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Home > Blogs > Women's Life > Archives > 2009 > April
April 2009
Breast cancer survivor Applegate ‘People’s’ most beautiful
A lot of people struggle with body image because of a few extra pounds here or there, but no one would blame Christina Applegate if she had issues after her double mastectomy.
But her attitude after having both breasts removed has been truly beautiful and People magazine agrees, naming her the “most beautiful” person of 2009.
Applegate, 37, was diagnosed with an early, treatable form of breast cancer last fall, but chose the double mastectomy because of a family history of breast cancer. Even right after the procedure, she was upbeat, saying she would have the best breasts in the nursing home in her later years
She told People she credits her fight against breast cancer with giving her a “feeling of purpose.”
“You have to get through the physical transformations then buck up, go to work and try to be the normal, happy Christina for everyone around you,” she says.
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TweetIs it me or are prom dresses racy?
I wore two prom dresses. One had two layers, one was a pure, pure white.
None of them had side slits up to the hip, cleavage down to the navel nor tightness that showed my every imperfection.
But that is what I am seeing in this year’s prom photos.
Friends tell me the dresses are outrageous, but they’ve been that way for years. But it seems universal that we are shocked: Single women younger than me, dads with daughters, moms with sons, all of us have eyes popping out of our heads with these prom gowns.
Jennifer Lopez at the Grammys was what used to shock us. Now it’s Cindy down the block from Kettering.
What do you think? And moms (or dads) who have gone shopping with daughters, what sort of negotiations do you go through at the stores? Store clerks, what do you have to offer? Please contact me at this blog or at kmargolis@coxohio.com
Permalink | Comments (31) | Post your comment | Categories: Fashion
TweetDr. Laura broadcast coming to area
Radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger will host a live, town hall-like meeting on motherhood available for viewing in local movie theaters on May 5.
Dr. Laura Live! In Praise of Mom will take place live Tuesday, May 5 at the University California in Irvine, California. It will be broadcast in 450 movie theaters across the country including in Piqua, Beavercreek and West Carrollton at 8 p.m. An encore presentation will take place on Wednesday, May 6.
Tickets are $20, plus a $2 fee for the live performance and $18, plus a $1 fee for the encore.
Dr. Laura will recount her own life as a career woman turned stay-at-home mom showing her journey, including emergency C-section to the horrors of parenting a teen to the joy motherhood offers.
Featuring audio and video vignettes about moms from sons, daughters, grandchildren, grandparents, dads and moms, Dr. Laura will answer questions from audience members.
The performance is adapted from Dr. Laura’s newest book, “In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms,” which was published on April 7.
Here is how to attend:
Dr. Laura’s performance can be viewed at the following theaters:
Cinemark Miami Valley, 1020 Garbry Road, Piqua
Regal Hollywood 20 @ Fairfield Commons, 2651 Fairfield Commons Blvd. Beavercreek
Showcase Cinemas Dayton South, 195 Mall Woods Dr. West Carrollton
Tickets are available at www.fathomevents.com and at www.drlaura.com
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TweetMom kicks bickering daughters out of car, drives away
Many people may have fantasized about doing it, but Madlyn Primoff kicked her bickering kids, age 10 and 12, out of her car and drove off.
On Sunday evening, Primoff’s arguing girls were dropped off by their mom, three miles from home. White Plains, N.Y. police say she then sped off.
According to a police report, the 12-year-old caught up with mom and the 10-year-old was found by a stranger.
Police then went to the mother’s $2 million home after the 10-year-old gave her address and after the mom had the nerve to report the 10-year-old missing.
Primoff was arrested and she has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges.
Do you have any sympathy for this woman? Do you understand how she could get so mad?
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TweetBone marrow registry event needs participants
A recruitment drive to encourage people to join a bone marrow donor registry and perhaps find a match for a two-year-old Springboro boy will be held Saturday, April 25 in Beavercreek.
The drive will take place from noon to 4 p.m at Beavercreek Family Care, 2510 Commons Blvd. #220.
After a cheek swab is taken the potential donor’s information will be added to the Be The Match Registry.
The National Marrow Donor Program operates the Be The Registry and partners with a global network of leading hospitals, blood centers, cord blood banks, laboratories and recruiters.
