Monday, May 21, 2012
Girl Scouts Troop #41059, a group of fifth graders at Skokie School in Winnetka, has developed a life-saving campaign called JUST DRIVE, which is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.
Dear Readers, I am a Junior Girl Scout in Troop #41059, and we are telling you to JUST DRIVE. Did you know: I myself have experienced a car accident caused by distracted driving. Driving on the highway with my mom and my friend, a car came along and the driver was talking on his phone. The driver ran straight into the back of our car, and our back bumper came off! Fortunately no one was hurt but we were lucky, it could have been a lot worse. So I am asking everyone to JUST DRIVE. No cellphones. No distractions. Kelly Bertram Junior Girl Scout Troop #41059
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Illinois lawmakers are again looking to expand gambling options in Illinois.
Illinois lawmakers are considering plans to add more casinos as the state continues to grapple with budget woes. The latest proposals would place casinos in Danville, Rockford and Waukegan. Another proposal would allow for slot machines to be operated at race tracks like Arlington Park, the Alton Daily News reported. The bills are sponsored by Terry Link (D-Waukegan) in the Senate and Lou Lang (D-Skokie) in the House. Gov. Pat Quinn has called the legislation to, once again, expand gambling in Illinois "a distraction." Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been pushing for a Chicago casino. A Chicago casino is something that officials in the city long have sought. As far back at 1993, Mayor Daley proposed an $800 …
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Betsy and Sal take on a recent Time magazine cover story and answer the question, "Are you mom enough?"
Have you seen the shocker on the cover of this week’s Time magazine? Our jaws dropped when we picked up the issue: it’s $4.99! We bought it anyway, because of the provocative photo and headline: “Are You Mom Enough?” Surely you’ve seen the picture of the chilly looking twenty-six year old mother standing erect and staring blankly at the camera as her three-year-old son, old enough to stand on a wooden chair, is suction cupped to her nipple, having a little snack. The article details a worrisome trend in child rearing called “Attachment Parenting.” There’s a lot of posturing in the article, which we’ll sum up as follows: as soon as the doctor cuts the cord, a mother’s life is over. We paraphrase, of course. Here’s what it states in the…
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The decision of whether to open gifts at a kid's birthday party isn't always easy.
Birthday parties mean birthday presents which brings up the question, “Do you open the gifts at the party or not?” When I ask people this question I get some adamant "Yes" and "No" answers, but quite a few Moms I talk to, especially new Moms, aren’t quite sure what to do. My vague answer is, “It depends.” There are quite a few things you need to consider regarding your child’s birthday party and the answer may not be the same every year. First and foremost you need to do what is right for your child. Does he or she want to open gifts or just keep playing with friends? You also need to consider what you can handle as the party hostess. Sometimes it is hard to gauge how much time it will take. But, don’t let anyone tell you how it should …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
THEATER REVIEW. This show about writing a show could have been more tightly edited, but at times seems so spontaneous it creates an in-the-moment feel. It's playing in Skokie at Northlight Theatre.
THEATER REVIEW When all the members of an ensemble cast pull their own weight and play off their characters' personality differences, they create a pleasure for the audience to watch. The four actors in Northlight Theatre's [title of show] nailed it on that count. Yes, [title of show] is the title of the show. It's a bit confusing until you learn the characters are writing a show to enter into a theater festival, and they don't have a ready answer for the part of the entry form that says [title of show]. So-- in this show about writing a show, Matthew Krowle lets his demons and his creative juices all hang out as he plays Hunter, the main scribe, and that's balanced nicely by the way Stephen Schellhardt plays Jeff, his composer-…
Sunday, May 13, 2012
President Barack Obama said that he supported gay marriage this week, while Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.
Gay marriage came to the forefront of the 2012 presidential campaign this week. President Barack Obama said on ABC's Good Morning America that he personally supported gay marriage. "You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently," Obama said in the interview with ABC. Obama's support for gay marriage came one day after North Carolina passed an amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, the Huffington Post Reported. Republican …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Betsy and Sal talk Mother's Day cards and brunches in this week's column.
The answer is: Sideboard and cardboard. The question is: How do we celebrate Mother’s Day? Let’s start with the sideboard, which is code for brunch, because be honest, have you ever in your life been invited to a Mother’s Day dinner? Neither have we. By about 4 in the afternoon, Mother’s Day is long forgotten. But brunch? That seems to be the mother of all meals. In our family, here’s how the planning proceeds: Email from Matriarch: “Your father and I would like to host a brunch for Mother’s Day. What are people eating?” On the surface, nothing could be lovelier. Not only is “Grandma” having the gang over for a meal, she’s also asking what we’d like to have served. Scratch the surface and behold the chaos and mayhem known as eating in the …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A Mother's Day reminder of the joys of motherhood
Mother's Day is this Sunday, just in case you were too busy being a Mother to notice. It got me thinking about how sometimes I'm so busy, tired, and stressed that I don't stop to appreciate why being a Mom is worth it. Some days it's easier to focus on the negatives and I ask myself why did I go through all of the pain, nausea, sleepless nights, insecurity, and the extra 10 pounds that won’t go away? So, I wrote a post on Why Being a Mom is Worth It that I wanted to share. But more importantly, I'd love to hear from you. Why Do You Love Being a Mom? Please comment below and let's create a great list of why Motherhood is amazing. The reminder is a nice gift to ourselves. I want to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. I hope your day is …
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Chicago is considering a tax on soda as a way to raise revenue and combat obesity.
Chicago held hearings this week on whether to tax soda to fight obesity. Alderman George Cardenas proposed a tax of 15 to 35 cents on sugary drinks. Cardenas proposed the tax as a way to fight child obesity rates. The tax also would raise about $129 million in revenue. Childhood obesity in the U.S. has more than tripled in the last 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC states that in 2008, a third of U.S. children were overweight or obese. The percentage of children 6 to 11 defined as obese rose from 7 percent in 1980 to almost 20 percent in 2008. “We know that taxing at the right level can reduce consumption of sugary drinks and that reducing consumption will help reduce the prevalence of obesity,” Fox Chicago …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Finding common ground amongst a range of women (and some men) addicted to reading Shades of Grey.
Two minutes into my search for new running shoes, I couldn’t resist calling my sister. “Neon. It’s the new black.” She answered exactly as I’d expected, in classic Betsy style. “I’m not wearing neon.” Pause. “Okay, I’ll wear neon.” “I’m resisting. Size 11 shoes should not be fluorescent,” I said. “How much says you’ll own a pair in two weeks?” Betsy challenged. There was no way I was taking her up on that bet, because I knew that as soon as I saw her wearing ridiculous neon sneakers, I’d have to have a pair. Then I went on a gal pal trip to the Caribbean and realized neon wasn’t limited to athletic shoes. Lined up on the pool deck were a group of six young women, all in their early twenties, and all wearing neon bikinis. Apparently, my …
Marie DeLean
7:36 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
This isn't about anyone telling you what to do, Dan. It's about being safe so that you don't kill someone while you're distracted. Hopefully that matters to you? more ›