ML Interest Tag: bring-attention

Find Your Path to Family Fun on These Chicago Bike Trails

by Maria Chambers

Okay, Chicago. Let’s live every nice-weather day to the fullest, shall we? On the top of the list, dust off those bikes, grease the chains, strap on a brain bucket and get those legs pumping on a bike path. From the shores of Lake Michigan to the furthest reaches of the suburbs, here are our favorite spots to cycle as a family in Chicago.

The 606

What was once a former elevated train line is now Chicago's 606 trail. The 606 gives kids a sweet (rooftop) view of the city while also connecting six neighborhood parks at ground level with numerous art installations. The trail runs along the Bloomingdale Trail for 2.7 miles, between Ashland and Ridgeway, and has a total of 12 access points at approximately every quarter-mile. All access points are accessible for people with disabilities. 

1805 N. Ridgeway Ave., Chicago; Online: the606.org

Morton Arboretum

Morton Arboretum is a stunning place to visit no matter the season. The Arboretum has 9 miles of paved tree-lined roads that keep things nice and shaded on hot summer days and their always-cool exhibitions give you great excuses to take a break from pedaling. 

Keep an eye open for their Human + Nature exhibit. The exhibit features 5 massive outdoor sculptures that use thought-provoking human forms paired with elements of nature to bring attention to the deep connections between humans and nature.

4100 IL-Rte 53, Lisle; Online: mortonarb.org

Chicago Lakefront Trail

Chicago's Lakefront Trail is a combined-use path with an 18-mile bike trail and an 18.5-mile pedestrian trail. The southern-most access point is at 71st Street in South Shore, and the northern-most entry point is Ardmore in Edgewater Beach. Hopping on this trail is an excellent way to bask in the beauty of our city, as you get lake and city views and easy access to our beaches. 

Bring your own bikes or visit Bike & Roll or Bobby's Bike Hike to borrow one for the day. 

From 71st to Ardmore; Online: chicagoparkdistrict.com

North Branch Trail / Chicago Botanic Garden

The North Branch Trail System offers 20 miles of unpaved and paved trails along the North Branch Chicago River, with an estimated total length of 36.7 miles. It's most notable for connecting Chicago to Glencoe's Chicago Botanic Garden and includes trail loops through ecological restoration sites with diverse wildlife. Couple this ride with a visit to Chicago Botanic Garden so you can stop to smell the roses. . . and stretch your legs. 

Chicago, Glenview, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Skokie & Winnetka; Online: fpdcc.com

The Forge: Lemont Quarries

bike paths in chicago, biking for families in chicago, bike trails, chicago bike trails
The Forge

The Forge: Lemont Quarries (aka The Forge) is a 300-acre adventure park featuring the largest aerial adventure course in North America. Along with ziplines, hiking trails and paddlesports, they have a biking skills course and pump track. Their setup is fit for new and experienced riders and they have bikes you can rent if you don't want to haul your own. 

1001 Main St., Lemont; Online: forgeparks.com

Chicago Park District Trails

Besides the gorgeous Lakefront Trail, Chicago Park District maintains paths that run through many of the parks for walking, jogging or biking. A favorite is the 6-mile Major Taylor Trail that runs through Brainerd, Gresham, Beverly, Morgan Park, Roseland and West Pullman. Most of the bike trail is off-street and takes you through the Cook County Forest Preserve's Dan Ryan Woods and Whistler Woods. 

Throughout the City of Chicago; Online: chicagoparkdistrict.com

Illinois Prairie Path

You likely won't cover all 61 miles of the Illinois Prairie Path in one ride, but you can make it a goal to conquer it a few miles at a time, perhaps. This multi-use nature trail was the first U.S. rail-to-trail conversion in the 1960s and has access points in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties. Most of the path is surfaced with crushed limestone, which is easy on little feet and bike tires and sheds water quickly. 

Cook, DuPage & Kane Counties; Online: ipp.org

— Maria Chambers

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Mean or Bullying Behavior? Helping Kids Understand the Difference

By Jessica Speer

Photo: Canva

Many schools have done a great job raising awareness about bullying. Bullying is never okay and needs to be addressed immediately. With this heightened awareness, kids may have a hard time differentiating between bullying and mean behavior. Here are some definitions to help. 

Mean versus Bullying Behavior

  • Mean behavior is saying or doing something to hurt a person.
  • Bullying is a cruel act done on purpose and repeatedly that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power.

