Are You Ready To Relinquish?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Judi

I’ve been thinking about the word relinquish ever since I went to yoga class last Friday. It was so special to go to yoga on a weekday morning. A real treat because I had the day off from work.

My yoga teacher P talked her fellow yogis (of which I am one) through a practice to help us let go of our stress.

“Relinquish any of the tightness that is in your body,” said P. (I felt my body relaxing from head to toe.)

“Relinquish any of the thoughts that are in your mind and any judgements you may have at this moment,” said P. (I let my mind go blank and stopped thinking about all the food I had eaten the night before at Thanksgiving.)

P said that as we relinquish it opens our body and mind to greater transformation.

Just hearing the word – relinquish – makes me relax. It is truly a wonderful word and I want to make sure I keep it high up in my vocabulary every day, especially each night before I go to bed.

Try saying the word several times and I think you will see what I mean. Try it. Go ahead. I’ll say it with you: “Relinquish, relinquish, relinquish.”

Do you feel more relaxed? If not, say it three more times and even repeat its meaning (This word is so special that the dictionary has given it three equally relaxing meanings.)

Relinquish – “put aside or desist from something practiced, professed or intended”

Relinquish – “surrender and let go”

Relinquish - “cease holding physically, release”

Ohm, ohm, ohm, what a feeling to relinquish. Maybe I should tattoo this word on my body so I remember it during my life after 50. I do forget words, names and phrases so easily nowadays.

Judi

Boomer Girl Beauty Is About Moisturizing Your Face

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Judi

The lovely PR ladies at CVS provided me with samples of Nuance, a new line of anti-aging moisturizers created by Salma Hayek. I figured if these products can make me look as good as Salma Hayek during my life after 50, I will definitely try them. I’ve been using the Renewed Radiance SPF 30 Moisturizing Day Cream each morning under my sunscreen and the Anti-Aging Super Cream at night. I’ve also tried the Smoothing Anti-Aging Eye Cream and would recommend all three products. The products go on smoothly and are formulated with Shea butter and vitamin E. How much do these age-defying products cost? You want to know that little detail? Well, well, well, all three are quite reasonable at about $16.99 each at your local CVS pharmacy. Also check out the CVS Beauty Club for discounts.

A Boomer Girl And Her New Smartphone

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Judi

I did it. I made the move to a smartphone.

I did it. I bought an iPhone4S and I am now one of those people who is addicted to her smartphone. (Hope I don’t become what New York Times writer Lizzie Skurnick calls a “clogin,” one who blocks an entrance or exit while checking a smartphone. I definitely have signs of what Lizzie calls “e-ander,”to walk slowly while checking my messages, and I also have “sentropy,” as I do have a tendency to come to a stop to see if a message has been sent.)

I did it and I love it. My phone is smarter than me. (Although I don’t find Siri so smart. Siri doesn’t answer all my questions correctly like it does in the iPhone4S television commercial.)

My smartphone can tell time. (However, unlike my millennial children, I never go out of the house without my watch on my left wrist. It’s a creature of habit that I wear a watch. I even had my mother-in-law’s old watch refurbished and I actually have to wind it to make it work. Imagine that!)

I can keep my “to do” list on my smartphone and delete each item after I complete it. No more little scraps of paper to keep track of. No need to keep my “to do’s” once they are done.

I can check my stock quotes on my smartphone and get up-to-date information in a matter of seconds. (Not sure I want to do this on a daily basis anymore with the way the Dow is doing lately.)

Oh, boy. Oh, boy. This smartphone is so, so, so smart. I can check the daily and weekly weather, find out what time it is around the world, take fabulous pictures, buy newspapers and magazines from the newsstand, find maps and directions when I need to go someplace new, keep my photo album up-to-date, listen to my music, read and sync my books with my Kindle, check the latest movie schedules and watch new movie trailers and movies too. I can update my status on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and shop on Rue La La or any other site I want to shop.

I can download yoga routines and wellness routines. (Wonder if my smartphone can help me lose the few extra pounds I put on this week? Or if it can cook a turkey for Thanksgiving?)

“You have to protect your new smartphone,” said the AT&T salesman. ”You need a good case and a car charger.”

“How much will that cost?” I asked.

“Let’s see, the case is $50 and the charger is $29,” said the AT&T salesman as he rang up the two items.

