Hilary Decent

Decent: Adult coloring books — art, art therapy or just a time-filler? It’s in the eye of the beholder

May 13, 2022 at 11:20 a.m.

I was amazed, and quite frankly a little embarrassed, when I realized some of the amazing achievements made when we were encouraged to isolate during the pandemic. Entrepreneurs continued to...

Decent: Hats off to ‘babysitter’ grandmothers on this Mother’s Day weekend!

May 4, 2022 at 4:01 p.m.

This Mother's Day I'd like to give a shoutout to all the grandmothers out there who regularly look after their grandchildren. I want you to know I feel your joy...

Decent: Buying American Girl dolls for two tiny English girls a crazy trip to an alternate universe

April 29, 2022 at 2:11 p.m.

What could be better than a one-stop shop to make a new friend and visit the beauty parlor before sitting down for some scrumptious tea? Since 1986, American Girl dolls...

Motion-activated faucets seem like a good idea -- assuming you can actually get them to work, columnist Hilary Decent says.

Decent: Hands-free? No thanks — I’ll do it myself if that means it will actually work

April 22, 2022 at 2:33 p.m.

I'm no Luddite but some technology just serves to make life more complicated. Although the idea of being able to complete a variety of tasks without touching anything sounds appealing,...

The McDonald Farm in Naperville, once a privately owned enterprise, grows organic food as part of The Conservation Foundation's mission.

Decent: McDonald Farm’s a great place to learn about nature and celebrate Earth Day year round

April 15, 2022 at 11:42 a.m.

Every day is Earth Day for the folks at The Conservation Foundation, the nonprofit that's preserved more than 35,000 acres of open land since being established 50 years ago. The...

Decent: Working to improve Naperville’s diversity, equity and inclusion a community effort, city’s DEI manager says

April 8, 2022 at 6:19 p.m.

Naperville has always prided itself on being a welcoming city. That was certainly true for me when I first arrived here 15 years ago, but then again, I'm a middle-aged...

Decent: Alopecia can ‘hurt your feelings,’ but finding humor in it helps, Naperville child says: ‘It’s easy to find me if I get lost’

April 1, 2022 at 3:10 p.m.

If there was one good thing to come out of the controversy at last week's Oscars when Will Smith hit Chris Rock after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett...

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