• Best Thing Ever,  Family Fun,  Friends,  Fun in Chicago,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    Whirlyball, Where Have You Been All My Life?

    April 1, 2015

    Actually, I guess it’s the other way around. Whirlyball has been a Chicago staple for years and years, right here in front of me, but for some reason–and I’ll be kicking myself over it for a long time to come–I had never tried it…until this week. (Disclosure: the fine folks at Whirlyball invited me and some friends in for some complimentary play. I was not compensated for this post.) Whirlyball, which is a combination of lacrosse, basketball, hockey, and bumper cars, is a fast-paced team game and SO MUCH FUN. Players are buckled into “WhirlyBugs” with a plastic scoop in hand. The idea is to get a whiffle ball through…

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  • Fun in Chicago

    Note To Self:

    February 8, 2015

    Next year, remember to ask someone to remind me that I will likely need a sleep aid on the night in between LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER CHICAGO audition days. It’s what happens when we listen–oh, so willingly!–to these from-hilarious-to-heartbreaking stories of motherhood for hours at a time. At night, the stories start to ooze out. They stick with us for so many different reasons. When we’re in the beginning of the process of having to choose which ones are right for the show this year, there is excitement about finding our newest LTYM Chicago family members combined with sadness in thinking about the many who will have to be let…

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  • Blessings,  Friends,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  Travels

    Apparently My Word For 2014 Was “Travel”.

    December 31, 2014

    This time last year I noticed many of my friends picking “a word for 2014”, something they would live by or strive for. I didn’t join in but it all worked out. As it turned out my word, “Travel”, found its way to me. While thinking about what kind of 2014 wrap-up post I wanted to write, what stuck out the most was how much travel I did this year. In fact, without even looking at my calendar to count days properly I figured out off the top of my head that I was away from my home for between six and eight weeks. That’s a lot of time living…

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  • Best Thing Ever,  My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments

    Passing My Gifts On To The Next Generation

    December 23, 2014

    Presenting the special people in my life with gifts is one of my very favorite things to do in the entire world. I mean, you have no idea. Last year I wrote about the method behind my gift-giving madness: “I’m the type of person that will remember something you casually mention you like for ten full months until your birthday so I can get it, wrap it in pretty paper, and present it to you as if I bought it on a whim. I have bookmarked things online that family and friends share because they think they’re cool, pretty, awesome, or whatever, for later gift consideration. I will buy something…

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  • Travels

    It’s Better In The Bahamas

    December 13, 2014

    Jim and I just returned from a five-day cruise to the Bahamas. I wish we were still on said cruise to the Bahamas, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end. While we re-acclimate to our lives here at home, enjoy this picture—one of my favorite shots from the trip— and a little list I made in my head on the way home. What I Will Miss About The Cruise: 1. Not having to make my own dinner 2. Not having to make my own bed 3. Not having to clean my own bathroom 4. Not having to do dishes 5. Fun, delicious drinks that are made with…

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  • Pretty Pictures,  Random Thoughts,  Travels

    This Is South Beach.

    December 7, 2014

    South Beach is enjoying umbrella drinks at one o’clock in the afternoon. And two o’clock. And three o’clock, if you want. It’s Ocean Drive, jam-packed with restaurants on one side and the beach on the other. It’s pulsating beats, scantily-clad dancing girls (and boys). It’s people working out on the sand. And making out on the sand. It’s cruising in flashy cars—Jaguars, BMWs, Rolls Royces, Cadillacs—while valets try to get you to park in front of their restaurants because they know people will follow. It’s cameras and cell phones everywhere, taking pictures of those cars and scantily-clad dancing girls (and boys). It’s drummers randomly setting up on the beach, whipping…

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  • Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  Family Fun,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Travels

    Neverland

    December 5, 2014

    This was originally going to be a Throwback Thursday post but as it turns out, yesterday was a crazy work day and two things happened since then which will help this be a better post. It’s all good. First, last night, many of my friends were watching “Peter Pan Live” on NBC, which is something I probably would have tuned into if our antenna would allow the Peacock Network, but it doesn’t and so I lived vicariously through everyone else. I enjoyed reading everyone’s tweets and Facebook posts, and thought fondly about Peter, Tinkerbell, and the rest. It’s a great story. Second, this morning, I overheard part of a conversation…

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  • Childhood Memories

    Dynamic Duos

    November 29, 2014

    I was deep in thought over what I was going to write for this month’s Netflix Stream Team post about dynamic duos (read that by clicking here), and I remembered one of my favorite dynamic duos from the seventies, ElectraWoman and DynaGirl. Did you watch them every Saturday like I did? (If they were before your time, just keep it to yourself.)

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  • My Kid Has Mad Skillz

    Auto Awesome = The Next Level Of Awesome

    November 24, 2014

    Like most people, I use my phone to take pictures much more than I use my actual camera these days. I have it set up to backup my pictures to “the Cloud” (oy, so mysterious!) but it occurred to me that maybe I should back them up to Google+ as well. I started that process a few days ago. It takes a long time when you have nearly 2000 pictures. One of the really cool things that Google does, when it finds that you have a group of pictures that are taken around the same time and are similar in some way, is to engage its “Auto Awesome” feature. It…

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  • Blessings,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz

    Reason #829 Why I Love The Internet

    November 22, 2014

    The internet is pretty awesome. Okay, it is awesome if you set aside the ways in which it sucks. I’m focusing on the awesome today. Here’s the thing. It’s very common for people on the internet to band together and come forward to be supportive when there’s a personal crisis going on. There’s always someone on the internet to say, “Oh my gosh, me too!” or “Don’t worry; that’s totally normal!” whether you’re talking about physical issues, mental issues, home repair issues, kid issues, or any other kind of issue, really. The Good People of the Internet* are right there, helping others feel better. I was having my own crisis…

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