A mother-child relationship is such a special bond. She’s seen you at your best; she’s been there for your worst; she knows your deepest secrets and loves you anyway.

This Mother’s Day, show your mom the love she’s shown you with a thoughtful gift she’ll adore. No two moms are the same, so I’ve curated a gift guide for all kinds of moms! Whether your mom’s a techie mom, a cooking queen, a fashion guru, or an organized boss lady, I’ve got you covered. And if you’re looking for a way to bond, I’ll introduce you to an exceptional gin brand created by a mother/daughter team!

Here’s your reminder that Mother’s Day is May 8th! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to spoil your mom and show her you care.

Note: If you’re here because your wife or mother sent you a link to this post, take this as a not-so-subtle HINT that it’s time to start shopping!

THERMOPRO MEAT THERMOMETER

Thermopro TP25H2 Digital Meat Thermometer is for the mom’s who love to cook and experiment in the kitchen. It is rated the seller of affordable meat thermometers on Amazon.com. It features:

Bluetooth: This Bluetooth meat thermometer has advanced Bluetooth 5.0 technology allowing you to monitor the progress of your cooking up to 500ft away if you move out of range of the device, you’ll see receive a phone notification to inform you to move back in range.Smartphone App: Uses a Smartphone app that is packed full of unique, useful functions to enhance your cooking experience. You can set your desired food temp & HI/LOW temp range for your grill or smoker to know when to add more fuel. Includes preset temperatures for 9 types of meat with their various doneness levels recommended by USDA to ensure your food is always cooked to perfection and to your preferred taste.Alerts: The grill thermometer uses an algorithm, to estimate how many minutes left for your cook to reach its target temperature, helping plan your meal. Includes a temp pre alarm, sending you a notification when temperature is 5/10/15 away from target temp, making you ready to pull the meat off at the perfect time.

Receive an additional 15% OFF the already affordable meat thermometer with code 15SAVE15OFF on Amazon.com

STITCH FIX

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and a gift card to Stitch Fix is the perfect way to help mom feel her best and level up her wardrobe with her own personal stylist!

We know moms are always so busy taking care of everyone that they often don’t take the time to prioritize their own needs. Stitch Fix is a perfect gift to help remind mom to treat herself! It’s a personalized shopping experience built just for her, that blends the human touch of expert stylists with data science, making it simple for mom to buy what she looks and feels her best in. 

With a Fix, she’ll be able to discover and shop items hand-selected by a stylist that match her individual taste, size, and price range. 

The Fix is filled with five curated pieces to try on from the comfort of home, which is perfect for busy moms. Shipping & returns are always free, and no subscription required.

NÜR

For mom’s who love bling, Nur is timeless, affordable jewelry made with a unique vacuum coating that ensures longer durability while making the pieces waterproof. It’s hypoallergenic, made of surgical-grade stainless steel and plated with 18K gold. NÜR adds a modern twist to the designs, reflecting on current styles and affordable options that never fade for today’s generation. The founder is of/Afghani heritage, and her brand was inspired by her grandmother, who believed no outfit was complete without a touch of gold. Nur will be having a pop-up in Chicago on MAY 21st- 22nd in Andersonville ,IL on N Clark Street, between W Brynn Mawr Ave and W Edgwater Ave.

BUBLUP

Bublup is perfect for the mom who manages it all: class trips, kitchen remodel, family’s medical history. It’s a free organization app that makes searching, saving and sharing — easy! It’s one app for everything important: links, photos, videos, documents, checklists, notes and websites. Everything saved is customizable with images, even GIFs, so they’re easy to spot. Mom can share folders with friends to comment on and even add their own content. Bublup is available for iPhone, Android and desktop.

SILKS IRISH DRYGIN

SILKS Irish Gin is led by a mother-daughter duo making it a great gift this Mother’s Day! It’s an award-winning, floral-forward contemporary style gin, so not juniper heavy. The main three signature botanicals in the gin are apple blossom, Elderflower and honey that are harvested from their family property. Crafted at award-winning Boann Distillery in Ireland. Available for purchase at: Binny’s, Woodman’s, Garfield’s.

