The Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals might be able to figure out a Kris Bryant trade.
There have been a lot of rumors about the Chicago Cubs and what they are going to do this offseason. Things are already off to a bad start as Theo Epstein is done being the President of Baseball Operations. There are rumors all over the place about what they are going to do with some of their key players. They have a lot of guys coming up on expiring contracts that have to be dealt with. One of those is Kris Bryant.
Sources: #Nats are considering a trade for #Cubs 3B Kris Bryant, among numerous hitters they’re currently monitoring on the market. Free agent DJ LeMahieu is another option, as I reported earlier today on @MLBNetwork. @MLB
The Washington Nationals sound like they are a team that is interested in Bryant as their new third baseman. After winning the World Series in 2019, they had a bit of a World Series-winning hangover in 2020. They were one of the league’s most disappointing teams as they came in the last place of the NL East Division.
One of the reasons that they had a bad year was that they no longer had their star hitter, Anthony Rendon. Washington lost Rendon in free agency when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels last winter. Well, Bryant would be a decent replacement for him at third base and in the middle of their lineup.
Bryant has had an up and down career so far for the Cubs. He won Rookie of the Year in his first year and Most Valuable Player in his second. Since then, he has either been really good or really bad. In 2020, it was really bad. That makes the trade market for him hard to predict. These are three different types of trades that Washington might be willing to make to pry Bryant away from Chicago:
Welcome to 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days, hosted by Portrait of an Adoption. This series will feature guest posts by people with widely varying adoption experiences and perspectives.
One Mom, Many Moms
By Kelley Porter
Eleven years ago, my husband and I became foster parents, and through this process, we were able to adopt our youngest child, our daughter. Through foster care we completed our immediate family of five—Dad, Mom, two sons and one sweet girl.
It was in this time of my life that Carrie Goldman first started her Portrait of an Adoption series in November, a different story for every day of the month. Her series was a gift to me as an adoptive mom, to see and hear the different voices of the adoption triad.
When our daughter turned three, Carrie’s series continued and when she asked for submissions, I decided to share our story. We were licensed foster parents at that time, but we did not have foster children with us then. Still, I was driven by the need to encourage others out there who might be considering becoming foster parents.
Today, my daughter is eleven years old, and it is no surprise that the eight years since my first essay for the series went by so very, very fast. I have followed Carrie’s series faithfully all this time, feeling kinship with those who have also shared their stories. Carrie encouraged those who wrote before to share where they are now, so here I am.
It is an interesting place, to share our adoption story not from the very beginning, but now from the mid-point of my daughter’s childhood. The first time around, it was so easy to write about our experience with two years of fostering and the foster to adopt process.
It was a story of hope and encouragement. Fortunately, today, our story is still that—one of hope and encouragement, but it is different because writing the story of our child at two is so very different than writing the story of our child who is eleven.
At eleven years old, my daughter is an amazing, smart, brave, and compassionate person, she is a gift and a treasure to us, and she brings her own brand of joy and determination to our family. She also is fiercely independent, which is something I must take great care in holding sacred as I share our story.
You see, her story of her adoption, it is unique to her and it is ever-changing as she grows up. There are pieces that she is just learning about now, and there are pieces that try as I might, I will never completely understand, because her experience is her own. She is old enough to direct how much of her adoption story she wants shared with the world.
The part of our story that I can talk about and share, though, is who I am as a mother. My oldest son is twenty-one years old now. In his early years, I was a single mom. Single, but not alone in raising him, thanks to so many loved ones who stepped up and also helped raise him, too. In those early years, I can look back now and know that I was blissfully ignorant in so many ways. I may have been my best parenting self then, because I wasn’t as worried about how I might be messing things up.
I met my husband when my oldest was four, and together we became a family, and added our second son to the family. We became foster parents when my second son was about three, partly because a hysterectomy in my early thirties meant that I would only bear two babies in my lifetime.
When asked why we decided to foster, and did we know that we wanted to adopt, I still don’t have a straightforward answer. The best I can say is that my heart called me to foster care, with a strong belief that foster care would turn into adoption for us.
It was a scary and unknown proposition, but it felt right, and I am so thankful that we followed the path. Our daughter was our first foster placement. When she was one, we moved into a fixer-upper that didn’t really allow space for more kids, but we still kept our license, just in case.
