When my friend Barb asked me to be on her Relay For Life team, I said yes because she had just bought 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies from my daughter.

I think I would have done it even if Barb had not bought the cookies.

How many of you have been like me, very lucky to be relatively healthy and happy. My marriage is going well despite the days I want to scream or make my husband scream. I have been in one or two car accidents that could have caused much more damage to myself and my passengers.  My kids are healthy, even with my 13-year-old’s bought with pneumonia last summer.

I have been very lucky. But I have also known people who have battled a variety of cancers. One of the other soccer moms when we were in Dynamo Soccer died from breast cancer. Another was a long time farm neighbor who died of brain cancer. I have quilted with a woman whose husband died from pancreatic cancer – just like that.

If I started counting people I have known who beat cancer or succumbed, including my own grandmother and Aunt Barbara, I would run out of digits. The sad truth is this disease is all over the place. It is sneaky and nasty. The person you are changes as the illness progresses.

But that is why there is Relay for Life which takes place at Bishop McNamara High School on June 12 this year. The teams and the walkers collect money to help research, to help people suffering and to bring information to the public about prevention.

Of all of the researchers who have been funded by the American Cancer Society, 44 have received the Nobel Prize which is the highest prize a scientist can receive. We have learned about the link between smoking and lung cancer, the need for colonoscopy and the importance of getting your weight down in regards to prevention.

The other night I was at the Relay For Life team meeting. I saw many people who were committed to raising money to fight, including Marti who raised over $1100 over the internet and her Facebook page. Marti was diagnosed with breast cancer last September. This is her personal battle. But it could hit any of us at any time. Her battle is our battle.

How can you help, you say? You are pretty sure you cannot walk on the day of the relay but you want to do something. Visit the website at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10IL?sid=81409&type=fr_informational&pg=informational&fr_id=22183.

Here you can find all sorts of events that are fundraisers for Relay For Life teams. Use a special coupon on certain days to buy pizzas from Monical’s, take part in bowling parties or Bunco parties. There is going to be a breakfast fundraiser at the Knights of Columbus and Paul’s Place. Go to a garage sale or buy some baked goods. Maybe you do not want to do the walk but do not let that stop you from making a difference.

To paraphrase Gandhi, be the change you want to see in the world. This is just one way to do it.

Karyn Bowman lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook or send an e-mail to momgoestothemovies@sbcglobal.net.

When you have one guinea pig, changing the bedding needs to happen once a week. There have been times that we have stretched it to every two weeks for a variety of reasons. I prefer to keep it clean as much as possible.

The problem in the Bowman household is we don’t have just one guinea pig, we have three of these cute rodents. Hannah likes to talk to me whenever I go into her room. Usually it is about complaints of no food and water that is almost empty. Those conversations always end up with me calling the owner to come upstairs and make Hannah happy. The other two live together and are quite happy. Snicker and Doodle enjoy cuddling with us but squeak like crazy when we try to catch them to do so.

Unfortunately, their cage has to be cleaned more often. It has to be done weekly or it just stinks. One of the larger packages of bedding will last two weeks at our house. But I remembered buying a huge package of pine bedding (most recommended for guinea pigs) at Pic-A-Pet at 530 South Schuyler in Kankakee. It had been a few years since I had last been to the shop and remembered again why I like going there, especially with kids in tow.

There is a lot to see. Like what, you ask? Well, there are parrots and big birds who want to talk to you. One rubbed my shoulder as I went past. There were guinea pigs, a hedgehog and fish galore. Plus my five-year-old son was fascinated by the large turtle that was crawling on the floor.

Because the owners have been in business for 23 years, they know a lot. You can ask questions and will get an answer. When I talked about the size of bedding I was looking for, they helped me with an industrial package of pine bedding. Actually, it is a great size for a horse stall. But I am storing this in a garbage can in Hannah’s room to prevent spillage.

During the time we were in the store, my kids looked at everything. We left happy, having seen cool animals, cute animals and enough bedding to last us at least two months. Oh, and I am planning to go back when I need more. It will make for a great quickie outing. The bag of bedding might have cost $14 but to run errands and have happy kids – Priceless!

Pic-A-Pet is located at 530 South Schuyler, across the street from Burger King. For more information you can call then at 815-939-3474.

Karyn Bowman lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook or send an e-mail to momgoestothemovies@sbcglobal.net.

On Sunday, I plan to be dressed in a hip outfit while sitting in my living room watching the Oscars™.

