The Story of Jennifer and Claire… Let\’s take a peek at the lives of two women. At first glance they look much the same, both are single Moms with two children, business professionals, talented and hard working. Looking further, that is where the similarities end. One woman, we\’ll call her Claire, finds herself feeling like she is perpetually behind, never able to catch up, or stop and take a breath. Her life is best defined as a juggling act; forget the notion of balanced life. She finds herself pulled down by low energy, minor health complaints, and difficult relationships. Though... Read More

GERD (acid reflux) is something I know about – I\’ve been taking Prevacid for the last few years to control this reaction. Then I read Melinda Beck\’s July 22nd Health Journal in The Wall Street Journal titled “Baby crying? Doctors Say It May Be Acid-Reflux Disease.” Here\’s the first paragraph of this article: Oliva Manganello was 1 month old when she started screaming, usually right after she nursed. Her family tried switching to formula, then different formulas, but nothing helped. Finally a pediatric gastroenterologist diagnosed gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)... Read More

In January of 2005 my older daughter returned with a whooping cough from visiting my sister in Australia. It soon became apparent that she had whooping cough (we listened to a recording of whooping cough on the internet) and had given it to her boyfriend. But we couldn’t get doctors in Los Angeles to agree that these two 20-somethings had whooping cough. Soon afterwards two things happened. 1) My sister and her younger son were diagnosed with whooping cough, the source of my daughter’s whooping cough. 2) And there was an article in the Los Angeles Times that whooping cough had returned... Read More

With the high price of gasoline, are you thinking of canceling your vacation trip? This summer more and more Sandwiched Boomers are reducing their carbon footprint by taking “staycations” with their families. Why drive to a resort when there are community swimming pools around the corner? Why plan a remote getaway when you can relax in the beauty and serenity near you? You don\’t need to travel to the city for excitement when you can create your own at home. Gasoline prices are edging toward five dollars a gallon and the hassle and expense of air travel is increasing. Families... Read More

With the high price of gasoline, are you thinking of canceling your vacation trip? This summer more and more Sandwiched Boomers are reducing their carbon footprint by taking “staycations” with their families. Why drive to a resort when there are community swimming pools around the corner? Why plan a remote getaway when you can relax in the beauty and serenity near you? You don\’t need to travel to the city for excitement when you can create your own at home. Gasoline prices are edging toward five dollars a gallon and the hassle and expense of air travel is increasing. Families... Read More

With the high price of gasoline, are you thinking of canceling your vacation trip? This summer more and more Sandwiched Boomers are reducing their carbon footprint by taking “staycations” with their families. Why drive to a resort when there are community swimming pools around the corner? Why plan a remote getaway when you can relax in the beauty and serenity near you? You don\’t need to travel to the city for excitement when you can create your own at home. Gasoline prices are edging toward five dollars a gallon and the hassle and expense of air travel is increasing. Families... Read More

With the high price of gasoline, are you thinking of canceling your vacation trip? This summer more and more Sandwiched Boomers are reducing their carbon footprint by taking “staycations” with their families. Why drive to a resort when there are community swimming pools around the corner? Why plan a remote getaway when you can relax in the beauty and serenity near you? You don\’t need to travel to the city for excitement when you can create your own at home. Gasoline prices are edging toward five dollars a gallon and the hassle and expense of air travel is increasing. Families... Read More

…by Prill Boyle Last October one of the readers of this column, a 47-year old wife and mother, e-mailed me for advice and encouragement. She wanted to pursue her dream of becoming a makeup artist, but wasn\’t sure she had the courage “to jump out of her comfort zone.” She worried that she wouldn\’t be able to compete with the young, gorgeous women she saw populating the makeup field and wasn\’t sure she was skilled enough to land a job. I urged her to be bold, pointing out that she had already taken a step by writing me. “Forty-seven is the perfect time to start... Read More

The mid-life phenomenon known as menopause and the stresses of anxiety go hand in hand. Panic attacks, rushes of energy, burning in the chest, unusual vibrations throughout the body, and warm sensations are some of the physical effects you may feel under this condition. When menopause hits, there is a greater chance women will go through anxiety and depression. Christian Northrop talks about this phenomenon in her book, Wisdom of Menopause, where if a woman has repressed something in her life, she won\’t be able to get past menopause employing the same tactics. For example, unexpressed anger... Read More

Fundamental to all life on the planet . . . is the fact that we’re all different from each other. And yet what do most people do when they encounter those differences? They either change themselves “to fit in” or they try to change the other person. Here’s why . . . When you want to change somebody, the truth is you are scared — under threat. You only want things to be the way you want them to be. You want control rather than connection. This is not to say that if someone is bothering you, you shouldn\’t ask for change. Of course you need to speak up and insist on better... Read More