If you are looking for something fun and heartfelt to do this fall, go to the Prayers from Maria Field of Hope Sunflower Fields. The sunflower fields of hope are inspired by the memory and spirit of Maria McNamara and planted as a way to love and honor the courageous children battling cancer and those lost too soon. There are two fields: one in Cedar Point, OH and the other in Avon, OH.
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These fields of sunflowers are truly a labor of love to be enjoyed by all. Here are a couple ideas of things to do while you are there…

1. Take your time strolling through the fields reading all the prayer cards on the sunflowers. If you want to purchase your own prayer card for someone special, they just ask for a $10 donation.
2. Take photos or selfies with the sunflowers. They each seem to have their own personality.
3. Pose by the giant hope sign.
4. Don’t forget to stop at the shop to purchase some of the Prayers from Maria gifts or to donate to keep this beautiful tradition going.

For more information, visit their website at Field of Hope | Prayers From Maria
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,​One way my family gives back is to foster kittens. A couple years ago, we had a feral cat who had kittens under our shed. We had no idea how to get them out of there and someone suggested that we call Community Cats. I called and they said they could come trap the mom to get her spayed but they had no fosters to take the kittens at that time. This is where our fostering kittens journey began!

Now it is one of our favorite things to do! We love helping these tiny kittens find forever homes. We take them in when they are little and make sure they are healthy and friendly for when they are old enough to be adopted. It is so rewarding to do this that I think we get as much out of it as the kittens do.
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If you are interested in fostering or adopting a cat or kitten, the organization that we work with is Community Cat Companions. (You can download a foster or adoption application from their website.) Community Cat Companions is a Trap-Neuter-Return organization, located in Euclid, Ohio, with subsidiaries throughout Lake and Ashtabula Counties. Our organization traps, sterilizes and vaccinates stray and feral cats, returning them to their outdoor home or placing adoptable cats and kittens in permanent homes.
If you want more information check them out at…
https://lakecountycommunitycats.org or on facebook… mentor community cats

Thank you to everyone who helped get these kittens adopted! They all got great homes. I'm getting another batch soon if you know of anyone interested in kittens please check back. 

My wellness journey started when my daughter got sick. Back then we were in crisis mode and I was overwhelmed and exhausted! This is not the way I would advise anyone to do it, but we had no choice. I made a ton of mistakes and I tried a lot of things that didn’t work for us. Now that “crisis” mode is over I’m still on a wellness journey but at a more relaxed pace, and I will tell you this is the way to go!

My idea of wellness is broken up into 8 categories… Bemer, Eat Well, Exercise, Give Back, Have Fun, Reduce Stress, Take Vacations and Use Clean Products. I came up with these because I want to have an enjoyable balanced life and these are what my family does to achieve that.

We Bemer every day, twice a day… just like you brush your teeth. It takes 8 minutes twice a day to help our bodies achieve good circulation which I’ve learned is the key to good health.

My approach to eating well is eating things that we still like but making them a little healthier as we go. I want to gradually introduce better foods so we don’t crave the stuff that we gave up. It’s like losing weight… if you do it gradually you are more likely to keep that weight off.

Exercise doesn’t need to be just done in a gym. If you like to work out in a gym… great! If not, make something work for you to get yourself up and moving. My family plays volleyball together and my husband and I like to walk every day.

Giving back is also an important part of our lives. I feel it is important to do things to help others. It makes you feel good and it lets you appreciate what you have.

Have FUN! This one is a big one for me. I believe that life needs to be fun so find things that you like and enjoy yourself!

Reduce stress. Stress is so bad for you. Some stress in your life you can’t avoid so make a conscious effort to eliminate the stress that you can have control over. There are lots of enjoyable ways to reduce stress… guided imagery, yoga, working in the garden, getting a massage, are just a couple examples.

Take vacations. This is another big one for me. I think it is important to get away. I like to have vacations to look forward to and I also like the break from all the day to day stuff that goes on in our lives. Vacations don’t have to be huge or long. When we were first married, we would take trips down to Amish for an overnight or just go to a local hotel to get away.

My last category is to use clean products. The last couple months I’ve really tried to eliminate a lot of the chemicals that were in my house. I’ve found some great alternatives that work really well for us and I will share those with you.
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These are my approaches to wellness. They didn’t come overnight, and they are what is right for my family. My idea is to share what I’ve learned with you. Don’t overwhelm yourself with trying to do everything at once, and if something that I do isn’t right for you, then that’s is fine too!
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Hi. My name is Patty Sulik. I’m a mom that had a sick child. Nothing is worse than having a sick child and not knowing how to help them. It is frustrating, exhausting, overwhelming, and nothing I ever want to experience again. I tried anything and everything to get her better.  I started working with wellness professionals, researched ways to cook with better foods, and looked into healthier products to use.  Lots of trials and error got me where I am today.

I came up with 8 wellness approaches to keep my family balanced and I will share my approaches on all of these with you. These include Bemer, eat well, exercise, have fun, reduce stress, use clean products, take vacations, and give back. In my experience, there is no one quick fix to get yourself healthy. It is a process. The process might be slow but it is well worth it in the end.

One of the best things I found in my journey was a wellness device called a Bemer. This device helped me get my daughter better and now I love having it for all those daily issues that come up from illness to injury. This company has a mission to get a Bemer in every home and now that is my mission too! This device has completely changed our lives and I’m so grateful to have my family using this as a wellness tool to keep everyone happy and healthy. Let’s see what this can do for your family together!