May 2015

Once upon a time, I planned to grow up and marry Maui, decades later I fell hard for the East Coast, and now I have a thing for Atlanta. Ready for your newest city crush? Do your pre-trip exploration with gusto, because whether you’re joining your spouse for a convention,…

Motherhood connects women worldwide. Taking care of mothers means healthier families, less poverty, and stronger communities. Midwives for Haiti, a Richmond-based non-profit, has built a bridge from Virginia to Haiti to keep women alive to raise the children they bring into the world. The number of orphaned children in Haiti…

We meet them all the time. If we’re lucky, we’re friends with a few of them – the risk takers, the goal setters, successful and positive people who take a bite out of life and let the juices flow. They might not be the richest people on the block or…

Born to bear!  is what my dad used to say about me, the youngest of his five daughters. And although it embarrassed me a little (I liked to think I had at least a few other things going for me), I got used to it the more I heard it.…

Years ago, when I contemplated the spacing of our children’s births, I thought more about immediate issues than how the differences in their ages would play out down the road. My chief considerations, at the time, were sleep (theirs and mine), and my ability to meet the specific needs of…

I suppose all that’s left for me to do now is whip out the credit card. Because according to my lovely daughter, the plans have all been made. She’s picked out the dresses. The reception details have been put to bed. The honeymoon is locked. There’s a question about the…

I pen this note on what will surely go down as the nicest weather Saturday of 2015. Birds are chirping all around me, flowers are in full bloom, and my crew just returned from the MOST fun afternoon at Maymont! When I told my 6-year-old son where we were headed,…

Jill could see her father’s functioning had been affected by his chronic disorganization and clutter. Some may recognize this set of symptoms as hoarding, but regardless of what you call it, these anxious feelings and behaviors can be debilitating. In fact, hoarding disorder has found its way into the fifth…

Q: I am blessed to be married to a man who is a fantastic father. I have trouble admitting this to anyone, but I’m jealous. It seems like Mom is always the heavy at our house. How do I get past this? A.: You are in good company! Don’t feel…

There is a widely held misconception that pelvic floor-related symptoms are an inevitable part of being a woman. While females are three to seven times more likely to be affected by pelvic floor dysfunction than males, evidence-based research over the last ten years highlights physical therapy as one of the…

Smoked Salmon Bagel Split a bagel open and place each slice in the toaster. Get out a plate and layer 3 to 4 slices smoked salmon so it looks pretty. Add to the plate things your mom might like: a teaspoon of capers, a few lemon slices, thin slices of…

Decisions about pre-tax assets – such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s, simple IRAs, SEP IRAs, and traditional IRAs – can either protect or greatly reduce the beneficiary’s overall benefits, so make sure you understand related terms, options, and strategies. A pre-tax asset’s true value may be somewhat misleading. When you own pre-tax…

Plants have leaves, stems, and roots. But where do these come from? Plants use sunlight, water, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and the process of photosynthesis to grow. But how does it all happen? Create a sandwich bag garden and observe how different plants begin to grow. Document these changes in a…

Earlier this spring, as I was working with a young dog, introducing him to a pool for the first time, I was reminded that sometimes instinctual acts are not so instinctual. This can be true with swimming, especially in a swimming pool. This pup approached the pool with confidence until…