There is a part of me that is very practical.  Despite my high regard for the right side of the brain, my attraction to musicians and artists and my passionate belief in drawing outside the lines, I’m actually a “straight arrow” at heart. 

 

I believe in doing what is ‘right’ (though not necessarily what is expected), and like any self-respecting youngest child, I’m passionate about what is ‘fair.’

 

So, even as a teenager, I got the take-home message that health and safety trumped everything else.  I c

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From a procreative point of view, there’s absolutely no reason why women should orgasm; At least, that is the conclusion of the author of a book making mental and genital waves. The Case for the Female Orgasm: Bias in the Science of Evolution by Elizabeth Lloyd evaluated years of research on female orgasm, and determined that women have orgasms for the same reason men have nipples, as an evolutionary bi-product of shared fetal tissue. 

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You might say I’ve been working on my own version of “Project Runway.”

 

It, however, has nothing to do with fashion.

 

My project?  I have to get my 82-year-old mother who has cancer on a flight to Dallas.  There is no avoiding this trip. My mother’s nephew died after a long illness. She would never forgive herself if she did not attend his funeral.  I am the only one who can get her to Dallas.  

 

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Have you ever noticed how your limiting beliefs sometimes stop you from pursuing new opportunities? I consider myself pretty open-minded, but I recently noticed how my OWN limiting beliefs were holding me back.

Luckily it wasn’t the biggest deal in the world. For months, my husband, Jeff -- who is also my web developer and SEO guy all rolled into one -- had been nudging me to start a Facebook Fan Page. But I scoffed at the idea. Facebook is okay. But I’ve never been a huge, fan, no pun intended.

When I hang out on Facebook, I often feel like I’m killing time. Yacking about useless stuff. So when I considered the idea of sinking more time into something I didn’t really enjoy, the thought wasn’t all that appealing.

Then, the other day, we were working on updating my website, and Jeff said he’d read that Facebook was visited more frequently than Google and that having a Facebook Fan Page could really help with search engine optimization.

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Fairly often I have a client ask whether or not his marriage is bad enough to justify a divorce. Even though they ask, I think they know this not the kind of question I can answer for them.  It’s a personal call.

 

But as a psychologist I have a unique perspective. I get to see people at every phase of life; whether they are struggling or thriving in a marriage, in the process of divorcing, divorced, dating new people, remarried or even living unmarried in old age.  I have even seen the same person through each of these phases over the course of their lifetime.  This perspective has biased me in favor of working out problems in marriages rather than dissolving them.  This is true in relationships with or witho

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It is often difficult to distinguish between the language of modern technology and that of the socially savvy.  Even for computer literate folks in our Second Life, these words can be challenging.  That doesn’t mean we don’t know how to communicate with our computers.  We have PC’s, notebooks and I-Phones.  We email and visit Facebook.  Jpegs and MP3’s are standard formats for sending our photos and audios. 

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To send my child to Kindergarten early or not, that is the question!
 
As each new school year approaches, many parents of kindergarten-aged children have a decision to make:  Is my child ready for kindergarten or should I keep him/her home one more year?

Traditionally, we look to a date on the calendar to determine whether or not it’s time for our child to enroll in school.  Most schools have an early September deadline to be qualified for starting kindergarten.   However, that deadline becomes ambiguous for families whose children turn five sometime over the summer or later, in September.
 
Here are 3 broad criteria to consider when deciding on your child’s readiness for school.
 
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Almost everyone knows the merits of life insurance—the umbrella for that rainy day.  But few of us consider the need for long-term care insurance: coverage for the possibility that you or a loved one becomes incapacitated and unable to care for yourself.  Indeed, 75 percent of Americans have made no preparations for long-term care.¹ Well, it’s time to face the hard facts about long-term care.

 

First: Today, approximately 9 million Americans over the age 65 will need some form of long-term care, and that number will reach 12 million by 2020.² 

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My oldest son, Sean came home for a visit last weekend.  He doesn’t get home much anymore, having moved to New York City six months ago to begin his first ”real” job with an accounting firm.  In fact, last weekend was his first trip home since Christmas.  

 

I suppose that’s the problem with children: they grow up.  And leave home.  And live their own lives.    

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The morning after a joyous evening I sat quietly by myself and took some time to reflect.  (Radical, I know.  It was delicious to sit with a cup of hot tea and think.  Note to self:  do that more often!)

 

It was a big night for my family.  My parents received the “Living Legends” award from Planned Parenthood of the Southeast, an organization they’ve supported since my birth (I try not to take that personally).  Atlanta’s current and former Mayors were there, many legislators, generous philanthropists and those with very little means –- more than 450 friends and supporters.  It was a magical evening.