Quick Quiz: Is it Mean or Bullying?

1. JD tells Marco that he can’t play basketball at recess because he’s the worst player in the whole grade. Mean or bullying?

Answer: It appears that JD is being mean. His words are intended to hurt Marco, but there’s no evidence of repetitive behavior or a power imbalance.

2. Molly makes fun of Piper for wearing the same pants to school every day. In gym class, Molly says Piper smells and later, she writes the words “You stink” on her desk. Mean or bullying?

Answer: Molly’s acting like a bully. She’s making fun of Piper repeatedly with the intention to cause harm. There’s also evidence of a power imbalance.

Context is important to understand meanness versus bullying. When it comes to mean behavior, there is often an underlying conflict between those involved. Regardless, both behaviors are not okay and can be painful for kids as well as parents. So how do parents respond to best support their kids?

Responding to Mean Behavior

Dealing with mean behavior is a part of life that we all learn how to handle. With guidance and support, kids develop skills to deal with meanness, such as speaking up, learning resilience, getting help, and putting energy into kind friendships instead.

As parents, it’s important to validate a child’s feelings when someones mean to them and help them decide how they’d like to respond (ignore, speak up, etc.).

Signe Whitson, author and national educator on bullying, has seen a rise in situations of mean or rude behavior incorrectly classified as bullying. She says, “I have already begun to see that gratuitous references to bullying are creating a bit of a “little boy who cried wolf” phenomena. In other words, if kids and parents improperly classify rudeness and mean behavior as bullying—whether to simply make conversation or to bring attention to their short-term discomfort—we all run the risk of becoming so sick and tired of hearing the word that this actual life-and-death issue among young people loses its urgency as quickly as it rose to prominence.”

Responding to Bullying Behavior

Bullying, on the other hand, is a different matter and needs to be addressed. Experts agree that bullying entails three key elements: an intent to harm, a power imbalance, and repeated acts or threats of aggressive behavior. Bullies try to have more social or physical power over their targets. They try to make their targets cry, feel scared or lose their temper. And bullying has lasting negative effects.

Even though it may be hard, encourage kids not to give bullies their power. Help them practice standing tall and pretending to be bored or unimpressed. Then walk away and get help from a trusted adult.

Kids develop healthy social and emotional skills at different stages, so unkind behavior is unfortunately common. These painful moments provide families an opportunity to revisit conversations about meanness and bullying and how to navigate situations. They also offer parents an opportunity to make sure their kids feel loved, heard and help them navigate uncomfortable emotions. If your child is feeling overwhelmed by mean or bullying behavior, be sure to get support from the school or a professional as well.

Additional Resources:

StopBullying.gov

Bystander Revolution

Cyberbullying Research Center

Stomp Out Bullying

Jessica Speer is an author focused on helping kids and families thrive. Her book, BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? A Girls Guide to Happy Friendships releases July 2021. 

This post originally appeared on www.JessicaSpeer.com.

Jessica Speer is the author of BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? Girls Guide to Happy Friendships. Combining humor, the voices of kids, and research-based explanations, Jessica unpacks topics in ways that connect with tweens and teens. She’s the mother of two and has a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences.    

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This Book Is an Antidote to Anti-Asian Racism & It’s Available Now

by Amber Guetebier

It’s been a year and then some for all of us living through the COVID-19 epidemic. From masking up and washing our hands to stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions, we are a world in constant response to the pandemic. Through it all, we’ve been parenting our kids, balancing distance learning, and lockdown with the need for our kids to understand, grow, and play.

Unfortunately, the past year, and the past few weeks, in particular, have revealed an alarmingly high rise in racism toward Asian Americans and people of Asian descent. Misinformation surrounding the virus, its origins, and public statements from high-ranking officials have fueled this fire. One woman with a mission is trying to change that.

Enter Dr. Li and the Crown Wearing Virus. Author of two NY Times bestselling Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls books, Francesca Cavello wrote this book as a response to the rise in anti-Asian racism and the rampant misinformation about the virus and how it started. Illustrated by Claudia Flandoli, this book details and celebrates the important work by Dr. Li Weinlang, the Chinese doctor who was the first to bring attention and raise the alarm that a novel coronavirus was spreading in Wuhan. It also teaches children practical facts about the virus, its spread, and how to contain it. Armed with the correct information, children’s anxiety and concerns are addressed.

