Halloween is less than a week away, and like most kids in America its all Evie and Mack want to talk about.  How many more days until Halloween?  What are you going to be for Halloween? Can we play trick-or-treat in the toy room? Like most things in my life, I like to give a […]

Living in the city, I worry that my kids are missing out on some essential experiences in nature.  Sometimes city living is so focused on getting from point A to point B that we don’t have a moment to slow down and enjoy the moment.  I’ve been making more of an effort lately to incorporate […]

This post is the 11th in the series “Homemade Mother of the Week.” If you know a woman who is thoughtfully sharing her passion for the planet, families or the well-being of others, please nominate her for this special recognition.  Send an email with all the details to maureen@homemademothering.com This week, I am very excited to […]

Every year, there’s a Sunday in October when just about every good-natured Chicagoan wakes up too early and heads outdoors to join about a million friends and neighbors.   Today was that Sunday. It was the Chicago Marathon! Yes, 45,000 runners ran the race, but an estimated 1.7 million spectators lined the streets, sipping coffee and […]

My grandma sent me a link today about an upcoming disposable diaper shortage.  Apparently, an explosion at a Japanese chemical plant this weekend will leave the world in short supply of acrylic acid, a critical ingredient in disposable diapers.  My first concern was about the people near the explosion: sadly, 1 firefighter died and 34 […]

Today was absolutely beautiful. Warm sunshine, gentle breeze, clean air, perfect fall weather.  As any Chicagoan knows, its a good idea to take full advantage of weather like this.  Next week it could very easily freeze! I was determined to spend the entire afternoon outdoors, but without a traditional backyard I need to get creative.  […]

Lately I’ve been feeling like I need to keep a slightly tighter reign on the day-to-day flow of our family.  We are settling into a new home and a new back-to-school routine, and I need a better balance between work and life.  I’ve always believed that kids thrive on a predictable routine, and it is […]

We went out to my parents’ house today.  A check-engine light lit up on our dashboard last week, and along with my recent dead battery experience I thought it would be wise to get the car checked out.  An honest and friendly dealership in my hometown diagnosed the problem (something about an air compressor?), and […]

As a Homemade Mother, I pride myself on my spirit of self-reliance.  I like doing things on my own, and I take great pleasure in working out simple solutions to everyday problems. But, tonight I was faced with the most daunting of challenges: The car battery died. And I was miles from home. With all […]

Evie started her second year of pre-school last week.  A year ago I was very anxious about sending Evie to school for the first time.  Would she miss me? Who would she turn to if she got hurt? How would her view of the world change without me there to guide her?  She had been […]