Most mornings the kids and I start the day with a blueberry-spinach smoothie.  We all love it and it is super healthy, but sometimes I feel like changing the routine a bit.  When we’re not in the mood for homemade pancakes or steel cut oatmeal, I will try a new smoothie recipe.  Yesterday I decided [...]

As I’ve written about many times before, my little family and I strive to live a pretty simple life.  Our home is a two-bedroom apartment in the middle of downtown Chicago, so space demands that we don’t go overboard with stuff.  And, because our budget is rather rigid, reality dictates that we can’t afford to [...]

Yesterday while Mack napped and Chris worked on his computer, Evie and I ran some errands around our neighborhood.  One of the best things about living in the middle of a big city is that everything we could possibly need is within a 10 minute walk of our home.  Evie and I picked up some [...]

I had a hard time falling asleep last night. Just before going to bed I read a horrifying story about a 3 year old girl who died from exposure after being locked in her frigid bedroom.  Her mother and her mother’s boyfriend opened the windows to air out the room after the girl and her [...]

Today I enjoyed one of my absolute favorite salads for lunch.  The ingredient list is short and simple, and most of the items are easy to keep on-hand all the time.  My favorite ingredient is the chick peas.  I buy a pound of dried organic chick peas for less than $2, but after I cook [...]

We’ve been keeping an eye on our spending the past few months, so weekends for us have been kinda quiet.  To make Saturday evening a little more special I employed Evie and Mack in the kitchen to help me bake a special dessert.  With a bunch of brown bananas sitting on the counter top, I [...]

Today was slushy and snowy and rainy.  After a busy week, I decided that today we’d stay inside.  I plan fun events every morning – children’s museum, swimming lessons, playdates, etc – so sometimes its nice to stay warm and snug at home. The only issue with staying home is finding things to keep the [...]

Today should have been a good day.  The kids woke up in good moods, we had a busy and productive morning and we were home just a few minutes late for Mack’s afternoon nap. But, I knew well before nap time that this afternoon wouldn’t go so well… …because someone gave my kids balloons. Now, [...]

It happened seemingly overnight.  Under cover of darkness while we innocently slept, it crept into my home, took hold and hasn’t left. It follows us everywhere and rears its doe-eyed head at all hours of the day. This sneaky problem I speak of? Princesses. Like most little girls, Evie is absolutely head-over-heals in love with [...]

Evie and I reached a new milestone in our relationship yesterday. She lied to me. For the first time. It all started innocently enough.  I made a batch of cupcakes to serve for dessert, and after she repeatedly picked at them while they cooled on the counter I moved them to an out-of-reach spot on [...]