It facilitates transplant worldwide, conducts research to improve survival and quality of life, and provides education to health care professionals and patients. Since 1987, it has provided more than 35,000 transplants.
For more information, visit www.BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW - 2.
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TweetWomen more worried about money than sex, dieting
Women are more worried about being financially secure than being thin, having a faithful husband or fulfilling sex, according to a survey by Bettyconfidential.com
“With the current state of the economy, there’s a lot of anxiety about money, and it seems women would give up most anything to stop worrying,” said Myrna Blyth, editor-in-chief of BettyConfidential.com
Here are the results:
When given the choice of never dieting again or always having an orgasm during sex, 86 percent of the women picked being skinny to 14 percent selected good sex.
Of those asked about wanting freedom from money worries or unwanted pounds, 83 percent want to be financially secure and 17 percent want to never diet again.
Money trumped a faithful partner. Never worrying about money was reported at 52 percent; having a faithful partner was 48 percent.
Still, women loved their children more than their money. But not by a landslide.
The results found 60 percent worried more about their children having happy, successful lives, while 40 percent chose never having to worry about money over their kids’ happiness.
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TweetBeauty queen deserves credit for telling her truth
A lot of people probably find fewer things more fake than the world of beauty pageants, but Miss California was all about the truth at the Miss USA Pageant on Sunday much to her detriment.
In a portion of the contest where a judge asks one of the five finalists a question, Miss California Carrie Prejean was asked a question by the incredibly, nonbiased openly gay, not-at-all-snarky-in-his-day-job, Perez Hilton.
What does she think of legalizing gay marriage? Perez Hilton asked.
“I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody there. But that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be,” Prejean said during Sunday night’s live telecast.
Hilton was visibly upset, and there was a mixed reaction from the live audience. Surprise! She came in second to Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton. Wonder how Hilton voted?
Prejean is sure it lost her the crown.
“I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself, and that’s all I can do.”
No matter what you think of same-sex unions, you gotta give a beauty queen credit for being real.
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TweetHave a rebellious kid? He might win a Pulitzer
Your kids should not always follow the rules, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ respect authority or even try to make you happy. Take me and Mike Elrick.
Mike and I were both reporters at the State News at Michigan State University in the late 1980s. By the time I was a junior, I had already worked at three professional newspapers, had about a 3.5 GPA and was liked by all my professors.
Mike had no internships, decent grades and caused a lot of his professors to shudder. Mike was a fantastic reporter, believing, even in his early 20s, he could uncover truths, catch people doing bad stuff and change the world. Please note all my clichés are intentional. He was an old-time, scrappy muckraker in the body of a 20-year-old wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey.
And because of that, he tended to rub authority the wrong way. Unfortunately for him that authority tended to be his professors, those who might hire him for an internship, even the editors at our student newspaper. (In fact, especially them.)
I had to get him his first internship, all the way out in eastern Pennsylvania at the Allentown Morning Call. I vouched for him to the editor when other candidates might have seemed like better picks. She was wise enough to select him and was in love with his work the day he hit Allentown.
Finally, someone who understood him.
During my last semester at MSU, Mike started an alternative newspaper to our State News. He wrangled a few of his friends and a renegade retired professor to write a column. He wanted me to be the editor. But that just wasn’t me. I didn’t do rebellion. I just wanted to graduate quietly and get a job.
I did that and have gone on to decent, fulfilling success and a continued interest in doing my best, but never becoming like Mike. I’m too polite and too cautious. Mike just won the Pulitzer Prize.
He won for a little story you might have heard about: Something about the mayor of Detroit and some text messages and a public affair and eventual convictions. And in typical Mike fashion, even as he wins the ultimate prize in journalism, he teeters on the bring of unemployment. He won this award as a staff writer at the Detroit Free Press, a big-city newspaper barely hanging on.
I imagine he took the mayor down by getting in several people’s faces. He clearly did not respect the authority of the mayor, nor should he have. And, I bet even in his own newsroom at the Detroit Free Press, he rubbed authority the wrong way.
So parents, if you have a rebellious boy or girl don’t worry about them. There are places for them in the world. Very successful places. And if you have the polite child, she’s probably going to turn out alright too. Differences and uniqueness are good.
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TweetFormer Dayton woman collects toys for African refugees
When Harriet Kamakil enters a room, she is unassuming, seemingly shy.
