse the last vac standing. We ended our entirely productive but exhausting day in the most comfortable massage chair EVER. I'm afraid if I owned a Panasonic Real Pro massage chair, I'd never leave the house again! This was some seriously effective pampering. This chair not only gives an amazing, customized back and neck massage, but does your arms, legs and even feet, too. I think I'm in love...... As you know, I'm picky about who we partner up with. My name and image are on my blog, so my personal credibility is at stake. Social media is the new "back fence" and in a time where people Tivo past slick commercials that cost a bazillion dollars and are cynical about the ones they do see, people trust bloggers. As your neighbor and friend, I'm not going to recommend something I'm not truly excited about, then have to hear about it when I run into you. Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL and chiIL out with great event highlights, product reviews you can trust, and rockin' photo and video filled original content.
Goodcook's new Popcorn Baller not only makes balls, but footballs, cubes and more! Check out a quickie demo along with our photo tour of their hot new releases and colorful, reasonable product line.
We applied to be a part of the Good Cook blogger network and are awaiting word. Sure, we're not just a foodie blog, we cover entertainment and parenting as well, but everyone's gotta eat. Our readers are savvy, eco-friendly, and mostly in charge of the care and feeding of our families. So we do frequent "foodie fun" features, product & restaurant reviews, and tips to make your life easier. Whether you're a gourmet mama who adores cooking or an on the run mama who dreads dinner time and is lucky to squeeze in healthy meals for everyone between kids' activities, we've got something for you!
Earlier this month, ChiIL Mama scored a rare and coveted photo pass/media credentials for IHHS13, so we made the most of the opportunity. The International Home and Housewares Show is a mecca for retail sales, media and inventors, but closed to the public. So ChiIL Mama went as your eyes and ears, and got the scoop for YOU.
Here's our photo filled IHHS13 overview and a few of our favorites. We'll be getting in depth with individual brand features, reviews, and giveaways in the near future. In fact, we're working up a big, giveaway surprise for Earth Day in April, so check back like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.
Monday, we began our International Home and Housewares Show coverage bright and early with a Cake Boss Press Breakfast with Buddy Valastro, star of TLC's hit bakery reality show.
The people are as crucial as the product for making IHHS amazing!
We spent the day exploring the show, with an eye out for green, eco-friendly products. One of our favorites was Aladdin's new line of insulated plastic mugs with lids and straws, that look like mason jars! They put me in the mood for lemonade and mojitos with fresh mint! So fun. Something old...something new. I was jazzed to see Aladdin is re-releasing my first lunch box from preschool. I want one! They make our ChiIL Picks List for best retro redesign. We also dug the infusion of bright colors into home and housewares products.
And eco-friendly classics with unbeatable design flair.
We'll be doing full features soon, but our endless quest for leak proof, kid friendly, playful reusable bottles and coffee to-go mugs just got a bit more fun! We dig the reusable can cups from Coolgear. They get major kudos for design flair, presentation (Samples came out of this rockin' vending machine), and humor for the amusing can text. They're some punny guys & girls over at coolgear marketing. Cantastic!
We're also a bit infatuated with their colorful tea infuser mugs and sugar skull cups! Happy Dia de los muertos indeed.
Over the years we've tried out a variety of new styles of refillable water bottles and coffee mugs--the bane of my existence as an eco-conscious mama! We probably have upwards of 20 reusable bottles and mugs and the only ones that don't leak are too tough for the kids to open! We've been on an endless quest for kid friendly, easy, truly leak proof bottles. 2013 might be our lucky year. Bevi Bags are clever for cutting packaging waste, and buying juice in bulk. Although our family's been trying to wean our way off plastic bags to reusable containers, for zero waste school lunches.
Itzy Ritzy was one of our favs, with their reusable, wet lined bags, for everything from snacks to swimsuits. They also get bonus points for presentation. Visitors to their booth got to keep a snack bag and fill it from the candy dispensers. My kids were enthralled when I brought that snack pack home...though when the gum balls and Mike n Ikes are gone, it'll be converting to granola and dried fruits.
Our other big eco-friendly favorites from last year were back. We dig the Aussie based Food Movers!
We'll be giving away one of their rockin' red Smash lunch boxes next month for Earth Day (pictured below).
They win our ChiIL Picks List for rockin' tween favs. Sometimes it's hard to find fun designs for tweens and teensthat aren't too babyish or boring. These smash bottles fit the bill.
There were more green options at IHHS13 than ever before. We were elated to see Bamboo popping up, even for the littles.
This green start up, BACK TO THE ROOTS, makes our ChiIL Picks List for easy DIY home farming. Their mushroom kits and home aquaponics are simple to set up and compact enough for small urban spaces. Genius!
We're also working on the details of a special Earth Day giveaway and feature with these guys. Eco-bags are all the rage, with more popping up every year. But these guys are the originals.
We dig the Eco Lunchbox bento box like lunch tins, so you can look good while you do good for the earth. Dine in style!
We'll also be giving away Fabrikators veggie scrubbing gloves in adult & kids' size and a garlic card. These gloves clean your vegges and keep the vitamins and minerals in the peels intact, to protect your hands and your health.
ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama. We have lots more original content on the IHHS13 show coming soon.