I am leaving the evening gown at the resale shop but hopefully my maroon tunic with my black leggings will be all that fashion can ask from a mom with four kids and no money.

While my son is slaving away in the kitchen making pizza, I plan to have my scorecard out and white sangria in a glass. Will I call it right this year? Will Avatar blow everyone away? And what is Helen Mirren going to wear this year?

Let’s start with the Animated Feature nominees. All of the nominees – Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, The Secret of Kells, and Up – are good solid movies. Four of them were in mainstream markets. Talk I hear on the chat boards is that The Secret of Kells is the best of the lot. I predict that the winner will be Up, directed by Pete Doctor and produced by the Pixar group. Up has also gotten a Best Picture nomination but this will be the consolation prize.

The Supporting Actress category is up for grabs. Mo’Nique has put in a powerhouse performance in Precious. But Maggie Gyllenhaal has been putting out the goods ever since her big break in Secretary (2002). Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are good in Up In The Air, Penelope Cruz looks great in her leotards. However, I am willing to bet that Gyllenhaal will walk away with a statue on her first nomination.

All I have to say for Supporting Actor is Christoph Waltz from Inglourious Basterds. It was a powerhouse performance that had me riveted every time this man was on the screen. As much as I love Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson, Waltz was phenomenal.

As I look at the Best Actress category, I am already taking out Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep. I think the nomination is the award for both, although for different reasons. Gaborurey Sidibe has done an impressive performance for a first time actor in Precious, which leaves Helen Mirren and Carey Mulligan. Mirren is a past winner for The Queen, Mulligan won the British Oscars, BAFTA, for An Education. My best guess here might be Mulligan or all the votes could be split leaving Streep a chance to win for a movie that is more fluff than substance.

Now for Best Actor that has no clear defined winner because each of these guys are superb. How does one pick when Jeff Bridges was great as a country singer working through his demons, George Clooney as the uber business traveler, Colin Firth as a gay widower forced to rethink his life, Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, and Jeremy Runner fighting in Iraq. Personally, I think it could go to Renner or Bridges. In the end, if I have to pick one it will be Bridges because the talk about his performance has been high.

Best Director might be even harder to pick. It has been said no one directs a better action sequence than James Cameron (Avatar) EXCEPT for Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). No one combines action and great dialogue better than Quentin Tarantino. And if you want black comedy, the best at it right now is Jason Reitman. History could be made if Lee Daniels wins (Precious). All are powerful and I have no clue which could win. The biggest clue is that Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Lock from the Director’s Guild and that is almost always a sure sign of who will win Oscar.

Now let’s talk about Best Picture. The category has been expanded to include 10 films this year. Avatar and The Blind Side were box office power houses. Precious and Inglourious Basterds deal with the unfairness of life. Then there is A Serious Man, Up In The Air, and An Education, which are all slices of life movies. District 9 and The Hurt Locker are action flicks with deeper themes. Up is one of the best animated flicks this year.

We can discuss the number of nominees, whether it is wrong or right. I wonder if it is so the number of movies nominated match the number of screenplays – adapted and original- that are nominated. For discussion sake, let’s assume that the nomination is the award for The Blind Side, District 9, Up, Precious, and A Serious Man. That leaves Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Up In The Air.

Which would I bet on to win?

All are good movies. All have interesting themes. Two or three might be great movies. In the end, I think the technical advancements of Avatar might trump everything. The only other movie I see making headway towards the statue is The Hurt Locker. It has been called the defining war movie of the era that stays away from politics and philosophy. The other movies are good but in the end I feel The Hurt Locker will walk away with the statue.

Do you agree or disagree?

Karyn Bowman lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook or send an e-mail to momgoestothemovies@sbcglobal.net.

How do you make the mark of winter going into spring?

For me in the past week it has been hearing more bird activity at Northfield Square Mall in the mornings when I walk. In the food court, there are very tall palm trees. I would say some of these trees are as tall a two story house.

When I started walking in the middle of winter, you would hear one or two of these birds, maybe. But this past week I have been hearing – and seeing- more of them. The birds are beginning to pair up, calling for each other and flying about in that small tree-filled area. As I do my walk throughout the mall, I do not see or hear the birds. They stay in that small area. Hearing them makes me feel as if warm weather is about to get here.

