Meet-a-Mom, Christie Cuthbert
What’s your favorite family activity in the Hinsdale, Western Springs, La Grange, Clarendon Hills Area?
Uniquely Thursdays was always one of my favorite things to do as a family in Hinsdale. Meeting up with friends, letting the kids run around, feeding everyone and not having to cook on a hot summer night was the best. It’s also hard to beat Hinsdale for the Fourth of July. It’s like something out of a movie.
How many children do you have and what are their age(s)?
I have four boys. John, 11, Tommy, Teddy and Nate, 7.
How long have you lived in the Hinsdale/WS/La Grange/CH Area? What made you decide to live here?
We lived in Hinsdale from 2008-2017. My husband grew up on the Southside, and when we moved back to the area after he graduated business school in Boston in 08, we looked for a good location for commute and good schools for our future family. Hinsdale had it all. He took a job in San Antonio in 2017 and we made the move with me sobbing as the trucks packed up our boxes. We are loving life in South Texas now, but Hinsdale will always have a big piece of my heart. It’s where I became a mom, and in many ways, found my purpose as a writer.
Where’s your favorite place to eat and/or shop in the Hinsdale/WS/La Grange/CH Area?
Hands down Fuller House. We can’t make a visit to town without stopping in for the brisket tacos or pretzel with cheese. I mean I now live in Texas and still think their brisket tacos are the BEST! Oh and Oberweis. That’s a must too. If you haven’t tried their salted caramel cashew in the summertime, you haven’t fully lived.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I’m not sure there’s anything people would be surprised about. Authenticity is one of my goals in life, so I’m a pretty open book.
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
Good lord, I’d like to thank this entire community for helping me get through the early years of raising my triplets. They say it takes a village, and this one is special in many ways. From friends showing up with wine and steam cleaners when my boys would make Poo-casso’s on their nursery walls, to neighbors walking them back to our porch after they went streaking at 2 years old, the people of this community are amazing. Small towns can get a bad rap sometimes because it can feel a bit bubbled or clique-ish. But on those days when all heck breaks loose and you need support, the friends and neighbors you make in Hinsdale will be there for you time and time again.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
I was a former associate editor and columnist for The Hinsdalean years back and then went on to write for several magazines, The Today Show, Scary Mommy and more. In 2020 I published my first book, “Mom! I Farted in Church” and in 2021 I have published two books in my children’s series called “The Mischief Makers” which is loosely based on my boys. More information can be found at www.christiecuthbert.com and www.mischiefmakerbooks.com
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
This community shaped me into the person I am today. The friendships I made while being a young newlywed, going through a major fertility struggle, raising my babies, etc., have had a lasting impact on my life. When we moved to Texas in 2017, it was never “good-bye,” it was “see you later.” Even after being away for four years, my Hinsdale friends and I still text and talk daily. Hinsdale is special in that way – the relationships you make have depth, and the village has this special nostalgic air to it. When my boys were babies and we lived on South Washington Street, I’d walk them every single day to town just to watch the trains go by. We’d see the same friendly faces of neighbors working in their yards or chatting over coffee and wave. Hinsdale in many ways will always be home for me, and we’re thrilled to come back each summer to visit. When I walk around downtown now it almost feels like a real life scrapbook, flooding back warm memories of the past with my kids.