“As you build the future of our planet

May you always remember

This extraordinary time

When we found out

That we do not walk alone

That when one of us falls

We all fall
And when one of us rises

We all rise. “

—from Cavello’s dedication to Doctor Li’s children and to the brave children of the world.

 

In the story, we learn about Dr. Li, who risked being arrested to spread accurate information about the high-rate of transmission with COVID-19. Although he worked hard to identify and protect people, he was threatened, as were the doctors and health-care professionals who supported him and tried to pass on the information about how to protect yourself from the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, we meet seven-year-old May who learns about Dr. Li’s work, and his death from the virus and feels afraid. Together, with her mom’s help, they set out to educate themselves about the Coronavirus. The book itself shares practical facts, beautiful images, and reassures children with researched information.

The book itself offers a Chinese hero for children to remember, and empowers kids with knowledge.

Undercats itself is a new media company that publishes “children’s books that celebrate diversity and inspire families to take action for equality.” Look for more books coming out this fall.

Learn more about Undercats and their new publishing platform, and order your copy, at undercats.com 

—Amber Guetebier

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Decorate Your Front Door and Help Girls Around the World

by Leah R. Singer
Partner Content

October 11 is International Day of the Girl, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the need for girls’ rights. It’s also the perfect opportunity to teach your kids —boys and girls—about the importance of gender equality and girls’ rights around the world. Not sure how to show your girl power? Plan International USA made it easy for your family to support girls worldwide with its Girl Unlocked Campaign.

Plan International USA is a nonprofit organization that strives to advance children’s rights and equality for girls. They do this by engaging people and communities to make vital changes and tackle the root causes of discrimination against girls, exclusion and vulnerability. This year’s International Day of the Girl is more important than ever with a global pandemic affecting girls in so many ways.

Plan International USA wants your family show support for girls and young women as they push through doors and unlock their power and potential by decorating your front door in honor of International Day of the Girl. Participating is super easy. Here’s what you do!

1. Decorate your front door with equal signs and bold messages about gender equality. Think images of strong women, hearts, stars—anything that showcases messages and symbols of equity and girl empowerment. You can get as colorful and creative as you want and can find some ideas here!

2. While you decorate, use this opportunity to talk to your kids about equality, girls’ rights and empowerment.

3. Work on this fun activity anytime!

4. Share a photo of your front door on social media along with the hashtag #GirlUnlocked and tag @PlanUSA on Facebook and Twitter, and @Plan_USA on Instagram. In your post, include a brief message in your post about your family’s hopes for the next generation of girls.

This project is an awesome way for families to come together—in a pandemic-friendly way—and express their creativity through messages of girl power and equality to support girls around the world.

Plan International USA also hosted more activities in support of the International Day of the Girl, including their signature Girl Takeovers, where girls assume leadership roles in major corporations, governments, and nonprofits for the day, and female-led online workshops. You can check out the ​Freedom Online​ Report, sign a letter to make sure girls’ voices are heard, and visit the Unlock the Vote hub to learn about important girls’ rights issues before Election Day and how Plan has joined forces with theSkimm to help drive voting and bring attention to key issues.

Join in supporting Girl Unlocked today and share your creation using #GirlUnlocked! Learn more about Plan International USA.

—Leah R. Singer

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Could Viagra Become a New Treatment for Children of Mothers with Preeclampsia?

by Erica Loop

Researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center may have found a new way to protect the heart health of children born to mothers with preeclampsia. And the mainly male-used medication in the experimental therapy may surprise you!

A preeclampsia diagnosis is one potential pregnancy problem that no mama-to-be ever wants to hear. As if the excessive swelling isn’t painful enough, add in the skyrocketing blood pressure (and of course, protein-filled pee) and pregnancy can go from sweet to scary. Given the possibility of serious complications, for both mother and baby, there’s no shortage of research into this pregnancy-induced issue.

photo: 3907349 via Pixabay

Even though science is looking for causes, cures and any other treatment that could work, there are still plenty of what if’s. Along with the potential for immediate complications, children born to mothers with this condition are often at more risk for developing high blood pressure and suffering a stroke later in life.

Doctoral student and lead author of the study, Hannah Turbeville, said, “The ultimate goal of our work is to improve the long-term health of women and children affected by preeclampsia.” Turbeville also added, “There are limited guidelines for addressing the health risks to these groups, and we hope not only to bring attention to these risks but also to propel research forward that will inform preventative interventions.”

