Spring may have sprung nearly a week ago, but here in Chicago it feels like winter.  I am seriously on the verge of a nervous breakdown – I want to take the kids to the park without spending 15 minutes bundling them up! The cold weather means cold weather meals.  The other night I made [...]

Vivian and Mack celebrated birthdays this weekend, so last night we hosted what will hopefully be the first of many joint birthday parties for the two. Both are still too young to really care about sharing their special day with a sibling, but like all siblings there is a fair amount of rivalry in our [...]

The kids and I took a little trip to Indianapolis earlier this week to meet up with our best friends.  It was a last-minute trip, and I’m so glad we decided to go.  However, the trip was an unexpected expense, so when we returned home I had to balance the family budget. The first step [...]

I absolutely love Christmas day.  Sure, its nice to open presents and eat good food, but my favorite part of the day is doing nothing at all.  We spend the weekend before Christmas with my husband’s family, and Christmas Eve is celebrated with my family, so December 25 is blissfully reserved for the five of [...]

Every week I travel to a few different grocery stores.  We stick to a very strict $150/week grocery budget, and I do my absolute best to stock our kitchen with plenty of seasonal and organic food.  If I want to stay on budget, I can’t rely on just one store to fill our needs.  I [...]

Last Sunday Chris and the guys went out for a steak dinner and then to the Bears game at Soldier Field. Rather than spend the night alone with the kids, I invited my sisters, mom and grandma over for dinner and crafts. I am certainly not a crafty girl, but its fun to gather ladies [...]

I’ll never forget what my mom said to me three years ago as I was boarding a train from my hometown back to the city.  It was right before Christmas and Evie was my only baby. I was dashing about, trying to make the holiday special for my little family, and my mom could see [...]

A few weeks ago I bought a HUGE butternut squash for just $3.00 at the neighborhood farmers market.  Seriously, this thing was giant.  Like, bigger than a watermelon. When I saw it I knew it was a great buy because I can do so much with squash.  Roasted with maple syrup, tossing some in a [...]

I have a confession to make: I save bacon grease.  Whenever we make bacon (picked up from our co-op), I pour the leftover grease into a small bowl on our countertop. It sits there until a need arises: eggs in the morning, grilled cheese for lunch, roasted veggies at dinner.  Its amazing how much flavor [...]

The weather has turned decidedly fall-like.  There’s a briskness in the air, and even when its warm the tinge of cooler temperatures looms.  So, I can’t say I was surprised when my husband requested soups for lunch again.  Its been a summer of salads for him, but heartier fare seems more appropriate now that its [...]