I need you like Jordan needed Pippen

* My 8 year old recently asked who Michael Jordan is and after I recovered from both my shock and deep guilt that I have failed my Chicagoan roots, I played some videos of Air Mike's best plays that are available on Youtube.  Jordan and the 90's Bulls were a HUGE part of my childhood. …

Find your Inner Otter Mom

Tiger mom, unicorn mom, dolphin mom, so many animal-themed parenting styles, right? Well, forget them all. We are in the middle of a global pandemic. Millions infected. Tens of thousands dead. It will get worse. For parents, this time is especially panic inducing. Schools are closed. Parks are locked. You are suddenly expected to homeschool…

what’s next?

We have a chance to turn this into a sustainable movement that will change our children's lives.  But if we fail to act this moment will pass us by. So what's next?

Now is the time

Think back to your child's first tentative steps- what did you do as they looked back at you?  Did you clap and cheer as they looked your way? Remember that first magical moment on the potty- did you break out the Potty Dance  because you knew that was the best way to get a repeat…

It really isn’t the children or the housework….

Way back when my oldest was a fairly young baby, some probably well-intentioned, but know it all mom gave me a piece of advice I will never forget.  Not because it was life changing and helpful, not because it was laughable... no this advice SOUNDED excellent, but sort of totally screwed me. What did this…

The “To Don’t” List….

I am tired.  Are you tired?  Of course, you are tired; we are all tired.  Well, maybe not Gwyneth Paltrow, but screw her.  While I sincerely believe humans are all tired, I believe mothers are indisputably the most exhausted creatures on the planet.  Yea yea, fathers work hard, but seriously how many men have jumped out of…

Easy and Cheap Ways to Make Halloween flipping MAGICAL

I SHOULD have titled this "How to Fake Halloween" or "How to Pretend You Still Have f**ks to Give".... but alas It seems every year right around this time, those Pinterest mommies reemerge from their "Back to School" chalkboard picture hiatus and come out roaring for Halloween.  You start seeing stuff like this.... and costumes…

Teal is the new Orange and Black

I love Halloween, don't you? When else can you go to people's houses in a disguise and beg for candy? Actually my daughter does this on a weekly basis, but I digress.  It is so exciting for kids to run up to houses to see what that house is offering-  full size snickers?  "fun" size…

Nurturing the Spark

I think most people have moments in their life that profoundly affect who they are and who they will become.  Perhaps a kid decides to become a doctor after a memorable experience in the hospital or a kid's life long passion for theater is sparked by their first trip to a Broadway musical.  I truly…

Awkward Family Gatherings

Do you have a Trump supporter in your family? I do. It's not just my extended family I see once or twice a year. It is my freaking brother. Like we share 50% of the same DNA. We were raised in the same house by the same parents.  Now I do think he falls safely…