I just got back from Blogher, the premier blogging conference that was held in New York City. I had such a lovely time talking to women and men about the American Heart Association BetterU program at the Go Red For Women booth on the expo floor. As the Summer Ambassador for the program, my pitch was simple: Get better so you don’t die. That’s what it breaks down to for me. And week 11 is a big piece of that surviving puzzle for me, because week 11 is all about cigarette smoke. (Or evil in a cloud as I refer to it.) I have never smoked and I never will, because if I were to do so I most assuredly would stop breathing. No, I’m not just being dramatic. I have always had trouble with cigarette smoke. Being around it makes my lungs tight. Too much exposure makes me profoundly ill. [Read more...]
Miss Lori’s Go Red BetterU Week 11; quit smoking so we won’t die
Miss Lori says you need to care about your health so you’ll be around to care for your children
Miss Lori Go Red BetterU week 10: know your history, know your choices
I have a question for all of you parents out there. Please raise your hands all of you who hope your children will grow up and put themselves last on the priority list regarding health. Go ahead, don’t be shy. What? No hands? Oh, you think I’m being ridiculous? But wait a minute, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing by running around at wit’s end ignoring our health, skipping checkups, avoiding yearly screenings. We are teaching our children that it’s not possible to grow up and take care of yourself and your family at the same time. The moral of this little exercise, if we want to be good parents we have to be good to ourselves.
So guilt aside how do we do that? Well that’s exactly what we’ve been working on. This Summer I am serving as the Ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women BetterU 12 week program. Everything that I have done this Summer, every step that I have taken, both literally and figuratively, I have done so in the presence of my children. They are my support team, but they are also very much my audience, watching and internalizing the choices that I am making, whether I or they like it or not. What can I learn from that? Well, first and foremost I can learn that I am not alone. [Read more...]
Miss Lori is a cell phone wireless plan Free Agent, let the bidding begin!
 Phones! Phones! Phones! They really seem to rule my life these days. My cell phone bill is one of the largest bills I pay each month outside of my mortgage. Yikes! What does that mean exactly? It means I am ruled by my wireless company. I am at their mercy, or at least I have been for the last two years. However, right now I am at a wonderful crossroads. Every one of my family’s phones are off contract. Oh yes! That means I am a FREE AGENT! (Look out Lebron!) Now my children each have a very strong opinion about what they want me to do. All of their suggestions are fueled by the images of dancing smart phones in their heads. (However, I don’t believe that children should have internet access on their phones. I don’t mind if they have the ability to tap into their facebook accounts, but that’s it.) Nevertheless, I need to take a more fiscally responsible approach. (Although I wouldn’t mind a dancing smart phone myself!). [Read more...] |
Miss Lori had a terrifical time at the new family movie Ramona and Beezus
Yesterday my show in Romeoville got rained out and I was suddenly left with a free day. The idea of spending it in my pajama’s dozing was extremely appealing to me, but not so much to my children who were getting antsy already at 830am. So instead of lying around we quickly got ourselves together and headed up to the Evanston Century Theatre to join MJ Tam, Nancy Loo and some of the Chicago Moms for a screening of the new movie Ramona and Beezus, sponsored by Tide with Acti-lift. I am so glad we did!
Ramona and Beezus was easily the nicest family movie I have seen in longer than I can actually remember. [Read more...]
Walk, Run, or Roll with Miss Lori and WTTW August 22nd!
Walk or Run, But Come…to a summer morning packed with fun!
Register now for the 7th Annual WTTW Kids Fun and Run! Meet your favorite WTTW Kids walk-around characters from Arthur, Sesame Street, and Curious George; dance to critically-acclaimed pop band Ralph’s World; enjoy performances from Miss Lori and the team from Miss Lori’s CAMPUS and get moving on the 3K Family Walk and 5K Fun Run – all for a good cause! [Read more...]
Miss Lori has a gut feeling about Maxine Clark and St Louis, MO.
Do you believe in fate? I have to admit that I have wanted to, but my life hasn’t really rolled along like that. However, I do believe in gut instinct. Although, truth be told I believe it to be a muscle that you have to learn to exercise properly. I have always had “feelings,” but I haven’t always known how to listen to them, or to act upon them. This year I have had a recurring notion happening in my life. (Well, I have had a lot of them, but only one appears to be particularly positive.) Wait, I should back up to the beginning…last year.
