summer

Pick-A-Side: Which Is Your Favorite Picnic Food?

2013/05/13

Interviews With Veterans: What Memorial Day Means From A Hero’s Perspective

How do you celebrate Memorial Day, and what does this federal holiday mean to you and your family? Read what some of our country’s veterans had to say about Memorial Day, patriotism and what this annual holiday means to them.

2013/05/13

Tips for Preparing Your Vegetable Garden This Summer

Are you considering growing your own vegetables to save money and eat healthier? Growing a garden takes some advanced planning, as well as a great deal of time, patience and effort. Utilize these 10 helpful tips to prepare your garden and make it flourish.

2013/05/13

10 Part-Time Summer Jobs Perfect for Teens

Summer, summer, summertime! It’s every kid’s favorite time of year, but too much time on their hands can be a concern for parents. A fun part-time summer job may be the answer.

2013/05/13

Best Grilling Gadgets For Your Summer Cookouts

Everyone longs for summer, barbecues, and cookouts. Whatever your specialty, there are grilling gadgets galore to make the job easier and even more fun.

2013/05/13

Water Safety: How To Keep The Kids Safe Around The Beach Or Pool

Whether planning a beach vacation this summer or staying closer to home at the neighborhood pool, be mindful of water safety and how to keep the kids safe.

2013/05/13

Mother’s Day Celebrations From Around The World

Ever wanted to know how and when Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world? We take a look at the annual traditions of five countries to find out.

2013/04/29

This Summer, It’s Hotter Over The Lake

In a Chicago summer that’s broken all kinds of heat records, another one has fallen.

2012/07/31

Excuses To Be In A/C

Good gravy. It is still so stupid hot. Even if it’s not triple digits, this is still gross. My shirt is holding onto every inch of my back. Walking is hard. Biking makes me feel and smell like a surly viking. THIS MUST STOP. Let’s go cool off and remember that we live in an age where for the low, low cost of our children’s future with an ozone layer, we can be cold right now – YEAH! Besides, they’ll probably invent totally green-recyclable-organic A/C units that make the rainforest glow with Gaia’s energy. We deserve to be cold, and the kids will fix it! DOUBLE YEAH!

2012/07/25

Best Outdoor Hotel Pools In Chicago

We all know Chicago weather is unpredictable to say the least. For this reason, outdoor pools are few and far between in the city. If you’re planning a trip to town, a party or just a weekend in Chicago, here’s a round up of the best outdoor hotel pools. There’s also a handy key noting which hotel is best for location, luxury, families and the view to help you determine the best hotel for you.

2012/07/05

Movies In The Parks: Summer’s Savior

Honestly, we’re not sure why it took us so long to realize there should be a movie playing outside in a park every day of the summer. You go to the beach, you play some sports, maybe you just grill all day and do cannonballs in the pool, but then you want to gather up and watch a good-timey movie with the gang. We’ve rounded up some of our own favorite Movies in the Parks below!

2012/06/26

Summer Songs: 10 Classic Tracks To Heat Up The Season

What’s summer without a soundtrack? Here are some classics to keep you groovin’ when the temperature rises.

2012/06/18

How Your Backyard Can Save Your Summer

Much to my boys’ dismay, we simply cannot spend every minute of daylight each day of summer vacation at the park, the pool or at the beach. There are days we all simply need to relax, and well, the house isn’t self-cleaning and dinner isn’t self-preparing, so even if we table the relaxing idea, there are days (even in the gloriousness of summer vacation) when we simply must be homebound in order to keep alive and partially clean. This is where the backyard comes in…

2012/06/18

Best Free Chicago Summer Concerts

It’s the season for big-ticket concerts and weekend-long lineups with multi-day passes priced in the hundreds. Luckily, for us cheapskates, summer’s also the season for live music events of the free variety. One of the perks of big city life is there’s plenty of free entertainment, and you don’t have to look too hard to find it. The hefty schedule of outdoor festivals downtown and in the neighborhoods add up nicely to a summer’s worth of live jams on the cheap, and there’s something for every taste. Here are my personal picks for the top local freebie shows for Summer 2012.

2012/06/14

Best Summer Veggies

We walk a thin line with vegetables in our house; so much so that I’ve submerged myself in vegetable experimentation to help our young boys reside more on the love side of that line and tread less into deep waters of disgust on the other (nobody hates veggies more than I do when they become part of the wallpaper!). Picky eaters may still have a hard time with these recipes, but we’ve found them to be successful more times than not. And with all of these vegetables making a massive resurgence now that summertime is descending upon Chicagoland, they are easy to find, easy on the wallet and easy on the pallet.

2012/05/31