malin
Maria Malin biography
Maria Malin of Lake Forest loves being a "21st Century Mom" and writing about it in the Lake Forester. The Pioneer Press "21st Century Mom" …
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These are not usual times
If I was writing a “usual” column today, I’d probably talk about the “usual” rites of spring and how hectic the end of the school year is for families. I’d shake my head and laugh with you at how overwhelmed moms are with planning graduation …Read More
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A very special mom: Kristine Fontana
May is the month we remember mothers. There are moms that make you laugh, make you stronger, know when to hug, cry, or simply listen. There are moms who are there for their families, and moms who are there for everyone. Kristine Fontana of Lake …Read More
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Parents change conversations at home after tragedies
Parents are talking. To one another. More importantly, talking to their kids at home. And -- most importantly -- listening. Through the tragedies of these past months, families have opened new dialog; schools and youth groups have opened more doors to support our children’s emotional …Read More
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How Lent helps us think of others
I was at a dinner party two weeks ago, and I guess I never realized how much the season of Lent gets mixed into conversation this time of year. Who “gave up” what, who is trying to curb a bad habit, who is going to …
Warming up a winter day
In the everyday routine of these winter weeks -- when my days basically alternate between work, trips to the grocery store and back home again -- life feels pretty simple and predictable. Typical phone conversations revolve around the “same old same old” stuff – no …
Kids should care about Groundhog Day
So, today is Groundhog Day. A little after 7 a.m. this morning, as we shared a hot breakfast with our families before work and school, we momentarily gathered around our televisions and waited to see if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, telling us whether or …
School of St. Mary first-graders make New Year’s resolutions
So this week is the time to ponder re-dedication, new promises, new commitments. Of course, we’re talking about New Year’s resolutions. The vows we make at midnight on New Year’s Eve usually center around ridding ourselves of a bad habit, honing our skill at some …
Not alone in holiday frustrations
“I completely agree, Maria! I wouldn’t miss the holidays if they only happened every other year.” “I’m totally with you on the every-other-year holidays idea. Who do we call to immediately postpone 2011?” Oh, did I get the emails on my last column. And moms …
Let’s make holidays every other year
As I write this column, I am surrounded by boxes. Some are filled with Christmas decorations; some with fall decorations. I cannot grasp that fall is already behind us and the holidays are upon us yet again. Ask any mom— we’re all in denial for …
It is so important to say ‘thank you’
Thanksgiving evokes similar images each year; it sparks familiar conversation. “Where are you spending the holiday?” “Are you cooking?” We talk about what we’ll eat, and envision the spread of the food on our table – the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and …
Lake Forest High School flag football squad had winning spirit
There are winning teams, and then there are teams comprised of winners. This fall’s intramural flag football team at Lake Forest High School was both. Lake Forest last won the Chicago Area Single Elimination Flag Football championship title in 2003, and although 34 teams from …
When adults dress up for Halloween
What is it about Halloween and adults dressing up? This weekend, my husband and I will host a costume party fundraiser benefiting our son’s memorial scholarship fund, and the idea of a Halloween-themed event seemed to be a good fit. Our son absolutely loved dressing …
College applications: Time to stress
It’s “that” time of year. I should say, it’s “that” time of first semester of senior year of high school. My younger daughter is working on college applications. Need I say more? We sit down to dinner. We talk about nothing but college applications. I …
Woman finally finds answers about her time at Lake Bluff Children’s Home
Have you ever considered that there are people who unexpectedly enter our lives to teach us something, provide needed closure, or are put before us for a reason that we could have never anticipated, yet in hindsight feel like our alignment with them was somehow …
Innermost thoughts from behind the wheel
You know by now that I can’t help but share my innermost thoughts and observations about everyday life as a mom. What you may not know is that most of these revelations come to me as I’m driving. That’s right. I definitely don’t text while …
Debbie Saran’s excitement over Lake Forest’s 150th is contagious
Culminating over two years of planning that began with a small committee of residents from Lake Forest, this Saturday’s Heritage Festival -- beginning at 2 p.m. in and around Market Square -- will surely be the highlight of our town’s yearlong 150th birthday celebration. Anyone …
Maybe last weeks of summer will be best ones
Unbelievably, the kids are back in school this week. Despite them being back in the classroom, our weather finally feels like summer, giving us reliably sunny days, moderate temperatures, and is seemingly through with battering us with torrential, electricity-snapping storms. Yet with all indications that …
We’ll see if kids get the last laugh
As the summer has worn on, with both my girls home, this 21st Century Mom has come to some new conclusions. My family is truly entertained by me, though it’s never intentional on my part. Then again, maybe the term, “entertained by” is too kind. …
Ten things to know about Ellie Burns
Today, I speak the sentiment of our community, which is once again in deepest pain over the loss of one of our brightest teens. This column is dedicated to Ellie Burns, a beautiful, giving, loyal 16 year-old whose life was accidentally cut short last week …
There’s nothing like Mom time
As I get older, I realize that there’s more and more of a difference between taking trips as a family versus adults only and, even more so, moms only. This concept came full circle last weekend on a four-day trip to our friends’ lake house …
