Vivacious, friendly and optimistic. Ambitious, hard-working and whip smart. These are the two sides of Highland Park mom Sarah Stopek Hirsch, one of Chicago’s top family travel bloggers. Recently, over a decadent lunch at Sixteen, we chatted about how she went from award-winning marketing promotions entrepreneur to starting WellTraveledKids.com less than a year ago. And […]
Make It Better Founder and Publisher Susan Noyes is joined by family fun expert and frequent Today Show guest Donna Bozzo to talk about great Shop For Good products to give as gifts. Buy these products now! Chelsea Carry-All from Vintage Nest, $18 Kohl Children’s Museum Bangle Bracelet from Burdeen’s Jewelry, $40 Pleece Jacket from Skandal, $295 […]
Love. Marriage. No baby carriage. Meghan Daum, the author of “Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids,” wants to reframe the discussion around the decision some make to not have children. “It was a project I wanted to do for a very long time,” Daum says. “So much of […]
Losing a loved one, be they family or friend, is a hellacious experience. Your brain is foggy with grief, and at the same time there are veritable mountains of truly important decisions to be made. Not an ideal combination. Having a support system to rely on — be it friends bearing casseroles or a trusted […]
Ah, the eight-hour workday. You wake before the sun and run to your train, festering in filmy sweat-stank slacks, only to arrive at work and endure pointless meetings, invasive cubicles and crowded deli counters until 5 o’clock rolls around. And, all that while, the sweat-stank slacks crystallize to such a degree that your pleated trousers […]
Sports often seem to dominate the conversation when it comes to extracurricular activities for kids. But, what about the kids who want to exercise their creative and cognitive muscles? Turns out, there are some really cool after-school opportunities for school-aged children to build, dream, express – and do. Here are a few of our favorites […]
Dana Suskind, M.D., Professor of Surgery and Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Chicago, recently presented her findings in the area of child learning and development at a Family Action Network (FAN) program at Skokie School. Her insights and advice are important for all parents and caregivers of young children. Curiosity […]
In the decade that Julie Lythcott-Haims served as dean of freshmen at Stanford University, she had a front row seat to watch 18- and 19-year-olds set sail away from their parents and enter the unchartered waters of adulthood. A shocking number of parents, however, hopped into the boat with their kids – and tried to […]
“When you parent, it’s crucial you realize you aren’t raising a ‘mini me,’ but a spirit throbbing with its own signature.” – Dr. Shefali Tsabary in “The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children“ The concept of “conscious parenting” has been garnering a lot of attention, but many moms and dads are still wondering what […]
At the end of the summer and the start of a new school year, fears loom large for parents with children about to start preschool – how will they deal with their child’s separation anxiety at the classroom door? Parents imagine their children feeling all kinds of scared, not wanting to be left without mom […]
