Welcome to HBT, fellow Chicagolandian!
Three things I wish I knew before my first batch of beer:
Many homebrew kits try to rush you through the fermentation process. Many of us on here recommend that for your first beers, let them sit in primary fermentation for three weeks and then bottle them up and let them sit for another three weeks. Then chill some for a couple of days and then enjoy. Waiting to see how things are going is just awful, I know, but try to minimize the samplings.
Fermentation temperature is very important and will significantly affect the taste of your beer. If possible, try to keep the beer at a nice 63° temperature for the first four to seven days of fermentation (some beers prefer warmer or cooler temps, but most do fine at 63°.) Temperature is generally less important after vigorous fermentation is complete. If you don't have anywhere in your house that is that cool, then do a Google search for "beer swamp cooler." Those are pretty easy to set up.
For your first few beers, I also recommend using bottled water. Some municipalities in the Chicago area use chloramines in the water, and this can give your beers some really bad tastes. You can combat this by using campden tablets (bought at any local homebrew store or at any online homebrew shops), but I'd just play it safe and use some bottled water. Buy a couple of the big jugs of water from your Home Depot or Lowe's or wherever.
Good luck!
