We’re lucky that the girls receive magazine subscriptions every year as gifts. We also pick up chapter books at our library’s “friends” bookstore throughout the year. From time to time we receive an package of books from Kids Can Press with a note asking for a review. You know what this means by the end of [...]
How many times have you taken your kids to a movie based on a beloved book, only to be dismayed and disappointed by the adaptation? Thankfully, that is not what happens in the Chicago Children’s Theatre production of A Brown Bear, A Moon and A Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle. When I heard that [...]
The new calendars for the Chicago Public School year has come out and I noticed something a little bit irritating. There will be 10 more days of school next year. *let’s allow that to sink in for a moment* Four of those days, I’m not too upset about – basically, there will be attendance on [...]
My, what a year it has been! I started out as the mom of two more children -twins- making my blog’s name really truthful. We officially became a Houseful Of Nicholes. And what a blessing this year has been also. We’ve traveled – Alabama, Texas, Florida, Iowa, and even the Bahamas. We’ve celebrated birthdays and [...]
One of the things I absolutely love about Christmas time is that it can make you feel just like a kid all over again. The lights, the sounds and the anticipation of it all make December one very magical month. And no one captures that childlike wonder and excitement quite like the Wonderland Express at [...]
There are certain holiday traditions our family has that we make sure to do every year. We always have to make sugar cookies. We write letters to Santa and find an opportunity to sit on his lap. After last year, we always try to ride the Holiday Train. This year, we had the opportunity to [...]
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, [...]
A while back, I asked a question that generated quite a bit of feedback on Twitter: “If you HAD to choose one or the other, would you rather have a kid with good manners or a kid with good grades?“ Now, your answer might seem pretty black and white at first, but go ahead and [...]
Many days I am completely baffled at what I see at my day job. Children from every walk of life exposed to crime, committing crime, being victimized by crime. I see what The Chicago Public Schools is doing in the less affluent neighborhoods. So when The Chicago Moms was invited to a listening session at [...]
I watched the memorial services for 10-year-old Ashlynn Conner on the mid-day news. I stared at the screen for the few seconds the story ran and thought, “She could be one of my girls.” According to news reports Ashlynn killed herself after the teasing and bullying from her classmates became unbearable. When you see her photo, [...]
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 [...]
We may have wrapped and boxed all of the holiday decorations, but there is still a holiday issue that is kind of bugging me: Holiday cards. This year we received less cards than we normally do, not drastically less, but less all the same. Each year it seems to taper down. I figured that people are [...]
A glimpse into another family’s drama teaches an Oak Park mom that sometimes bad things just happen to nice families — even rodent families.
Feeling particularly “SPRINGY”? Well, you should! After all, the promise of beautiful weather has arrived and the parade of fun holidays is around the corner. What will you be purchasing for the ladies in your life this Mother’s Day Sunday May 13, 2012? Fragrance that appeals to your loved one is always a good present. [...]
This is the time of year when we want to get out, but cannot always count on the weather to cooperate for outdoor activities. Lucky for us there are a lot of good family theater programs going on that give us a destination with a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. The Wizard of Oz follows [...]
We were sitting in the Harris Theatre enjoying “I Bought a Blue Car Today” when star Alan Cumming talked about how old he was. He said something to the effect of “If you think of 80 as a nice long life, I’m currently middle-aged and moving towards the second half of my life.” This stuck [...]
Just let you kids get out there and play! For sure. But how about channeling some of that fun into more focused exercise? Is it really such a bad thing? Is it “over the top” as many would argue? I think not if done the right way. The reality is that you can find plenty [...]
The invitation to visit the new Standard Market in Westmont was intriguing. The concept is that there is a series of European fresh markets under the same roof. In every section, there are three different options — grocery items, meals-to-go that still need to be cooked at home and fully-prepared and cooked restaurant quality food. When [...]
An envelope recently arrived on my front door with review copies of many different books. One, Faith: Five Religions and What They Share, immediately caught my eye. I put it aside to read it so I could discuss it with our daughters. While I read and pondered Faith: Five Religions and What They Share, the girls [...]
Whenever I travel, I always enjoy observing and learning from other moms around the world. In Mali, I learned how to wear my baby in a wrap, in Italy, I learned how to feed a baby three healthy square meals and a snack per day. In the UK, I learned the proper way to bathe [...]
Hope you don’t mind a suggestion: From the beginning, even as young as four-years-old, talk the language with your daughter. Whether you are watching sports on TV, shooting some hoops on the driveway, throwing the softball around in the backyard or playing some basement wall soccer, use the terms specific to each sport. Coaches, instructors [...]
What is it about the first few months of a New Year that causes new diets, implementation of more exercise, or some sort of betterment? I am really not sure why we decide to propel ourselves into tailspinning change with the hopes of revamping ourselves, but we do! Whatever the case, I am guilty as [...]
PAID POST OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.friendswithkids.com Release Date: March 9th SYNOPSIS: Friends With Kids is a daring and poignant ensemble comedy about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in life when children arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe the effect that kids have had on their friends’ relationships [...]
Now that we’re in meteorological spring, I’m starting a new spring cleaning project. I’m going through my social media accounts to clean-up each one. You know what I realized? Just because I can keep in touch with you on Facebook or Twitter doesn’t mean I want to. I started with Facebook. I “unfriended” many people [...]
Long Weekend Away: Nashville with Kids Looking for a spring break destination that won’t break the bank? Nashville is the perfect spot to rock out with your entire family. You’ll find something fun for everyone, from toddlers to teens, in Music City. Nashville is a very doable 8 hours by car from Chicago. Consider an [...]
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