I’m posting this Broccoli Cheddar soup recipe at the request of my cousin Monika, who is spending the month with our family.  I prepared this soup for dinner last night, and she wants to make it once she returns to Poland in September.  She’ll be heading off to university in Krakow, and this is a […]

With my cousin Monika visiting from Poland for the summer, we’ve all had fun reconnecting with our Polish roots. Chris grew up with a Polish father and Polish grandparents, so he’s been practicing speaking his very rusty Polish with Monika, much to her amusement. My Dad asked that I learn how to make a traditional […]

My dad recently celebrated his birthday, so the kids and I went out to my parents’ house for a casual celebration. He’s an easy going guy who doesn’t ask for much fuss, but when the kids insisted on “surprising” him he was kind enough to play along. My dad’s birthday dinner request was simple and […]

As I’ve written about before, if Mack isn’t busy Mack is causing trouble.  In the afternoons while Evie is at school and Vivian naps, he and I are buddies. We have lunch together, clean up the house, play outside, read books and watch a cartoon or two.  And, we almost always do some sort of […]

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 […]