But the more you get to know her, you find Kamakil is full of life, questions and a big smile. But she also holds the pain of her fellow Africans.
Kamakil, a native of Kenya, a former Dayton Daily News reporting intern and a Wittenberg University political science major, is organizing a toy drive to benefit refugee children in Africa.
Kamakil, 27, spent six years living and working with refugees in her home continent. A proud African, Kamakil sees the beauty of her continent amidst the poverty or conflict. After her U.S. schooling is completed, she plans to go back to aid her people.
In the meantime, she cannot wait to help.
Kamakil’s idea for the toy drive was inspired by an experience she had while working in the Nakivale refugee camp in Uganda.
An eight-year-old Somalian girl, named Amina followed Kamakil around like a big sister. Kamakil gave her a doll. It was the only toy she had.
“She was so happy,” Kamakil said. “It was the first thing she ever owned that was her own. She tied her baby on her back [as is African tradition].”
Before Kamakil left the camp, she asked Amina if she wanted anything else. Dolls clothes was the answer.
Kamakil plans to place collection boxes throughout the Wittenberg campus, including residence halls, the Community Service office in the Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning and the International Education office in Hollenbeck Hall.
Kamakil wants gently used toys, there is no need to buy new ones. They also should be smaller rather than large, so more can be shipped. She will collect until July 31. For more information on donating, call Kamakil at 937-903-7872.
Kamakil hopes to find an organization that will be sensitive to the cultures and customs of the refugees. She is working with Church World Service, the non-profit she worked with while in Africa, to get the toys shipped to the camp.
“For example, we’re trying to be sensitive to the fact that we would not give a doll to a Muslim child because they believe that toys should not be created in the likeness of a human being,” Kamakil said. “We can give them little trucks and cars, or bowls and spoons for playing house. Dolls can be given to people not from Muslim countries.”
Kamakil knows times are difficult in the United States, but says this is a chance for anyone to participate in a modest way that will create a big impact.
“Especially in the midst of conflict and war, the smallest kindest gesture goes a long way,” she said. “We are looking to the powers that be to make a change and do something but what are we doing?”
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TweetWalk to fight heart disease in Greene County
The American Heart Association Greene County Start! Heart Walk is scheduled for Saturday, May 16 at the Ervin J. Nutter Center, winding through the campus of Wright State University.
The annual event raises funds to support heart disease and stroke research and educational.
“Everyone knows someone affected by cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death and disability in the United States,” said Gussie Jones, co-chair of the 2009 Greene County Start! Heart Walk, “The Heart Walk gives all of us a chance to contribute to the American Heart Association’s local efforts and to research for heart disease and stroke.”
The walk, which begins at 9:15 A.M. at the Nutter Center, winds three miles through the WSU campus. About 300 participants are expected.
Registration, refreshments, a health fair, a special ‘red cap’ area for heart disease and stroke survivors, and a ‘Kids Zone’ all begin at 8 a.m.
Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers in Greene County, together responsible for 33% of all deaths. Nationwide, these cardiovascular diseases kill more than 930,000 Americans each year.
The walkers represent Greene County companies that form teams that also include family and friends of all ages
The fund-raising goal for this year’s event is $55,000
For information on participating in the Heart Walk, call the American Heart Association at 937-853-3110 or visit http://heartwalk.kintera.org/daytonoh
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Tweet‘Baby snuggie’ keeps toddlers warm, fashionable
Are you a baby, jealous of all the compliments your mother is getting when she wears her Snuggie out on the town?
There is a product just for you, if you can scrounge up $79.95 of your first birthday money.
It is the Peekaru Original Fleece Baby Carrier Cover, dubbed by some as the “Baby Snuggie,” though not manufactured by the same company that made the national treasure now known as the Snuggie.
The Peekaru is worn over any baby carrier and keeps a child warm and mommy looking silly.
It comes in many colors and the baby can be used as an accessory in front or in back of the mother’s ensemble.
An advertisement mentions that one style is “understated,” although that seems impossible. The other is called “striking.” Yes, a toddler’s head sticking out of mommy’s vest is what one would call striking.
But oh so chic.
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TweetWoman ate her baby’s placenta in a sandwich
A woman named Chrissy Schilling had a baby last week and then ate the placenta.
