A few months ago I mentioned in a post that our blender had broken.  A friend of a friend read it and sent me a message: she no longer needed her blender – would I like it?  I was so delighted with her offer.  Not only would her kind generosity save me a few bucks, […]

Shortly before Christmas I saw a fun idea for easy homemade doughnuts floating around Pinterest.  It involved nothing more than a can of pre-made biscuits and some oil.  At the time, I pretty much ignored the pin because canned biscuits just don’t work for me.  They contain 4 grams of heart-stopping trans fats – ewwww. […]

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 […]

I think I’ve created a monster. My kids are not allowed to eat anything that contains high fructose corn syrup.  Its a steadfast rule in our house, and the kids pride themselves on following it.  They know that most brightly packaged foods contain it, and they generally stay away from those items. My mom requested […]

Thanksgiving is here, and we’re all so excited!  Evie has been learning about the holiday in school, and everyday I try to encourage gratitude in their little hearts.  Its nice to have a day just about being thankful. To counteract the delightful calorie overload headed our way this evening, I mixed up a healthy breakfast […]

Chicago can’t seem to make up her mind.  After a brisk October, November has been relatively mild. Some days are close to 60 degrees, while others barely get out of the 30s. Regardless of the temperature, I like to take the kids outside everyday for some fresh air and exercise.  The other day was downright […]

Until very recently, I dreaded the weekends.  For two years, Chris had to work full days every Saturday after long five-day work weeks.  That meant we had one day together as a family, and it was so rushed and jam-packed that we had no real opportunity to enjoy it.  The weekends were more work than […]

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 […]

I’ll never forget what my mom said to me three years ago as I was boarding a train from my hometown back to the city.  It was right before Christmas and Evie was my only baby. I was dashing about, trying to make the holiday special for my little family, and my mom could see […]