Grandchildren: Making Memories

As we drove to the airport, I reflected to my husband, that visiting the grandchildren was really about making memories. Like a slap to the back of the head, the next thought was "GOOD ONES!".

Our times together are fairly short, as they live in another part of the country. We want to be remembered fondly by our grandchildren. Hopefully, our generation's living longer allows us to spend more time with them, up through an age where they will be able to recall later in life. Are we creating the kinds of memories we want?

A few general things to consider:

1. We are guests in our children's homes. Act like guests.
2. We are not our grandchildren's parents. Don't boss them around like we are.
3. Be interested in their lives: school, after school activities, sports, friends, stories they tell, even if you have to fake it!
4. Don't buy stuff for them so they like you. They'll see through that soon enough.
5. Interact and do stuff with them. Throw the baseball, play H.O.R.S.E, Monopoly. Teach them a new skill. They'll be impressed!
6. Stay in touch when you aren't there, with postcards, Skype, quick phone calls, photo websites (photobug, flickr, etc.), there are many easy ways to share your lives.
7. Be FUN, loving and encouraging! This is not a time to complain or nit pick. 

Being a grandparent is a great gift. Consider how you want to be remembered. With a little effort, you can make GOOD memories.

Exercising My Rights: Post Menopause Exercise

A dear girlfriend, who is my stay-fit mentor (for whom I am forever grateful - really), recently dragged me on foot from Ketchum to Mid-Valley, Idaho one toasty July afternoon. It was a beautiful day and I was beguiled by the dry heat and blue, cloudless skies. So enchanted, that I forgot I was at 6000' elevation and not my gentler Florida sea level. At the end of this 7 mile journey, we had to scale a quarter-mile of sheer cliff to get to the air-conditioned house. Ok, we just had to walk up the driveway...but my heart thought otherwise. I was panting and exhausted with that very short uphill rise. My core temperature shot up and my feet signaled that they had had ENOUGH! Completely, spread-eagle-on-the-bed, tuckered out.

Being the true friend mentioned above, she also set up a training session at the gym a few days later. I was keeping up just fine until I got on the treadmill. Let's just say I hit the wall again and had to stop early. Humiliated by concerned questions like, "Are you feeling dizzy? Do you need to lay down?" If I could have uttered anything it would have been "LIE, that's LIE down!" Let's put the onus on the trainer, not me! I'm fine.

Not to say that these two incidents worried my friend, BUT...she sent me this book to read. It arrived very soon after we returned home. It's called Younger Next Year for Women: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy - Until You're 80 and Beyond . The original book was written for men, but this is one geared for us ladies in our 3rd Third of Life and definitely worth taking the time to read, absorb and live. Since I have a feeling I'm stuck here until my mid-90's, I am taking this advice seriously! It's a great philosophy. I recommend it.

The men's version: Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy - Until You're 80 and Beyond

Why exercise after menopause? Click here!

Oprah Weighs In On Menopause Issues

We all remember Oprah's 50th Birthday Bash. Well guess what - she's right in the midst of her hormonal uprising, too. So in wandering around the vast kingdom of Internet Oprah, I came across an entire fiefdom of information about menopause. The February 2009 issue of "O", The Oprah Magazine, covered this subject and included familiar names-such as Suzanne Somers, Christiane Northrup, M.D. and JoAnn Manson, M.D. who is chief of Preventative Medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Dr. Manson was also a "principal investigator" of the Women's Health Initiative study (WHI) published in 2002 which I mentioned in earlier posts.

Click on the site below to connect to Oprah's website. There is useful information there-a lot of it. It is a bit disconcerting and sad to read the comments left by readers. Many of them are pleas to find local physicians who know how to deal with HRT and BHRT. Click here for more information.

Who Knows the Truth About Menopause?

Who can we believe? A well-known fact is that in the past most medical studies have only involved males and male medical issues. As more women entered the medical field, that has changed. Perhaps because so few studies included women's issues, it was quite common in the 50's and 60's to prescribe Estrogen to menopausal women to reduce symptoms. It wasn't until 2000, that a study was completed, with the conclusion that standard HRT (hormone replacement therapy) may cause breast cancer in some women. Women were confused. And still are.

Doctors have prescribed bio-identical hormone compounds for years. This was considered "alternative medicine" and not part of the mainstream AMA-approved regimen. There are many good books written on the use of Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT, as Lynn mentioned).

This blog is not meant to offer detailed medical advice, but I can recommend some reading by reliable authors that covers the subjects of menopause and BHRT pretty thoroughly. 

• Remember Suzanne Somers from Three's Company? She had breast cancer and chose an alternative therapy treatment that seems to be successful. If you can erase the t.v. image, this woman is a great researcher! I've also read her recipe books and she has dedicated herself to a healthful lifestyle. Suzanne is not the air-head Christy!
• Dr. Christiane Northrup is an OB/GYN who wrote the original menopause reference, The Wisdom of Menopause. I refer to her book often. She's been on PBS and has written several books.
• A smaller, similar book written by another physician, Dr. C. W. Randolph, is easy reading and informative. He is adamant about getting your bio-identical hormones from reliable sources and lists those compounding pharmacies he trusts. I started following Dr. Randolph's advice and it has made a huge difference in my physical comfort. I sleep better, my night sweats are less frequent. I feel happier and I have a more positive outlook. Not saying it's for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to be informed.

Start here:

What Our Mothers Never Told Us!

I received this email from a dear friend and today at lunch with some girl friends, the subject came up again!

Lynn gave me permission to share this with you. She started out by say that she was glad that I had started this blog for opportunity for us "to share openly your experiences with something our mother's only whispered and/or cried about. As you know bio-identical hormones have made all the difference for me. The funny thing about menopause was I began reading and attempting to be prepared in advance but it still blindsided me. I think because I did not understand peri-menopause. I went through a major round of cardiovascular tests due to heart palpitations. It turned out to be a girlfriend (not a doctor) who told me that is a common symptom of peri-menopause. The depression came next and then the synthetic hormones. After three years of menopause jungle I found my mentor in a young woman in Ocala working as a hormone consultant in a compounding lab. I am now an official, card carrying, t-shirt wearing proud member of BHRT.4.Me


Deanne Bauman is happy to do telephone consultations (352)622-2913 (cost is $50 per hour). Best money I have ever spent. I believe one of the biggest misconceptions women have is they think if they are not having hot flashes they have no symptoms. Menopause can be a great time in your life or it can be hell. It quietly robs you of many things you take for granted when you are young. Bio-identical therapy can keep that from happening. The best thing we can do is be our own advocate, read, speak openly and support your kind and loving spirit of doing this blog."


Amen to that! Thanks, Lynn~

No Juice Boxes: Food and Wine

This is a great Blog about wine, by a friend who has been in the business for awhile.  Due to the economy, she has a bit more time right now to write about it! She has a great descriptive list of wines for under $12. I'd suggest emailing that article to yourself so you have it available on your phone when shopping.

Take a look at  No Juice Boxes: Food and Wine and enjoy!

Sweaty sleep less nights Part Two

Flipping to the cool side of the pillow was probably the first thing that worked for me...for a while...but like many women, I have one arm under the pillow, so that side is warm, too. I've seen a product called the "Chillow" and was wondering if anyone had tried it out? Apparently it doesn't plug in to anything and doesn't need to be refrigerated. The "Chillow Plus" is advertised as more flexible with "Soothe Soft" technology. It's also good for cooling down sunburns, for headaches, back pain and I'm thinking about those nights when my feet are hotter than the rest of me!  Share your experiences with us!