Our schedule has been insane this week and the only down-time we’ve had is nap-time.  The rest of the day; morning, afternoon and evening has been filled with pre-school, kids play-dates/Christmas parties, a company Christmas party and a few other night time events too!  Brian said to me last night,

“How about a movie night and early bed-time on Friday?“

I will never turn that down; sounds perfect!  I declined an invite to a Cookie Exchange…

My husband made the greatest purchase of our lives last weekend when he found this Pokemon Monopoly game at a garage sale for a dollar.

Did you catch that? It's a Monopoly game about POKEMON!! And my kids are only ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with…

Serene Sunday - for me, serenity can be found in Quick Date Night with my husband.

Each Sunday throughout the month of September I will be exploring ways to find serenity in one hour or less. This week, I am finding serenity in Quick Date Night with my husband.

 As you know, I am a wife and mother of four children. I love my little…

My child knows that every night she has to go to sleep in her bed.  If she wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare she can climb into mommy's bed for some cuddling and to chase away the monsters.  Most nights when the bed routine starts she asks nonstop to sleep in mommy's bed.  Well, she doesn't say it in a full sentence she just repeats "mommy's bed?" over and over and over again.  On rare occasions when I just want her to fall asleep right away or I want some extra cuddling…

This past weekend, some girlfriends and I had organized a fun night out in downtown Chicago.  No husbands, no kids, just us girls kickin' it in the city.  Unfortunately, though, our whole night was planned around a godforsaken musical that we'd bought tickets to see on LivingSocial.  It was called, "Girls Night: The Musical" and promised to be a super fun mix of…

Misadventures in Motherhood: I'm a Naughty Little…

During my pregnancy Hubby would always remind me to have some sweet music on.

He believed to those who say that babies, after their birth, can recognize the music that they have been listening to, when they were living into the belly.

I was skeptical about it.

Actually a…

. . . I get to forget there are kids and diapers and housework and work-work and all that other crap. I get to lose myself in the music with the man I fell in love with.

NEWSFLASH: OLD LADY GOES DANCING, FATAL

My tween: Where are you and daddy going?



Me: We're going to a club.



Tween:…

Turning right.

Turning left.

Belly up.

Out of breath.

Pillow here.

Pillow there.

More pillows.

Warm drink.

Cold drink (much better actually).

Mix between warm and cold drinks.

...KEEP…

Imagine a scene from Footloose and you have a basic idea of what my high school prom looked like…without the grain elevator, without the cakes and pies, and without the fighting.  But, there were plenty of pastel colored long dresses, and ridiculously pastel ruffled tuxedos.  Roses and baby’s breath abounded and everyone was on their best behavior.

...Continue

Since the New Year, hubby and I have had two date nights.  Last weekend was the first attempt.  We were supposed to have a romantic dinner at an upscale Italian restaurant and then we would be off to see a movie.  We were supposed to leave work early, meet at home, change and then head on out again.  Babysitting was covered and the kids were looking forward to a date night of their own.  They had control over the babysitters, Oreo cookies, freshly baked brownies, the Wii remote controls! …

Now is the time to start planning a special Valentine’s Day celebration for your main squeeze/spouse/partner.

And special does not mean typical.

First of all, avoid the clichés say NO to Chocolate and Flowers.…

Say I Love You this Valentine’s Day with a thoughtful gift for your child.

Homemade Card:  Kids love crafts, so make a heart-shaped personalized card for your child.

No Candy: Skip the candy for Valentine’s Day. Many kids still have chocolate left over from Christmas, and the Easter Bunny is just around the corner!…

When the winter blues start to set in - Valentine’s Day warms things up with red and white, and lots of fun!

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples or adults. Help your kids get excited about V-day with these Valentine’s ideas like games and fun surprises. You can even create your own traditions with your kids.…