We did a small amount of respite care, but then my husband was injured in an accident, and at that time we let our license lapse. Our daughter was about four years old then, and we settled comfortably into being a family of five. These were busy years because we both worked, the house was always a work in progress, and our oldest was busy with high school activities.
When our daughter was eight, we experienced a traumatic family event when our fixer-upper home unexpectedly burned down. The fire started in the early evening, when we were all awake and able to get outside immediately. Our oldest was at baseball practice and came home to see the inferno, so each of my kids experienced the fire differently and will have their own memories of that time.
I am relieved we weren’t fostering when that happened, I can’t imagine adding that kind of trauma for kids in care.
The house fire was an immediately bad thing, but it was also a cloud with a silver lining. My family was surrounded in love and support by our families, our friends and our communities. I say communities because our local community supported us beyond measure—but we were also supported by the communities where we each grew up, by the communities of our workplaces, and by kind, caring people that we’ve never met before.
It was a humbling experience to be held up at a time of great need, and we will never be able to thank everyone enough for seeing us through those dark days.
Now we are settled back home, into our newly built house. Of course, it is 2020, so just when our world was getting back to equilibrium, the pandemic is creating its own set of challenges. But so far, at the end of the day, we can say that we are doing well.
So, what does this all have to do with adoption, I am sure you are wondering? Contributing to Carrie’s final season of Portrait has been a gift of reflection for me.
It has allowed me to ponder my journey of motherhood, and ask myself if I am a different mom as an adoptive mom, a biological mom, and even a single mom? And the short answer is yes, and no.
I am one mom, and many moms, all in one. I’m not the same mom that I was as a single mom, because hopefully I have gotten a little wiser with age. But as an adoptive mom and a biological mom, are those the same roles or different roles? And yes, they are—the same and also different.
I know that I love all three of my children fiercely and passionately, and it is my number one wish to see them all grow and become who they will be. I am overprotective of each of them in ways that are unique to each of their lives. I am a different boy mom than I am a girl mom, and a different mom to an adult child, than I am to my younger children.
I am at a point in my motherhood that I am coming to accept that each of my children’s life journeys is their own–a path for them to follow with its own highs and lows….and the ability to travel alongside them, where our paths intersect, is precious and fleeting. I realize that while I get to try my best to guide and bring them up, I don’t have control over where my kids are going. I think I share with a lot of moms that I worry about messing this up — am I parenting the right way?
When I think of my daughter’s adoption story, there are two of her traits that come to mind—my daughter is one of the bravest people I know, and she has always had a strong sense of fairness. She is brave in ways she doesn’t even realize—she is willing to try new things that many kids wouldn’t; she is willing to keep going even when life feels unfair or complicated.
Fairness is very important to her. She wants to ensure she gets her piece of the pie, but she also wants to make sure the pie is shared fairly with the group. She is compassionate to others, to make sure they are treated fairly, too.
In my twenty-one years of motherhood, I know the best and most important piece of my life has been community. Yes, it takes a village, and I am so very thankful for ours. In adoption and foster care, there is community.
You see community in action in places like this blog series and other social media groups, in mentoring and supporting foster families, and in classes where prospective foster parents come together to learn how foster care works and how to take those first steps to become licensed. I was a foster mom for only a short time of my motherhood, but that experience has shaped me to be the mom I am today.
My daughter’s traits of bravery and fairness, coupled with community, get to the heart of what makes foster care. We are living in some strange and challenging times, and unfortunately, due to these circumstances, the need for foster homes will rise. The need is always there.
Historically, there may have been times where it waned a bit, but this need has never gone away. It is not something that government or politics can fix for us; it is our communities coming together to take care of our own. According to adoptuskids.org, there are over 400,000 kids in foster care in the United States. These kids deserve safe places to land if their families cannot take care of them.
Becoming a foster parent is an uncertain road, the part I remember most is that feeling that we were not in control of anything while we were fostering. Yet, it is one of the best experiences of my life because I grew in faith that life would be okay. I was reminded we can do hard things and feel good about them at the end of the day.
If you have ever considered fostering, I encourage you to reach out to the foster community and learn more. There are many local organizations that support kids in care. If you cannot foster, but you can support foster families, it makes a difference. The is something we can all do locally, in our communities.