White House Correspondents Dinner: One gigantic group hug.

Trevor Noah lays it on at the White House Correspondents group hug. (C-Span)

One of the most sought-after tickets in the media has been an invitation to the White House Correspondents Dinner, where you were on display as one of the nation’s most influential, admired and important insiders.

The best of the best, the finest of the finest. The self-absorbed hypocrites.

Without irony, host Trevor Noah, spread it on thick:

In America, you have the right to seek the truth and speak the truth even if it makes people in power uncomfortable. Even if it makes your viewers or your readers uncomfortable. You understand how amazing that is? I stood here tonight and I made fun of the president of the United States and I’m going to be fine. … Do you really understand what a blessing it is? Maybe it’s happened for so long, it might slip your mind. It’s a blessing

Ask yourself this question. If Russian journalists who are losing their livelihoods and their freedom for daring to report on what their own government is doing — if they had the freedom to write any words, to show any stories, or to ask any questions, if they had basically what you have, would they be using it in the same that you do? Ask yourself that question every day because you have one of the most important roles in the world

Let’s–as they say–unpack this

He said, you can speak truth to power, even if it makes the powerful, your readers or your viewers “uncomfortable.” Well, not if you’re a spreader of “dis”- or “mis-information.” You’re kicked off social media, even if you are the duly elected President of the United States. The New York Times and Washington Post will ignore you. So, who decides if you can speak truth to power? The powerful. The powerful who will turn you into a villain if they can’t silence. These are the very people who sat in the audience of 2,000, thinking, “Oh, how great we are.”He said, we’re thankful that in America, unlike Russia, you can’t lose your freedom for what you write, tell or ask. Sure. But you can lose your job. Like James Bennet, the New York Times editorial page editor, who was pushed out the door because he oversaw the the publication of an op-ed written by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton “calling for a military response to civic unrest in American cities.” The newsroom mob demanded retaliation for this blasphemy and the top managers complied with a full throated apology for giving voice to an “uncomfortable” viewpoint. In Chicago, let’s not forget how a self-appointed gang of newsroom employees went’ after columnist John Kass for speaking the truth about the powerful, liberal, billionaire George Soros.

I’m wondering: Does Russia have a “Disinformation Governing Board,” like the one President Biden just set up in the Homeland Security Dept. to flush out the misled and liars? Has Putin created a similar agency and staffed it with the most loyal of toadies? I’m guessing: Yes. Which should tell you a lot about Biden’s and his wokesters’ (dis)respect for free speech and the press.

Like pigs rolling in their stys, these “journalists” covered themselves with stink.

This dinner is journalism’s version of the Oscars, a gala of fancy dress and bloated egos. Journalists are almost as bad as Hollywood, in the amount of awards with which they honor themselves. Like the Pulitzer Prize that industry elites award to the New York Times and Washington Post for their “exposure” of President Donald Trump’s treasonous “collision” with Russia–a story that turned out to be merely a recital of the disinformation they were fed by Democratic operatives. Without shame, the papers and the Pulitzer board haven’t thought of returning or cancelling the award.

What’s saddest about this media self-love fest is that so many in the audience actually were sure that Trevor Noah was praising them. That they are the ones that ask the tough questions of everyone, regardless of his politics. That they are the necessary check on government–Trump’s that is, but not Biden’s.

If this were any other audience, they might have taken the hint. Did Noah issue a subtle invitation to do some soul searching about whether they were living up to the profession’s ideals.

Noah is a clever guy, so maybe his words were a hint–a “gentle admonition”–of what these journalists should be and not actually what they are. If so, they didn’t get it.

Here’s the complete Noah speech, courtesy of C-Span:

To correct Noah: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was not there. To subscribe to The Barbershop, type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Set your alarm!

Tickets go on sale starting at 8 am., tomorrow, May 4, for Ravinia Festival. 2022 summer season, which runs from May 20 through September 18.

No more long lines at the box office

Grab a cuppa coffee, your computer or phone and go online. Tickets to all summer concerts can be purchased here or at Ravinia.org, exclusively.

