Chicago Open Houses – Weekend House Hunting Fun

Even though we are still feeling the affect of the recession, Chicago open houses are on my calendar this weekend. My husband and I have decided that its time to find a house to settle down in and move from our small 2 br townhouse. We spend a lot of evenings searching through hundreds of real [...]

Chicago CTA Busses & Union Station

I always like to recommend the best events around Chicago to attend and plan your weekends and vacations with but sometimes I have to call out the details about Chicago that are less than ideal. Today’s complaint is about the Chicago CTA bus service.
I have a love hate relationship with public transportation to begin with [...]

Mothers Day Flowers, Gifts & Brunch Ideas in Chicago

There are a lot of ideas for spending Mother’s Day in Chicago with mom this year. Whether your mom is a corporate VP or a stay at home multitasking genius, there is something you can do to make this Sunday’s Mother’s Day Special.
Mother’s Day Flowers are always a great gift. Most moms love flowers so [...]

Spring Break in Chicago – Things to do

I know that the tradition is to leave Chicago and go to a warm sunny tropical location to celebrate spring break, but for many people who live throughout the Midwest, Chicago is the destination for a spring break getaway. If you’re from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri or Minnesota you might be thinking of spending Spring [...]

NCAA in Chicago – College Basketball March Madness and the Final Four

Some college basketball fans wild with excitement in 2008 – Image Credit MorphoMir on Flickr

March Madness used to be the one time during the year when betting at work was ok. Everyone got their brackets, whether they understood the NCAA college basketball tournament or not and the smack talk at the water-cooler continued for a [...]

St Patrick’s Day Parade in Chicago & Green River Dyeing

The Irish Plumbers in action on St Patrick’s Day Dyeing the Chicago River Green in the old location at the Michigan Avenue Bridge.

The Downtown Chicago St Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 12:00 noon, Saturday March 14th. This year like in many years the Chicago St Patrick’s Day Parade is not held on the actual holiday [...]

Tax Tips for IRS Tax Filing, Deductions & Green Tax Credits

It is that time of year again, Tax Preparation Season in Chicago. (it can ruin many weekends before April 15th) You get through Christmas and the Super Bowl and very quietly your 1099’s sneak up on you when you aren’t looking. Tax Preparation in Chicago can be just as challenging as any other location in the [...]

Chicago Willowbrook, Hillside, Fireside, 10 Pin, Tivoli and Brunswick Bowling Alleys

I realized about 7 years ago that bowling was enjoying a resurgence in popularity when all my friends were spending their weekends in rented shoes at bowling alleys in Chicago. I was surprised to see two bowling alleys packed this evening while driving home. I stopped by a store next to the Willowbrook Bowl on [...]

Happy Valentine’s Day Romantic Ideas in Chicago

In the past I have been very anti-valentine’s day, but now that I am engaged I am more ambivalent about it. If people want to get together on Valentine’s Day in Chicago and make love rather than war or money, it is probably a good thing. Those who don’t really want to bother with all the [...]

Refinance your Chicago Mortgage while Interest Rates are Low

With the Fed lowering the interest rate to effectively 0% a few weeks back we have all been waiting to see how the consumer mortgage rates will be affected in Chicago. Both the city and suburbs have been affected by the real estate housing bubble and many people who have 6-7% mortgage rates on their homes and [...]

Super Bowl Party Ideas & Dip Recipes that are Family Friendly

Every winter people all over Chicagoland huddle around their TV sets to watch the 2 best teams in the NFL go for the Super Bowl win regardless of if our Bears are in the game or not. We still enjoy seeing a good football game with any of the teams and throwing a big Superbowl party [...]

How to Drive in Snow and Ice Chicago Style – Winter Driving Saftey Tips

Since winter started this weekend with a blanket of snow I thought I would offer some top driving tips for how to drive in the snow and ice, in blizzards and generally Chicago style in the winter so you get where you need to go whatever the weather is like. This is also important for safety [...]