healthy living for women + their families
How satisfying is “Mad Men” eight episodes into Season 5 after a 17-month absence? There are rumblings and petulance – threats of not watching it if it doesn’t get more intense and brooding. In other words, we liked the old tightly wound Don, juggling wife, girlfriends and his secret history; not this new lovesick non-Don.
Certainly there have been some high points.
To me the most compelling news to surface in John Edwards’ trial for alleged violation of campaign finance laws is the scene described last week of Elizabeth Edwards ripping off her blouse and bra and confronting her husband with evidence of her scarred life (physical and emotional – she had a double mastectomy and was battling a recurrence of her cancer). “You don’t see me anymore,” she cried, as ex-aide Christina Reynolds recounted in the federal courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina.
If you don’t have a will, you are not alone. Half of Americans don’t have a will, a living will, or financial and medical powers of attorney. Yet we know a will and other estate documents would ease our family’s burdens if something happened to us.
I ignored “The Hunger Games” as long as I could. Even after my 13-year-old granddaughter told me she was reading the books. But when I realized she would be seeing the PG-13 movie with Jennifer Lawrence, I wanted to find out about this Katniss Everdean character.
James Taylor’s breakthrough album, Sweet Baby James, was released in 1970. Over 40 years later, he is still my boyfriend – well, he did promise, specifically to me, “You’ve got a friend.”
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How many times have I heard variations of this in the last two weeks? “I can’t understand why Whitney Houston would overdose/abuse drugs/get so drunk, when she had been through treatment and achieved sobriety, a child who needed her, a great career, people who loved her, and such a strong faith.” In fact, I was sitting next to a Miami news anchor at dinner the other night who said the same thing.
Who dreads Valentine’s Day more than single women with no romantic interest in their lives? Recently divorced women.
But there is hope for a new kind of Valentine’s celebration. On a day when “I love you, darling” is shoved down our throats, maybe we should be expressing our gratitude to those who stuck by us through the valley of depression, or making the day special for our children or grandchildren.
We love the look of pearly whites. But constant bleaching isn’t just costly, it can cause mild to severe pain. If you overdo it, the chemical can eat away at your tooth enamel. The good news is that certain fruits and vegetables will can help make your teeth sparkle naturally. Check them out and you might be able to skip some bleaching treatments.
No one is in a better position than a nurse to give you insider information about your hospital stay – unless she's a nurse who went on to become a doctor. Marie Savard, M.D., medical contributor to Good Morning America and the author of Ask Dr. Marie and How to Save Your Own Life, offers these tips for taking charge of your healthcare when you're going to the hospital:
There’s a certain kind of weather I always associate with Easter. Pale, tentative sunlight that looks as though it’s emerging from hibernation. Cold air shot through with an elusive touch of warmth. Painfully raw green leaves on trees and bushes. When that weather arrived, it was time for my mother to get ready for the holiday. Actually, it was time for her to get me ready for the holiday.