Speaking of walking at the mall, I am beginning to notice more people are doing it. I am seeing all of the regular people who were there when I started. But now I am seeing others. It is girlfriends, couples, fathers and sons, and one set of girlfriends who has a young child in a stroller. It is getting a little crowded at times but this is a good kind of crowded. Everyone who is there is working on their better health – or in my case – to fit in skinny jeans by May.

Back to the topic at hand, which was sure signs of spring? Yesterday it was snowing when I took my son to his high school but by afternoon that snow was melted away. That is one of my favorite signs of spring. That means there is no great pile up of the white stuff, no long lasting snow on the ground to reflect the sun’s heat back to space.

And that can only mean sometime soon my husband will hoe a row for spring peas in the tradition of his grandmother. This year he will not do it in February as he has done in past years. It will have to wait for March. And March starts next week.

March signals the end of high school basketball. And it starts into the March Madness Final Four basketball tournament. How do my husband and his friends celebrate? They get-together on that first weekend of 24/7 games, play cards, drink beer and have a no-holds barred guy time.

By the time it is all over, well, spring has made definite inroads.

However, the best sign of spring by far is when I hear those four magical words.

“Pitchers and catchers report.”

Now starts the daily reports of Cubs and White Sox baseball spring training camp. Now we get to hear about who is playing where, if there are any spectacular last minute deals, how much is the MLB network is going to have to edit what Ozzie says in their new reality series called The Club. Oh yes, baseball is back!

Do you have any sure signs of spring?

Karyn Bowman lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook or send an e-mail to momgoestothemovies@sbcglobal.net.

Once again, one of the players on the Bulls has Plantar Fasciitis. It is affecting his playing and making it rough for the rest of the team.

You are probably wondering how can that particular ailment can cause so much havoc. Can’t they just put a brace on the foot or wrap it to give the foot some stabilization?

Oh, if only it were that easy, my friend.

I can tell you the pain of Plantar Fasciitis because I have had it. It is sneaky and painful. You going along, doing what you need to do. Your feet might feel fatigued but nothing too big deal.

Then you sit down, maybe to rest or to eat or to drive home. Then you try to stand back up and the inside arch of your foot hurts, it burns and each step is torture. You are hobbling because it hurts so bad.

Now imagine what Noah must feel. He is playing at the beginning of the game and all is going well. Then the coach decides to give him a break, Noah sits on the bench until it is half time and they go into the locker room. Noah stands up and feels the tell-tale burning sensation on the arch of his left foot. He limps to the locker room, no doubt in my mind to put a bare foot on ice.

I was in my 30s when I started having symptoms. But like a lot of health concerns, I pushed it off. My feet would hurt every morning when I got up. I would slowly make my way through getting the kids up and going, then head for breakfast downstairs.

I saw an article in the Daily Journal about Plantar Fasciitis and contacted the clinic in Manteno. Dr. Rebecca helped me with shoe inserts to better support my arches. She also gave me exercises to stretch the Plantars plus I had to ice my feet every night. Man, did that ice hurt. I did not mind the stretching so much because I could feel the improvement.

Eventually, I ended up doing steroid shots in both of my heels. Dr. Rebecca had to put several pokes in right on the muscle and it hurt every single time. I nearly cried with each injection. But I did manage to keep my feet still enough for her to do the shots. The end result was worth it. I was back to being able to walk and move without being in pain.

Other people are not so easily cured. Some have to do a sound wave treatment, last resort treatment is to do surgery.

Luckily, Noah is young and he can recover. He may not be able to have steady play time now. But with good treatment and his own discipline in following a treatment plan, Noah can get through it.

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook or send an e-mail to momgoestothemovies@sbcglobal.net.

As Valentine’s Day gets nearer, the lines at Blockbuster to pick out the perfect movie will get longer. But some movies need to be avoided.

Warning!! I am about to be sacrilegious. “Legends of the Fall” has to be one of the most over-rated films ever.

The last time I watched this movie, with the thought of how great to see Brad Pitt in this tale of great love, was many years ago. At some point as the camera pans over the cemetery, talking of how these people sacrificed their life for Tristan, I wanted to scream.

The movie is overwrought with emotion, with meaning, with Tristan’s wild character. In the end, I could not like him or even sympathize with him. It is not that his character is mean or insensitive. I believe Tristan truly cared for his brother, Samuel. But in deserting Susannah, he revealed a carelessness with others.

But worse yet, it seemed that the narrative wanted to blame Tristan for all of the deaths in the movie. Was he really? I always felt he was the blame for Isabella’s end but not anyone else’s.

Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps you agree. Perhaps you think another movie meant for Valentine’s Day deserves to be called the most over-rated. Tell me what you think.

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook or send an e-mail to momgoestothemovies@sbcglobal.net.

by Karyn Bowman

Many of my weekday mornings are spent at Northfield Square Mall from 8 am till 9 am.

It is not because there are terrific sales going on at that time of the day. In fact, most of the stores are closed or only have one or two people in them, adjusting displays or doing the daily clean up work. Only Taco John’s is open to provide beverages to those early walkers.

What I – and several other people – go for is the chance to walk without having to deal with the cold weather. Some people are walking by themselves, others are in two’s and three’s. All are walking around the mall at the pace that best suits them. Depending on how fast you go, it can take 10- 15 minutes to go around the entire building.

Many times when I am walking, I join my pastor and his wife. They go at a pretty fast clip, which is great for me. At this rate I am going to be losing my left-over pregnancy belly by springtime. Because of the various studies that have stated and verified that belly fat is a leading factor in heart problems and diabetes, I am trying to decrease mine. Let me give credit to where credit is due because I do not think I would be seeing changes already if were not for Debbie’s quick steps.

I think I have shared in the past that my family has a history of heart attacks and diabetes. I do not want to be like my grandmother, who had her first heart attack when she was forty. Nor do I want to be the next relative who announces they have diabetes. That is why I walk in the mall every morning I get.

Besides losing my love handles, there is another benefit. I get to learn great snippets of information. I recently heard a group of men talking about the History Channel’s new reality show called Pawn Stars. This is a show about a pawn shop that has ritzier clientele and interesting items that come in. Having never seen the show before, I am willing to tune in to this new gem on Monday nights.

 Another thing I’ve learned, besides Wet Seal having the boots I want, is that Aéropostale is having a great deal on jeans. You bring in an old pair that can be donated to Haiti and the store will give you 25% off on a new pair of jeans. You cannot miss the huge packing boxes in the windows.

According to the website, some of Aéropostale’s jeans start at $45 – $50. But that doesn’t mean the price is still at that level. What I do think is great is that commerce is willing to do something to help others in a time of great need. For more information call the Northfield Square Mall location at (815) 935-8850.

I am not sure what else I am going to learn on these daily walks but I am willing to find out!

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook.

By Karyn Bowman

Last week we finally got the time to see Julie and Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

The husband and I loved the movie and found we were charmed by it more than expected.

Meryl Streep always impresses me on how she is still able to lose herself when playing some of these roles. I forgot who she was, forgot that Meryl is five-foot-six and played the six-foot tall Child. She had a presence of a larger woman.

The other amazing factor of this movie was the food. While there were not too many great presentations, there was the discussion and talk of preparation of those great recipes.

Yet there are other movies out there that go for the great presentation.  Have you ever seen Big Night with Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub as Italian immigrants who open a restaurant. The cooking is divine but customers are in low supply. That is when Tucci decides to make a grand gesture for one night using the last of their money to get the word out about their restaurant.

There are many wonderful small performances by Marc Anthony, Minnie Driver and Isabella Rossellini, who adds grace just by showing up. She must be one of the most beautiful women in the world. It makes me want to get Arborio rice and heat chicken broth to make a killer Risotto. Tucci and Shalhoub are fantastic – as always – as two brothers who love each other and have totally different temperaments.

Another movie that features food that is a good movie is Soul Food starring Vanessa Williams, Nia Long and Vivica A. Fox. The movie is about three sisters and their relationships with each other and the men in their life. Everything is thrown into turmoil when the matriarch of the family dies and no one knows where the mysterious stash of cash is held.

For the foodies in the audience, there are displays of soul food that makes one drool a bit. Corn bread made in a cast iron skillet, Mac and cheese from scratch. Yes.

But there are two movies out there that show food like no one else. The first is Eat, Drink, Man, Woman. Set in Hong Kong, it is the story of a chef and his three daughters as they navigate life. Every Sunday he makes a feast and the daughters eat. Sometimes there are announcements and surprises as each daughter slowly works her way into the independence of adulthood. Directed by Ang Lee, this is perhaps one of the few perfect movies in the world.

