Relationships

Every mother wants her daughter to grow up feeling beautiful and confident, but babies don’t come with owner’s manuals and we can only teach our girls what we know ourselves.

It gives me very great pleasure, to say nothing of pride, to introduce a woman who is all the above and more and also my friend of some years’ standing. Please meet aged care worker, Monica Perrett, mum to six and grandmum to one. A real battler. Monica says, she has always supported the underdog and fights for what she believes is right. And, believe me, I have watched her, albeit from afar, and she is all that she says she is.

Today not only marks the end of the month and the challenge but is an exciting ending to a life season for me. Tomorrow morning, I will enter into a season of life I've never been in before: I will become a grandmother for the first time! I'm so excited I can hardly keep it together here! Until now, it had not really hit me like it is today. My life is going to change in some amazing physical and energetic ways when that precious little goddess breathes her first bit of oxygen tomorrow.

I recently deactivated my Facebook® account for a couple months and, after the initial shock of not having a news feed to scroll through passed, I realized I was experiencing some crazy emotions. I was sad, missing all my daily interactions. I was lonely, lonelier than I had ever been in the past. My phone was extra quiet and the ones I reached out to, gave me a hard time about deactivating. I was frustrated!

I’ve recently discovered the pleasure, and pain, of being a motorcycle passenger. With that came an education in the definition of ‘squid’ according to the book of Mark. No, not that book. I’m talking about the book of Mark Hardman, my life partner and fellow adventurist. According to him, a squid is a newbie who is also a poser. On the road a squid is the guy wearing flip-flops, hunched way down over his bike while driving 65 mph or the girl wearing a bikini. They think they look like a sexy pro, but really just look a bit silly, and risky, to the experienced rider.

This is how each of us live. Connected. We are wired to people and things throughout our lives. Some of the people we are connected to are good company to keep, best friends, family... You know, the people that you can count on. Some of those to whom we are wired can add extra stress to an already stressful life. They do not make us happy or point us in the direction of following our dreams. We are also connected to things like jobs, contacts (acquaintances), favorite sports and hobbies, cars, houses, televisions... the things we feel benefit us in our everyday walk through this time we have on earth.

I am curious, when you got married, what did you think? Were you prepared for the road ahead? Did you talk about major life decisions? Did you both know and agree on the big things like children, money and goals? Were you even thinking about it, or did you think that once you said "I do", you would just live happily ever after?

Recently, I moved. This move involved foreclosure on a home I loved and had lived in for the past 14 years. The loss of the house was part of the fall-out of my divorce. I saw it coming long ago, so it wasn’t a surprise. I had plenty of time to come to terms with the need to move away from rooms I had spent three years faux-finishing and the garden I had grown from barren clay soil. During the move, my sex drive diminished. I was exhausted, and when I sat down to write, I couldn't focus. For the first time in 5 years, I experienced writer's block.

"Resilient," he said… "A warrior," he called me… if I could only see that truth… Living with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) can be painful when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Love means everything yet nothing at all. We seem to love hard and fast yet live in constant fear of being abandoned. The heartache is caused by an ongoing yearning to find true happiness, though we may not even know what that is.

With Mother's Day quickly approaching, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite online companies to find unique gifts from the heart. So, I couldn't help but show you this beautiful hand-carved piece I found at Novica.com. It reminded me that no matter how far we are from our children, we are still connected and nothing or no one can take that away. I was able to find this amazing piece very quickly because of the special Mother's Day collections Novica put together in one place.

It all started a couple weeks ago. I had a real conversation with someone who actually believes in the same things I do - someone who values old school beliefs and finds peace in his universe, as well as understands how we manifest our lives. The conversation flowed for almost 6 hours, and by the end, I felt immense joy. We shared so many thoughts. Those first couple days were truly amazing. There were no uncomfortable silences. The laughs flowed as easily as the feelings that carried them. He was so beautiful to me. However, after just a few days, reality forced its way in, and I realized this would not last forever.

When staying in a theme hotel you might consider bringing outfits for playing out your favorite roles. In Le Cave (see my previous article) we could have worn skins, comic book outfits, pirate clothing, or even spelunker outfits. Let your imagination go and get the most out of your experience. Even body painting would work if you want a real raw experience. Just make sure to remove the mess in the shower before hitting the whirlpool.

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] met my husband through the online dating site Match.com. I don’t remember his profile or the emails before we met up for our first date (I must have liked something I read but can’t recall any of it). What I do remember was the long conversation we had over drinks and how we stayed at the restaurant until closing. Next, we went back to my house (I had a roommate and knew if things got weird I’d still be safe) and talked the night away until we both fell asleep on my couch. Without skipping a beat, we continued the date with breakfast and more great conversation over coffee.

This is part 1 of an ongoing quest to bring you the sexiest places to play, with or without a partner. I'm rating for service, atmosphere, cleanliness, technology, and total spice factor. Under The Magnifying Glass: Fantasuite Hotel, Greenwood Indiana. A cave fantasy can take you from over the top gorgeous vampire gowns to primitive bits of torn leather. Whether you want to play vampiress or be thrown over a man's shoulder this will provide a romantic and sensually intense backdrop.

For the ♥LOVE WEEK♥ version of Doc Talk, we are going to take a look at some advice on sprucing up your libido just in time for Valentine's Day. Just don't forget to consult with your health care provider before starting any new health practices. Dr. Cathy Wong, ND, CNS, is a licensed naturopathic doctor and an American College of Nutrition-certified nutrition specialist. The author of The Inside-Out Diet: 4 Weeks to Natural Weight Loss, Total Body Health, and Radiance has some interesting tips for bringing out your best in the bedroom.