It is so important to understand that fostering doesn’t always lead to adoption. Family reunification is a critical part of foster care. One of the hardest pieces of foster care is knowing you might only be caring for a child for an unspecified amount of time. Be brave, because the journey is worth it.
You will never regret knowing you gave a child a safe place to be when they needed it most.
As a former foster mom and a forever mom of my three, I am grateful that life creates families in ways we don’t always predict. I am enjoying watching my three children become the people they will be. I am thankful for those who love and support us. It’s a good life.
Kelley Porter is an attorney, mom, wife, daughter and friend. She is the parent of one great adult kid, and still raising two great kids at home with her husband Jay.
* * * * Carrie Goldman is the host of Portrait of an Adoption. She is an award-winning author, speaker, and bullying prevention educator. Follow Carrie’s blog Portrait of an Adoption on Facebook and Twitter
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For the seventh straight year, in honor of November being National Adoption Awareness Month, Portrait of an Adoption is running a special series called 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days. Designed to give a voice to the many different perspectives of adoption, this series will feature guest posts by adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, waiting adoptive parents, and foster parents-turned-adoptive parents. Painful and beautiful, these stories will bring you a deeper understanding of what adoption looks like, allowing you to appreciate the many brushstrokes that comprise a family portrait.
I am a writer, artist, wife and mother of three fantastic girls! My new children’s adoption book is Jazzy’s Quest: Adopted and Amazing, and my adult nonfiction book is Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs To Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear. And I LOVE chocolate!
They may be on their bye week, but the ChicagoBears could see things turn even worse in Week 11.
The 2020 Chicago Bears are at their lowest point of the season, riding four straight losses after starting the year 5-1. Some called them the most fraudulent 5-1 team ever, and while fans were frustrated and angry at that comparison, those folks might just have been correct.
Now 5-5, the Bears are on bye in Week 11 as the rest of the NFC North takes the field. Starting at noon, the Detroit Lions look to even their record at 5-5 as they take on the Carolina Panthers.
While this game might otherwise be in favor of Carolina, the Panthers are without starting running back Christian McCaffrey and their starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, is questionable. Bridgewater is truly a game-time decision, it appears.
If Carolina has to sit Bridgewater and go with backup P.J. Walker, the Lions should be able to take advantage and make this game a winnable one. Matthew Stafford has been playing better as of late. Though he’ll be without a couple of offensive weapons, the Lions know they have a lot to play for and Stafford is a guy who is more than capable of leading this team to victory.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings are riding a three-game win streak and also look to get even at 5-5 with a win over the Dallas Cowboys. Not much needs to be said about Dallas, who is without Dak Prescott for the remainder of the year. The Cowboys defense has been atrocious, and Dalvin Cook will likely have yet another stellar game.
With the Vikings on their way to 5-5, all eyes are on the Green Bay Packers in arguably the best matchup of the week when they take on the 6-3 Indianapolis Colts, who boast one of the league’s best overall defenses.
Aaron Rodgers has had a phenomenal season, and he looks to have stud receiver Davante Adams back on the field, tool. With Adams and Rodgers both on the field, it’s tough to count the Packers out, Green Bay could be sitting at 8-2 after this week, with the Bears looking up from the bottom.
Tuesday morning, when it’s all said and done, the Bears could be in a three-way tie with the Vikings and Lions at 5-5 and clearly on a different path than their division rivals.
Head coach Matt Nagy acknowledged that he may look at another quarterback change if Mitchell Trubisky is healthy, which signals he realizes he’s on the hot seat. If the Bears continue down this road of losing, Nagy should be gone by the end of the year — and many fans believe that’s the correct move.
However, general manager Ryan Pace? He’s another story, but we’ll leave that for another day and, quite literally, another story. For now, let’s sit back, relax and hope Chicago isn’t victim of an NFC North rival sweep in Week 11.
Three people were taken into custody after shots were fired at Chicago police Saturday in Fernwood on the South Side.
Just after 10 p.m., officers were in the 10400 block of South Union Avenue when they saw a male firing shots, Chicago police said. He then opened fire in the direction of officers before running.
Officers did not return fire, and he was taken into custody, police said. A weapon was also recovered.
About an hour and a half later, two additional offenders were placed in custody and another weapon was recovered, according to police.
