Deirdre Koldyke and Laura Bushnell began the EarthHeart Foundation with a vision of mothers coming together. They saw mothers “united for the sake of our children” working together to find a solution to the senseless violence plaguing Chicago streets. On May 11, 2013, that vision came to life at the inaugural Peace Celebration . Mother [...]
Quick tell me what your kids are doing this summer? If you haven’t already booked your summer camps, now is the time to get going. Here are three to get you started. Ready? Let’s go have fun. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has several dance camps available for little movers through high school students. My favorite might be “Artistic Connections”: [...]
Remember when talking about your emergency plan meant everyone knew how to get out of the house in a fire? If you were traveling it meant having an emergency kit in your car trunk? At school you went into the hall and covered your head during the tornado drill? In today’s world, it’s important for everyone [...]
Spicy giardiniera is a Chicago tradition. Only in Chicago are there jars and jars of hot and mild and olive giardinara in every grocery store. When I visit family out of town, I have been known to smuggle the stuff in my suitcases. For the food allergic there is one downside to the stuff. I [...]
Childhood in Chicago has its own traditions. As a new mother I took my month old son to The Walnut Room and thought about the day he could participate in the tradition of dining near the tree during the holidays. I love to see the little children dressed up to eat at a restaurant that [...]
The following is a Chicago Public School Father’s perspective. Craig Johnson, a native Chicagoan, is a father and former Chicago Public School student. For two weeks, Chicago’s public education landscape became a national case study on unions, politics, and education reform. The issues were lifted from the pages of reports and spreadsheets and escaped beyond [...]
I was standing at the counter scanning a routine medial form when something caught my eye. Under our daughter’s name was the line Natural child: Insured has financial responsibility I asked the receptionist what “natural child” meant. She said, “Oh, it means she’s really his daughter.” I gasped and said, “So, if she was adopted, [...]
Remember the good old days when your mom would kiss you goodbye and tell you to be back before dark? And you’d roam through your neighborhood without a care in the world except who would be available to play with you? There were no cell phones or GPS systems or microchip devices to keep track [...]
I love my dog. I really, really do. I just have to remind myself that I do. And, between us, I love the way things were with my dog before kids, because having a dog with a toddler and a baby isn’t ideal. We rescued Howie from Anti-Cruelty Society a year after we were married, [...]
Why did the U.S. choose the bald eagle as our national emblem on June 20, 1782? Is it because the bald eagle symbolizes long life, superior strength, beauty and only lives in North America? Or is it because he mates for life? Does the symbol of the bald eagle put unrealistic expectations of fidelity on married public [...]
“Swans usually do mate for life. But there are times when a swan does take a new mate. A swan may take a new mate if its partner gets lost or dies. A male swan is known as a ‘cob’, the female is known as a ‘pen’. A baby swan is called a signet. When [...]
I was at the Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville (which, if you’ve never been, I highly suggest visiting for your next movie outing. “Unique” doesn’t even BEGIN to describe how totally cool each theater is…) last week to see the movie Hall Pass. Now, I’m not here to critique the movie. It was funny and [...]
Game On! Sports Girl Talk offers you a list of fun and inspirational girl’s/women’s sports movies to watch with your daughters (and sons) during the holidays. So after working up a sweat with active indoor or outdoor fun, time to relax and tune into one of the following: 1) Bad News Bears (pg) 2) [...]
As caring parents, we are constantly faced with the challenge of offering satisfying meals and snacks to our active kids. From the perspective of our young athletes, “satisfying” means yummy, filling and fulfilling. This is where your blender can come in so very handy. The smoothie/shake treats you can provide are limitless. Kids love them [...]
Sports have long been thought of as a vehicle that permits us to rise above differences. And they do. Many have even gone as far as advocating that sports can cure all that ails relating to intolerance, violence and crisis in our world. I’m not sure I can go that far, but I do feel [...]
Earlier this week I read that the CDC reported that the rate of autism shot up 72% in the past five years to one child in fifty but that they are confident that this is due to greater awareness of the disorder. Reuters added that “scientists” believe that the disorder is 90% genetic. It is [...]
The greatest show on earth – BARNUM – has arrived at the Mercury Theater, and my 9 year old son and I were there to welcome this musical to Chicago with open arms. Because of the intimate size of the Mercury Theater, I was surprised when I first heard BARNUM was going to be there. [...]
I am a lover of all things related to spas, relaxation, and self-awareness, so I was thrilled to learn about the Full Bloomed Lotus Center for Self-Awareness, which is located at 1217 Washington Avenue in the heart of Wilmette. Their mission at Full Bloomed Lotus, is “to inspire and to help people accept and work [...]
As soon as I opened this press release I wanted to be a judge for this contest. My dessert skills are pretty good, but I’m not sure I could win. Still, I’d volunteer to be a judge so I could taste all the entries. Here’s the information you need to enter your favorite dessert. Be [...]
Another friend told me her family is moving out of Illinois. They are just tired of the train wreck our state has become. She can’t stand turning on the news to see the corruption that permeates every level of our elected governments. She’s sick of hearing about how this innocent child’s murder will be the [...]
The Chicago Wolves hockey club is having a special event to help those with a family member with peanut allergies enjoy a worry-free game. The Chicago Wolves are teaming up with the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) to provide Peanut Free Day, presented by Enjoy Life Foods, on Sunday, March 24, at Allstate Arena. According to the [...]
I went back to work for the first time in six years a few weeks ago. I have always done corporate financial and accounting work. One great thing about that kind of work is that the busy season is in the winter when, at least in Chicago, you aren’t missing a whole lot of exciting [...]
Our Four Seasons Hotel Chicago Getaway My family has fallen in love with the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. Let me explain… For years my family has gone away on vacation to escape our regular routines and our day-today way of life. This year, we decided to do something different. This year we decided to vacation [...]
I can still remember the girl who made middle school a waking nightmare for me. Last I heard she is an orthopedic surgeon which I thought was good because it meant that she would work long hours and not spend too much time with her children. I figure her children would do better in day [...]
I was at a 2012 holiday party when I heard a young father claim with certainty “my 2-year-old daughter is too much of a Girly Girl to ever play sports.” I have to admit that I was taken aback by the comment for a few different reasons. First of all, this father was writing his [...]
What can I do about the violence in Chicago? It’s a question I hear a lot both in private conversations and on social media. The international educational nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves Chicago office and The Allstate Foundation joined forces to present a free community event on the topic of youth violence prevention. Noted public [...]
My family was invited to a special screening of The Weinstein Company’s new film, Escape from Planet Earth, which hit theaters across Chicago last weekend. Although many film critics are calling this show “mediocre”, I think Escape from Planet Earth is a light-hearted family film that everyone can enjoy. It was a perfect feel-good movie [...]
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