Posts by Maureen

About Maureen


Sweet Potato and Poblano Tacos

I think one of the simple, great joys in life is a homemade hot lunch. There is something so quietly indulgent about carving out a few minutes in the middle of an otherwise busy day to prepare a healthy meal from scratch. I don’t do it everyday, but that’s what makes it so special, right? […]


Salad Days

I need a weekend after this weekend. I love holidays – and I love three day weekends! – but with four kids these special days create a lot of extra work. If I want memories to be made, I have to help make them. So, Chris and I organized a neighborhood party that included classic […]


GIVEAWAY: Two Tickets to Blue Man Group!!

A few weeks ago I wrote about my special date night with Mack to see Blue Man Group. It was such a fun show – 5 year old Mack and 35 year old me LOVED it! Holding hands, we left the theater with smiles on our faces and warmth in our hearts. With all that […]


Happy Hour

This rain! I know several parts of the country are enduring droughts and water shortages, but here in Chicago we’ve had rain, rain and more rain. We are all waiting not-so-patiently for summer’s arrival. Even with the clouds, there is always a bright side. Last night we turned an otherwise dreary and rainy evening into […]


A Billion Little Kindnesses

So it happened. Again. Another mass shooting. Innocent lives gone at the whim of a lunatic. What are we going to do about this? I don’t know. Raising small kids in a world where random and horrific violence is now commonplace, I am at a loss. No one teaches us how to talk to our […]


Six Reasons I Don’t Buy Hand Sanitizer

So, a new report out this week demonizes hand santizer. And, I can’t say I’m surprised. I’ve avoided buying Purell and Germ-X for my family, and hopefully the rest of the world will come around to my point of view. Here’s why I just don’t like the goo my kids refer to as “germ gel”: […]


Blue Man Group with My Little Man

Oh Mack. That kid just never gives me a break. Nothing gets past him – nothing! – and he never – never! – stops moving. He has been this way since he was born – speed and action course through his veins. There is literally no stopping him. But with all his hard living comes […]


Blast Off!

I am always so grateful when Chris plans something fun for the weekend. All week I do my best to keep the kids busy and engaged (without the crutch of TV or screens), and by the time Saturday rolls around I am outta ideas and outta steam. I need his fresh enthusiasm! Back in the […]


Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding (with Bourbon Butter Sauce)

Ugh. This weekend. After DAYS of sunshine and 70s, we woke up Saturday morning to drizzly rain and plummeting temperatures that landed in the 40s today. Most of our weekend plans dried up once the rain and wind picked up, so we spent the past two days kinda stuck at home. Ugh. By the time […]


Mint Matcha Smoothie

My not-so-little brother just got married! He and his wife chose Charleston as the destination for their destination wedding, and we all traveled south excited for a little vacation in May. The wedding was literally picture perfect in so many ways. Perfect weather. Perfect setting. Perfect details. Perfect couple. Just…perfect. The wedding kept us busy […]