Word to the wise: if you ever see an #ArtofLocal event at a, well, local Springhill Suites by Marriott, you should go. You should bring all of your friends and go. Immediately. What began in 2010 as Marriott’s ArtNight has evolved into a community extravaganza of giving craftspeople a platform of wide visibility (and wowing hotel guests and lucky locals). The night I attended? Off-the-charts food, drink, art, and performances. Right off the bat, a large scale painting entitled “City {Read More}
West Nile, 4 weeks in.
September 29, 2016 By 2 Comments
Hi, everyone! It’s me, your neighborhood Typhoid Mary (who, j/k, isn’t actually contagious in the slightest because- again- I’m not a mosquito). But it’s me! Kind of. It’s hard to see past these layers of under eye-concealer and blankets wrapped around my noggin. Picture Jacob Marley. If Jacob Marley didn’t look quite so well-rested. Also- hey! Guys! An alarming number of you read the previous post’s title and laughed like, “Oh man, West Nile. You must be feeling SICK. How’s {Read More}
That time I had West Nile (this month).
September 22, 2016 By 4 Comments
Oh, you guys. I have a confession to make. I’ve been kinda sick lately- and for a longish time- and when you’re sick for a longish time without any crazy real announcement, people assume that a) you’re pregnant, b) you’re dying, or c) you’re pregnant and dying (which really brings in the ol’ meal train offers.) I am not pregnant. I am not dying. I’ve actually- and fairly recently- been diagnosed with the West Nile virus. Yep. And since, when {Read More}
This month in “I Didn’t Know Pearachute Could Do That” news
September 21, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Disclosure: As a Pearachute ambassador, it’s my crazy good fortune to run around town with my trio and report back on the best of the kid-friendly best. Although I’m being compensated, all thoughts, opinions, and thoroughly exhausted children are entirely my own. *** Did you know that… Pearachute offers workout classes for Mamas (and Daddies) with included childcare? It’s true. The Dailey Method in Lincoln Park has many early-in-the-day options, with their Dailey Barre and Fusion sessions. Free playtime for {Read More}
My baby started preschool and I’m super great with it, really.
September 15, 2016 By 4 Comments
Jasper started school. SCHOOL, you guys. For two and a half hours a day. (Two mornings a week.) Granted, he’s not sending me monthly postcards from his assigned oil rig- yet- but it’s hitting me oddly. Not jubilantly- like some of you freewheeling parents out there. (How the heck do you do it? Not celebrate, I mean. How do you do make it through a school day without wondering who’s gonna play Hungry, Hungry Hippos with you? On whom do {Read More}
EatPakd and eat lunch for free!
September 12, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Disclosure: I’m thrilled to tell you guys about EatPakd– a brilliant way to solve Chicagoland lunchtime dilemmas- and even though I’m being compensated, all thoughts, opinions, and apple dips are entirely my own. *** Lunch is hard. Lunch is very, very hard. Oh, it doesn’t seem like it should be, and on paper (or in backpack) you’d think the math problem would be simple. A (food items you’re pretty sure your kids still like) + B (an entire school year’s {Read More}
The party just got a little quieter.
September 8, 2016 By 3 Comments
Let me tell you about a really great guy. My cousin Joseph Flynn was a really great guy; he lived for his family and friends (and the myriad of ways to connect on the internet with family and friends), and always- always– had something kind and funny and true and proud to say about those family members and close friends. And really, for a guy like Joe, everyone he met became a close friend and those close friends had a {Read More}
“Kinky Boots” steps up the comedy- and the feels.
September 2, 2016 By Leave a Comment
When something is deemed “feel good,” it’s almost an automatic eye-roll, isn’t it? Because “feel good” can’t be authentic, can’t be important, and can’t carry weight. Well, I’ve got good news for you guys. Kinky Boots– directed and choreographed by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, and playing a lightning-fast engagement at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre- skips right past “feel good” and soars to a new plane I like to call “heart-burstingly wonderful.” The premise is simple. Charlie (played by the adorable and ridiculously talented {Read More}