So what did Turbeville’s research find? Using rat models (not human subjects), Turbeville and her team lowered blood pressure in the offspring by acting on the nitric oxide pathway. If you’re wondering what this means, how the researchers did it and what the rat modeling has to do with humans, here goes: The theory is that by reducing blood pressure in rat offspring, the same could be true for human offspring of mothers with preeclampsia. To do this, the researchers used the drug sildenafil citrate. If that sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because you’ve probably heard about the medication before by its brand name—Viagra.

Yes, the research proposes that the ED drug Viagra (it also has other uses already) may help to reduce potential cardiovascular risks in children born to women diagnosed with preeclampsia. But don’t expect to see this treatment immediately. As of now it’s still in the rat-modeled trials.

—Erica Loop

 

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How to Talk to Your Kids about Giving Back & Why You Should, Too

By Miki Berardelli

Photo: KIDBOX

On this Global Pay It Forward Day (Apr. 28), don’t be afraid to start the conversation with your kids, because it’s never too soon!

Kids are curious by nature—when they see a natural disaster or pass a homeless person on the street, it’s normal for them to have questions. These moments open up the opportunity to teach them about philanthropy—sometimes by taking action. As a mom of two, this is something I’ve experienced first hand—in particular with my youngest son.

A few years ago on a brutally hot summer day, I was walking around New York City with my younger son, Max. I decided to stop at a food truck to buy several bottles of water for homeless people in the area and had him help me hand them out. This was the perfect introduction for us to have the conversation of the importance of giving back to those in need.

This made a huge impression on him and sparked his charitable drive and ever since he’s been volunteering at the Salvation Army and looking for ways to help others whenever he can.

Not only has this been important to me in my personal life, but as the CEO of KIDBOX, a company with a true heartbeat of social giving, I know more than ever the importance of philanthropy and that it’s never too soon to talk to your kids about it.

With Global Pay It Forward Day right around the corner on Apr. 28, here are my top tips to keep for having this first conversation with your kids:

It’s never too early to have the conversation!

Empathy is something kids can learn from a very early age. I recommend asking your kids how they might feel if they didn’t have any toys at all and how that feeling might change if a friend shared one with them or gave them one.

Start the conversation by explaining to them what philanthropy is.

More importantly, explain why it matters, too. Explain to your kids that giving back doesn’t just mean donating money it can also be donating time and helping bring attention to those in need.

Relate it to a time they needed help.

It’s fairly easy for kids to understand needs—they know what it feels like to experience the emotion of needing something. The best way to help them understand children in need is to talk to them about a time they felt hungry, cold or sick.

Leverage the technology they use often.

In today’s digital age, talking to your kids about giving back and identifying causes they feel passionately about is easier than ever. Browse charities online with your child and explain how the charities help those in need and find educational videos for them to watch on their tablets!

Show them giving back feels good.

Helping them experience what it feels like to practice generosity will create a positive association in your kids’ future—even if the charitable giving is done in an anonymous way. When you share these types of acts of kindness early on, it’s much more likely that your children will also incorporate this kind of compassion as they grow up.

Introduce them to different charities to help them find one they feel passionately about.

Find ways to get your kids involved in giving back, from making meals for the homeless to donating new clothing to children in need, creating moments that open up the conversation will help your kids find the causes they feel passionately about.

Shop brands that make giving back fun and easy.

Shopping brands that give back like KIDBOX, BOMBAS or Art & Eden, that incorporate giving back as a part of their mission, is an easy way to start the conversation with your kids as you select the charity of your or your child’s choice. It’s seamless and integrated into the shopping experience, so kids can see that giving back is as easy and as important as shopping for themselves.

Implement giving back as a part of their routine.

By creating a recurring moment of giving back in your child’s routine, you can help them to understand that giving back isn’t just reserved for times of emergencies, but rather should be something that is a part of their day to day life.
Get them involved in philanthropy-oriented kids groups.

Groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Girl Scouts USA, Boy Scouts of America or KIDBOX’s Kids Board of Directors help surround your little ones with other socially minded kids their age. Helping them make a bigger impact on their local communities through acts of giving.

Looking for a place to start? Check out KIDBOX’s Look Good Do Good page and join our community through our little leaders or our community moms’ 50 States of Giving & Inspiration program.

