Easter was 80 degrees and sunshine. The week following encouraged long walks under fair blue skies. Then, this past weekend happened. Snow. SNOW on the last Saturday in April. Like, a lot of snow. And rain. So much muck that all the fun stuff we planned for the weekend was canceled. Perhaps the saddest cancellation […]

While Ben was at swim lessons the other day, I brought the other kids to play at the adjacent playground. The twins were so happy to roll down the slide and Vivian was content to chase after them. A fine spring day indeed! Evie and her friend Anna Maria hung out on their own, caught […]

Yesterday was the day. The day we wait for all winter long. The day when we all know that spring is not far off! It was the kind of day that is chilly in the shade but too hot for a coat in the sun. The kind of day when the birds can’t help but […]

Today we took a long drive out to the country to learn about how to make maple syrup with my sisters, their kids, and our dad. It was a crisp spring day – cool, but the smell of life floated in the air. The soil is softening and the buds are bursting and the birds […]

The kids didn’t have school yesterday, a little fact I had forgotten until late Wednesday night. By the time Friday morning rolled around, I still hadn’t come up with a plan. But, the sun was shining and the skies were bright blue and temperatures were in the high 60s. A perfect day for an urban […]

There are so many reasons I love raising kids in the middle of a big city. Aside from all the cultural experiences and fine restaurants and walking everywhere, city living affords us the chance to do fun things every night of the week. Take tonight, for example: Chris and I took the kids to a […]

Ahhhhhh. Chicago. The old saying “if you don’t like the weather in Chicago, wait five minutes” couldn’t be truer than in the spring. A week ago we had snow, and today we enjoyed sunshine and 70 degrees. The kids and I spent the entire day outside, and when Chris suggested we walk to dinner we […]

Today was another beautiful summer-like day in Chicago.  With temperatures in the 80’s (!!) and no clouds in the sky, it was hard to believe that the official season is still winter.  Like most Chicagoans, we took full advantage of the perfect weather and spent a good part of the day outdoors.  I packed a […]

After another long Chicago winter, the city seems to be waking up again. Colorful tulips line city streets and parks – I really appreciate all the effort that goes in to making our city look so great. The other day I was chatting with a few tourists who asked me if the tulips are up […]