Marin Alsop

“We are thrilled to be able to present so many talented local artists on one of our stages this summer,” said Jeff Haydon, Ravinia Festival President and CEO. “Supporting Chicagoland artists and giving them performance opportunities here at home not only expands our local music scene but helps them to create meaningful experiences while building awareness with new audiences.” 

Highlights

Pitbull

The 2022 summer series will include more than 100 concerts, featuring artists including Pitbull, Stevie Nicks, Sting, Emmylou Harris, Grace Potter, The Black Crowes, and Ziggy Marley. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will once again return for a six-week summer residency beginning in July, featuring 15 programs led by Marin Alsop.

Live performances at the Kohl Kaplan Fountain

Live performances at the festival’s Kohl Kaplan Fountain will return this summer as well, and will include a Reach Teach Play Teaching Artists Jazz Quartet on June 2 and 7; a combo from the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Program for Jazz on June 8; Nanny Nikki on June 18; Chicago-based saxophone quartet Nois on August 21; and Mariachi Son de Fuego on September 18.

Expanded Carousel Programming

Raviniaa Carousel

Ravinia Festival just announce an expanded summer series on its Carousel stage following a successful inaugural year in 2021. The Carousel stage on the North Lawn offers casual, general admission seating for individual events, and, new this year, will host opening acts for several Pavilion headliners during the summer season, which runs from May 20 through September 18. This summer, the Carousel programming will highlight many of the Chicago area’s most promising and rising musicians.

The Ravinia Carousel concert series includes:

Ravinia Festival’s Reach Teach Play Jazz Mentors & Scholars, June 19

Chicago band and winner of The Bitter Jester Festival’s 2021 Music Fest Competition Summer Drive, June 23

Son Little, June 25

Chicago band Rookie, July 8

Chicago-based Licensed to Sail DJs present Club MTV, August 26

Chicago-based band Tobacco City, September 2

Chicago singer KAINA, September 11

Flor de Toloache, September 18

Photo: Courtesy of Ravinai

If you’re from my generation, these stories will sound familiar. They may even be close to your own story.

When I was in college I knew two women who had unintentional pregnancies. Both were still teenagers. Neither of them was ready for motherhood. Both decided to have abortions. In the very early 1970s, it wasn’t easy to have that procedure. You couldn’t walk into your local clinic. Both had to travel. One of them went to New York. The other crossed the border into Mexico.

At my first job after college, I met a man who was the boyfriend of a co-worker. He became a friend and as I got to know him, I learned he had a younger sister who had died a few years earlier. She was the victim of a back-alley abortion that went bad. She felt desperate, didn’t tell her family and tried to handle this on her own. She was dead at twenty years old.

Roe v Wade became law in 1973. Had any of these pregnancies occurred a couple of years later their stories would have had different endings. My friend’s sisters may be alive today.

Yesterday, Politico broke a story that a leaked draft shows the Supreme Court will vote to overturn Roe. This won’t end abortions. It will make obtaining one much more difficult, as well as illegal in about half of the country. People who have to means to do so will be traveling to places like New York and Mexico, again. Others without resources will be forced into having dangerous back-alley abortions, again.

I wonder what the people involved in the stories are thinking today. I know they realize that we are about to go back to the not-so-good old days.

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TICKET ALERTS:

May 14: Neal Brennan added a day to his appearance at The Den Theatre after May 12-13 sold out. Tickets still available for May 14.

May 26-28: Michelle Wolf at The Den Theatre.

May 29: Vicki Quade presents the 29th Anniversary of Late Nite Catechism with a special performance and 29 tickets available at the 1993 price of $8! These specially priced tickets are available directly through the Greenhouse box office (773-404-7336) , or at ThunderTix using the code LNC29. All other tickets are $35.

June 3-26: Jan Slavin in Blithe Spirit at The Skokie Theatre. You can also see Jan at a special Mother’s Day show at Laugh Factory. See below!

June 11: Fortune Feimster Netflix recording at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.

July 15: Hannah Einbinder at The Den Theatre.