The practice of placentophagia, eating the placenta, is practiced in many parts of the world, and is said to stem postpartum depression and help to contract the uterus after the birth.
After Schilling had the baby, her twin sister, Kathy prepared the placenta (I will not go into it. I am so sorry I read it. I will not put you through that.) she cooked it. They ate it in a panini and on pasta.
“I think people being grossed out by this is mostly just ‘fear of the unknown,’” Kathy says. “It’s the same sort of reaction people have when it even comes to the cuisine of other cultures - what’s normal in another culture can seem repulsive to one’s own.”
The new mom said, “It was symbolic for me as a way to truly say “goodbye” to my 9-month pregnancy and “hello” to an exciting (albeit challenging) new chapter in my life.”
The story comes from a mom site called www.momlogic.com. The site had their staff obstetrician/gynecologist weigh in on the safety of eating placenta.
Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz said: “Basically, it is fine to consume the placenta — and many traditional cultures advocate the use of the placenta for obvious reasons. The placenta is chock full of iron (lots of blood in there) and hormones, too. During pregnancy, many women develop anemia, a low iron and blood cell state, from a combination of the fetus preferentially getting iron and from dilution of red blood cells by increased fluid volume in Mom. Additionally, women experience a fairly sizable blood loss at delivery and this contributes to their need to increase iron in the post-partum period.”
Dr. Gilberg-Lenz said hospitals or birthing centers usually have guidelines for the release of the placenta to the mother.
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TweetContest looks for deserving caregivers
Home Instead Senior Care and Caring Today magazine are sponsoring the “Give a Caregiver a Break” essay contest to recognize the best caregivers in the country.
The contest will award $16,000 in free caregiving services to the winning essay writers.
Non-professional, family caregivers can submit an essay about the challenges they’ve faced, and how they’ve been inspired while caring for a senior family member.
The essay may have a maximum of 500 words and the deadline is June 15, 2009
The Grand Prize is $5,000 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care, the world’s largest provider of non-medical companionship and home care for seniors.
Two first prize winners will each receive $2,500 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care. In addition,12 extraordinary caregivers will each receive $500 in service.
The top three winning essays will be published in the fall issue of Caring Today and all 15 winning essays will appear on www.caringtoday.
Last year’s grand prize winner was Laura Wetherington, a S.C. wife who gave up her retirement to serve as a full-time caregiver for her husband, Gary, who has Pick’s disease, a form of dementia.
For more information, go to www.caringtoday.com or www.homeinstead.com
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TweetVermont considers allowing ‘sexting’
Vermont lawmakers are considering allowing the practice of “sexting” under certain circumstances.
A state’s attorney summed up the logic this way: “We don’t want to condone it. We need to educate. But there’s no public interest in labeling them as sex offenders for engaging in a perverted, albeit new, form of courtship.”
Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan went on to say that the law would continue to punish sexting committed through force, coercion or other pressures.
Read this carefully and consider carefully: The Vermont law does not encourage “sexting.”
It also still makes passing along images of the original receiver a crime.
The point is to discontinue the practice of young people - senders and recipients - who were brought to adult courts on felony charges, then convicted and labeled pedophiles, and whose names will be included on sex-offender registries for years.
The law is intending to keep up with technology.
Parents are still able to monitor their children’s cell phones, discuss “sexting” with them and clearly, tell their children not to do it.
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TweetSmaller residence doesn’t have to mean less style
HGTV interior designer Libby Langdon is helping Americans who have to downsize their residences find ways to keep them stylish.
Her book, “Libby Langdon’s Small Space Solutions: Stylish Design Ideas for Every Room - and Every Budget,” came out earlier this year. Langdon, the host of HGTV’s “Small Space, Big Style,” will hold a design seminar and book signing at Barnes & Noble in Beavercreek on Saturday, April 18.
When Langdon first considered writing the book, she intended it to be for people who were downsizing because they chose to, such as empty-nesters moving into smaller homes or condominiums.
But now many people are losing their homes due to foreclosures or job losses and moving into apartments due to the economy.
“Now people are being forced to live like this,” she said.
Although it might not feel like it, Langdon says, that living with less can simplify your life and do even more.
“Sometimes living with less is the ultimate luxury,” she said.
She uses four building blocks for design including layout, color, light and storage solutions.
