Tag: ChicagoNow

July 1, 2018: Little Merry Sunshine's 11th anniversary

July 1, 2018: Little Merry Sunshine's 11th anniversary
Today is the 11th anniversary of the day I began writing Little Merry Sunshine. Eleven years ago, I thought blogging was going to be a fun, new hobby, but didn’t think I’d really have any fans or regular readers. I also didn’t think I’d still be blogging 11 years later, but I am.  Go figure.... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 1, 2018 at 6:52 pm • 

Blogging isn't sexy, but I love it and ChicagoNow is my home

Blogging isn't sexy, but I love it and ChicagoNow is my home
I began blogging on July 1, 2007 on Blogger because I wanted to create a place on the internet that celebrated what was good in life and I was curious whether anyone would read the randomness that stumbles out of my brain. Even in the halcyon days of 2007, social media and, more generally, the... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
April 22, 2018 at 9:09 pm • 

Practice self kindness by taking a smartphone detox

Practice self kindness by taking a smartphone detox
Fellow ChicagoNow bloggers Beth, writer of Ups and Downs of a Yoga Mom, Nina, writer of You Know Neen, and Megan, writer of Stable Mable, and I are joining forces this week to practice self kindness with a smartphone detox. Popsugar‘s smartphone detox, which is the detox plan we are following, is a simple weeklong exercise... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
January 8, 2017 at 10:32 am • 
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If I could do it all over again, I'd have become a lawyer

If I could do it all over again, I'd have become a lawyer
Yesterday a friend of mine posted on Facebook about that it had been 19 years since Princess Diana was killed. Nineteen years I thought. Where have those years gone? The night of Princess Diana’s death began like many Saturday nights that summer: I was at home in my Alexandria, Virginia apartment studying for the LSAT,... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
August 31, 2016 at 10:00 pm • 

What happened to my BFF Mary?

What happened to my BFF Mary?
When we moved to Arlington Heights from Ft. Myers, Florida, in 1975, one of the biggest perks was that our block was filled with kids my age. There was Kenny and Judy next door; Kerrie and her younger brother across the street; Amy and her 3 siblings on the corner; Greg across the street; a... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
September 30, 2015 at 10:15 pm • 

8 tips for handling adult temper tantrums

8 tips for handling adult temper tantrums
Every so often we all lose our tempers. For whatever reason, we’ve had enough of being the bug smashed on the windshield of life and try as we might, we blow up. And every so often, we’re on the receiving end of someone else losing their stuff and exploding uncontrollably. If we’re not careful, when... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 29, 2015 at 10:36 pm • 
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Seven things I know about writing

Seven things I know about writing
Two of my ChicagoNow buddies, Nina writer of You Know Neen, and Michael writer of Mysteries of Life, recently tagged me in a meme going around the ChicagoNow writers on Facebook. I decided that rather than share my pearls of wisdom with just my Facebook friends, the entire world could benefit from my knowledge about... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
May 14, 2015 at 10:41 am • 

Beth Prystowsky uses Multiple Sclerosis to spread compassion throughout the world

Beth Prystowsky uses Multiple Sclerosis to spread compassion throughout the world
This is the first in a series of interviews with Little Merry Sunshine readers, LMS Reader Stories. If you’d like to be interviewed for this series, please read this post and send me an email. This past Sunday, I had the honor of sitting down and chatting with Beth Prystowsky, fellow ChicagoNow blogger and author... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
April 1, 2015 at 12:02 pm • 

New Holiday: Walk a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes Day

New Holiday: Walk a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes Day
In September 2013, as part of my personal challenge to have 100 new experiences, I created a holiday, International Stay In Bed and Read a Book Day. As you can imagine, it’s become very popular and is celebrated worldwide. Fourteen months later, I’ve decided that it’s time for another new holiday. Therefore, I hereby declare... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
November 25, 2014 at 9:57 pm • 
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It's my 1 Year ChicagoNow Blogiversary!

It's my 1 Year ChicagoNow Blogiversary!
One year ago today I joined the ChicagoNow family of bloggers. As I celebrate this one year blogiversary, it’s important to remember that I’ve actually been writing Little Merry Sunshine for more than seven years. Little Merry Sunshine began over on Blogger as a way for me to experiment with writing. I had no idea... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
November 18, 2014 at 8:35 am • 
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    Jessica Gardner

    A native of Chicago's Northwest Suburbs and resident of the North Shore, Little Merry Sunshine comes by her name honestly. The story goes that as a child, she was always so happy that she even slept with a smile on her face. Her mom nicknamed her Little Merry Sunshine. It stuck, along with her insatiable desire to focus on the good in the world and to leave it a little better than she found it. She does this by sharing her passions and dreams, what inspires her, and maybe you too, and furthering the discussion about how we can listen to our better angels. You can reach her at LittleMerrySunshineCN[at]WowWay[dot]com.

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