Get ready for sugar bliss. This french bistro owned by Cathy Bouchard serves a wide variety of decadent hot chocolates, along with cases of baked and chocolate goodies. We highly recommend their carrot cake, it's one of the best around.

Purple Monkey is a bright, nurturing destination for young children, parents and caregivers, offering drop-in play times, parties and more. In this time of social distancing, they are currently offering small group and private playtime. They managed to sneak in a small design-on-a-dime renovation during COVID shutdowns, so they're excited to showcase their upgrades.

In 2019, Valerie Kahan decided she was done being torn between work and spending time with her kids. So she set out to build a business of her own: Art Makers Outpost, an environmentally conscious art makers-space for young artists and adults.

Randi Whitman was a professional dancer in her 20’s when she ruptured a disc in her lumbar spine. “I tried everything to mend myself without surgery,” said Whitman. “Nothing was really doing the trick. Then, I discovered Pilates.” Today Whitman teaches her clients how to strengthen their bodies as “a whole picture, vs. pieces and parts”, via Pilates, a form of low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen muscles while improving postural alignment and flexibility.

Stephanie Hart notes that opening her own business, Brown Sugar Bakery, in 2004, gave her more time to focus on being a mom. As she transformed from tech consultant to mompreneur, baking up her "dangerously delicious" cheesecakes, cupcakes, cobblers, cookies, pies and more at her Greater Grand Crossing bakery, she relished the extra time spent with her daughter. The bakery is best known for its specialty sweets, including sweet potato pie, peach cobbler and bread pudding.

Countless Chicago kids have learned to swim in the shiver-free pools at Goldfish Swim School, co-owned by local mom Kathy Ryan and her husband, Bob. Goldfish Swim School provides year-round swim instruction to children ages 4 months to 12 years-old in a unique setting with highly trained instructors, small class sizes (max 4:1 student to teacher ratio), shiver-free 90-degree pools, and a state-of-the-art water purification system.

A stop into Monica’s Monica + Andy shops (or a virtual website visit) should be a must-do on every mom’s shopping list. This mom created this oh-so-adorable kids’ and baby shop for the sole purpose of making things better for moms and their babies, focusing on everything from better fabrics to better ways to shop for them. From this simple concept grew a space where moms come together to not only shop, but bond at one of the many events that encompass singing, dancing, bubbles and music.

Rachel Harangody's Metta Baby is Chicago's premier infant wellness studio with offerings including water stimulation, infant massage, baby yoga, parent/baby classes, music classes and more. The team is dedicated to promoting early developmental activities starting at two weeks that support motor, sensory, and cognitive skills while nurturing secure attachment between infants and their parents.

Kido is a south loop kid's shop with a focus on positivity that sells books, clothes, puzzles and toys owned by husband and wife duo, Doug and Keewa. Along with the responsibilities of the store, Doug is a visual artist specializing in graffiti and murals and Keewa is a performing artist who sings jazz and plays characters. And, their kids are ridiculously adorable.