“You are going to show me how to put the phone in this fancy case,” I said to the salesman.” Absolutely,” he replied. “And you can also set up a speaker phone in your car.”

“I can set up a speaker phone in my car. Wow-o-wow, this phone is really fantastic,” I said.

“What kind of car do you have?” asked the nice twenty-something salesman.

“I have a 2004 Honda Accord,” I said.

“Ooh, I don’t know if a smartphone will work in that old a car,” he said.

A new case for my smartphone: $50
A new charger for my smartphone: $29
A new car for my smartphone: $27,000+

I love my smartphone. I adore my smartphone. But now I need a new car for my smartphone. What will it need next? Sure hope it is not a college education. My youngest graduates in May 2012 and I’m done with paying tuition. It’s time to save for retirement, not for my smartphone expenses.

Judi

Beauty Buzz From A Boomer Girl

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Judi

I’ve been lucky to be treated to some new beauty products from a few sponsors I met at the BlogHer ’11 conference. I thought I would introduce you to some of the brands that I like and thought other boomer girls might like. I’ve included a few additional ones that I recently purchased as well.

First, I have to take a detour though and tell you about the fabulous facial I treated myself to in honor of my day off from work. My esthetician D put an oatmeal scrub on my face and followed it up with a probiotic masque. (I wondered if I had scheduled a facial or perhaps it was time for breakfast.) The combination made my face, as my boyfriend L would say, “as soft as a baby’s tush.” D waxed my eyebrows too – what a difference an eyebrow wax can make to one’s face. (Note to self: Be sure to make another appointment for a facial in the coming winter months.)

Boomer Girl Beauty Is About Protecting My Face From The Sun: D told me to be careful in the sun and always put sunscreen on my face to prevent age spots. (I already have quite a few of those ugly spots.) As I always listen to what D says, I bought the sunscreen she recommended and am liking it very much. It’s called Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50 – it has color-infused sunscreen technology and it blends with all skin tones. The best part is that it is tinted, so I don’t have to wear a separate foundation. According to Skinceuticals, “up to 90% of visible aging is caused by sun exposure.” (Ooh, aah, but I love to go to the beach and I love to soak up the sun. Guess I am going to have to watch out for those UVA/UVB waves from now on.) How much did it cost? You want to know that little detail? Well, well, well – not too bad – it was $30 for 1.7 fl oz. I only use a little amount on my face each morning and re-apply if I am going to be out in the sun all day.

Boomer Girl Beauty Is About Moisturizing Your Face: The lovely PR ladies at CVS provided me with samples of Nuance, a new line of anti-aging moisturizers created by Salma Hayek. I figured if these products can make me look as good as Salma Hayek during my life after 50, I will definitely try them. I’ve been using the Renewed Radiance SPF 30 Moisturizing Day Cream each morning under my sunscreen and the Anti-Aging Super Cream at night. I’ve also tried the Smoothing Anti-Aging Eye Cream and would recommend all three products. The products go on smoothly and are formulated with Shea butter and vitamin E. How much do these age-defying products cost? You want to know that little detail? Well, well, well, all three are quite reasonable at about $16.99 each at your local CVS pharmacy.

Boomer Girl Beauty Is About Attitude and that’s why I love the Philosophy brand. I was so glad to see they had a booth at the BlogHer Conference in August. I just finished trying the samples of their new miracle worker skin care collection. The samples were very teeny-tiny, but the miraculous anti-aging moisturizer went on so light. As the Philosophy packaging says, “to witness a miracle is to know ourself, vital, brilliant, heavenly in body and spirit.” (Me, me, me, me. Thank you Philosophy.) How much does this miracle worker cost? You want to know that little detail? Well, well, well, it cost more than Salma’s brand at $55 for 2 oz. - but it is worth a splurge once in a while if you want to have attitude. I’d also recommend Philosophy purity one-step facial cleanser.

Boomer Girl Beauty Is About Pampering Yourself: You absolutely will adore the Sabon line of bath products. I was smitten after my son D took me into the Sabon booth at Bryant Park last week. ”Mom, come here and try these soap scrubs, they will make your hands amazingly soft and they smell so wonderful,” said D. The saleswoman put a small scoop of the Lavender Apple Soap Scrub on my hands and then washed them in a beautiful, handcrafted Jerusalem stone fountain. Then she topped my hands with Lavender Apple Butter Cream, a body cream based on Shea butter oil. These beauty and bath products are from Israel and will make you feel luxurious from head to toe. How much did the soap scrub and lavender butter cream cost? Well, well, well, it was rather expensive at $65 for the set, but if I don’t pamper myself at this age, who will?

