How Do You Beat the Heat?

Summer is here and the temperature is heating up across the country. In my neck of the woods we are just happy to see the sunshine after a long period of rain every day. Temps are expected to skyrocket at the end of this week.

When it heats up outside, I look for ways to stay cool on the inside. I love to experiment with summertime drinks. Sometimes they are of the alcoholic type, but most often I choose the "virgin version." Alcohol tends to make a girl feel warm, and heaven knows, menopausal women don't need any more causes for hot flashes and night sweats.

So here is a new recipe that was shared with me today, and it sounds totally DE-LI-CIOUS. Just thought I would pass it along....

Fresh Mint and Ginger and Lemonade

Yield: Makes 4 servings
This distinctive fat-free drink is a great change of pace from coffee or tea.

Ingredients
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh ginger
1/3 cup honey
2 cups boiling water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (about) cold water
Ice cubes
Fresh mint leaves
Lemon slices

Just mix together, pour over the ice and garnish with some fresh mint leaves and lemon slices! Yum.

Don't forget to wear your favorite wicking nightgown or PJ set to help keep you cool and dry on those steam nights as well. Click Here to visit Lunar Radiance to pick up some of our newest styles. Pictured is our wicking nightshirt by CoolSets. Also available in red passion - $46.50

DO YOU HAVE A GREAT SUMMERTIME LIBATION RECIPE TO SHARE? Don't keep it to yourself! Share please! I would be more than happy to post them.

Mother's Day Coupon from Lunar Radiance

Happy Mother's Day

The blogs are buzzing this morning with Happy Mother's Day wishes, and I just want to add one more.

Of course, my first thoughts go to my own mom, who passed 7 years ago. Each Mother's Day I would take my children to her apartment where we would plant a garden in her small flowerbed by her door. Today, I will be planting some flowers of my own in my front garden and I know I will be thinking of her.

Next I am thinking about my own children. This is the first Mother's Day that I have awakened and I am childless. No breakfast in bed for me this year. I never knew what my daughter would be cooking up, but she worked hard at whatever it was, and made sure that her brother was a participant...usually the dishes were his job. Both of my kids are away at school this year, but God bless my daughter.....she made sure that flowers arrived yesterday. I cried when I read the card. Thank you Ryan and Devon...I love you both.

Finally, I am thinking about all of the women I am friends with who don't have children of their own, but have either been so wonderful to mine or work in a capacity where they enrich the lives of children every day. Special kudos to Aunt Sharon, Aunt Jackie and Aunt Terri plus countless others.

So...Happy Mother's Day to all of the women in my life who have nurtured me with love and friendship, and have helped me to be the best mother I can be.

Musings on Self Image - Man vs Woman

Why is it that when men look at themselves in the mirror, and I am talking about men who are lets say....45 and older..... they puff themselves up like peacocks and see themselves as the dashing 30 somethings they once were; yet women zero in on the spreading thighs, thicker middles and sagging breasts? A little gray hair on a man is distinguished. However that same gray on a woman represents a minimum of $65 in a salon, depending on where you live.

I was recently having a conversation with a male and female baby boomer about another couple who had know each other in high school, and recently reconnected and married. This led to a bit of reminiscing about high school relationships. The gentleman in the group smiled at the memory of his one time beloved, then interjected his thought that she probably had put on weight.

Whoa..........buddy. I couldn't let him off the hook for that comment and redirected his attention to the spreading middle he was sporting. His response, as he sucked in and puffed up, "It's a baggy shirt." What a classic.

I don't think this is anything new. For years older men have sought and attained the company of younger women. When the shoe is on the other foot, well....can you spell C-O-U-G-A-R? That's tad bit of a nasty title don't ya think?

How about commercials and advertisements that bombard women daily with potions, lotions and creams to wipe away wrinkles, sags and bags on various parts of our bodies. We buy....I buy. It seems like every day I notice some new sign that aging is upon me. This week it was a few age spots on my once fabulous legs. OMG...as I wrote the last sentence a commerical for a serum that assists "menopausal skin" just came across my TV screen. The maintenance, both cosmetically and physically is just plain old exhausting.

Life would be so much easier for us baby boomer women if we could just "suck it in" and blame it on a big shirt.

National Tea Party Day

Momentum is growing and excitement is building.

On April 15, 2009 people will gather across the nation to speak out against leaving a debt our great-grandchildren will be paying for because our leaders will be spending trillions of borrowed dollars; a budget filled with pork and earmarks, plus so much more. You can click here to read more details, volunteer to be an organizer or to find where your nearest tea party can be found.

Everyone in our country is worried. I am a baby boomer who has a child graduating from college in less than two months. What are his job prospects? Will I have to delay retirement? With one child left in college, will there be loan money available so she can finish her education? It doesn't matter what your socioeconomic level is; on one is immune.

Planning on attending and would like to commemorate the event with a button, mug or t-shirt? Double click on any of the items below as they appear in the window!

Who's In Charge?

The new administration has been in office for 60 days, and I am left wondering ..."Who is in charge?" Our President is busy making appearances on Jay Leno and continues to work the town hall circuit as though he were still campaigning. We have been hearing over and over that our country is in a financial shambles and our leader is out of Washington, playing celebrity, instead of staying in town and working.

There are already rumors that Tim Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, may be looking at resigning or being fired. Members of Congress and senators are bikering with each other over who is to blame for the most recent AIG bonus catastrophe. Did anyone read the Stimulus Package before it was approved?

Let's not forget about Gitmo....Attorney General, Eric Holder announced this week that some of the released prisoners may be coming to a town near you!

As this week comes to a close, I am feeling more frustrated, less safe and more unsure than ever of the future of this country. Can our President step up to the plate this coming week? Could he please stop running, like the election is still on, stay put and lead? You've been elected Mr. President, now please, do the job.

What is Your Stimulus Plan?

Wow!! The Dow was up 377 points today! Yipee!! Does that mean anything to you? Are you like the millions of people who watch the Dow daily and cringe with fear and worry every time it drops just a bit more? Are you like me and most of my baby boomer friends who don't even want to open their next statements because what has transpired over the last few months may mean that their plans for retirement may need to be, well... retired for a little while?

I think that each of us has taken a different attitude about the current financial status in which we currently find ourselves. One friend of mine immediately withdrew all of her family's investments/retirement money and put it into a plain, old savings account.

Another friend and her husband have decided to truly stimulate the economy by buying a new car and renovating their kitchen. They have excellent credit, and very stable jobs. They had been wanting to make these changes and with their retirement just a few years off, they figured now would be the time.

I, and many of my colleagues and friends, left my money where it was never dreaming that the market would hit 6000. I spoke with my investment broker last week and he confirmed what I suspected.....I would take a major bath if I pulled out now, so I just need to ride it out. He believes that we should see a turn around beginning around the end of April/beginning of May. For all of our sakes, I hope he is right.

I am fortunate to have a career that is recession/depression proof, teaching. So I am not worried about losing my job. However, I do have another college tuition to take care of and worry about student loan money drying up.

I have a son who will be graduating from college this year with a marketing degree....oh heavens....I think he will be inhabiting his freshly painted room again as he looks for a job. I do worry about his future.

There is no doubt about it, my wicking sleepwear business, Lunar Radiance has been a bit slower than it was this time last year, but by no means is it ready to float belly up...so that is good news.

Almost everyone is impacted in some shape or form, and has a financial issue they are stressing over, but is there a mentally healthy way to approach these times without losing our minds? Obviously worrying does nothing to solve the problems, so what do we do?

How do you plan on making your way through these difficult financial times? What's working for you? What is your personal stimulus plan?