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February 15, 2018

FIVE EASY WAYS THAT MEAN MORE THAN THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS


Image via Lakeshore Lady

One of my favorite things about being a blogger is having a small, little area of the internet that’s mine. Whether that’s used to dress up in some of my favorite clothes, share my travels, or talk about Chicago’s unpredictable weather, it’s a small reflection of who I am and my creative outlet outside of work and everyday life. I had a blog post ready for this week about my favorite turtle neck and chino pants, but can’t bring myself to push the publish button on what seems like such a frivolous post because I’m completely heartbroken.

If you haven’t seen the news, 17 people – many of which are children – are dead due to a recent school shooting that happened at the high school I graduated from. The high school where I met many of my bridesmaids, had my first heartbreak, celebrated my college acceptance, and grew into an adult is now a statistic. The halls I roamed carelessly are now number eighteen – the eighteenth school to experience a shooting in 2018 … and it’s only February. With certainty, this is going to happen again, and someone else’s small town that they felt secure in and prepared them to fight in the “big scary world” will become that “big scary world”.

Anyone familiar with Parkland and Coral Springs will tell you it’s an area where people sleep with their doors unlocked, and in fact, Parkland was named the safest city in Florida for 2017 – proof that this can happen anywhere. Every time I come back to visit at least one person asks me if I’m scared of the gun violence in Chicago, and I always say that I’m more afraid of a homegrown terrorist walking into a mall, movie theatre, or populated area with a gun. And although this is our new normal, you never really think it’s going to happen to the town where the biggest thing we’re known for is breeding pop-punk band New Found Glory.

The first thing that came to my mind when I think about Douglas are my amazing memories. How excited I was when I became weather girl for the news, how much fun we had on our Senior trip to Islands of Adventure, and the countless football games that brought school pride. Our biggest worry was trying to steal our parent’s alcohol without getting caught, or convincing our parent’s we NEEDED another pair of torn-up Abercrombie & Fitch jeans as if it was life or death. Those are the things that these teenagers should be waking up and worrying about – not real life or death situations. Not if their friends in surgery are going to make it out alive. Not when they’re going to attend the funerals of their fellow classmates. And certainly not when this is going to happen again.

It’s never the right time to have a discussion on what can be done because we should never have to see children running for their lives with their hands up in the air. High school is the sweet time we’re supposed to take for granted, and the time we look back on as adults and remember how we didn’t know what real problems were. Thoughts and prayers are nice, but they’re not enough. And they will never be enough. Nobody should be okay with this being the America we raise our children in, wondering when their town is going to be become the next Parkland.

Responsible gun owners who don’t support gun reform are not responsible gun owners. Below I’ve listed five easy ways you can give back and have your voice heard. And I encourage you to share any organizations or ideas you’ve come across that can help change the violent narrative in this country.

  1. Donate to the Stoneman Douglas fundrasier on Go Fund Me. It’s the only right now that is being labeled as legitimate.

  2. Support Everytown for Gun Safety and find an event or join the Gun Sense Action Network.

  3. VOTE OUT COMPLICIT POLITICIANS. Research those in bed with the NRA and put pressure on them by calling them, tweeting them, and make sure you show up to vote them out. Here is a top 10 list of career recipients of NRA funding, for starters. Call your member of congress. You can find out who they are here.

  4. Make a pledge to support only candidates who will fight to to reduce gun violence, and make sure you share your pledge with others.

  5. Educate yourself and others. Information is power, so start researching statistics surrounding the gun violence in America. The gun violence archive is a great start.

x Jill

Filed Under: Lifestyle

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FOLLOW ALONG @jillbadlotto
Happy weekend. 🖤 Made it to the Van Gogh exhibi Happy weekend. 🖤 Made it to the Van Gogh exhibit in Miami yesterday. If it’s in your city, I highly recommend! #miami #darlingweekend #imaginevangogh #vangoghexperience
When I brought up driving to Florida with our two When I brought up driving to Florida with our two kids and two dogs to my husband, I was half kidding and half hoping he would say yes, because MY GOD did we need a change of scenery. We knew flying wasn’t an option, and we wanted to drive straight through in order to avoid people. Here are some things to make the journey easier on us:

- Organizing EVERYTHING with Amazon packing cubes. We packed things by category (one cube for small toys, one for snacks, one for pumping parts) so everything was easy to grab.

- We kept a ball in the car so when we stopped at rest stops, Jude could let out some energy and stretch his legs (Also, stopping at rest stops vs gas stations is ideal. There’s rarely any people and usually there’s outdoor space to run)

- We tried sticking to nap schedules by playing white noise via Spotify through the car. This helped the boys sleep!

- Investing in a good cooler was a MUST. Our @yeti cooler kept all the bottles cold, along with snacks like fruit and sandwiches. 

- To keep Jude busy, we raided the @target dollar section for new toys. I also binded flash cards together so they didn’t get lost in the car, and magic marker color books kept him entertained for awhile. 

