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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The other night I defrosted a pound of ground turkey intending to make a white turkey chili recipe that features green peppers, white beans and tomatillo sauce. It was only once I began to cook that I realized I was out of white beans. That’s odd for me. I consider cannellini beans to be a [...] 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 [...] 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 [...] Stylish organization from Blue Sky My children both head back to school in a few weeks. This fall is shaping up to be our busiest one ever. Now that Zuzu is in third grade, her schedule is jam-packed with activities. I don’t think of myself as one of those parents who overschedules her child, but [...] 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 [...] Lunch at Simple Cafe in Lake Geneva It’s a Midwestern rite of passage, the winter trip to the indoor water park. Not being from this part of the country, I had never been to one of these ersatz subtropical environments. But then our annual Christmas trip to Florida was canceled by the Blizzard of 2010, [...] Kid-friendly dressing rooms at 77 Kids I have written here before about what an amazing place Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital is. My daughter Zuzu was hospitalized there for a week as an infant for a rare infection and my husband and I were tremendously grateful for the high level of care she received. And I know that many other [...] As my readers know, I love to cook. Most weeknights, I cook a nice meal for me and my husband, which we then eat after the kids go to bed — that was the subject of my guest turn on The Naptime Chef. I cook for a number of reasons: I enjoy the creative expression that [...] Wendy's Spicy Chicken Caesar Into every life, a little fast food sometimes falls. Am I right? I love to cook. I care deeply about what I and my family eat, but sometimes you find yourself between a 6 pm soccer practice and a 7 pm meeting and you need to get your family fed. Fast. Although I [...] Using club card deals, I bought all these groceries for $25 to give to my local food pantry Here’s the deal: I am hopeless at saving money on groceries. I can find the best deal on the Internet for a pair of Paige Premium Denim jeans and know instinctively where to get the best mani/pedi for under [...] First of all, the randomly selected winner of the Stonyfield Farm giveaway is . . . Larissa! Larissa has two gorgeous kids who, I hope, like yogurt. Enjoy. Also, there is a nice piece about West of the Loop Canning on examiner.com today. Do swing by and check it out. Lastly, I am happy to report two things. One, Zuzu passed [...] Win this gift pack from Stonyfield Farm As I figure it, I prepare nine meals a day: breakfast for me and the kids; lunch for me and J.R., and Zuzu’s packed lunch for school; and dinner for J.R., Zuzu and the adults. Between Zuzu’s allergies, J.R.’s typical 3 year old finicky eating – he is [...] For children who are used to TiVo-ed television shows, DVD players in cars, and watching movies on their parents’ iPhones, there’s something particularly captivating about live theater. The lights go down; the audience is silent; and a performance that cannot be paused for a snack or potty break begins. Of course, most plays are not [...] Saturday May 22 was the day I had waited for since last October: the re-opening of the Oak Park Farmers’ Market! I leapt out of bed at the crack of dawn – okay, I eased out of bed at 8 am, but still, I was excited. As I walked into the church parking lot that [...] I have a new post up on the Chicago Moms Blog about why I sometimes dream about having another baby — although I know it’s not happening. So, come take a look. Meanwhile, don’t forget to enter the contest for the jar of my homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam! You can enter by 1) leaving a comment to the [...] Spring has finally arrived in suburban Cook County and it is making us all giddy. As soon as the temps hit the upper 60′s, Zuzu starts angling to wear her new sundresses. J.R., proud of his new trike-pedaling prowess, wants to play outside every single minute of the day. And we all start thinking ahead [...] |
 
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