More back to school savings tips

The average family spends more than $660 per child on back to school expenses. There are ways families can reduce that astronomical amount. Here are back to school savings tips to hopefully lessen the financial pain when it comes to school supplies and food. If you’re looking for back to school clothes shopping savings tips, […]

5 money saving tips for back to school clothes shopping

Back to school is a busy time of the year and while I love it, it feels like I’m always opening my wallet. Apparently, it’s not just me. A survey by the National Retail Federation (“NRF”) found that Americans will spend approximately $26.5 billion on back to school expenses. Yes, you read the correctly, $26.5 […]

25 S’mores recipes: a round up for National S’mores Day

National S’mores Day is August 10th. The combination of marshmallow, chocolate and graham crackers is a summer taste treat. It’s amazing how many smiles and happy memories come from just three simple ingredients. The first official s’mores recipe was published in the Girl Scout Handbook in 1927, though historians believe people were assembling s’mores years before […]

On Chicago Parent: Facts about adolescent growth spurts

I was always the shortest kid in school and the shortest in my family, until I had my daughter. Having a little person made me feel, well, not so little. That worked for about a decade, and has completely backfired on me now that she’s taller than I am. The tween growth spurt hit. That made […]

Book review: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

I love to read, but while the books I’ve read lately have been interesting or informative, they haven’t sucked me in. Earlier this summer I was really craving a really good book that I could dive into and lose myself in the story. I found it when I opened The Invention of Wings by Sue […]

It’s Batman Day! Facts about Batman

Happy Batman Day! In honor of the occasion, here are nine facts about Batman, who is also known as the Dark Knight or the Caped Crusader or Bruce Wayne. (See more on the Bruce Wayne name below.) 1. Batman first landed on the scene in 1939 in “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,”  Detective Comics […]

Facts about Vitamin E and why your body needs it

My daughter was enjoying a snack of apple slices with peanut butter this afternoon and, as she munched, she read the nutrition facts on the peanut butter label. She asked, “What does Vitamin E do for you body?” I thought for a moment, and realized that, other than thinking it was good for skin but having […]

This blood orange olive oil cake recipe is simple and delicious

I was a bit skeptical at the idea of Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil. That was really dumb of me, because this stuff is delicious. Like, nectar of the gods good. The smell alone is fabulous, but the taste – wowsers. (And yes, “wowsers” is a technical term.) In my town, there’s a cute […]