August 5: Ron Funches at The Den Theatre.

September 22-23: Kevin Hart at The United Center.

I forgot to sign up for a special Illinois Libraries Zoom conversation last week with Nick Offerman and Jeff Tweedy! But relieved to find it here.

THIS WEEK:

Here is this week’s Spotlight, including Mother’s Day comedy specials! Please confirm all details before leaving home!

At Zanies Chicago: Fight of the Funnies, Super 6 Showcase, Doug Benson, Steven Michael Quezada, Tributo a Vicente Fernandez con El KeChehente, Steve Iott, Calvin Evans, Mother’s Day Special.

At Zanies Rosemont: Pat Tomasulo, Doug Benson, Carlos Ballarta, Steven Michael Quezada

At Riddles: Robert Kane, Anthony Fuentes, Hondo Laguna, Kelly Kellz, Myra J, Mo Good, Tara Terry, Julia Stoyanova. Special appearance by George Wallace May 6-7!

At The Improv: Tammy Pescatelli

PLUS THESE THIRTEEN SHOWS:

MONDAY, MAY 2

Lisa Beasley at Laugh Factory, 8:00 p.m. Lisa Beasley is the “Best Mayor Impersonator” according to The Chicago Reader. Tonight’s debut, “Lisa Beasley’s Unpolitical Women Comedy Show” features Lisa as “Mayor Lori Litefoot” with a special Q&A, and Chicago’s top stand-ups.

TUESDAY, MAY 3

Mike Glazer and Brian Babylon at Laugh Factory, 8:00 p.m. A double headliner show with two of Chicago’s top stand-ups, both also known for their TV and radio writing and impact on the national comedy scene.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4

Pat Tomasulo & Friends at Zanies, Rosemont, 8:00 p.m. New material night. WGN’s Pat Tomasulo and other local comedians give you a sneak peak at new material and a behind-the-scenes view of how laughs are made.

THURSDAY, MAY 5

Erica Rhodes at The Comedy Vault, Batavia, 7:30 p.m. Erica Rhodes is an award-winning, chart-topping comedian whose appearances include Modern Family, Veep, and Last Call with Carson Daly. Shows through Saturday. Follow link for all details.

Comedy Sportz at Second City, 7:00 p.m. Comedy Sportz is now at Second City! Tonight is League Night.

Hot Dish! at Lincoln Lodge, 7:00 p.m. Host and comedian Lauren Hooberman interviews Kevin Bozeman about life and comedy, and it’s a cooking show, too!

Las Locas Chingona Comedy Hour at Laugh Factory, 8:00 p.m. Featuring Janice Rodriguez, Jess Martinez, Soli Santos, Kimberly Marion and more TBA.

FRIDAY, MAY 6

Drink Date Laugh! at Laugh Factory, 7:30 p.m. Paul Farahvar’s one-of-a-kind interactive standup comedy game show with Sarah Perry, Andy Fleming and Kyle Scanlan.

SATURDAY, MAY 7

Sarah Cooper at UIC Dorin Forum, 6:00 p.m.  Sarah Cooper and the Chicago Tribune’s Britt Julious discuss finding genuine friendships in our strange new world. A Chicago Humanities Festival presentation.

Sasheer Zamata at The Den Theatre, 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.  Sasheer Zamata can be seen on ABC’s Home Economics, Hulu’s Woke, and Comedy Central’s Robbie and was a cast member on Saturday Night Live for four seasons. She has also appeared on This American Life and Late Night with Stephen Colbert.

To Insanity and Beyond: A Late Night Shenanigans Review at The Annoyance, 8:00 p.m. The Chicago Reader’s “best sketch/improv troupe.

SUNDAY, MAY 8

Improv Brunch at Second City, 12:00 p.m. Brunch, mimosas and comedy.

Mother’s Day Comedy Showcase at The Laugh Factory, 7:00 p.m. Steven Springer hosts a spectacular lineup: Jan Slavin, Mariann Aalda, Rhonda Cohn, Diane Corder, Lindsay Porter, Linda Collins.