As a child, whenever a teacher or parent would tell a group of us kids to “stop standing around and do something,” I would bristle. An outsider, who had no clue that our little conversation, game, or plot to take over the play ground was of supreme importance in our world, would irk me. Someone …

I have an issue with being considered typical. I balk at the thought that I am simply normal, that there is nothing exactly spectacular or unique that I have to offer. This of course is the very neurotic side of my life that comes out more often than I like. It is the part of …

We survived our camping trip this weekend and of course I cannot pass up the chance to blog about it. Some of you may be the camping type and love the thought of this sort of endeavor. It brings back memories of your own childhood, flashlights, and the lumpy floors of a tent. Others of …

So sometimes, with the three children in my life, the only moment of quiet I can get in a day looks like this: I holler to my kids that we are heading out to wherever and this command is then repeated (much to my chagrin) at least two more times. Next is a debacle of …

Well color me happy (as the saying goes), Wal-Mart just released a big claim to be greening up its act. But what does their claim really mean and how do we define what corporate green look like anyway? Especially since lately, corporate green seems to grow everywhere, at times fertilized by a healthy dose of …

Last night we had dinner with some friends in town, a fabulous time indeed. Kids running amuck after a rainstorm. Mud everywhere. Good grilling, good wine, good conversation. The sort of evening that makes you want to sit back in a deck chair and say “ahhhhhh.”? Of course I am still several years from truly …

Just a half mile or so South of our home is the Illinois Prairie Path. It’s an old rail line that was converted to a walking and biking path in the early 1960’s. An electric line actually, that once hauled commuters back and forth from the Western Suburbs to the city. After rail service ceased …

Have you ever had a triumphal moment when you stepped back from a completed project and marveled at the fact that you had the time, energy, and ability to finish it up? You stand there with your hands on your hips, maybe you wipe your brow with the back of your left hand or you …

Our middle child turned the big 3 today. It was a most excellent day. We were up North at the lake home my parents own in Wisconsin. Of course my husband and I and the kids were there, my Mom and Dad were there, my husband’s parents were there as were his sister, brother-in-law and …