Traveling With Family? Make It Memorable, Not Miserable! By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-Law Survival Associate Summer’s here and it’s time for vacation! Most of us look forward to getting away all year long, anticipating a break from work, worries, and everyday life. But things can get tricky when we include more than just our immediate family. Whether you’re traveling with in-laws, siblings and their families, or even friends, you want the trip to be one that everyone enjoys. Just because you all know each other well doesn’t mean there won’t be any friction. Visiting with people... Read More

Making Your Grandchildren’s Memories “Grand” – Tips to Remember By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-Law Survival Associate Being a grandparent – what a balancing act! How do you find time to carve out a niche that’s all your own at this particular juncture in your life, as well as spend time with your adult children and their spouses, and then, forge your own unique relationship with each of your grandchildren? This is a tricky feat. We want it all, right? And, why not? Our lives have been building to this rewarding point where we have “our” time, family time, and “grandma-grandpa”... Read More

Four Tips for How Not to Sweat the Small Stuff By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-Law Survival Associate   How many times has someone in your life—an in-law, spouse, co-worker, friend, or whoever—done something or said something that just makes your blood boil and you can’t seem to let it go? You keep replaying it over and over in your head, and the more you think about it the angrier or more hurt you feel. In fact, you find you can’t stop thinking about it. We all have experienced this at one time or another. Even if you don’t say anything to the other person at the time, his... Read More

Give Yourself Permission to Play This Summer By Natalie Caine M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert   Whether solo or with a friend, summer invites you to get out and see what you haven\’t had the chance to explore.   Our groups, which sometimes meet on the telephone, all agreed, that two days of getting out of town, lifted their spirits while in a transition.   They laughed at how some decisions –  like getting out of town – are easy yet others feel spin them into exhaustion. Here is a short list of what they have been doing: Visiting local gardens Kayaking  Enjoying... Read More

For Boomer Women It\’s Still Father\’s Day, Even If You\’ve Lost Your Dad By Natalie Caine M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert   Does the memory of your dad bring a smile?  It does for me.   In our group, many of us have lost our dad.  Still Father\’s Day is around the corner. Some treasure just this one more time with dad, Sunday, at their house, wondering if it will be the last Father\’s Day together.  Gratitude for another time to simply sit in the same room with dad even if he doesn\’t have much to say. Other parents love watching their little ones... Read More

By Natalie Caine M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert   When my daughter went 3,000 miles to college, I felt a spread of feelings.  Happy for her, excited that I, her mother was a part of her journey up to this door and empty from a role I loved and knew was shifting. I had a career, husband, friends, family, and lovely home.  I tell you that because I wasn’t void of a good life.  I was void of being with my daughter.  The daily, ordinary days of parenting and challenging hours of differences came to a sudden stop. No longer did I start my day attending to her needs and schedule.  What... Read More

Thanksgiving By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert The friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you. Elbert Hubbard Memories rise up. People we have spent time with and those we no longer can see, come visiting in our minds and hearts. Memories are a good thing. We fear the tears, the loneliness, and we long for connections. What I appreciate about the human spirit is we get to begin, again. We get to be brave and make up new traditions, break some rules, and allow who we are today to simply be happy. Some people have communities and others don\’t.... Read More

Change It Up By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert When I was in Boston last week, I tried something new. While walking, and this sounds silly I know, I would stop and look up. People in windows, staircases, cranes, flashing tall lights, birds and squirrels, shoes, the moon, stars, planes, lanterns, animals in the clouds. When I have the fun of taking photos, I photograph a different perspective rather than only what is right in front of me with the object. In my morning support group of transitions, we made a list of what we are going to do differently this week: 1. Not start... Read More

12 Secrets To Great Romance For The Rest Of Your Life By Judith Sherven, Ph.D. NABBW’s Healthy Relationships Expert Perhaps you\’re in a long-term relationship and the joy is gone. You don\’t want to be with anyone else but you wish it could be more fun, more exciting. Do you miss when you were younger and felt more comfortable being silly and playful as a form of real romance? Did you get married and decide you had to act like “grown-ups” and a lot of the fun went with it? Or have you always thought you needed to be serious in matters of love? Maybe you’re... Read More

Without intervention, divorce rates look like this: First marriage: 50 percent end in divorce Second marriage: 64 percent end in divorce Third marriage: 74 percent end in divorce I believe it is possible to lower the higher divorce rate for second marriages. Before entering into another relationship, you must be willing to take the time for your own personal development and learn healthy relationship skills that will move your life forward after the first divorce. Becoming single again is scary, and it may feel like you are on an emotional roller-coaster ride. Unfortunately, being single again... Read More