Tips For Illini Moms Weekend 2023
As you know, we have been gearing up for Illini Moms Weekend 2023. With the Moms Association turning 100 this year, we decided that it would be great to have a place to share all of our mom tips and all of the information that we have gathered as our students have been on campus. We are so excited to share this with you here, in our new blog. We hope that this becomes the place to search out the questions that you have about having a student who is attending UIUC.
Now for the good stuff. Moms Weekend is such an exciting time on campus, a time to create cherished memories with your student, and a time to truly celebrate being a mom. We hope that these tips help you to have the most enjoyable experience.
Tip #1 – Enjoy the Weekend
The biggest tip that I have is to remember to relax and enjoy the weekend. Some things might be a little stressful, like parking, but take a deep breath and focus on how you can make the most of this time with your student. There are many different events happening around campus or you can even head off campus to check out some of the area parks and recreation.
Tip #2 – Set Reminders for Events
One thing that I learned when I was a new Illini mom is that Moms Weekend seems to just fly by. There were a couple of times when I felt as though I was going to miss an event or forget about it. The best tip that I could personally give is to set reminders for those events that you have tickets for. Below is a list of the events that the Moms Association is sponsoring with times and locations.
Tip #3 – Take the Time to Share a Meal with Your Child
Champaign and Urbana are both home to many delicious restaurants and a wide variety of cuisines. Some of our favorite restaurants include the following:
Located at 301 North Neil Street, Neil Street Blues offers delicious Southern dishes and drinks. They have a pretty amazing Hurricane and their Shrimp and Grits are some of the best that I have had in the North. My family chooses Neil Street Blues time and time again.
Black Dog Smoke & Ale House offers delicious BBQ and plenty of brews to please even the beer enthusiast. Black Dog is located in Champaign at 320 North Chestnut Street and is a favorite of many board members and their families.
This year, the Moms Association was lucky enough to partner with Mia Za’s for a special fundraiser dinner on Sunday April 16th between 12 pm and 4 pm. Just show the flier below so that your order is counted towards the fundraiser.
Tip #4 – Choose a New Experience
One of the most exciting things about Moms Weekend is that you can take the opportunity to have a new experience. This year you can catch “City of Angels” or “Grease”; see a distinguished lecture; catch a baseball, softball, or tennis game; attend the Make Your Own Poem Workshop; shop at the Illini Union Board Craft Fair, the Spring Plant Sale, and the Illini Union Bookstore sale; or even have a free movie night at the Illini Union. Check out the full list of events here.
Tip #5 – Take Plenty of Pictures
As a mom, I feel like you can never take too many pictures, but when I am living in the moment, I often seem to forget that. So, make sure that you are taking pictures of your child and ask other moms to snap a few pictures of you with your child. You can even take the photography challenge below with Moms Weekend Photo Bingo.
(If you’d like to share your pictures with us, we’d love to have them. Any pictures shared with us will go into folders for historic purposes documenting Moms Weekend 2023 and could be used on our website or social media channels. Please only share pictures if you are willing to agree to these terms. Just email us!)