My daughter has been struggling with an illness for a while now, but she has yet to be diagnosed. She has an enlarged pancreas but no one can seem to figure out why. It’s been excruciating emotionally, watching her struggle so. Particularly during the holidays last year. What made it worse was that with the piling up of medical bills money was really tight. For my beautiful daughter the one wish I had for her, beyond having her get better, was to be able to take her to Disney World. I wished it deep in my bones. I spoke it every night. I told the World. I put it out there, even though I had no possible way of fulfilling such a dream. Well, that is until I got a fateful email from Disney inviting me to be a part of the first Disney Social Media Moms Conference. And just like that a dream was fulfilled. Okay, but this is where the fate thing starts actually. (And you thought this was just going to be about my daughter? Who by the way is doing, better but still hasn’t been diagnosed and still suffers daily.) While attending the #Disneysmmoms conference I had the unique opportunity to not only meet, but hear an absolutely phenomenal woman speak. Maxine Clark, CEO of Build a Bear Workshop. Listening to her story, to her ideas about children, and community, and responsibility, and friendship… well I fell in love right then and there. No, I’m serious I started drawing her name in my notebook with little hearts around it. (Wait, strike that. I don’t want to get arrested for stalking). Okay, but it’s true that I was absolutely enamored. The little voice inside of me said, You are going to work with this woman!” Well, actually it wasn’t just the little voice inside of me, it was the big voice outside of me too. Because I told Maxine plainly that I absolutely wanted to work with her somehow, someway. I wrote about it, I tweeted it, I updated my facebook status about it. Well heck, I had such great success giving my dream up to the universe before, why stop now. [Read more...]
Miss Lori Go Red BetterU week 7; Your numbers are your friend
Your numbers are your friend, That is the overall lesson that I am trying to teach myself during my summer’s journey as an ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women BetterU Program. Since I was a child, when someone has said “know your numbers” they have been referring to the numbers on the scale. And most of my life those “numbers” have not felt very friendly, particularly since the birth of my third child. But at age 40, the numbers that I need to be concerned about aren’t just restricted to the scale. As I learned in week 2 of the BetterU program, it’s important to know your cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index. These numbers aren’t your enemy. Quite the contrary. They are your friend, even when they are off the mark. Why? Because knowing your numbers helps you be better, live better, and feel better. If you don’t know your numbers, you don’t know what you need to work on, or maintain.
When I had my heart screening earlier this month I found out my all-important numbers. (Unfortunately, I also found out my weight, even though I had my eyes closed and asked not to be told. UGH). The news was good regarding my cholesterol and my blood pressure. I’m managing fairly well in those arenas. But my BMI, (Body Mass Index), was a different story. Which wasn’t surprising to me. Even though I closed my eyes on the scale at the doctor’s office, I am well aware that I am carrying around extra “me” that I don’t need to. Which translates into a high BMI. That was one of the principal reasons that I embarked upon this journey to be BETTER. I don’t just want a Body Mass Index. I want a BETTER Mass Index! [Read more...]
Miss Lori week 5 Go Red BetterU Program: an apple in the hand is worth pounds on the scale
As you all know, this Summer I am the Ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women BetterU Program. I started the program just after my 40th birthday in May. It’s been going well, this journey of enlightenment. It’s a literal journey because I have been traveling so much since I started this program. In fact I am on my fourth city this month alone this week. Which actually has been great for my pedometer. (Airports really help you rack up the steps). But traveling messes around with your internal clock and it doesn’t afford you the best food options when you are trying to optimize your health. That’s a nice way of saying traveling makes you chunky. [Read more...]
Miss Lori week 4 Go Red BetterU Program; Go Team!
Do you have a team? I have a soccer team that I coach. I have a PR team that I work with on ambassadorships. I have a Green Team song.… But apparently what I really need is a Better team. A BetterU team to be exact. This Summer I am serving as the Ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women BetterU Program. I am spending twelve weeks evaluating my health, and then making key changes to my habits. Some big. Some little. But all of them important. According to week four of the Go Red BetterU Program this week I need to assemble my healthy support team. It stands to reason though, don’t you think? There is strength in numbers. When you feel accountable to someone you’re more likely to stick to your plan. And then, when you feel encouraged, even celebrated, well, then you feel like there’s nothing you can’t do. Happiness is the fountain of youth for the heart, don’t you think? (Well, I’m sure my doctor would quickly point out to me that my heart needs exercise, and nutritious, low fat food amongst other things to remain youthful, but you get the idea.) Nobody’s ever said, “Oh, she died from a happy heart!” [Read more...]
