Last Thursday, I had had a rough day with the kids. My carefully-calibrated schedule was thrown out of whack by a tardy piano teacher. I was feeling worn down and exhausted by a long week. Fortunately, my friend Rowena from the fashion and lifestyle blog She She Shoppers was feeling the exact same way. So [...]
 
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Meyer lemon curd is like a spot of sunshine on a winter day In case you haven’t noticed the 8 inches of snow outside, it’s winter. Although I miss our beautiful summer fruits and vegetables, wintertime cooking can be very satisfying. Lots of soups and stew and hearty braises. And certainly wintertime is the perfect [...] It seems like most people’s New Year’s resolutions have to do with either money or food. We all want to eat better, cook at home more, spend more wisely and — while we are at it — be more organized too. That’s a lot to accomplish in one year. The good news is that Dominick’s [...] This post originally appeared at this time last year on my local blogging community site, The Chicago Moms. It’s timely once again and my sentiments have not changed, so I am reposting for 2011. At this time of year, there is a lot of discussion in the media about what I call the Christmas culture wars. In [...] No, sadly, the Gift Guide is not edible. But all the gifts in it are! This time last year I put together a Chicago Foodie Holiday Gift Guide featuring delicious products made in the Chicago area, like Vosges Haut Chocolate, Carol’s Cookies and Eli’s Cheesecake, that are ideal for holiday gift-giving. I stand by all the [...] The baby calves at the dairy farm were adorable. What kind of milk does your family drink? Do you pay more for organic? Do you shop around for the best price? When I was a kid, the only question was whether you drank skim or 2% or maybe whether your mom let you have chocolate [...] Homegrown green tomatoes Fall in Chicago is characterized by bizarre weather. This week has been day after day of abundant sunshine, crisp autumn air and afternoon temperatures in the 70′s. In other words, it’s been perfect. But last week, we had nonstop rain and the temperatures were in the 50′s at best. The nights got [...] Zuzu demos how to drink hot chocolate with wet nails. Raise your hand if you are a mom who has ever hired a babysitter so that you could get a mani-pedi or a bikini wax or, dear Lord, just get your highlights done. I seriously don’t know any mom who hasn’t done this at some [...] Building Blocks toy store in Wicker Park What makes a great independent toy store? In my view, it’s a magical combination of great customer service, a wide selection of imaginative and unusual toys, and enough room to play and hang out. The owner of this kind of toy store recognizes you after your first few [...] Zuzu in the raspberry bushes When I was a little girl growing up in Washington DC, we used to pick our Halloween pumpkins at a farm in western Howard County Maryland called Larriland Farms. (I’m happy to report that it is still in business and that the owners were savvy enough to buy the domain [...] A healthy snack alternative Does your elementary school aged kid bring a snack to school? Mine does. Since she started full-day school in first grade, Zuzu has brought a snack to school, in addition to her lunch, at the teacher’s request. Depending on when she wakes up, Zuzu can have four or five hours of hard-core learning [...] The bikers get ready to hit the trail. For JR, this summer has been his first summer as a biker. Early last spring I took JR to our favorite bike store, Dan’s Bike Shop in nearby Berwyn, for his first big boy bike. (It was kind of an expensive purchase for no special occasion, but [...] There are so many reasons to love the summer, but for me, one of my favorite things about this time of year is that it is canning season. My perfect summer weekend involves buying some Midwest-grown fruit and vegetables, from my local Whole Foods or the Oak Park Farmers’ Market and then spending the afternoon [...] Summer is better with sombreros Why is it that summer memories burn a little brighter in our subconscious than other memories? One whiff of Fritos and I am instantly transported back to my childhood pool club; my mom used to pack a Thermos of lemonade and bags of Fritos and Doritos for a forced snack time on the [...] This post originally appeared earlier this week on my new blogging community, The Chicago Moms. I hope that you will swing by and check out some of great voices being featured there. One of my favorite parts of being a parent is introducing my children to the books and movies that I loved as a kid. Now that Zuzu is [...] This post originally appeared earlier this week on my new blogging community, The Chicago Moms. I hope that you will swing by and check out some of great voices being featured there. Outdoor concerts are great for all ages. Not so much the Symphony. I have written before about my love for the CSO’s Kraft Family Matinee series. This series [...] A year ago, I wrote the following post for the Chicago Moms Blog about Mother’s Day and my discomfort with the hype surrounding the holiday. On the eve of Mother’s Day 2011, I thought I would repost it here. This week’s Oak Park Patch also had a provocative Moms Council post about Mother’s Day, which [...] Dinner at Carnivale: breaking out of my suburban rut One of my three New Year’s resolutions was to have a monthly date night with my husband. When you have small children and busy schedules and limited funds, it is so easy to find yourself sitting in front of a DVD — or more likely in [...] My new book club had its third meeting last week. I am very excited to be part of a book club again after several years off. I had been part of a wonderful book group during the years of my life that I went from “young bride” to “first-time mom.” That group was full of interesting, smart women and we read just [...] |
 
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