My mom, Elia Angellotti McLaughlin, was born of Italian immigrant parents and had five daughters. She made sure our childhood was filled with joy, stretching the money my dad earned as far as it could go. She took us on summer outings to amusement parks and visits to the Chicago zoo, and made sure we had a yearly pass to the neighborhood pool. Mom made sure that every Christmas there were gifts under the tree. Never mind that most of the presents were sale items from discount stores and sidewalk sales – we all felt special. Mom clearly