The truth about raising boys and girls
When you’re pregnant, questions and curiosities—everything from how big will my baby be to who will he/she look like

Major league Dad
Gabriella Faith arrived 10 weeks too early. At 3 pounds, 8 ounces, Gabby, as her family calls her, was only 16 inches long

Get in the Game
Michelle McDowell does something almost unimaginable these days: She feeds her family of five—including 8-year-old twin

How we do it
"One way that I save money is by checking frugalforlife.com a couple of times a week

Become freezer frugal
The next time you walk by your freezer, open it up and count the number of bags, boxes and containers of frozen foods

Living with the Little Professor Syndrome
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The Christmas he was 11, Randy Charley asked Santa Claus for a cloning contraption.

Misunderstood and left out
Yn and Yang would have been good names for two Joliet brothers with a form of autism called Asperger Syndrome

Three on the spectrum
My phone exploded when Jenny McCarthy appeared on Oprah. "Jenny's got a kid with autism, too. Do you know her?"

When go means green
The all-American love affair with gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and recreational ramblers

Thrifty near 30
The Green Car List

Ten steps to buying a new car
Buying a new vehicle for your family can be a stressful and confusing process.

Crystal ball shows the future is very green
As children, when we dreamed about the "car of the future," it probably had wings

Homework helpers
Your son walks in from the bus stop with a sour expression on his face. You know that look, but decide to proceed anyway.

An end to the pain?
Pierce Salbego suffered ear infection after ear infection, many requiring more than one round of antibiotics

Connect with your grandkids
Ever ask a kid, "How did your day go at school?" The usual answer is short. "Fine."

Can-do kid
While video games and computers are popular activities for many middle schoolers, 13-year-old Estrella Puente

What’s in your neighborhood
South suburban resource guide

Save a little green
No matter if you are rich or poor or smack dab in the middle, the price of gas and groceries is probably cutting

Father knows best?
When I was without children, back in my young adult days, I was appalled when a child threw food in a restaurant

Out and About
In an effort to save the planet and the family purse, my husband and I decided to make our tiny Toyota Corolla

There’s more to a bully than meets the eye
My son’s first encounter with a bully happened while he was still in diapers, when another 2-year-old shoved him

A little preparation of lunch boxes
Preventing foodborne illness has been on everyone’s mind lately. With children back in class

FAB mama
Bust lines come in all shapes and sizes. For moms more endowed than others, wearing low-cut shirts

Dealing with lice and ring worm
The start of a new school year is the perfect time to discuss lice and ring worm. These parasites may gross you out

Wet felting with kids
Sometimes children’s crafts can feel redundant. Materials like poster paints, construction paper and glue sticks

When the kids run the show
Who’s in charge at your house? In too many homes, the answer to that would be "the kids."

Giving peace a chance
As an art therapist and child trauma specialist in the Englewood area,

Financial costs hit home
A new study finds that families with children with special needs have different out-of-pocket expenses depending on the state

Mom takes on food industry
Kathleen Silverman was vigilant about what she fed her son Tyler, who suffers from life-threatening food allergies.

Beating the college crunch
It should come as no surprise to parents that college tuition is on the rise and that a college degree is becoming essential

Art meets storytelling
The rich culture of her Ukrainian Village neighborhood is the perfect place for Lydia Garry to share her passion for art

Talking about autism
When Christina Blakey’s 3½-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in 2003, a California-based Web site

New clinic advocates for children with disabilities
Children with developmental disabilities have a new advocate to champion their cause at the DePaul University

Toys for kids with special needs
Toys "R" Us has published a new guide for buying toys for kids with disabilities. The free guide is available in Toys "R" Us

Taking a bite out of sports injuries
A new high-tech mouth guard system, used by many professional athletes,

Baby’s first workout
Tummy Time" is a familiar phrase for most new parents. Since the early ’90s "Back to Sleep" campaign,

Let’s talk about science
Close your eyes for a moment and envision a scientist. What picture appears in your mind?

A look at libraries
All of these books have special meaning for me because they all relate to where I worked for many years—the library.

Songwriting that soars to new heights
It is not that Laurie Berkner has not been busy. She made the rounds earlier this year and appeared on The View,

Great books to fill an afternoon
Thirteen-year-old Jonah and his best friend, Chip, are adopted. Things get interesting for the pair when they begin

September 4, 2008
Get out there and play. You don’t have to sprechen sie Deutsches—that’s German for ‘speak German’ —to enjoy a fabelhaftes Festival—that’s ‘fabulous festival’—in celebration of German-American heritage in Chicago. The German-American Fest, held Friday-Sunday, will host plenty of German-inspired activities, including dancing, singing, eating and even a parade.

September 4, 2008
Get out there and play. You don’t have to sprechen Sie Deutsch—that’s German for ‘speak German’ —to enjoy a fabelhafte Festival—that’s ‘fabulous festival’—in celebration of German-American heritage in Chicago. The German-American Fest, held Friday-Sunday, will host plenty of German-inspired activities, including dancing, singing, eating and even a parade.

September 11, 2008
Get out there and play. If men in kilts, bagpipes and heavy athletics sound like your family’s version of a good time, head down to Celtic Fest Chicago this weekend in Grant Park, Jackson Boulevard and Columbus Drive, Chicago. There will be plenty of music, kids’ activities and Irish culture to enjoy, too.

September 18, 2008
Get out there and play. Celebrate the transition into fall the German way, through an Oktoberfest celebration Oak Park style. This year’s OakToberfest, held this Friday and Saturday, will have you feeling fall-ish with its zucchini races, root beer and beer gardens, music and local samplings of fall food.

September 25, 2008
Get out there and play. They might paint on your walls more than they paint on paper, but there’s no doubt your budding little Picassos love art. Harness their artistic imaginations this Saturday at the opening of the Art Institute of Chicago’s new exhibit, 360 Degrees: Art Beyond Borders. The free event will include plenty of drop-in activities, performances and a visit with Artie the lion.