Looking for a way to save a few thousand dollars while saving the planet, too?  Then perhaps it is time to consider using cloth diapers on your precious babes.  We’ve used them since my 2 1/2 year old daughter was born and haven’t regretted it since. The best part about cloth diapering?  Potty training!  While […]

My sister Meghan greeted a new decade this week.  Of all the Homemade Mothers I know, she is perhaps the hardest working and most inspiring.  She works full time in advertising, but she still manages to make amazing dinners, keep a tidy house, and find time to snuggle with her sweet baby boy.  She was […]

The “Blissard of 2011” has blown through town, leaving frigid temperatures and piles of snow in its wake.  Its too cold to go outside with little ones, and even if it was warmer the snow and slush and ice make the sidewalks impassable with a stroller.  So, we enjoyed (another) day inside. To stave off […]

For the past 48 hours, the entire city of Chicago has laughed together on one big inside joke.  In anticipation of the biggest winter storm to hit our area in more than 40 years, everyone was coming up with pun-intended nicknames for the blizzard that just blew through town.  Foreboding monikers like Snowmageddon, Snowverload, Snowtorious, […]

Although we live on a tight budget, we also want to live healthfully and thoughtfully.  When my husband decided to start his own business, we made plenty of sacrifices like fewer meals at fun restaurants and no more new clothes.  But the one area I refused to compromise on was our food.  Just because we […]

Every morning for the past several weeks, Mack has been waking up earlier and earlier.  He used to greet the morning around 7:30 – today we reached a new low with his 5:50 wake up call. Buddy, its still dark out!!  And, since he shares a room with Evelyn, they both were ready to start […]

When my husband decided to start his own business, we put our family on a very strict budget.  While we both have always been very thoughtful about how we spend our money, the new budget forced to us become even more creative.  Gone were the days when we could buy something without consulting with the […]

Sunday mornings are my favorite.  We usually bring the kids into bed with us so we can all snuggle and doze a little longer than usual, and then the kids and I make a nice breakfast together. I found this quinoa pancake recipe in last month’s Everyday Food magazine, and I immediately knew it would […]

My grandma just sent me an urgent message about an upcoming decision from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on deregulating genetically engineered alfalfa, a clover-like forage crop.  As humans don’t normally consume alfalfa, it may seem like an unimportant issue for us.  However, when you consider the food chain it is easy to see […]

We are very fortunate to live in a generously sized downtown Chicago apartment.  When we first moved in two years ago we thought two bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, a dining room and in-unit laundry all spaced on two floors would be more than enough room for our young family. Oh, how foolish we were… Christmas […]