 

As I basked in the afterglow, feeling immense pride, I took a few moments to think about what le

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Several years ago, Joy Bauer started a segment for the TODAY show called “The Joy Fit Club.”  Membership into her club was limited to those people who had lost more than 100 pounds. Currently, there are over 100 members of in Joy’s club and our hope is to encourage others to follow in our footsteps and become healthier by reducing our weight.

 

Another member of this elite club is my friend Jon Staton of Michigan.

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Our irrepressible 17-year-old, Sam, a lean, toned, and all-business young woman of vegetarian convictions, environmental priorities, and details; college-bound, and impatient with banalities, is away this summer.  Her temporary home is a remote village in the Honduran mountains, far-removed from cellular connections, Facebook, and a powerful circle of friends here in our safe and calm California coastal town.

Facing the lazy holiday sun, it may suffice for other entering twelfth-grader girls in the suburban culture to retire to the local beaches, malls, tantaliz

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Feeling bloated? Cranky? Experiencing sleeplessness? It could be pre-menstrual syndrome, or PMS. You can thank the monthly drop in estrogen and progesterone that precedes our periods for all these fun symptoms that often disrupt our lives. These declines create a domino effect that results in a yet another temporary drop in levels of the “feel-good” hormone serotonin as well as endorphins. In addition to feeling irritable, depressed, and tired, you can also feel bloated, dizzy or experience breast tenderness.  These bothersome symptoms can last anywhere from three to 14 days. While that may sound unpleasant, there are actually many things women can do to lessen – or even alleviate – PMS symptoms.

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Robert Frost said good fences make good neighbors, and those of us who live in rural settings understand that notion. 

 

When you live in the country, you give up block parties and neighborhood bunko clubs.  Kids don’t usually walk or ride a bike to each other’s homes. And there are days you see more wildlife than people.

 

When we first moved from the crowded subdivisions of south Florida to a rural town in Ohio, one of our new neighbors introduced himself by saying, “We all live out here because we like it quiet.

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Recently, a dear friend (and mom of three sons) shared the fact that her boys complain to her about how “weird” the girls are about eating when they're out together as a group or at school.   While some girls diet in order to get skinny and attract boys, there are those who starve themselves because they have NO interest in the opposite sex.  By returning to a pre-pubescent body, they are attempting to stave off the anxiety that comes with turning into a sexual being.  

More often than not I hear guys say they like to date girls “with meat on their bones.”  They hate the thought of asking a girl on a date only to have her order salad wi

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Usually when we talk about body image issues, we’re talking about girls. But did you know that more than one million boys and men struggle with eating disorders? More than 80% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat.  More than 10% of middle school boys have used steroids. These are boys who don’t understand why they should brush their teeth every night; how can they possibly understand the repercussions of starving or using steroids?

Studies today suggest that body image is deeply affected by the media – television shows and movies that show buff, brawny young men and the sexy, slim women who love them.  And in fact, my own son – who at 15 is tall and thin – can often be found facing the mirror sideways, and sighing over the fact that his stomach is not completely flat. What he sees is the 10-year-old version of himself, when his one chin became two and he had to wear uniform pants marked “Husky.” (What marketing genius thought that “Husky” would be a good retail term?) This was the year tha

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Well it is that time of year again to celebrate my little mans birthday. He will be 8 years old on Tuesday. I have been trying for a while now to figure out what to do. He is so much fun, and loves birthday parties. The only problem I have is he has no real friends to invite. Summer birthday’s are hard because you really don’t have the school and classmates to invite. Most are busy enjoying there summers and you don’t see them again until school starts back in. (Mental note for mom, get some email address before school gets out!)

Oh sure there is about two little ones that are family that will be there, but what is a birthday party without a lot of kids to play with. I remember when my older two had parties they always had at least 5 friends there.

Every year this is a challenge for me, the funny thing is because he does not understand the concept of friends, it doesn’t bother him. Mom is the

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I was sitting outside trying to just figure things out. Being a single mom with a child who is Down syndrome is not an easy task. Every now and then I look above for just the little peace of hope and some strength. I looked up and a beautiful double rainbow was shining directly over my house. Sometimes amazing things are possible.

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http://polldaddy.com/s/07278ED0D87712EF

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I found myself recently getting stressed out that I can not keep up with my fellow blogger’s and advocates.  It really made me thing maybe I was doing something wrong. After looking much harder it was apparent that our lives are so different. Time is a precious commodity in my home.

I am a full time government employee, and also a single parent. My days are crazy! I am up at 5:30 out of the house by 7:30 and don’t get home till 6pm. Wow then it is time to cook dinner, be a mom, and any other chores that may need to be done.  It is now going on 8 bed time for little man and then, then I maybe able to relax.

So how do I find the time to do so of the things that I do.

Well first and foremost my Blackberry has become my best friend. I have all my social media apps on there as well as the Word Press App. Now I am limited on what I can do

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