Miki Berardelli is the CEO of KIDBOX, the first st‌yle box built around a social mission to clothe children in need. She is the mom of two sons, Max and Vic. 

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This Baby Dressed as RBG, Frida Kahlo & More Is Adorably Empowering

by Erica Loop

She may only be three-months-old, but Liberty Wexler has already played many roles. Yep. She’s the baby dressed up as Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Instagram. Oh but that’s not all. Nope. This adorable infant is pictured as some pretty famous figures from history in a series of photos that have since gone viral.

Mom Jenelle Wexler started taking cute costume pics of toddler son River well before she got the idea to put baby Liberty in a RBG costume. So what was thinking behind the Instagram awesomeness? Wexler told Red Tricycle, “I feel it is important to pay tribute to the women who fought for an helped to protect and further women’s causes. I only hope these are the individuals that Liberty herself chooses to admire and aspire to be like.”

What famous women has Liberty played? Check out some of the most imaginative ideas that this creative mama had!

Frida Kahlo

This fab photo features the iconic artist. As the first in Wexler’s “Influential Woman” series, this post is more than just cute. It pays honor to a true pioneer.

Betsy Ross

This Betsy Ross photo portrait celebrates an American hero (hey, she made the first flag).

Amelia Earhart

Ah, the mysterious aviator. Baby Liberty keeps the historic theme going with this first female to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Jane Goodall

As one of the most well-known animal researchers, Goodall was an expert and and advocate for chimpanzees.

Hilary Clinton

With a remarkable career spanning decades, Clinton is much more than a presidential candidate. As a trailblazer and advocate for important issues, such as healthcare reform, she’s a true game-changer. Oh, and this version is aww-dorable too!

Sally Ride

It’s an out of this world adventure for baby Liberty in this pic! She plays the role of the first American female to go to space.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Those glasses. That gavel. This couldn’t be cuter pic of RBG highlights the accomplishments of the second female to be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice.

Madonna

You can’t have an influential women IG without including the “Material Girl” herself!

Wexler also added, “I am hopeful that when Liberty is older and looks back at these photos, she finds them to be fun yet informatively positive. In addition, I wanted to bring attention to specific stories, to show how important these women’s actions were in helping to shape our current society for the better. I believe these women continue to inspire the young females of present day to push boundaries and strive beyond equality.”

If these soooooo sweet photos inspire you (or just makes you squeal, “Aww!”), check out Wexler’s @photographyofliberty IG account!

—Erica Loop

Featured Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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The Belly Art Project: Paint Your Bump for a Good Cause

by Julie Seguss

No matter how you felt about painted pregnant bellies before (fascinated, wanting to try it, a little weirded out), you may want to get on board now because Spanx creator Sara Blakely just made it one of the hottest trends. Her newly-released book The Belly Art Project features photos of some seriously amazing painted bellies on everyday women as well as a few celebrities. The best part? It’s all for a good cause.

What is The Belly Art Project?

Pregnant bumps are an artist’s canvas in this beautiful belly-filled read. Spanx founder and CEO Sara Blakely came up with the idea for the project when she was a few days away from giving birth to her son and seven years later, it is complete.

Inside you’ll find more than 100 women baring painted bellies that are incredibly creative, amazing, gorgeous, inspiring and hilarious. While many of the mamas-to-be are everyday ladies, you’ll also recognize a few familiar faces including Kate Winslet and Milla Jovovich.

But don’t think this is just a book filled with clever bump photos. The book raises money and awareness for Every Mother Counts. One woman dies every two minutes from childbirth and Every Mother Counts aims to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for moms across the globe.

Why You Want to Buy this Book

First of all, 100 percent of the author’s proceeds benefit Every Mother Counts. And secondly, the artwork in this book is truly amazing. Whether you’re pregnant now, or have been in the past, sometimes you need to see pregnancy in a truly lighthearted way and these images do just that. For moms-to-be, the book has a section with tips and instructions for painting your own belly.

How Can You Get Involved?

You can help raise awareness for this cause by painting your belly (for Halloween or any day) with the Do It Yourself Belly Painting Kit. The all-inclusive kit comes with paint brushes, sponges and glitter to transform your bump. Make a game of painting your belly at your baby shower, or get creative with a friend to take a photo to help you remember your pregnancy.

Ten percent of the proceeds from the kit go to Every Mother Counts. You can share your artwork on IG, Facebook and the like by tagging #bellyartproject and @sarablakely to bring attention to the cause.