The last is the American version of this movie called Tortilla Soup starring Hector Elizondo. With his deep gravelly voice, Elizondo has managed to be sexy and reassuring no matter how old he is – which is now 73. In this movie we see him carving a pumpkin that is later used as a soup tureen.  He is also romanced by Raquel Welch and later announces a surprising romance of his own.

What all of these movies do is to inspire my cooking to be kicked up a notch. Sunday supper is a time in which we try new recipes and new techniques. Each child gets their turn to choose the menu and it has lead to some surprising successes. We have taken recipes from the internet (molten lava cake) and a Rachel Ray’s cookbook (grilled pork chops with a cherry sauce).

What’s next on the menu?  I am not sure but I know my husband has requested a repeat of Chicken Imperial, braised chicken in a mushroom, wine and cream sauce. Very French, very Julia Child.

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for The Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook.

By Karyn Bowman

How many times in the past week have you heard anyone besides media people say new year’s resolutions are blown within the first week of the year?

New habits are hard to make. I have heard studies say it takes about three weeks to make a new habit stick. But when the payoff is a smaller dress size or better blood sugar numbers, the hard work is worth it. And lets not kid ourselves, to make these changes does take effort on our parts.

Usually this time of year I pull out Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. While Breathnach has gone on to bigger and better things, I still find guidance in her book to find a more authentic self. I like her push to do a gratitude journal or to have a gift drawer for yourself for those days you need a little comfort.

It is books that Simple Abundance and The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron that helps a person discover what they love. And it makes you think about how you want to make that dream come true.

Being a more authentic artist is only one goal on my list. The other is to lose weight. I am one of those people for whom breast feeding did not work as the incredible weight reducer after pregnancy. I would be so hungry not matter how much I drank that I would continue to eat for two. In the last two years, I have taken some of the weight off. so much so that I have taken clothes to the consignment shop because they were too big for me. But I want to go further to make a goal that is realistic for my height and body shape.

I noticed in my various e-newsletters that Dr. Jon, a veterinarian, encourages his readers to take their pooch for a longer walk than usual. His reasoning is that it has been shown that people lose weight better when they exercise with a buddy. And there is no better buddy than the one with the big eyes begging you for a walk. Of course, you might want to give the pooch a check up to make sure he can handle to extra exercise.

I did that one day last week. Storm is on orders from the vet to lose weight. So Storm and I did a walk around the block. He loved it. I was thinking about getting warm again but at least I did get my exercise in. Once the weather gets really cold, Storm gets a little short changed but I know sooner or later he and I will find our way into a regular routine of an afternoon walk.

Have you kept up with your New Year’s resolution? And has it made a difference yet?

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for The Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook.

By Karyn Bowman

I never realized how disappointed I was in the lack of Jane Austen works until I was reading the novel Ladies With Options in which one character laments a lack of new novels from Austen.

I agreed with that statement so deeply that I, too, felt the loss. But when a life is so short (Austen lived only 41 years) it is easy to see how so few novels could be completed. Considering how difficult it was to get a novel published in those days by a lady writer, the task seems almost impossible.

And yet there were women writers at the time. Mrs. Radcliffe was known for her gothic novels that were devoured by the multitudes. Austen had her as a guide point of what could happen. But her direction of writing was completely different, focusing on the dramas that can take place in the small villages.

The 16^th of December is Austen’s birthday and I am choosing to remember the writer who influences my own works though we do not write in the same style or about the same subjects. Yet I feel akin to her, hoping to have as lively as a mind that never seemed to stop. Whenever I do biographical research o the woman, I find there are many sides to her. She had been called a silly flirt, a devoted aunt, a brilliant writer, and unlucky in love.

We know there was a broken engagement on her part, a possible tendre with Tom Lefroy and a mysterious start of a relationship in Lyme Regis that ended with the man’s untimely death. We know that her sister Cassandra burned the majority of their letters and that family members wrote memoirs about Jane.

And yet there is so little we do not know.

Over the years, fans of her work have invaded Hollywood and created beautiful and well done films based on her books. But there is one novel that has been ignored and it might be my favorite because the main character is delightfully deceptive and selfish. Lady Susan is told through letters about a young widow who seeks to marry off her daughter to a rich lord and find herself a suitable situation.

In my mind I see Kate Winslet as Susan, knowing that she would sink her teeth in to this villain who is destined to win out against her enemies who are just as self-absorbed and think they are on the side of goodness. Surely Emma Thompson would make a great script and find a great part for herself and a number of friends, including Alan Rickman.

For now it is only a hope.

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for the Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children.