Instead of cramming everything into a closet or in an unattractive layout, she offers the following tips to follow:
* Size up a room’s proportions and effectively position and re-purpose furniture.
* Find the “theme” of your living room and make a huge personal style statement.
* Maximize the impact of boldly painted walls and contrasting colors and patterns.
* Style and arrange items in a wall unit and display artwork like a pro.
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TweetWhat not to do when designing small spaces
Libby’s Top Ten Design Mistakes for small spaces
1. Leaving your walls white. White walls won’t technically make your space larger and they lack personality. Spice up your space, have a little fun and paint some color on your walls!
2. Using large-scale furniture. Oversized pieces can hog square footage, and using better-proportioned furniture can allow you to create a more functional and comfortable living space.
3. Lack of light. Not lighting your space effectively makes it look smaller. If you can’t see an area in your room it’s as if it’s not there! Capitalizing on natural light and bringing in artificial light is imperative.
4. Using short shelving and cabinetry. Using full-scale shelves and cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling visually draw the eye upward making the ceiling seem higher and your space feel larger.
5. Keeping clutter. Holding onto too much stuff and not throwing away clutter can make even a large space feel small. When in doubt, throw it out!
6. Using small-scale accessories. Large lamps, artwork, candles, vases and accessories create the appearance of greater space and more height. No wimpy lamps!
7. Not using mirrors. Mirrors reflect light, whether it’s daylight or lamplight, and they visually make your space feel larger by adding depth and dimension.
8. Not capitalizing on your wall space. Think vertically and get your walls working for you! Mount shelving or storage systems up on your walls to display collections and store items so you don’t waste precious table space. This will also help focus your items in one spot so your space feels more organized.
9. Using all wood furniture. It makes a room feel clunky and bottom heavy, but by mixing in glass-topped tables with wood pieces you give your room a lighter, airier and more open feel.
10. Using small area rugs. A small area rug can look like a postage stamp and make your room feel cramped, but using a large rug creates an extended visual line and gives the illusion of more square footage.
** From the book, Libby Langdon’s Small Space Solutions: Stylish Designs Ideas for Every Room - and Every Budget
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TweetDownsizing? Know what to save, what to toss
Moving out of a large home into a smaller dwelling is going to mean getting rid of a whole lot of things.
But it also means saving the right things and knowing the difference between the two.
HGTV host Libby Langdon says the things to save might not be what you think. For example, the host of “Small Space, Big Style”, says one might thing of getting rid of a few lamps if you’re moving from a several-room house to a one-bedroom apartment.
But that would be wrong. As it is, most people don’t use enough lighting no matter the size of their home. There should be light at each corner of a room, she said.
“Think in terms of lighting all four corners of your room,” she said. “It will illuminate all the square footage. If part of the room is dark it is as if it is not there. Lighting will make your room so much bigger.”
Also, save things with sentimental value or heirlooms. It would be even better if those items had a function, such as storage. For example, take a hallway table with drawers and turn it into a desk. A small chest of drawers can be re-purposed into a bedside table, full of storage options.
Tall items are another important key, particularly shelving which adds function.
“Anytime you can bring in items that are really tall in a small space it is really going to trick your eye and make the ceiling feel higher and the room feel bigger,” Langdon said.
What does not work in a living area or bedroom are many small items, like painted tables or chairs. They look cute, but serve no purpose other than to clutter the room.
“Sometimes I do a small bedroom with two big bedside chests as night stands,” she said. “It gives you storage, but it doesn’t feel cluttered with a million little pieces.”
Also not helpful is overstuffed, upholstered furniture. One overstuffed arm on each side of a couch, can take up two feet of room without adding function, she said.
Langdon also has affordable tips for a tight kitchen. In a kitchen Langdon recently worked on, she hung four, mirrored medicine cabinets on the wall. The cabinets were the perfect depth for jars and drinking glasses. The mirror adds the illusion of size to the room.
“There are so many neat ways to add storage in your kitchen and you don’t have to go out and buy loads of new kitchen cabinets,” she said.
How to go
Libby Langdon design seminar and book signing of “Libby Langdon’s Small Space Solutions: Stylish Design Ideas for Every Room — and Every Budget.” The book is $24.95.
Saturday, April 18, noon.
