MFM Blog

For all those writers out there, I'm here to tell you that you have exactly what it takes to run a successful blog. You have thoughts,...

On March 9, 2017, in a moment of complete insanity, our family decided to adopt two dogs. And when I say our family  I really mean me,...

It all started in my Tuesday night yoga class… Katy, the most popular instructor at The Chicago Athletic Club, asked me (us) to set an...

Photos courtesy: Forest Glen Community Club Here is the fifth story in my Northwest Side Hero Project, highlighting stories about local...

It Ended Badly by Jennifer Wright is a fantastic, gossipy romp through 13 worst-of-the-worst breakups in history. Here’s what I learned:...

“Even I have lied about writing. I have told people that writing this book has been like brushing away dirt from a fossil. What a load of...

A lot of memories from my childhood are tied up with times around the dinner table. What was served—and what was not—tells a lot about a...

Good writers can tell a story.  Great writers get you invested in the characters in the story and leave you missing them on the last...

Three Things I Learned from Reading Cherry by Mary Karr Penguin Books, $14, ISBN 0-670-89274-2, 2000 1. Karr did a lot of hallucinogenic...

Doing these life story books more than a few times (40 to be exact!) has created some efficiencies but I’m proud to say that this is very...

I’m proud to say Memoir for Me turns TWO this month. In that time, I’ve told the stories of over 40 people! Highlights include: A love...

To all of you who have ever thought: I should write a book... someday. Make 2017 the year you finally set some of those words down on...

As much as I preach to my two kids (ages 3 and 7) about the true meaning of Christmas, I know it’s futile. To a kid, the holidays are all...

If you're gathering with family or friends tomorrow, take a break from the turkey and stuffing, the football, and the wine, to practice...

This week has brought joys so high I’ve felt like I was riding on a cloud, and then moments so painful I felt I might never stop crying....

It was 1990 at Daniel Wright Middle School in Lincolnshire, a sleepy suburb of Chicago. I’m in 8th grade and hopelessly one of the...

Three Things I Learned from Amy Poehler's Yes Please HarperCollins, $28.99, ISBN 978-0-06-226834-1, 2014 1. Poehler's insider scoop on...

Three Things I Learned from Jim Gaffigan’s Food: A Love Story Crown Archetype, $26.00, ISBN 978-0-8041-4041-6, 2014 1. If you read only...

Here is the fourth story in my Northwest Side Hero Project, highlighting stories about local heroes (as nominated by their neighbors),...

This past summer I made a promotional video with help from Kelly Luchtman and her team at Snap! Web Video. Like many other good ideas, it...