When it rains, it pours. Just as we were starting to settle into life as a family of six, life took an unexpected left turn.  Last Thursday Evie woke up with pain in her leg.  While I didn’t doubt her discomfort, I thought it was a growing pain (and a desire for a little extra […]

  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 […]

Several years ago my husband had some significant health issues.  He was in constant pain, and after a litany of tests the doctors diagnosed him with a chronic condition that would require a lifetime of daily prescription medication.  We left the hospital feeling totally defeated.  As a Captain in the Army and avid Cross-Fitter, Chris […]

Water is pretty much the only thing we drink in our household.  I love the taste of the Lake Michigan water that comes out of our faucet. It is crisp and clean tasting, and before we leave the house we always fill up a jumbo Klean Kanteen to keep us hydrated.  Not only is water […]

Poor little Vivian. She’s got two sharp and nasty teeth pushing through her top gum, and for the past week she just hasn’t been her normal cheerful self.  She’s been grumpy and inconsolable at times, a far departure from the cheerful disposition we’re all used to.  She wants to wear snuggly pajamas all day, and […]

A couple years ago I wrote about a tour I took through a lovely rural Illinois garden. The organic garden belongs to my mom’s dear friend Pam, and every year her garden grows in size and selection.  I saw Pam last weekend, and she very generously offered to gift me with some of this season’s […]

As I’ve written about before, I work-out a lot. At least five mornings a week I’m at my fitness studio for an intense 60 minute class with cardio and weight-lifting intervals.  I love the natural high that follows a hard-core work-out! Chris is borderline obsessed with his Cross-Fit work-outs.  He also goes at least five […]

In my opinion, the less food is processed the healthier it is. While I’m not afraid of the fat in butter or whole milk, I am terrified of 100-calorie snack packs.  Perhaps one of the most processed foods most Americans consume in abundance every day is pasturized and homogenized milk.  From a young age we […]

As I write about often, I really hate plastic.  Not only is it horrible for the planet, but I believe plastic containers leach chemicals into the foods and drinks we consume. Quite simply, I avoid plastic whenever possible. Lately, fears about the health effects of BPA have deterred many consumers from plastic.  Manufacturers now proudly […]

I recently discovered Peeled, a juice shop here in Chicago.  Whenever I feel sick or tired, I stop in and after the first sip I start feeling better.  For a few years now I have been curious about trying a juice cleanse. I’ve heard promises that consuming only freshly squeezed organic fruit and vegetable juice […]