Now that I have just a couple weeks left in my fourth pregnancy, I am starting to feel all the familiar anxieties.  I know that as soon as the baby is born life will be in a tailspin for at least a few months.  Our current routine will be all but forgotten as we struggle […]

I know Baby #4 is coming.  Soon. I can’t stop cleaning and tidying and organizing the house.  The other day I wiped down the blades on all our ceiling fans – something I’ve never done before!  My nesting instinct is in overdrive. Today I tackled the kitchen, but since it is a weekend all three […]

  At least four mornings a week, I wake up early and head to the gym for a one hour semi-personal training session at a boutique gym in my neighborhood.  The high-intensity class involves 30 minutes of treadmill work and 30 minutes of strength-training on the floor.  I’ve done this for the past year and […]

About six weeks ago, one night when I as at my wit’s end after a day with whiny kids, Chris and I had a big discussion about how we can better support our kids’ development and growth during these trying times.  It seemed like they were often frustrated, and Mack was especially aggressive with his […]

During our recent trip to Jamaica, we had one very rainy day.  The big kids were thrilled to sneak in an afternoon movie while the rain poured, but little Vivian was tired. She hadn’t taken a decent nap since we arrived; it can be hard for toddlers to get comfortable in an unfamiliar bed, especially […]

We recently returned from a week-long trip to Jamaica.  While it was hard to pull the kids out of school for a few days, Chicago’s bitter cold has been painfully brutal this winter.  And, with little #4 due just a couple weeks before Spring Break, we knew that January was the best time for us […]

The latest hot topic among parents here in Chicago (and, I think, around the country) revolves around a comment from highly-acclaimed chef Grant Achatz, owner of Alinea, one of the finest and most innovative restaurants in the world.  Diners at Alinea can spend upwards of $600+ for a night of culinary creativity, an indulgence I […]

With just about two months until Baby #4 arrives, the all too familiar nesting instinct is starting to kick in.  My sister Colleen returned our co-sleeper to us now that her son has outgrown it, so Chris and the kids set it up a few days ago.  I can’t believe our next little man will […]

I recently celebrated my birthday. 34. Where does the time go??  I swear, even though I look like a mom to three kids, I am still a cool college kid who knows about all the cool stuff out there!  Right? Right?? My birthday has become a bit of side note to me, but because Evie, […]

A few years ago I made a decision: no matter what, we would keep our dining table. Forever.  It was one of the first pieces of beautiful furniture that Chris and I purchased together, and I love it now as I did then.  I love the table’s design – it can go traditional or transitional […]