chambanamoms.com

I was born and reared here; my children were born here and are being reared here, too. Before I became a parent, I had a good handle on what the local hot spots were.

Shopping complete? Hoping life will slow down a little? Celebrating the start of the winter vacation? In this weekly feature, we’ll give you ideas for fun weekend activities for your family.

To celebrate the season, Cakes on Walnut, the downtown cupcake confectioner has brought together several local businesses for Sugar and Spice: A Cupcake Christmas Party. Head over to the indi go gallery* in downtown Champaign from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight!

Every year I nearly kill myself baking at least 12 dozen cookies: Butter spritz, black-eyed Susans, candied almonds, cherry-poppyseed thumbprints and and chocolate-mint peekaboo bars are my standards, for starters.

Tomorrow night (Friday) is the last night of Hanukkah. But we will continue to celebrate our miracles all year long.

What are you grateful for this December Thursday? $2 latte day? Your kids' holiday concerts? Double-sided tape? Tell us, Chambana minds want to know. It's Thankful Thursday!

Stumped for gift ideas? Instead of another toy, consider giving the gift of an "experience," such as tickets to events or a punch card to the pool. Here are some of our suggestions.

See why we think Karen Foster is a Chambana mom to know.

There's plenty to dread about the holiday season, but we think getting caught without a gift for the teacher/newspaper carrier/Secret Santa is right up there at the top of the list. The best way to avoid that awkward moment is to keep a handy supply of awesome gifts stashed away.

The Children's Discovery Museum in Normal is the kind of place where kids can experience things that they don't necessarily get to do at home.