And when all else failed, we used the trusty iPad for some screen time. All screen time limits go out the window on a road trip. Just make sure you download an app beforehand that locks the screen so you don’t have to fix it 100 times in an hour. 🤪 You can check out my recent blog post on more tips/tricks, and some photos from out time here so far. 🚗🌴#linkinbio #heyjudeharrison
Yesterday we celebrated Heathie boy’s 6 month bi Yesterday we celebrated Heathie boy’s 6 month birthday. ❤️ Can not believe it’s been half a year but also can’t believe there was a time where he wasn’t a part of our family. Heath has such a peaceful presence and calming nature. I love the way he takes the world in, a little skeptical and curious but still always smiling. He is so happy to be out on adventures and admires everything that Jude does. He’s constantly laughing, rarely gets upset, loves when we play music, and is turning into a little water baby. But nothing makes him happier than putting him in his sleep sack and taking a nap (just like his mama 😂). He is truly an angel on earth and we are so lucky he is ours. ❤️ #heyheathjoseph #6monthsold #babyboy #childhoodunplugged
Foolishly thought because I felt fine after my fir Foolishly thought because I felt fine after my first shot that the second #covidvacccine would be fine. Yeah... 😂😂. Had body aches and a bad headache all day yesterday that kept me in bed, with a fever last night and chills. Feeling so much better today, especially sitting outside in this beautiful weather we’re having. So excited to be fully vaccinated and hopefully pass along some antibodies to my children! #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs #florida #darlingescapes
YAY for science! And vaccines! 💉 Received my 2n YAY for science! And vaccines! 💉 Received my 2nd dose of the #covidvaccine and it feels like Christmas in April. I know we still have a bit to go and it’s crucial to follow CDC guidelines, but this shot in the arm felt like that light at the end of the tunnel actually exists. This time last year I was sad that my job was put on hold (and eventually eliminated), we had all of our weddings for our coordination business postponed, and I had no idea when I’d see my family again. And now I can almost taste an overpriced glass of wine in a crowded bar with my friends. So grateful for science, doctors, nurses, essential workers, and all those who continue to carry our society through this pandemic. #WillSelfieForVaccines #covid_19 #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs
Sharing some photos from our time in Florida so fa Sharing some photos from our time in Florida so far and some tips for road tripping with two kids on the blog today! 🚗 🌴 #linkinbio

FOLLOW ALONG! @JILLBADLOTTO

Happy weekend. 🖤 Made it to the Van Gogh exhibi Happy weekend. 🖤 Made it to the Van Gogh exhibit in Miami yesterday. If it’s in your city, I highly recommend! #miami #darlingweekend #imaginevangogh #vangoghexperience
When I brought up driving to Florida with our two When I brought up driving to Florida with our two kids and two dogs to my husband, I was half kidding and half hoping he would say yes, because MY GOD did we need a change of scenery. We knew flying wasn’t an option, and we wanted to drive straight through in order to avoid people. Here are some things to make the journey easier on us:

- Organizing EVERYTHING with Amazon packing cubes. We packed things by category (one cube for small toys, one for snacks, one for pumping parts) so everything was easy to grab.

- We kept a ball in the car so when we stopped at rest stops, Jude could let out some energy and stretch his legs (Also, stopping at rest stops vs gas stations is ideal. There’s rarely any people and usually there’s outdoor space to run)

- We tried sticking to nap schedules by playing white noise via Spotify through the car. This helped the boys sleep!

- Investing in a good cooler was a MUST. Our @yeti cooler kept all the bottles cold, along with snacks like fruit and sandwiches. 

- To keep Jude busy, we raided the @target dollar section for new toys. I also binded flash cards together so they didn’t get lost in the car, and magic marker color books kept him entertained for awhile. 

And when all else failed, we used the trusty iPad for some screen time. All screen time limits go out the window on a road trip. Just make sure you download an app beforehand that locks the screen so you don’t have to fix it 100 times in an hour. 🤪 You can check out my recent blog post on more tips/tricks, and some photos from out time here so far. 🚗🌴#linkinbio #heyjudeharrison
Yesterday we celebrated Heathie boy’s 6 month bi Yesterday we celebrated Heathie boy’s 6 month birthday. ❤️ Can not believe it’s been half a year but also can’t believe there was a time where he wasn’t a part of our family. Heath has such a peaceful presence and calming nature. I love the way he takes the world in, a little skeptical and curious but still always smiling. He is so happy to be out on adventures and admires everything that Jude does. He’s constantly laughing, rarely gets upset, loves when we play music, and is turning into a little water baby. But nothing makes him happier than putting him in his sleep sack and taking a nap (just like his mama 😂). He is truly an angel on earth and we are so lucky he is ours. ❤️ #heyheathjoseph #6monthsold #babyboy #childhoodunplugged
Foolishly thought because I felt fine after my fir Foolishly thought because I felt fine after my first shot that the second #covidvacccine would be fine. Yeah... 😂😂. Had body aches and a bad headache all day yesterday that kept me in bed, with a fever last night and chills. Feeling so much better today, especially sitting outside in this beautiful weather we’re having. So excited to be fully vaccinated and hopefully pass along some antibodies to my children! #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs #florida #darlingescapes
YAY for science! And vaccines! 💉 Received my 2n YAY for science! And vaccines! 💉 Received my 2nd dose of the #covidvaccine and it feels like Christmas in April. I know we still have a bit to go and it’s crucial to follow CDC guidelines, but this shot in the arm felt like that light at the end of the tunnel actually exists. This time last year I was sad that my job was put on hold (and eventually eliminated), we had all of our weddings for our coordination business postponed, and I had no idea when I’d see my family again. And now I can almost taste an overpriced glass of wine in a crowded bar with my friends. So grateful for science, doctors, nurses, essential workers, and all those who continue to carry our society through this pandemic. #WillSelfieForVaccines #covid_19 #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs
Sharing some photos from our time in Florida so fa Sharing some photos from our time in Florida so far and some tips for road tripping with two kids on the blog today! 🚗 🌴 #linkinbio

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