This summer has kinda sucked for my kids. All my grand plans to take them all over the city basically fizzled when I broke my ankle. I intended to take them on an urban adventure every Friday, checking off our Chicago bucket list every week. Instead, they’ve been shipped off to camp most days while […]

A few weeks ago I took the kids strawberry picking. It was on my summer bucket list, and I am so glad we checked it off before I broke my ankle. We stumbled upon the strawberry farm quite unexpectedly. The kids and I were driving home after a weekend at Notre Dame when we (almost) […]

We baptized our twins yesterday at what we consider to be heaven on earth: Notre Dame. Chris and I met there at the start of our senior year. The moment I met him I thought he was THE HOTTEST GUY ON THE PLANET – fast forward 16 years and I feel like the luckiest wife […]

Last weekend I took the two bigs (Evie and Mack) and the two middles (Vivian and Ben) to see “Pinocchio” at The Chicago Children’s Theatre. The company recently opened a beautiful new facility in the West Loop, where parking is plentiful and little shops, bakeries and cafes are all within walking distance. It was a […]

A few months ago I read an article about the Danish tradition of hygge (pronounced HOO-gah). The word roughly translates to a feeling of coziness and warmth, of times spent snugly with those we love. Hard to argue with that on a cold Chicago night, right? I immediately wanted this tradition in my house. With […]

Like many (but certainly not all) homes in America today, Christmas fever is raging at our house. We’ve got the fireplace going, Christmas tunes crankin’, and we’re all still in our jammies while we finish up gift wrapping and cookie baking. I love it. My 8 1/2 year old Evie was on the verge of […]

Christmas time. The time of the year when homes are cozy and warm, nights are quiet and peaceful, well-behaved children are wide-eyed and wonderful. Right. Right? Wrong. Earlier this month, as I have every year since Evie was born, I was stressing out with the expectations of what Christmas should be. Why did it seem […]

Ahhhhh…the first few months with a newborn (or, in our latest case, newbornS). Sleepless nights, showerless days. The neverending cycle of diapers and feedings and laundry. Feelings of awesomeness and loneliness. Pride and exhaustion. This time is incredible for so many reasons. And so short. When we had Evie more than eight years ago, we […]

Living in the city with six kids comes with its fair share of urban struggles. Top of my complaint list is parking – too-small spaces, expensive street spots, validation required for shopping. It is so annoying. But, despite all the hassles city living with kids is awesome. The pleasantries far, far outweigh the frustrations. For […]

Now that the twins are here, it seems like we attract attention everywhere we go. I’m not sure if it is the twin-thing, or the six-kids-in-the-city thing, but I can’t get through the grocery store or down the sidewalk without comments and questions from strangers. I know people (usually) have good intentions, so I’m (usually) […]