Barnes & Noble, The Shoppes of Beavercreek, 2720 Towne Dr., #200, Beavercreek.
For more information, call 937-429-1660.
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TweetWalk for Women’s Wellness coming in May
Thousands of Miami Valley residents are expected to participate in the 15th Annual Walk for Women’s Wellness at Carillon Historical Park on Sunday, May 3.
The walk, presented by Kettering Medical Center Foundation, will start at 2 p.m. and winds its way around a two-mile path in the park and river area.
The goal is to raise $125,000 this year, which will go towards paying for mammograms and other breast cancer services for underserved people in the area, said Kevin Lavoie, Kettering Health Network. The services are available to both men and women and those who do and do not have health insurance.
With early detection, breast cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer. Nearly 7,000 people have received fully-funded mammograms thanks to the Walk. The event has raised more than $800,000 over the years. Those accessing the funds can visit the medical facility of their choice.
Organizers have living proof of the fundraiser’s effectiveness, said Theresa Geisterfer, event manager for the foundation.
In one instance, a 19-year-old woman received a mammogram through the funds raised. She had detected a lump in her breast and had a family history of breast cancer. The lump ended up being cancer and she was successfully treated, Geisterfer said.
“She’s someone who would’ve fallen through the cracks,” she said. “At age 19 or 20, no insurance company would pay for a mammogram because insurance companies think you don’t need them (at that age.) She’s alive today because of it.”
Another woman found herself divorced with no job and no health insurance and in need of a mammogram. She also was aided through the fundraiser.
Now, she and a team she organized helps raise funds at the walk, Geisterfer said.
At the walk, participants can get free bone density screenings and free neck massages. The event will feature door prizes and a quilt raffle. You can also shop the boutique for pins, paperweights and t-shirts. All walkers get a free t-shirt.
Pledges come by flat-fee donations, not amounts per mile.
“Donations are as small as a dollar and up to $500,” Lavoie said. “Some people raise tons. We’ll get pages and pages of pledge sheets from one person.”
Many people walk in memory of someone who died of breast cancer or in support of someone dealing with it currently. Others walk who have survived cancer.
“They walk in memory of mother or sister or whomever,” Lavoie said. “It’s really a nice poignant event.”
Registration begins at 1 p.m., with walkers paying a registration fee of $25. This fee is waived if you collect at least $100 in pledges. Cash will be accepted at the Walk, and you can also give by check or credit card.
To get a pledge form or more, call (937) 395-8607.
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TweetThree outstanding young women honored
Three young women will be honored by Womanline of Dayton Inc. for their dedication to leadership and service.
The Young Women Leaders award will be presented at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, April 25 at Womanline’s annual luncheon and fashion show at the Mandalay Banquet Center. It’s the second year for the award, which is also sponsored by the University of Dayton, Wright State University and Sinclair Community College.
Three award-winners were selected from 35 nominees:
Alison Arbogast, a senior at Troy Christian High School, expanded Troy’s after-school program, Dreamers Gymnastics, from 20 to 70 elementary-school girls. She also founded Women of Character, a Christian program to inspire junior high girls to keep “proper morals, respect and character in order to face the challenges of life.”
Andrena Sawyer, a University of Dayton Law School student and New Jersey native, founded a service club called Teens Trying to Make a Difference when she was just 15. Sawyer started an annual celebration in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood called Rock the Ministry Inside the Community, which annually treats more than 150 low-income young people and families to a day of free music, food and fun.
Kelli Sexton, a Wright State University student from Fairborn, co-directs Beavercreek’s Ferguson Middle School student show choir. She also leads youth retreats at her church and remains a post-Katrina house renovation volunteer in New Orleans.
The award winners will each receive a $500 scholarship at the luncheon. Banquet speaker Rita Miller, psychiatric nurse and counselor will speak on women’s personality types with a humorous, entertaining twist. Tickets are $45 and available online at www.womenlinedayton.org
Womanline of Dayton, Inc., founded in 1971, is located at 301 E. 6th St. in Dayton. It offers counseling for women, especially those who have been sexually abused.
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TweetMichelle Obama’s mother looks up to her
Michelle Obama’s mom is the latest to sing the First Lady’s praises.
