The Blog

Let’s preface this gift guide by saying that most moms are thrilled to get a handwritten card for Mother’s Day or to spend time with their loved ones. Buying a splashy or expensive gift isn’t necessary. But if you are wanting to treat mom to something special, here are some suggestions that you haven’t already […]

Happy Easter weekend for those of you who celebrate! Spring is officially doing its thing, with Southern California dipping into 80-degree weather and a family of quail taking up residence in our backyard. Hoping to get a lot of writing done and a nice long visit with family. Here’s some holiday inspiration for your perusal. […]

There are so many hair challenges that arise as we age. It can be aggravating trying to deal with the hormonal changes that cause hair to be simultaneously greasy and dry. It’s time-consuming and expensive to wage the never-ending battle against gray roots. And don’t even get me started on finding a bald spot on […]

Major Gen X moment this week: the teen and I watched Pretty in Pink together. I was happy to see that the movie still holds up and even happier when the teen said at the end: “Well, that’s disappointing. I would’ve chosen Duckie over Blane.” Drop the mom mic—my work is done. Here are some […]

Traditionally the beginning of spring brings thoughts of rebirth, renewal, and rejuvenation. All living things move from a contractive state into the yearning power of growth. We experience a quickening of creativity as the sun begins to melt winter’s frost from our bodies and minds. The richness of the earth invites us to cultivate and […]

A new thing has happened in my household that I never could have predicted: my 14-year-old daughter has become a foodie. This is hilarious for so many reasons, not least of which is that she has been a picky eater for her entire life. Her meal interests up until now have been bread, pasta, strawberries, […]

By midlife, we’ve all got some baggage when it comes to friendships. We have probably been betrayed and left behind by friends at least once or twice. We might have been gutted by disappointment when people proved untrustworthy. Sometimes the resulting loss and disillusionment can cause us to shrink from further exposure and hide behind […]

Over a period of 300 plus years, from approximately 1526 to 1867, an excess of 12 million captured men, women, and children from Africa were put on ships and sent to the Americas. It’s a little-known fact that the vast majority—over 90 percent—of enslaved Africans were sent to the Caribbean and South America. British-occupied North […]

As I approached my 50th birthday I began to become curious about what this third phase of life would hold for me. For many of us, middle age is this mysterious, foreign country looming on the horizon much like the wall of ice in Game of Thrones. It has always seemed a place that you […]

As we age our skin changes dramatically. What worked in our 20’s or 30’s just won’t cut it for mature women dealing with hormonal dips and spikes. Speaking as someone who spent most of their life battling acne and oily skin, it was alarming to be faced with skin that suddenly seemed to repel moisture […]