Like a fine wine, the d’Vine Affair just keeps getting better. At the 12th annual event, held Jan. 27, more than 400 guests sampled 250 premium wines presented by 90 vintners from around the world at the Union League (65 W. Jackson). Mingling on the fifth and sixth floors of the club, attendees sipped while upping their wine expertise with exclusive seminars led by Chicago sommelier Bob Bansberg and founder of the Chicago Wine School Patrick Fegan. Armed with new knowledge, guests then had the chance to bid on bottles in a “Stock Your Cellar” raffle and silent auction. Chaired and founded by Joe and Helen Glunz and John and Teddi Scholz, the event netted more than $100,000 with proceeds benefitting the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Self-Sufficiency Programs, which gives struggling families long-term assistance in reaching financial independence.

This week we’re toasting to Jeffrey Weller, Andy and Julie Holton and Candace Jordan.

There is no way you could possibly relate to this blog unless you have children and you have chosen to stay at home and care for them. However, I think the only way to open people’s minds and create change is to discuss ideas that the majority might call “crazy.”

Everywhere I look these days, boys seem to have lost their cowboy edge. They get manicures, they want to borrow our facial cream at night, and pretty soon they will demand the right to breast-feed. Okay, obviously that last part is a joke, but you get my point. Boys are turning into softies and I can’t decide yet if I like that or not.

It’s easy to see why Chicago’s Rogers Park was a hub for the upper crust in earlier decades. The area sports elegant vintage housing, parks and greenery, access to public transit, dozens of restaurants, proximity to some of the best beaches in the city, up-and-coming schools and Loyola University, which has a huge stake in keeping the community safe, clean and running smoothly. The affluent residents’ influence shows in the area’s architecturally significant structures with larger lots and more square footage than comparable properties in other parts of the city.

How many times have you found yourself in a situation where you have decided to avoid accomplishing a task because any part of the process made you nervous or uncomfortable? What would you say if I told you to embrace that feeling because it’s a key ingredient to success?

Our city has always been lauded for its diverse array of cultural events — and this spring is no exception. Here you’ll find our picks for the season’s can’t-miss events, ranging from classic plays to dance troupes to live music. Make sure to snap up your tickets before they’re sold out.

I have some of the most creative and funny Twitter followers out there. For this reason, when I needed some good hangover cures, I turned to them and asked this: Looking for good hangover tips for my blog, got any? Just as I’d hoped, Twitter pulled through and supplied me with the good, the bad and the just plain weird.

Leonardo DiCaprio recently told a German newspaper that he’s taking a break from acting. “I’m a little bit drained,” the “Django Unchained” star told Bild. “I am now going to take a long, long break. I’ve done three films in two years and I’m just worn out.” Despite what he says, I hear it’s not just that he’s tired. Sources close to the actor tell me that he also wants to focus on his personal life. “Leo wants to go out and hit the town and travel to exotic places with his friends and date,” a source said.

We’re obsessing over VENeffect’s Firming Neck and Décolleté Creme, JoJo & Sofia, Toni Patisserie and Café and Dailey Method this week. Here’s why: