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CHICAGO OFFICE 161 N. Clark, Ste. 1700 Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 488-1938 DOWNERS GROVE OFFICE 1121 Warren Ave #240 Downers Grove, IL 60515 (312) 488-1938
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JUNE 2025
Harmonies of Happiness
Musings on the Magic of Music
Where would our lives be without our favorite songs?
Northern California, I heard a lot of Bob Marley and other reggae music. My first vivid memory of a real concert I attended with my family was David Byrne of Talking Heads at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. I must have been 7 or 8 years old. I’ll never forget David encored with Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.” I always loved to dance as a little kid. My mom liked to foster a free spirit in her children, so she never hesitated to let me turn up the music as loud as I wanted and move to it. When I was in eighth or ninth grade, my good friend Marshall and I fell in love with rap music when the whole East Coast/West Coast rivalry between the genre’s biggest stars was in its heyday. We wrote or freestyled raps with other good friends for years throughout high school, and it was the closest I ever came to being a performer. As I got older, my taste in music remained eclectic. I didn’t grow up around country music, but my wife turned me into a fan. In fact, our wedding song was “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton. On the other end of the spectrum, if I’m working out or going for a run, EDM is my genre of choice. My 5-year-old son, Luke, is following in my footsteps as a music lover. He’s not a sports kid at this point, but he’s really into exploring his creative side — to the point where he’ll put on “shows” for us in the living room. I have special LED lights in my office at Downers
Music is one of the great joys of this world. It can change your mood and focus and add so much color to your day. I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t dear to me. With June 21 being World Music Day, I’ve been thinking a lot about the sounds that have provided the soundtrack to my life. Although I’m not a musician myself beyond giving guitar and keyboards a try growing up, I’ve always been surrounded by music. My father was a radio DJ from the late ’60s through the ’70s, and he had his longest run on KSAN in San Francisco. I’ll never forget spinning records from my parents’ vinyl collection on the family turntable as a kid. Growing up in a somewhat hippy counterculture area in Check out the “Illinois Divorce Guide Podcast”! Listen and Share!
Grove for filming my podcast and some other videos I’ve done for the firm. One day, he asked me if I’d bring the lights home. Even though I knew it would be a pain to set them up there, I immediately said yes. I’m glad I did. These days, he’ll get those lights ready, set the subwoofer on the table, grab his play microphone, turn up the music, and sing and dance. You can just tell he’s in his happy place. When he was 3, he became a fan of Tom Petty after hearing him on the radio. Later that year, he was “Tom” for Halloween. I’m curious to see where his early love for music will ultimately take him. Music creates joy and allows us to get out of our heads and connect with the people around us by sharing it. I hope your soundtrack makes
you and yours as happy as mine. No matter what styles you enjoy, always find the time to listen to them loudly !
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Smart Scheduling for Better Health Family Flexibility Fulfilling life’s many demands should never come at the expense of your family’s health. If your household’s daily grind consists of juggling multiple schedules and commitments with little room for relaxation, you’re not alone. Here are two ideas to help your family slow things down and better ensure everyone’s physical and mental well-being stays positive as the hours fly by. A SCHEDULE OVERHAUL When work commitments, paying bills, coordinating transportation for your children’s extracurricular activities, and other daily obligations lead to hurried and scattered interactions among family members, the American Heart Association recommends creating a new way forward. First, look closely at everyone’s daily schedules over a week to see where gaps may exist and which activities could be scaled back to allow for more time spent together. You can start by choosing two 30-minute slots during the week and two hour-long slots on weekends to get everyone in one place. The goal is to have distraction-free time with your loved ones, so put away your computers and cell phones during these special moments.
STRESS-SMART STRATEGIES Naturally, hectic schedules often lead to stress — not just for adults. In addition to providing children with all-important personal time with their parents and siblings, regular family activities can help parents better determine whether their kids feel undue pressure in any area of their lives. Although positive stress can help a young person rise to challenges — for example, studying for a big test or meeting the deadline for an important assignment — too much stress can hinder a child’s coping skills and lead to anxiety and depression or physical symptoms such as headaches and stomach pains. Setting consistent daily routines — the same bedtime each night, for example, or regularly scheduling family time everyone looks forward to — will go a long way in helping them feel more in control of their days and encourage better communication with other family members. Life is more than checking off items on our schedules. Any family can create a system that helps everyone feel happier and healthier in even the busiest times with only minor adjustments.
Gains After Strain
Post-Divorce Power and Possibilities
Under most circumstances, divorce is a deeply unpleasant experience. When you’re in the thick of legal and emotional conflicts, it’s often difficult to think beyond the immediate stress of the situation and consider the brighter days that may await you. Although no two divorces are the same, here are three things to consider when your
by disputes over money. One benefit of divorce is that it can untangle your
shared finances like a ball of Christmas lights, enabling both parties to pursue their futures without worries over the other’s economic decisions or disasters. YOU MAY END UP LIKING YOUR EX MORE. The end of your marriage doesn’t always mean
present pushes you toward a negative perspective. DIVORCE CAN BE A PATH TO BETTER PARENTING.
