In The Windy City

How the head of CPS searches for a school

November 16, 2011

Jean-Claude Brizard and his family moved to Chicago this past Spring. Like so many families relocating to the Windy City, they’re renting in a popular neighborhood to get the lay of the land before they settle on a house — and, more importantly, a school — for their toddler. Brizard and his wife, Brooke Stafford-Brizard, [...]

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Bloggers and Brizard

November 10, 2011

Months ago I wrote a post called I believe in Chicago Public Schools. And I still do. In June we bought a home in the city with the plan to send our children to the neighborhood public school. Yesterday I met with Jean-Claude Brizard, the new CEO of Chicago Pubic Schools. It was a great [...]

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August events in Chicago for moms and kids

August 3, 2011

My inbox is full of mom and kid events this month and I thought I’d share them here. No excuses — get out and have fun! There’s lots happening in Chicago in August. (If you’d like to add an event, leave it in the comments or send me an email me.) Aug. 4: KickSprout’s New [...]

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Breastfeeding and babywearing

July 26, 2011

I’m looking forward to trying two new things with baby boy as soon as he arrives. The first, breastfeeding the “traditional” way. At some point I’ll post all the dirty details about Elise but the short story is that due to latch issues then my re-hospitalization due to high blood pressure (we were separated for [...]

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Nothing prepares you for motherhood

June 24, 2011

My guest writer, Julie, is a 10-year Chicago resident. She is a former and future pre-school teacher, a wife, and a mother. Anna, 15 months, is the light of her life. I have a 15 month-old daughter. I am a proud and energetic mother. “Mama,” Anna calls me. As a kid, I helped in the [...]

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Leave the lasagna at home.

June 22, 2011

This just arrived from Nolan’s side of the family for our birthdays. It makes me very, very happy. (I may or may not have eaten a chocolate-covered strawberry right away just to make sure the arrangement wasn’t poisonous. Because I’m willing to make sacrifies for my family.) Anyway, I’ll get to the point…I think fresh [...]

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When Football Sunday and Fatherhood Collide

June 19, 2011

My Father’s Day guest columnist is Roderick Drew, who has lived and worked in Chicago since 1993 because it is the best city on earth — at least in the summer. When not watching football, he can be found telling jokes to his angelic wife, Tonia, because he loves to make her laugh, playing video games [...]

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Listen To Your Mother

June 6, 2011

I never told you all what I did for Mother’s Day because I’d been waiting for something, and that something has arrived! The night before Mother’s Day, Nolan and I drove to Northwest Indiana where we watched a production of LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER, which features live readings by local writers on the beauty, the beast [...]

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Dot & Ziggy — Giving away two tickets!

June 1, 2011

A few weeks ago I wrote about Chicago Children’s Theatre’s very cute production of Dot & Ziggy at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre. The show is ideal for children 6 months to 6 years, and is just the perfect amount of time to hold your little one’s attention. The Theatre paid for me and Elise [...]

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What to expect at a maternity photo session

May 27, 2011

Today I’m posting an interview with Julia Franzosa, a Chicago photographer specializing in maternity, newborn and family work. Her style is best explained as simplistic and honest. Julia believes that photographs are more than just images, they are a way to freeze time and capture the moment of life. The portraits of your children will be priceless for [...]

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