Sometimes I want a break from being ALL. THE. THINGS.    The home nurse, the fierce advocate, the educator, the researcher of everything related to X medical condition, the "don't you dare come in our hospital room ever again and I want to talk to your supervisor NOW" quality control specialist, the accountant, the medical supply manager, the parent/child visit supervisor, the guy at the bottom of the totem pole who gives all the updates to the DCFS people who can't seem to update one an

You know that commercial where the guy is like, "I'm never getting married." He gets married. Then he says to his wife, "We're never having kids." And then they have kids. And then he says, "We're never moving to the suburbs." And they obviously move to the suburbs. Yeah, that was kinda me. Not so much the marriage and kids part, but I definitely thought I'd never move to the suburbs. ***Cue all the suburbanites laughing at me in unison.*** My husband and I were the couple that loved living

Selling your house is stressful. Emotions run high, there are many sleepless nights…and I’m just talking about the adults. When there are kids involved with selling real estate, everything gets amped up even more. How do I know? Because I’m going through the process right now and it has been a roller coaster that I can’t wait to get off of.   So take some of my advice and follow these 6 tips for selling your house while raising small children:   Expect things to take longer than

“She defied the odds” is usually associated with heroic tales. He beat cancer. She won the election. Her business thrived despite ________ (insert natural disaster here).  When you are infertile, beating the odds is the most deflating, depressing and difficult pill to swallow. I have now officially defied all odds, hooray! Just another badge to put on my IVF vest. I am 29 years old and have been actively seeking infertility treatments for 1 year and 8 months. I have unexplained inferti

My wife started planning our daughter’s first birthday party months ahead of time. It was an intricate circus theme, including 19 documented ideas that I will spare you of except for these: wine bottles whose labels were entitled “cirque du vin” or had circus elephants on them; three flavors of homemade popcorn served in bright red pails with chrome-plated scoops and red and white striped peanut bags; and mini circus-animal cake pops. If you want to have such a party, let me know and I

As Chicago parents, we have many, many questions about our children’s education.   These questions start before our little ones are even born: Should I send my child to CPS, look at private schools, or move to the suburbs? What is my local school? Is it “good”?   Parents of diverse learners face many more questions as their children grow: How will my child get her needs met once she is in school? Is CPS up to the challenge? How do I start the process of enlisting school support? 

“What do I do when my baby reaches over and grabs another baby’s hair?” It's a common question at the playgroup I lead.  As a teacher of young children—birth to three years—I see lots of exploration, curiosity and expression of wants that affect other children, as well as parents and caregivers. What is the best way to guide young hearts, hands and minds in a group setting? It’s important to remember the age of the child. I have seen two babies, sitting and facing each other, with one

If you’re expecting, no doubt you’re receiving unsolicited advice and hearing horror stories. I’ve spent more than 20 years working in OB at three of Chicago’s leading maternity centers. Here is my perspective as a nurse. 1. There is no crystal ball. Labor is not an exact science. However, the majority of the time, mom and baby are fine, and most couples tell me it was a nicer experience than they expected. 2. The nurses aren’t mind readers. Tell your labor nurse the top three things a

One thing I know with absolute certainty is that we wouldn't have been able to advocate as hard and effectively as we have for our children without our community. I also know that our kids wouldn't be as strong and stable as they are today without the amazing friends and family who have gone above and beyond to keep us, their parents, strong.    Everyone knows someone with a special-needs child and I guarantee that even if they haven't asked or even if they tell you they just need your t

My husband and I have moved a few times since getting married. Moving is not fun by any means (especially in Chicago where you have to get creative with rental truck parking, lots of stairs, etc.), but we’ve always managed it by renting a truck and coaxing friends to help us with the promise of pizza and beer. Our most recent move was different because now we have twin toddlers who bring more “baggage” (sorry, couldn’t resist) into the equation. After living through this move and talking to

You have discovered or have been told that your partner has been having an affair. You’ve been hit by a ton of bricks engulfed by a tsunami of emotions ranging from anger, resentment, wanting to seek revenge to sadness, despair and helplessness.     One of the first questions that may arise is “Should I stay or should I go?” While the answer is there and is different for everyone, you may not have an immediate answer or you unequivocally have the answer and are already in the height of y

Every party, big or small, has a pooper—don’t let it be you. What am I talking about specifically? Birthday party etiquette for parents. If you are in any local Facebook mom groups or have checked out the NPN forum, you will see that parents are making party fouls left and right that end with tears from both kids and adults. Here’s how to avoid kid birthday party blunders:   If you're throwing a party... No one likes to be left out. So err on the side of caution and invite every sin