Even in scenarios where a divorce is handled respectfully between both parties with little to no conflict, it can be emotionally taxing for parents who are concerned about how the split may affect their children. While that fear is reasonable, it’s also worth considering that divorce proceedings could vastly improve your children’s well- being. After all, maintaining a household full of tension and frequent arguments between adults isn’t healthy for kids. Sometimes, parting ways can remove the dark clouds your children would otherwise need to navigate with everyone under the same roof. Additionally, co- parenting often enables both parents to make the most of their time with their children, leading to more focused and fulfilling relationships than those that may have developed had the parents stayed married. YOUR MONEY MANAGEMENT MAY GET BETTER. Here’s a sentence that will likely elicit a knowing nod from many readers: Most frayed marriages — and eventual divorces — are caused
the end of your relationship with your former significant other. You walked down the aisle with your best friend, so the possibility may exist for you both to maintain your past partnership’s healthy, positive emotional aspects despite your parting — something that may be helped along once all those fights over shared finances no longer exist. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to life after divorce, perhaps you can enjoy a more peaceful connection with your former spouse once you’re no longer married. Whether you finally end up as friendly exes or find some peace with your bank account, divorce can be a fresh start, not a life sentence.
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Simple Start to Solo Strength 3 Steps to Thriving Single
INDULGE IN NEWFOUND FLEXIBILITY. Depending on how your marriage functioned, it’s possible that your daily routine largely revolved around your commitment to your partner. If burnout was a factor in your divorce, you now have the time to rework your daily demands to benefit you. If married life kept you on the move, you may be surprised by how better you’ll feel by simply taking mental breaks now and then. If the thought of abandoning your responsibilities for an entire day stresses you out, fear not — research shows that 46% of Americans experience reduced mental stress and depression when they commit to taking only a few 5–10-minute breaks over several hours. FIND NEW PATHS TO FUN. Although suddenly facing a quieter schedule after separating from a spouse can feel depressing at first, it’s also an opportunity to fill your time in ways you previously thought impossible. Perhaps you’ve wanted to take an art class or write the next great American
It’s common for people to feel scattered or overwhelmed during and after a divorce, but the dark cloud can clear faster than you think. You can rise above the mental malaise and get the most out of your newly single life. Here are three tips for finding a greater sense of self on the road ahead. FIND WISDOM IN YOUR OWN WORDS. When you’re recently divorced, it’s common to have various thoughts and emotions swirling around in your head. While it can’t hurt to share what’s on your mind with others as a way to heal, verbalizing everything properly can be difficult, especially when your mood and thoughts seem to change frequently. Instead of bottling up your feelings, try writing them down or typing them out. Putting your internal dialogue into tangible written form may help you find greater clarity and direction in your overall thinking. Studies have shown that journaling can help reduce stress, depression, and anxiety and even strengthen our immune systems.
novel. Well, you can use that free time to your advantage, and you don’t even have to juggle a shared schedule with someone or ask them if it’s okay to devote an entire Sunday afternoon to doing it.
TAKE A BREAK
Teriyaki Beef Skewers This light, flavorful dish of tender, marinated beef slices can serve as a protein-rich appetizer or a tasty entree for a summer evening.
Ingredients • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar • 1 cup soy sauce • 1/2 cup pineapple juice (optional) • 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped • 4 lbs boneless round steak, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices • Bamboo skewers soaked in water
Directions 1.
In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, water, vegetable oil, and garlic together. Drop beef slices into the mixture and stir to coat. 2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. 3. Remove beef from marinade, shaking to remove excess liquid. 4. Thread beef slices on skewers in a zig-zag pattern. 5. Preheat grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate. 6. Cook beef skewers for about 3 minutes per side until the meat is cooked through.
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161 N. Clark, Ste. 1700 Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 488-1938 rbbfirm.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
1.
Melody and Meaning
2.
A Streamlined Focus on Family Flow
Uncoupled and Unstoppable
3.
Bounce Back Basics
Teriyaki Beef Skewers
4.
New Family Aquatic Sports for Summer Fun
Make a Splash!
Water Fun for the Whole Family
Few outdoor activities are more fun to do as a family than beating the heat in the water. A facility as simple as a community pool can offer fun for all ages, including wading, diving, and lap swimming. As summer gets underway, consider making plans to try more complex aquatic sports as a family. Here are four exciting options that will inspire the whole family to take the plunge. STAND-UP PADDLEBOARDING This sport originated among Hawaiian surfers and began gaining momentum nationwide about a decade ago. Participants stand upright on a flat, buoyant board and propel themselves over lakes, rivers, and oceans
with a single paddle. Paddleboards are bigger than surfboards and are stable enough to hold a picnic in a waterproof bag! SNORKELING Snorkeling is a great family activity for all ages if you’re vacationing near an ocean. Flippers, watertight goggles, and snorkels are easy to rent or buy. Exploring the wonders beneath the waves is as easy as floating on the surface and paddling your flippers. While any clear ocean waters can be fun to explore, consider trekking to Hawaii or Cozumel to see spectacular schools of fish and rock formations. CANOEING AND KAYAKING Few aquatic activities offer more opportunities for reflection and quiet conversation than paddling a canoe or kayak. These watercraft are usually available to rent near lakes and rivers, and, barring rough
weather, navigating with them is relatively safe and easy. Pack a picnic, explore, and see what you can find along a river or lakeshore. WATERSKIING While this sport requires access to a speedboat and a skilled operator, arranging to try it can offer unforgettable thrills. Nothing can compare to the exhilaration as you first rise above the waves and stand on your skis; participants also get a full-body workout! Waterskiing poses a challenge for beginners when crossing the wake and keeping their legs beneath them, but the rewards are worth the effort! This summer, consider vacationing near a body of water to explore these aquatic activities or others, such as sailing or bodyboarding. You will create lasting memories and may ignite passions your kids will enjoy for years!
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