In an interview with Essence, Marian Robinson says, “Michelle has always been Michelle. And she has always accomplished whatever it was she set out to accomplish. I have always looked up to Michelle because she has been able to do things that I couldn’t do emotionally, psychologically or physically. I think she is amazing.”
She says Michelle’s late father, Fraser would be equally impressed.
“You would not be able to shut him up! He would not be able to stand this,” the 71-year-old Robinson told the magazine in its May issue on stands this week. “He would be beaming until you would just want him to stop talking.”
While mothers and daughters can have difficult relationships, this pair is clearly in tune, Afterall, Michelle moved her mother into the White House to help with the children. (Come to think of it, her relationship with the president must be pretty good, too.)
Of her mother, the first lady says, “She talked to us endlessly about any and everything with a level of openness and fearlessness that made us believe that we were bright enough to engage with an adult, that we were worthy enough to ask questions and to get really serious answers — and she did it with a level of humor. There were many times when we were in the midst of getting spanked or disciplined and she would start cracking up. She taught my brother and me not to take things so seriously; to work hard, but to learn to laugh at situations and laugh at yourself and then to move through it.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: role models
Tweet‘Non-slutty’ clothes for tweens
There’s hope for moms and their tweens and their differing opinions on appropriate, yet cool, clothing. The website Momlogic says Charlotte Ronson’s new clothing line is ‘non-slutty.’
Interestingly, the line is created by the sister of DJ and alleged-Lindsay Lohan ex, Samantha.
On the plus side for tweens: The line is fabulous. It was a big hit at New York fashion week, and was previously sold at Urban Outfitters.
On the plus side for moms, and probably dads even moreso: The clothing is age-appropriate, all items are under $30 and available at good old JC Penney.
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TweetAmerican Heart Association kicks off walking campaign
The American Heart Association’s National Start! Walking Day kicks off in Kettering on Wednesday, April, 8. Start! is the American Heart Association’s national initiative that calls on all Americans and their employers to create a culture of physical activity and health to live longer, heart-healthier lives.
The walk will start at 11:45 a.m. at Fairmont High School outdoor track, 3301 Shroyer Road. It will end at 1 p.m. and include local companies competing against each other in events. The intent is to set an example that will encourage others to start a walking regimine.
To help begin a walking plan, go to www.heart.org/start.
The American Heart Association currently has four initiatives designed to help specific groups of Americans. Go Red For Women focuses on cardiovascular disease in women. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation combats childhood obesity. Power To End Stroke speaks to the African American community about its disproportionately high risk. And Start! works to help adults get more physical activity into their daily lives.
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TweetYou don’t want to talk about incontinence, but you should
You probably don’t want to hear this, but 80 percent of the people who suffer from incontinence are women. And incontinence affects women as young as 35.
Statistics show women wait an average of 6.5 years before talking to their doctor about incontinence, which is the loss of bladder control, according to the National Association for Continence (NAC).
If it derives from post-birth, menopause or diabetes they are possibly harming their health further by delaying the discussion.
“A woman’s sense of feminine confidence can often be impacted by this condition, causing them to withdraw from their friends, families and an active lifestyle,” said Blake Boulden, Depend Brand Manager. “This can often lead to a fundamental loss of their sense of purpose and value.”
There are two main types of incontinence - stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence, according to NAC.
Stress incontinence is caused by weak pelvic floor muscles and can be caused by an activity such as exercise, laughing, sneezing or coughing.
Urge incontinence is also called “overactive bladder” and symptoms include an overwhelming urge to urinate. Urine loss with either type can range from a few drops to a full stream.
Depend has executives with extensive background knowledge of the physiological and psychological effects that incontinence has on women, Boulden said.
The company recently introduced gender-specific underwear for women that is more discreet and is shaped more like a woman’s body, helping to reduce the level of embarrassment.
The U.S. Census Projects currently estimates that 19 million adults in North America experience some sort of incontinence.
Here are some tips to prevent or deal with incontinence:
* Do frequent Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
* Maintain a healthy body weight - less weight means less stress on your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor muscles. Research says that a 5 to 10 percent drop in body weight can help control incontinence.
* Drink fluids throughout the day instead of large amounts at one time. By spreading liquids over a long period of time, you can help prevent urge incontinence.
- Source: National Association for Continence
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TweetCincinnati has nation’s 7th worst hair
A website called totalbeauty.com has named the top 13 worst hair cities.
