• Review

    Let’s Talk About It…But Only One At A Time, Please!

    I hope you enjoy this month’s contribution to Hallmark’s “Life Is A Special Occasion” campaign! (I’m sure you will. Trust me.) “Keep the lines of communication open” is one of my favorite pieces of advice to dole out when people ask me how to survive once their kids become teenagers. I have always tried to do that with my own kids and, although making the time to talk with your kids (and listen too, because you know, TWO WAY and all that kind of stuff) isn’t an iron-clad guarantee that everything’s gonna be alright, it’s definitely one of the best ways to set a strong foundation that can help fix…

  • My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Uncategorized

    The Olympic Gymnast

    My favorite sport in the Summer Olympics is, by far, gymnastics. I was watching in 1984 when Mary Lou Retton got her perfect 10 on the vault. That same year, the dreamy men’s team won gold (I had such a crush on Peter Vidmar!). I watched what is still one of my favorite Olympic moments of all time when it happened live: when Kerri Strug vaulted on an injured foot (when she probably shouldn’t have) and clinched the gold medal for her team, and then Coach Bela Karolyi (love him) carried her to the podium for the medal ceremony. It still makes me cry like a baby. This year, I’m…

  • Review

    Cell Phone Tips For A Safe Summer (Or Any Other Season)

    I often discuss with my friends the pros and cons of the technology that’s available today as it relates to youngsters. Even though technology seems to make things much easier for us, it also opens the world up for our kids, probably a little more than many of us parents would like it to be opened. Take cell phones, for example. Let’s say that you have a kid who likes to push the limits or, okay, one who likes to break rules. (There, I said it.) She could use the cell phone to fib about her whereabouts. She could use a cell phone to access things she isn’t supposed to,…

  • Family Fun,  How To,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    How To Get Started On A DIY Bathroom Renovation In Thirty Easy Steps

    One of the pros of being a fan of DIY is that you can save lots of money. Another pro is that there is a sense of pride and ownership in what you’re doing: it’s a little like sweat equity (Okay, it’s a lot like sweat equity because it IS sweat equity.). One of the cons is that a DIY bathroom renovation can take lots longer than if you hire a professional. We recently got started on our mostly-DIY bathroom renovation and if you were thinking about doing one in your house, here’s how to get started…in thirty easy steps. 1. Buy a house with which you are completely in…

  • Fun in Chicago,  Review

    Shakespeare And Stars

    Even though I absolutely adore movies, there is something about seeing a live performance that is so wonderful and memorable, I’d pick “live” almost any day of the week. And when you combine a live performance with an unexpected element, I’m there. I was recently invited to experience a First Folio Theatre performance of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” at the beautiful Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook and I couldn’t say no because the performance would be outside, under the stars. I’m not a huge Shakespeare fan: I admit it. In high school I always read the Cliffs Notes rather than the assigned works of The Bard, because I…

  • Family Fun,  Random Thoughts

    Preparing For The 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremonies

    Right in line with themed celebrations of the past (epic Amazing Race season premieres and such), we are having quite a shindig in the house tonight, in honor of tonight’s 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremonies. My sister suggested that we make fish and chips (okay, twist my arm), and she’s also making sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I had included British beer on my grocery list, and this morning Jim surprised me when he said, “Oh, when you pick up beer for tonight, please don’t get Guinness because it’s technically Irish.” I love a man who can fully commit to the theme. Julesie and I went to our local super-huge…

  • Review,  The Dailey Method,  Working On My Fitness

    Still Doing It (Almost) Dailey Method

    This is the third of three posts I am writing about my month-long trial of The Dailey Method. (Read the first one HERE and the second one HERE.) I am so excited to be able to share my experience with you! I have always felt comfortable in a fitness-related environment. Wait, let me make a change there. I have felt comfortable in a fitness-related environment for almost twenty years now. Would it surprise you regular readers to know that before the age of twenty-four I did not exercise or participate in ANY sports outside of gym class or goofing off with friends, ever? My biggest accomplishment in fitness up until…

  • Review

    The 2012 GMC Acadia Denali: My New Favorite

    Okay, wow. As you know, I have had the good fortune to test-drive many General Motors vehicles on an extended (one week) basis, for the purpose of providing my “I’m a busy blogger, writer, show producer, event planner, exercise enthusiast, reality tv-watcher, beagle owner, wife, and mom just to name a few” opinion about them. I have enjoyed them all. The Chevy Cruze (especially when it smelled like the paczkis I bought that one time, leading me to beg GM’s Connie Burke to beg Chevrolet to invent a “baked goods feature”) was a favorite. The Chevy Sonic, in all its cuteness, was a big hit with me AND my teenagers.…

  • Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments

    #BBSummit12 In A Nutshell

    After nearly a year of planning meetings, brainstorming sessions, countless emails, thousands of name badges (okay, 160 of ’em), and excessive sweating, the 2012 Brands and Bloggers Summit (#BBSummit12) came and went this past Saturday. After all the work that I put in alongside my Social RevUp partners MJ Tam and Dwana De LaCerna, I was looking forward to the beginning of the day just as much as I was looking forward to the end of the day (7:00 to be specific, which was the starting time of the after party). My brain is still swimming but I wanted to give you a recap of my favorite parts of #BBSummit12…

  • Friends,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    A Post-Conference Conversation

    The #BBSummit12 conference is over and short of some WiFi problems on the hotel’s end, I think it went really well. I will probably do some sort of mini-recap of my favorite moments at the conference, but for now here is a recap of what happened when I went upstairs to the hotel room I was sharing with Liz in between #BBSummit12 and the after party*. *I let myself into the room. Liz has already freshened up.* Liz: “Hi! You’re done! Yay!” *hugs me* Me: “I know! Yay!” Liz: “it went well!” Me: “You think?” Liz: “Yes! Of course!” *I start to get teary-eyed* Me: “I’m very emotional right now!”…