When I’m getting ready for a meeting on Zoom, from a committee to coffee hour after church, I find myself thinking of my mother.
She died in March 2006, but she saw one of the problems with Zoom, or at least with one of its forerunners. When we went on a family trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, we saw a Bell Telephone exhibit about something called the PicturePhone. You could make a phone call and see the people on the other end — on a black and white TV, but you could see them.
I was young enough, and the row of TVs was high enough, that my face just barely showed on the screen. My mother’s evidently showed too clearly for her.
“What if I’m not ready when the phone rings?” I remember her asking. “What if my hair’s not right?”
I got new eyeglasses recently, and a Zoom meeting on Monday was a good chance to check out how they look and how my makeup looks with them. (They’re OK, Mom.)
So what if I’m not ready? Somebody else on the call may not be, either. What we weren’t thinking of back then was getting codes and other information for “joining meetings” ahead of time. The sudden phone call idea is gone.
Meanwhile, what’s at the Science and Industry (we always left off the word “museum” at my house) that might get us through the next health crisis? It may take us 30 or 40 years to know. No, make that MAY it take us that long before the next crisis.
I moved to Chicago from the south suburbs in 1986. I have diverse interests, but I love writing about what I’m interested in. Whether it’s a personal interest or part of my career, the correct words to get the idea across are important to me. I love words and languages — French and Scottish words enrich my American English. My career has included years as a journalist and years working in museums, and the two phases were united by telling stories. I’m serious about words and stories. So here I am, ready to tell stories about words and their languages.
CHICAGO, IL– November 21, 2020 – The Fashion Film Festival Chicago announced today the winners for the 2020 juried competition; awarding honors in a continued commitment to celebrating filmmakers despite the 9th annual event––previously set to take place during fall fashion week––being canceled due to the coronavirus.
Behind the Curtain (Boeri & Grimaldi) was honored with Narrative Gold; You Are What You Love (Smith) was honored with Experimental Gold, and Fast Fashion (Kuhn & Utfeld) with Documentary Gold.
Narrative Silver was awarded to Reflection (Roché & Darah); Experimental Silver to Screentest L.A. (Suppnig); and Documentary Silver was awarded to The Paper Woman (Abubaker).
Co-winners were awarded in Narrative Bronze with the award shared by Blu Cosette (Le Pera & White) and THE TROPHY (Brandao). Co-winners were also awarded in Experimental Bronze with Never Look at the Sun (BALOJI) sharing the award with Vogue Italia (Triana). Documentary Bronze was awarded to Inspired | The Story of Nimany (Auctus Productions).
The Creative Concept Award went to Eclectic Fashion Film (Falsetta); the Eco Sustainable Award went to La Mer (Claramunt); the Fashion Conscience Award went to Fashion is Love (Kaucher & Jenkins); the Essence of Fashion Award was given to The Warriors of Himalaya (Ronot); and the Best Comedy Award went to Eyes Say More Than Words (Alexander).
The award for Best Cinematography honored Benji Dell for work on You Are What You Love; celebration of the art of hair and make up honored Mark Philguer (Tenerife Makeup) for work on Water for Life; and Gabriele Cavalchi was honored for work on Behind the Curtain in Set Design.
“While the devastating realities of the coronavirus prevented us from coming together to celebrate these incredible films, we are proud to celebrate them in partnership with our generous jurors.” said Festival Director Patsy Campbell. “The jury celebrated a daring, innovative, entertaining, diverse group of films and filmmakers, and Fashion Film Festival Chicago is pleased to honor all of them and provide them with our encouragement throughout the year.”
Founded in 2012, Fashion Film Festival Chicago is an annual festival and competition which aims to celebrate the beauty and art of fashion as captured through and interpreted by the filmmakers’ lens.
