The subject of picture-taking has been on my mind a lot lately. As a family, we’ve moved beyond the phase of well-kept nap and meal schedules, and of carrying a bag full of extra everything—change of clothes, snacks, cups. We travel lighter. I feel lighter. My hands are free again to reach out for a camera that’s been charged and isn’t already full of photos. They are new feelings. Capturing family life is rusty.
Blending fashion, family time and travel is one way Tammie Chaponot finds the modern, edgy designers whose clothes line the racks of her shop Clever Alice. She prefers smaller labels that pay attention to detail — just like she does — and pulls them together throughout the year for a well-edited pop-up shop, which crops up in urban spaces in Chicago and New York. She always looks the uber-stylish part blending skirts, leggings and tunics with a cool pair of boots. For a glimpse into Tammie’s business inspiration, how they roll on their travels, and how being a mama has (and hasn’t) changed what she wears, continue on.
Heidi Serwer—singer, guitarist, and songwriter—has always been into music. One of her earliest vivid memories is hearing Debbie Harry sing, then rap, in the Blondie song, Rapture, while listening through headphones as a young girl growing up in Michigan. But it wasn’t until Heidi was in her late-twenties, living in Chicago, when she decided to play guitar. The urge to write her own songs followed. This past December, Heidi released her first EP, Stranger, and played it before a crowded room at one of her favorite Chicago venues. For Heidi, who is also a busy mom of two children, playing guitar and songwriting, are as much a part of daily life as packing school lunches and the occasional date night. For more on how she mixes music and motherhood, read on.
Rebecca Wheeler is a Chicago-based cooking instructor who guides food tours through some of the city’s cultural neighborhoods. Over the years, Rebecca has spent time in kitchens in Chicago and around the world. She has been to cooking classes in India, Thailand, Italy and Paris. And beyond that, Rebecca has sought out home cooks and chefs who have inspired her: an Indian cookbook author in Brooklyn, an Italian grandma in Umbria, and the chef of her favorite Thai restaurant in Chicago. For more than a decade, she taught cooking at The Wooden Spoon, and for the past ten years, has been running her own business. Rebecca is also a mom, dedicated to family dinner and to eating well. For more about how she navigates motherhood, food and travel, read on.
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