Let me know if you try any of these boomer girl beauty treatments and how you like them. Or do you use any of them already? Do tell, do tell.

Judi

The Best-Ever Pancakes

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Judi

“The next time you are in NYC, we have to go to the Clinton Street Bakery & Restaurant for breakfast,” said my son D. “They have the absolute best-ever pancakes.”

“I can’t wait,” I replied, “I’ll be in NYC this week for a conference and am going to stay until Saturday. Let’s go!”

“It’s time to get up mom,” said my daughter A, bright and early on Saturday morning. “We have to meet D and get in line for the best-ever pancakes. I took a shower, washed and dried my hair, put on my jeans, my long-sleeve black tee and my warm winter coat and was out the door before 9:00 a.m., on a morning when I normally like to relax in bed till noon. However, I love pancakes and the thought of warm fluffy pancakes made my mouth water and my body move quickly into a cab and straight downtown to the lower east side of the city.

When we arrived at the restaurant at 9:10 a.m. (yes, only 10 minutes after it opened) there was already a crowd gathering on the curbside. It is a teeny-tiny place and it seemed that many others wanted their morning pancakes too. “It will be about a 90 minute wait,” said the host. Ooh, ahh. Ooh, ahh. It was really cold outside, almost felt like the freezing mark. Ooh, ahh. Ooh, ahh. Those pancakes look and smell soooooo good.

“Okay,” I said to A and D, as I tapped my boots to keep my feet from icing up. “I’m game. Let’s wait. I do hope I will make it back uptown in time for my bus home by 12:45 p.m.” We stood outside the teeny tiny restaurant as each name was called. And then, and then, and then, the clock struck 10:15 a.m. and it was finally time for our breakfast.

“What would you like to order?” said the nice waitress.

“I want the blueberry pancakes with warm maple butter,” I said. D ordered eggs benedict and A got the farmer’s breakfast with soft scrambled eggs, farmhouse cheese, herb roasted tomatoes and sourdough toast. ”Should we get a side order of pancakes too?” said A and D. “No, no, no,” I said. “I will not eat all my pancakes. You can definitely have some of my pancakes. I will share them with you.”

We drank our hot coffee while breakfast was prepared. And then our food arrived. The waitress brought our plates to the table.

Ooh, ahh. Ooh, ahh. I thought I had been transported to pancake heaven. They were light. They were fluffy. They were three large, perfectly round pancakes. They were perfectly placed one on top of the other. Wild Maine blueberries were dripping over the stack and a sprinkling of powdered sugar topped off the plate. Next to the pancakes was a small bowl of warm maple butter. (Yes, it was warm maple butter, not maple syrup. I think that is one of the things that makes these pancakes taste extra special.)

“Pour the maple butter over the pancakes,” said D. I did exactly as D directed and then I sliced the mound of cakes and put each bite in my mouth until they were all gone. (I did share a few fork-fulls with A and D, like a good mom. I also tried a few bites of D’s delicious homemade biscuit and poached eggs with hollandaise and I sampled a teaspoon of scrumptious homemade raspberry jam on a piece of A’s sourdough toast.)

“I can’t believe I ate all those pancakes,” I said as I wiped my face clean. “They were so good…surely the best-ever pancakes I will consume during my life after 50″

We were finished with breakfast by 11:30 a.m. and promptly on our way back to A’s apartment so I could catch my bus home.

I would definitely do an early morning wake-up call for Clinton Street Bakery pancakes anytime and I highly recommend you do the same when visiting NYC. In fact, I may have to schedule a trip to NYC in February, for National Pancake Month. I read that the restaurant features a different pancake flavor every Monday thru Friday, well into the night. Just remember to bring cash, as no credit cards are accepted. Or if you don’t get to NYC anytime soon, you can always buy The Clinton St. Baking Company cookbook and make your own pancakes.

Judi

P.S. – As part of the BlogHer community of bloggers who are helping to get the word out about a special campaign that kicked off on November 1st, I encourage you to stop by your local Starbucks to make a $5 or more donation to the “Let’s Create Jobs for USA” initiative. 100% of your donation goes to the Opportunity Finance Network to create and sustain jobs in communities across America.