Women's Issues | Women's Health Issues

The Wonders of Joy Perfume

2010-05-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Known as the most expensive perfumes in the world, Jean Patou has left an indelible mark on the fragrance market with Joy Perfume. From his humble beginnings after World War I and the Wall Street Crash, he raised the bar of luxury in spite of difficult times and inspired the women of America with his Joy perfume. Although from French descent, he reveres his American clientele too well that he created a perfume that contains double of the required essential oils, thus doubling or even tripling the price of perfumes of his time.

Joy perfume celebrates the floral purity of its composition without compromising on the number of flowers used to create every drop of this luxurious merchandise. Ten thousand jasmines and twenty eight dozen of May roses are required to produce 30mL of this highly revered perfume. It opens up with Bulgarian Rose, tuberose and ylang-ylang. The heart sinks with jasmine and Grasse and dry down with May rose. An exceptional taste only for those who can afford it, it became a parody and a light of hope to the difficult times of the World War and the crashing economy.

There have been many other fragrances that have been released under the Jean Patou name and have lived up to the expectations of its loyal clientele. After the success of Joy and other fragrances, Ma Liberte was released in 1987 as an oriental floral fragrance. Opening with citrus notes and heliotrope; heart of lavender, jasmine, rose and cloves and base with sandalwood, spicy nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla and blends with vetivir, cedar, patchouli and musk.

Standing out from the crowd is a woman that is offered with Sublime by the Jean Patou House. A mixture of the most delicate yet sensual notes, the top notes are of bergamot, tangerine and coriander with green accords to give you a fresh and sweet tinge. Middle notes go floral with ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine and neroli oil while it dries down with vanilla, sandalwood, civet, and cedar. Packaged in an elegant bottle that whispers elegance, it is crowned with a gold stopper to exude luxury.

A soft floral fruity touch as in the Joy perfume is the 1998 floral fruity perfume that is Un Amour de Patou. Aldehydes, mahogany and green notes open it up with floral jasmine, lily and rose at the middle. It is finished off with sandalwood and musk base.

Over the years, Jean Patou has never failed to commit its brand to the excellence that it has started since mid-1920. Today, his most famous Joy perfume has been the standards by which other perfumes such as Ghost perfume and others has respected for decades.

Natural Health Remedies For Menopause Symptoms

2010-05-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

A natural approach to dealing with menopause symptoms is on the minds of many women these days. After all the bad press regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) many women now fear using HRT. When the results of the Women's Health Initiative were released relaying the many serious health consequences of use, many women on HRT decided to go off the hormones that they had been using for years. Many decided that they would never go on them.

The symptoms of menopause and perimenopause can vary from woman to woman, from mild to severe and life disrupting. One woman may have mild occasional hot flashes, another may experience severe hot flashes every fifteen minutes accompanied by heart palpitations and feelings of severe anxiety.

Some of the symptoms of menopause are:

Hot flashes
Night sweats
Insomnia
Depression
Irritability and mood swings
Heart palpitations
Feverish feelings (hot then cold)
Dryness
Headaches and migraine
And many more

With a large number of women currently entering menopause years and the years leading up to menopause, known as perimenopause, what can be done if hormone replacement is not their choice?

How can we help these women?

Changes in lifestyle can be helpful. One thing to do is make sure that exercise is a regular part or your weekly schedule. Exercising for an hour 4 or more times a week can greatly reduce hot flashes, anxiety, depression and mood swings.

Women in menopause should limit or eliminate alcohol and spicy foods as both can increase the incidence of hot flashes and night sweats. Alcohol can also contribute to depression, anxiety, headaches and insomnia.

Eating a diet filled with plants containing phytoestrogens can also be helpful. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant based substances that are related to our body's own natural hormones. Some of those helpful plants are beans, seaweed, pomegranate, berries, flaxseed (must be ground, or oil is ok), root vegetables.

For some serious help with menopause symptoms you may want to try herbal support. Herbs can be especially effective at reducing hot flashes and night sweats. Many women find relief with black cohosh or false unicorn root. Red clover is also a very good herb and is also helpful for keeping bones strong, another concern in menopausal women.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are also two proven natural remedies for menopause symptoms. In Traditional Chinese Medicine each person is considered as a unique individual with a unique set of symptoms and constitution. The herbs and acupuncture treatments given for one woman will differ from the next, as each person's symptoms and constitution will not be the same. Herbal formulas are often created specifically for an individual and contain herbs that are chosen to work synergistically with one another to enhance the overall treatment success.