My new book called Living Red is out! The journey has been challenging; however, my third book was published this month. When I self-published the non-fiction book, Fun4Babies, in 2013, I worked with infants and in the Early Childhood Education field so the process of promoting and selling it was a wonderful experience. Right after publishing, I got straight to work on writing Riding Waves. Since self-publishing went so well with my first book, I decided to self-publish this one too. I posted it on social media, and I did author and social media fairs, but without that built-in audience to sell it to, I have struggled. I love to write so I started back working on a book I started writing in 2000. When I had this idea for Living Red, which was originally titled Suppression, I switched to focusing on writing this one. Living Red took longer to write and edit, but by 2017, I felt ready to publish it. After less than wonderful sales for Riding Waves, I decided to see if I could get an agent. I knew the process would be difficult, but it was almost as hard to send queries and chapter samples following each agencies guidelines as it was to write an entire book. Some agents never responded, others sent what appeared to be a simple standard template rejection letter, and a few others gave constructive feedback. After three years of trying to get an agent and, of course, revising this book with each rejection, I looked at self-publishing again. I asked myself, “What is my purpose for writing books?” I realized that although making money and reaching a lot of people would be great, my true goal is to share my words as a way to entertain and inspire others as books have been for me. I hope my words do just that for you today!
If you are interested in Living Red, below are the links to read a sample or buy a copy as well as a short description.
People can communicate and even travel through their thoughts, but much of what Peyton thinks and feels about are the same as what we experience today. She is searching for meaning and purpose in her life and work while struggling with secrets her grandmother is sharing with her about life before and after the war. Then she meets Dallas, this mysterious young artist who makes her question everything even more as she is drawn to him and his painting in ways that she can’t explain. This growing relationship, her best friend Reese and her grandmother’s secrets send her on a path of self-discovery and adventure. Can she discover the truth and learn to follow her own intuition in this future world?
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While it is easy to focus on the negative aspects of life, I choose to continue looking for the good in people and in the world around me, and I want to share why they do what they do. I am the proud mother of three adult daughters and live in the Chicago area. I have worked in the Early Childhood Education field since 2001, and I write books when the inspiration comes.
Claiming to be “not racist” is actually a form of racism because it perpetuates the myth that it’s possible to not be racist, says a U of C prof and the school’s vice provost.
“But I’m suggesting that beyond this well known denial of racism, what is particular to what I’m calling “not racism”, is that it contains a definition of racism which is constructed negatively through opposition,” Dr. Malinda Smith said in remarks earlier this month.
“This definition is characterized by the fact that it denies racialized people’s subjective understanding of what racism is and negates this experience. In this way, ‘not racism’ is what I call is a form of discursive racist violence.”
How many times have you heard it runs in my family? How many times have you said it runs in my family? Yes, there are diseases that are common in families. However, we do not have to let our DNA or genetics have the only say in our wellbeing. Just because a disease is common in our family, we can choose a lifestyle that will reduce our chances of getting that disease. Eating healthy foods, exercising, managing stress, getting your rest, not smoking or drinking alcohol in excess can lower your risk of getting chronic diseases that are common in your family.
There are several things you can do to avoid triggering chronic diseases that run in your family. Do not ignore getting an adequate amount of sleep. The amount of sleep needed is different for each person. The Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation can lead to heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Sleep helps your body to recover and helps with immunity. Before bedtime avoid caffeine and using the computer or cellphone. Do activities that make you relax. There are essential oils you can use to help with sleep. Some oils to consider include lavender, jasmine, and vanilla. If you have insomnia and cannot sleep talk with your doctor to create a plan to help you sleep.
We all know that nutrition plays an important role in our health. We can become overwhelmed with the thought of making drastic changes. You can start with small changes. For instance, try reducing portion size or swapping some unhealthy items with healthier versions. I gave up eating foods with sugar during the week and have treats on the weekend. That small change caused my health to improve.
Exercise is important for health. It helps to lower blood pressure and control weight. It can improve your mood and help with depression and anxiety. It can lower your risk of heart disease and certain cancers. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week. If you are not exercising you can start small. Take a walk or try some of the free exercise classes on YouTube.
Managing stress is the most difficult of the healthy lifestyle practices for me. When I find myself in stressful situations, I must find ways to cope. I take walks, watch or listen to my favorite comedian, listen to music, pray, or take deep breaths. We all experience stress at times and need to discover healthy coping mechanisms tailored to our individual needs.
You do not have to accept that you will have the same health issues common in your family. You can make healthy lifestyle choices to lower your risk.
I have been interested in preventive medicine since my childhood. In the 70s, my aunt would take me with her to meet with a doctor who emphasized preventive medicine. A lot of the things that doctor discussed then has become standard today.
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