The Belly Art Project is available at amazon.com, $22.49.

Belly Paint Kit is available at spanx.com, $39.99.

Have you or would you ever paint your pregnant belly? Tell us about your maternity masterpiece in a comment.

–Julie Seguss

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Cancer – We’re Done with You!

By Kathy Gorohoff

‌

In honor of Movember, and in an effort to bring attention to men’s health issues, I wanted to share how Prostate Cancer and cancer in general has affected my life. This article has been challenging for me to write, I am not sure if it is because it is such a big topic and it is a pretty emotional to put it into words or if it is that I have so many thoughts about it, that I am not sure how to narrow it down. Probably a little bit of both. Naively, I never thought it would happen to us, but of course I was wrong.

Prior to 2014 my life was cancer free, my first interaction with cancer was when my mom told me she had lung cancer, luckily it was detected early and with surgery it was removed and she is now cancer free. After that incident, I felt that was as close as I really needed to get to cancer. Then in September of 2014 we found out my husband, Andrew, had Prostate Cancer. This was discovered after he had been back and forth to doctor appointments all year long, which began because he was unable to urinate while we were traveling in Hawaii in January of that year, appointment after appointment, taking one medication after another, finally to have a doctor take a biopsy of his prostate to learn what was going on and why his issues wouldn’t stop. Luckily, similar to my mom, my husband’s cancer was found early, the cancer detected was small but treatment was challenging because he is in his early 40’s and his options had a bigger effect on his life than they would if the cancer would have been found when he was older, like in his 70’s or 80’s which is more common. In the end, he had his prostate removed which took care of the cancer. After months of recovery, the doctors gave Andrew the all clear to continue with our plan to travel around the country in our camper – something we had been planning way before cancer ever showed up in or lives. We traveled, cancer free for 9 months with our girls and lived an amazing adventure. Then we came back and at my husband’s first follow up appointment with his doctor after the trip, the doctor determined something was not right. After some uncomfortable procedures and out-patient surgeries we found out that Andrew now had urethral cancer. Seriously, Cancer – can you give us a break?

When we found out about the Prostate Cancer there was so much research and information to learn about it, it’s one of the most common cancers out there. Urethral Cancer – not so much. In fact, Urethral cancer is rare is the most rare of all urological cancer. The doctors said that there are volumes of medical documents on Prostate Cancer and maybe four pages on Urethral Cancer. The summer after our trip consisted of more doctor appointments and surgeries. The last surgery, in September was the last one, for now, that removed the cancer they found. The doctors are hopeful, but not 100% certain that all the cancer was removed and Andrew will go back after Christmas and every three months moving forward to have his urethra checked for any more of those nasty cancer cells. My wish for Christmas is to have my husband 100% cancer free and to have an uneventful and healthy New Year.

Hopefully this article will be read by both men and women, but likely it will be read by a few more women than men. So for anyone reading this if you are a man or if you have a man in your life, husband, partner, brother, father, anyone with a prostate, if they can’t pee, they should talk to a doctor, if it’s difficult to pee, if there is blood in the pee or it hurts when they go, these are signs that there might be a problem. These problems were not going away with all the help the doctors were giving my husband, so they did the biopsy and found cancer. Luckily, all this was found early and surgery has been all the treatment he has needed, hopefully we are at the end of this cancer journey and we can go on living healthy, normal lives.

What I have learned about cancer through this journey is that cancer doesn’t really care what you have planned, it doesn’t care if you do everything right either. You can be super healthy, eat right, exercise and take your vitamins and cancer can still find you. You can be completely average, minding your own business and it’ll find you.  It doesn’t care if you have kids and a family and if you really don’t have time. When cancer comes around it takes center stage and you live your life around it. These days we try and incorporate the foods that are found to fight cancer and inflammation and try our best to keep stress levels down (which is challenging), but in the end we just try and live our best and happiest life, because cancer really doesn’t give a crap what you do, it will find you if it wants to. And with that in mind, we will continue to fight it and cherish each day, say our prayers and eat our vegetables and hope that our journey with cancer is behind us.

I am a mom, a writer, traveler, runner and yogi.  I love the outdoors and am adjusting to re-entry from 9 months traveling in a truck camper around the US and Canada with my family. I am excited to share my travels, stories and perspectives on parenting in the city. 

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