Most of them are in the south where sun damages and dries hair and humidity frizzes or flattens it. Or others are in, well, Pittsburgh.
The exception is Bad Hair City No. 7: Cincinnati.
Totalbeauty.com based its findings on national averages of humidity/wind/rain/sun, water-hardness, pollution levels and the number of salons in the area.
Of Cincinnati it says, ‘It’s the 7th most polluted city in the U.S., but here is the real kicker, Cincinnati has only eight hairstylists listed on yellowpages.com. No comment necessary.’
The worst hair city is Corpus Christi, Texas It is ridiculed for having hard water and only a handful of hair salons.
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TweetGuiding Light canceled
The soap opera that gave the television world Reva Shayne is canceled.
“Guiding Light” has been canceled after a 72-year-run. CBS says the show will have its final episode in September. Like most daytime dramas, “Guiding Light” has suffered from declining ratings and CBS is looking for a lower-cost alternative to the hour of programming.
Guiding Light focused on the Bauer family of Springfield and the mercurial Reva Shayne, who has died, been cloned and been Amish over the years. For her efforts, the actress, Kim Zimmer has won multiple Emmy awards.
Soap operas on all networks are in trouble, with many stars taking large pay cuts, or worse. This year, Days of Our Lives released two of its biggest stars, Deirdre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. NBC canceled Another World last year.
The Guinness Book of World Records cites Guiding Light as longest-running television drama. It started on radio in 1937 and debuted on television in 1952.
Kevin Bacon, Nia Long, Taye Diggs, Melina Kanakaredes, and Hayden Panettiere all appeared on”Guiding Light early in their careers.
The cancellation comes at a rough time for viewers as Phillip recently returned from the dead.
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TweetAll eyes on Obamas as they meet the queen
It’s the dreaded day that happens every few years when a U.S. administration change occurs.
The new president and first lady head to London to meet the queen. They’re there for bigger things, such as the president meeting with political leaders to actually discuss important matters.
But whenever this happens it seems the reaction of the queen to the rotten U.S. commoners is the highlight.
Will Michelle Obama curtsy? Will Barack Obama take the correct hand of Elizabeth? Sheesh! He’s probably prepared more for this than the summit of G20 leaders.
The first couple will take tea with Queen Elizabeth, 82, and her husband Prince Philip, 87. The meeting, expected to take around 20 minutes, precedes a special reception at the palace for all the leaders of the G20 nations, who have gathered in London for a summit Thursday.
The president does not share my cynicism about meeting the queen.
“As you might imagine, Michelle has been really thinking about it, too. I think in the imagination of people throughout America, what the Queen stands for, her decency and her civility and what she represents, is very important.”
And expect another flurry of reaction to Michelle Obama’s clothing. She ‘reportedly’ wore J. Crew again on her first day in London.
I hope she wears something bolder for her meeting with the queen.
Perhaps some sort of elaborate hat.
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TweetSomething good came of Obama’s gaffe
The Special Olympics launched a campaign this week to banish the word “retard” from casual daily conversation.
A few weeks ago, President Obama referred to his bowling skills as like that of the “Special Olympics,” an athletic competition for people with mental retardation.
While the effort to ban “retard” is not directly linked to Obama’s self-admitted gaffe, it’s not likely a coincidence.
So, yes, something good has come from Obama’s gaffe and he likely would be the first to admit it.
He said a really silly, hurtful thing unintentionally. He immediately apologized and apologized well. It would be wise of him to sign the pledge himself. (although I seriously doubt he uses the word.)
Meanwhile, people signed pledges not to use the word and students gathered to denounce its use from Florida to Alaska. Organizers hope to change attitudes about people with mental disabilities, who number more than 190 million worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
While “retard” itself was never a medical term, it derives from the phrase “mental retardation,” which by around 1900 was commonly used by scientists and doctors, said Peter Berns, executive director of The Arc of the United States, a nonprofit advocate for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
After Obama’s comment, reaction ranged from outrage and hurt from parents of people with mental retardation to criticism of folks like me who called the president to task for it.
Basically, if a word hurts someone, whether it is the ‘n word’ which we all dare not even type and for good reason or whether it is using the word ‘gay’ to suggest something is odd, if it hurts someone, let’s just avoid it.
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