Tag: ChicagoNow
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Piano lessons: Although I quit them 32 years ago, I wish I still played
When I was 5 or 6 years old, my parents made me take piano lessons. The key phrase there is “made me.” Music lessons were not optional in my house. Properly raised children played the piano. Period. My mom had grown up taking piano lessons from my step-grandfather’s first wife (before she passed away) and my…
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Washington DC: I’ll always call it home
In the Spring of 1993, when most of my friends were headed to sandy beaches during Spring Break of our senior year of college, I hopped on a plane and jetted off to Washington DC where I hoped to land a job. I knew no one, had no connections or “ins,” and this was before…
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Blogapalooz-Hour: Top 11 Tips for Success
Blogapalooz-Hour: One hour each month when the bloggers of ChicagoNow blog about the same topic sent out at exactly 9:00 p.m. CT by Community Managers, Jimmy Greenfield or Shavon Banket. (Ed. note: That’s the wrong Jimmy Greenfield. ChicagoNow‘s Jimmy is not related to that James Greenfield. Find the right one here.) Bloggers hit publish at 10:00 p.m.…
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Love letter to my tears
June is almost over. And thank goodness for that. Between the five weeks my mom was in the hospital and one week in a rehab facility, my 43rd birthday, and the sudden and unexpected death of my favorite uncle, it’s been a month I’m eager to see come to a close. That, of course, is…
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Q&A with a ChicagoNow blogger: Kathy Mordini of Raining Cats and Dogs
One of my favorite ChicagoNow bloggers is Kathy Mordini who writes Raining Cats and Dogs. Kathy loves animals and it brings her much agony to imagine cats and dogs being abused, living shortened lives in kill shelters, and being bred in the horrible puppy mill conditions. Through her blog, Kathy has increased awareness of these…
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Lies My Parents Told Me
Things have been kind of heavy here at Little Merry Sunshine recently, so I’m going to lighten the mood a little for the next few days. Over at The Tot Wrangler, a wonderful ChicagoNow blog that you should be reading, there’s been a very lively discussion about lies parents tell their children. Read Part 1…
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Mental Health Awareness Month Celebrated by ChicagoNow
May was Mental Health Awareness Month and the incredible bloggers of ChicagoNow shared their incredibly personal stories and expertise with more than 30 posts on the topic. Most of the bloggers who wrote are not mental health professionals, but there is at least one Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Nicole Knepper, writer of Moms Who Drink…
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We never met, but my grandfather, Jesse Paulk, shaped my life
If I could meet anyone in the world, I’d choose to go back to before September 12, 1961 and meet my maternal grandfather, Jesse Paulk. September 12, 1961 was my mom’s 13th birthday and also the day my grandfather died. I was given my name, Jessica, in his memory. My mom’s brother also named his…
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Letters to a new mom: A ChicagoNow series
Over the course of this week, ChicagoNow bloggers have come together to provide our collective wisdom to new moms. This series came to be thanks to the efforts of Mary Tyler Mom. It was her suggestion and it caught on like wildfire. To date, there are 41 posts by both moms and non-moms alike. As…
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Bring Me Some Texas Tea, My Guilty Pleasure is Dallas
Once a month, the bloggers of ChicagoNow come together for Blogapalooza. It’s a one-hour event. At exactly 9:00 p.m., our fearless leader, Jimmy Greenfield, emails us a topic. We write and post whatever we have at 10:00 p.m. This month’s Blogapalooza topic was just released. Welcome to ChicagoNow’s Blogapalooz-Hour! Your challenge, if you choose to…
Jessica L Gardner 