Before having my daughter, I never thought about what stay-at-home-mom life would be like because I never thought I'd be a SAHM. Fast forward though the newborn stage, my return to work, and then my decision to quit my job and I'm now living the stay-at-home-mom life. It's certainly been interesting, fun, challenging, wonderful, exhausting and all the usual descriptors. But I thought I'd give you a glimpse into the real thoughts that go through a stay-at-home mom's head every day. You know, the

As with all things pandemic, it’s been quite the year for Chicago parents who have applied for Chicago Public School (CPS) seats at Open Enrollment, Magnet, Magnet Cluster and Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools for the 2021-2022 school year. CPS has announced that first round notifications for three magnet preschools (Suder, Drummond and Inter-American) and all lottery-based and selective enrollment elementary (K-8th grade) results will be released after 5pm on Friday, May 28, 2021. This is

There have been a few strategies I have learned along the way of being a special needs parent that have been so helpful for our family. One such strategy is having a hospital “go” bag. Already having a hospital bag packed has been a major relief at 2am when we are leaving for the ER, because we don’t have to run around scrambling for essentials for what may be a few days in the hospital. We keep our hospital bag in the car at all times—we don’t always go to the ER from our house, it might be fro

When someone asks whether a restaurant is "kid-friendly," that's often code for: "How tolerant is the staff about my kid throwing his chicken fingers on the floor just for kicks, escaping his seat to take a lap around the restaurant and having two meltdowns before the appetizers arrive?" But beyond being understanding that kids will be kids, kid-friendly restaurants also have a menu filled with things kids will like, plenty of highchairs and booster seats, super-quick service and, if they're rea

Truth be told, I’m the last person who wanted to put her child in daycare. When my son was born, we had a full-time nanny. When he was 18 months old, we found ourselves needing a new child care arrangement, and my husband suggested daycare so our son would have more socialization and learning activities. I started researching daycares (on NPN’s forum, of course), and we chose a referral. My son’s first few weeks in daycare were a transition—more for me than him—but he quickly became comfort

With our first child, we agonized over most decisions, but deciding what to do about child care was the hardest. It gave me constant anxiety and frequently kept me up at night. It was one of those BIG scary decisions we procrastinated making. My husband and I grew up with stay-at-home moms, and while I knew I would go back to work, it took me a while to realize what that meant. Would we still be raising our daughter if she spent more wakeful hours in child care than with us? What type of ch

Oh, potty training. It’s something you look forward to (hello, end of diapers!) but in reality it is like you are going to war. And the worst part? You are under the command of a temperamental toddler who couldn’t care less about your expensive furniture or about taking a break from playing to sit on a cold, hard toilet. But here’s the thing: You will get through it. How? By being flexible, investing in some great carpet cleaners (and a bottle of wine if need be) and maintaining a sense of humor

Are you, like my husband and me, raising two kids in a two-bedroom condo or apartment? Are you wondering how long your family will fit or wishing you had more space? We do, too. But as parents of two boys (seven and nine years old), we have grown to love life in our little place. We’ve enjoyed living here longer than we thought we would, and you might enjoy several more years, if not a lifetime, in your small home. Here’s why. Small homes are easy to keep clean. Spending 10 minutes putting

I recently turned down an invitation for my two-year-old daughter and I to join a fun outing, and the hostess was mad. "Aren't you ever going to let her have any fun?" she said. "How is she supposed to learn social skills?" Yeah, we miss out on a lot of fun things. Yes, I doubt myself and fear I am overreacting. But before you judge me for keeping my child in a bubble, step into my shoes for a moment. It's Respiratory Syncytial Virus season. RSV infects the lungs and breathing passages

Photo credit: Sarah-beth Photography Rarely do you see a person with a disability in an ad campaign that has nothing to do with his or her disability. Chicago mom, NPN member and photographer Katie Driscoll aims to change that with her charity, Changing the Face of Beauty. Her goal? To convince retailers large and small to include people with disabilities in their ad campaigns.  "The common response I receive from the industry is, 'We never even thought about including those with disab

"They are so lucky to have you." This is something my family hears regularly from strangers and friends alike. Every time I hear it my heart sinks, because I know the person saying it has the best possible intentions but, really, these babies are far from lucky and it misses the reality of their painful journey.  Every single child deserves a loving, supportive home. Luck should have nothing to do with it. But if it did, "lucky" would have been being able to stay with their first famil

When you're pregnant, how breastfeeding will work for you won't be apparent until after your little one greets the world and screams for food. You won't know whether your baby will latch easily, how much milk you'll produce, or whether it'll hurt a lot or not at all. But there is still plenty you can do while pregnant to get prepared and educate yourself about how to feed your baby.   Barbara Hardin, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with The Mother's Milk Com