It seems like there are memes galore about parents needing a drink during this shelter-at-home time of life. While I certainly don’t judge a parent needing a break at the end of (yet another) long day, alcohol just isn’t really that important to me. Honestly, the best way for me to unwind is like 45 […]

It is Christmas! The house is a mess, the kids are happy and Chris and I are enjoying a day spent in pajamas. We had a big breakfast of homemade waffles, eggs, sausage, toast, hot chocolate and Irish tea. No lunch for us as we cruise towards our dinner of prime rib, twice baked potatoes, […]

Ugh. This past week since the presidential election has been such a drag. Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, all the hate and vitriol and negativity from both sides must be bringing you down. Right? It has been a week since I’ve checked Facebook. All the political rants and name calling were […]

I am so grateful for Chris. While I’ve been shuffling through this pregnancy, he’s been busy taking care of life around the house. No small task is going undone – broken window blind: replaced, mismatched door handle: replaced, rusty front fence: repainted, broken towel rack: fixed. Much to the kids dismay, he often employs them […]

Summer has officially landed in Chicago. We were deprived of a full summer last year when it took forever for steady 80 degree days to arrive, so it seems like the whole city is celebrating this year’s consistent warm temps and sunny days. We leave the windows open, we’re walking everywhere, and we’ve even managed […]

Lately the kids are really in to kid-themed cooking shows. I don’t even know the names – Kids Baking Challenge? Chopped Kids? Top Chef Junior? – but it doesn’t matter because I am just so relieved to find a show they are watching that I can actually somewhat enjoy with them. Cartoons and Disney live […]

I hate coffee. I genuinely think the taste is gross, and caffeine leaves me jittery and thirsty. I start most mornings with a giant glass of ice water, but when I want to share in the universal ritual of a warm drink in the wee hours I often make a matcha latte. But, lately I’ve […]

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 […]

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 […]

While we were in Florida for our spring break trip, I treated the kids to juice boxes. We don’t normally have them on hand for many reasons: 1) they are expensive 2) they create a lot of waste 3) I’d rather just give my kids real fruit and 4) I think water is the best […]