It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is probably my all time favorite movie. The love I feel for it borders on unnatural. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it. Maybe twenty. Probably more. It slays me every time. But I still want to watch it every year around the holidays. My family? Well, not so... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
December 26, 2016 at 6:46 pm • 

“It Only Takes Five Minutes!” The 30 things they say I need to do every day

“It Only Takes Five Minutes!” The 30 things they say I need to do every day
For far too long I’ve been hearing about all the “simple” things I can do to make my life better. If only I just did these things every day. And the selling point by the “salespeople” is always how little effort it really takes and then how big the payout will be. But, do the... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
December 13, 2016 at 6:55 pm • 

The Cubs Post Season: How to go to a game and look like a long-time season ticket holder and not a new or fair-weather fan

The Cubs Post Season: How to go to a game and look like a long-time season ticket holder and not a new or fair-weather fan
The Cubs post-season is upon us. (And I will never get tired of saying that!) While all teams should welcome and encourage new fans, nobody wants to go to a game, much less a post-season game, looking like it’s the first one they’ve ever attended. Here are some helpful tips from A City Mom to make you look like... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
October 7, 2016 at 2:44 pm • 
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Eight reasons it’s really fun the Cubs are having a winning season

Eight reasons it’s really fun the Cubs are having a winning season
8) “Whoomp, There it is!”  I’ve never heard this at Cubs games before this season and I’m not sure where it originated but it sure is fun to sing out, even if it is a bit taunty and taunting is not nice and terrible karmically, but, dang it, after suffering through so many tomahawk chops…... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
August 23, 2015 at 9:55 am • 

Preparing for an empty nest: my heart is screaming

Preparing for an empty nest: my heart is screaming
My heart was screaming. And that is the only way to describe it. I’d just dropped my 18-year-old son at the airport to catch his flight to LA for his future college’s accepted student’s weekend and had arrived back home. It was when I got back into bed (it was only 6:30 am, after all)... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
April 19, 2015 at 10:59 am • 

Co-Pilot lands plane! Oh my!

Co-Pilot lands plane! Oh my!
Co-pilots, First Officers, whatever you want to call the person sitting to the right of the Captain, (“Roger”?) know how to fly the plane, up to and including, landing it. I’m always a bit stunned when news stories seem to imply otherwise.  Seriously, explaining this (and the fact you never, ever waited four hours “on... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
January 30, 2015 at 6:12 pm • 
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Cross Words for Will Shortz

Cross Words for Will Shortz
Recently, in an attempt to better myself, stave off Alzheimer’s and add to my gray hairs, I decided I would try to get better at doing The New York Times crossword puzzle. I know! I’ve been tackling the Chicago Tribune and USA Today puzzles for years and had become rather good at them. Why not... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
December 29, 2014 at 10:09 am • 

Fighting Illini and Coors, because every collegiate sports team should have an official beer

Fighting Illini and Coors, because every collegiate sports team should have an official beer
Have you seen this billboard on Damen Avenue, just north of Fullerton?  The first time I drove by I almost swerved off the road while doing a spit-take. An official beer? For a college? Okay, I understand that The Fighting Illini and The University of Illinois are not entirely interchangeable. One is a fine institution... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
November 7, 2014 at 7:58 am • 

How to stay married for 25 years

How to stay married for 25 years
My husband and I just recently hit that milestone anniversary and someone asked us how we did it. Of course, his flip reply was, “I just do everything she says.” Which was pretty funny, but decidedly untrue. I mean, if you could just see the way this man loads a dishwasher. So how did we... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
September 24, 2014 at 10:39 am • 
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Saying good-bye to the best dog ever

Saying good-bye to the best dog ever
Playing God is not for the faint of heart. It’s not for anyone, really, except maybe God. We just put our dog to sleep. Wrigley had lung cancer. We’d thought it was kennel cough. Then maybe a virus. But she took a turn for the worse, and the time from diagnosis to her death was... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
August 6, 2014 at 9:52 am •