Tinley Park Mom Stephanie Pyrzynski: Someone You Should Know

TINLEY PARK, IL — In 2017, life was full for Stephanie Pyrzynski: She was new to Tinley, she and her husband were thinking about having a baby, and her husband's marketing business was flourishing.

But even at 28, Pyrzynski, like most of us, felt something was missing. She was a little lonely in her hometown and wanted to connect to young, vibrant people whose interests were a little like hers She needed a community. So she started one.

Near Mother's Day, Pyrzynski launched a blog called Tinley Park Mom. And since then, she's grown into a kind of Tinley influencer — a one-stop shop for living the mom life, the community life, in Tinley.

"We're proud of where we live and where we are," she said. "Tinley Park is a nice place to grow up, a nice place to raise a family. It's a shame other towns don't get the spotlight like Chicago does."

Reading her blog is a lot like chatting over coffee with your best friend. When you're there, you're cozily and cooly in the know. Pyrzynski publishes maps and a calendar of Tinley events, and reviews local restaurants and venues. She gives insider tips such as where to book a baby shower in Tinley or how newlyweds can host their first Christmas dinner.

It's important to her to keep residents informed about what's going on in the community no matter how small the detail is, Pyrzynski said. So she tries to blast out news she encounters when she's out and about town.

During the Super Bowl weekend, for example, she catered her party through Frankie's Ristorante. When she stopped by to get her food, she discovered that the general manager had died and that the restaurant would be closed on Sundays until further notice. Catering was available, but the restaurant portion would need a new manager.

"I wanted to let people know what was happening in case they were confused," she said. "It's important to keep moms informed."

In her blog, Pyrzynski also offers glimpses of getting through everyday life through her personal reflections. Her latest piece, for example, debunks the myth of work-life balance for women.

"They say if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life," she wrote. "The thing is, will your occupation always be enough? What about love and relationships?"

Pyrzynski herself is married to her college sweetheart, Geoff, who owns Geoffresh Inc, an internet marketing agency. Pyrzynski works with him from their Tinley home. They have a one-year-old daughter, Eileah.

Because they love Tinley, the couple has decided to become part of the civic fabric of Tinley, she said. As part of that, Pyrzynski also now serves as a commissioner on the village's marketing and branding commission.

Her audience now stretches as far as Australia, perhaps because motherhood is universal. But Pyrzynski plans to expand her blog with more local and personal writing and to increase her local following on Facebook.

Back to her original goal: Is Pyrzynski still lonely? Not so much. While she loves everyone in the online community built, she said, most of her face-to-face friendships were built offline. But the support and connection through the blog nurtures her every day.

You can see Pyrzynski her family and her puppy on the Village of Tinley Park's float in the Irish Day parade March 10. She will be representing the marketing and branding commission.