In the hands of a skilled acupuncturist and herbalist many women can achieve success and relief from menopause symptoms.

It is advised that before you start on any herbal regimen that you seek the advice of a medical professional or licensed or professional herbalist as many herbs can interact with medications.

Bethany Muhl is a California Licensed Acupuncturist and herbalist practicing in Los Angeles. She specializes in Women's Health and Fertility and writes a regular blog and newsletter on many topics of women's health including menopause, PMS, menstrual pain, infertility, pregnancy related problems and many more. For more information visit http://www.bethanymuhl.com

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Menopause Herbs, Herbal Remedies and Natural Treatments

2010-05-10T03:55:00.001-07:00

All the women suffer from various psychological and physiological changes in their life especially when their menstrual cycle ceases. The symptoms of menstrual cycle are different for different women and it is also very wide. Women feel changes due to menopause suddenly or gradually. It is a condition in which there is an ending of the reproductive cycle of a woman. It is a natural phenomenon and every woman has to face this problem. This is the result of the hormonal changes which occurs in the body of a woman disturbing the normal life process.

It can be treated effectively by the help of the natural remedy. With the help of nutrition, herbs and vitamins and homeopathy the problem of menopause can be treated easily.

1. Herbs are very helpful in the treatment of menopause. The herb black cohosh is a popular natural remedy for the problem of menopause. It is used in popular natural remedy like remifemin. It is very effective in menopause as it helps with hot flushes, painful periods, migraines, anxiety and heart palpitations.

2. There is an alternative herb known as St John's Wort which is very helpful and useful remedy for menopause. It is best for mild forms of depression and anxiety.

3. Vitamins play a vital role in every problem of our body. Body requires different vitamins at different times in our life. Sometimes there are requirement of extra supplements of vitamins other then the food we intake. During menopause the extra supplements of vitamins help us to fight with many problems. Right quality and quantity of vitamins help to protect our body from disease and also to reduce the symptom of menopause. Our body requires a multivitamin which contains 400 mg of vitamin D, 3mg Boron, 200 mcg selenium, 100 mcg vitamin K, 400 mcg folic acid, 50-100 mcg vitamin B12, 600 mg magnesium, 200 mcg selenium.

4. For the treatment of menopause, Soy has received a maximum publicity in relation to menopause. One of its main benefits is to help in alleviate hot flushes. Nowadays many cereal based food products like breakfast cereals and bread contains soy. For the problem of menopause this food product is the best home remedy. Soy contains an active constituent known as soy isoflavones act as a natural remedy for the problem of menopause.

5. Diet and exercise also play vital role in reducing the symptom of menopause. Zone diet and Mediterranean diet are healthy options to control the weight which is very helpful in reducing the symptom of menopause.

Find more on Natural Menopause Treatment. Read the benefits of Shilajit in improving overall health.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Mutt

Female Creative Energy Cultivation

2010-05-10T03:54:00.001-07:00

Menopause has the potential to trigger our latent insanity on occasion, especially as the heat rises, our emotions escalate, and everything punches holes in the carefully designed tapestry we call our life plan! Although this expression is potentially freeing, sometimes we can feel truly incapacitated by the intensity of the energy propelling us out of control!

"Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity," is one of my favorite quotes from a movie about the suffragettes. When we are young, our courage is blanketed by innocence and vibrates with infallibility. This tone evolves into a very different quality as we accumulate years, after moving first through sensuality, arrogance, nurturance, humility, fear, and finally, true courage.

Ruthless self-examination for better or worse, helps us to develop acceptance and compassion for all that we are. Curiosity and correct interpretation of the answers tenures truth in our educational mission. More, we must actually ask provocative questions, evoking this truth from our innermost voice, our soul

Is there any part of your brain that functions differently (notice how it's not about bad or good) now as a result of age changes and menopause? Are you more likely to expose yourself, showing your vulnerability now more than you were before? What would you do if you never had another romantic relationship again in your life? Are you happy in your relationship or happily alone? Is your intuition heightened; are you more sensitive to energy?

Exploring these possibilities, or to answer even one of these questions could stir much in our old programmed templates for living. Complete with courage at this stage in our evolution, we have the inner elemental fuel to bring it all to light, transforming everything we are made of, re-wiring and creating new neural networks.

Personally, I've asked myself and my close friends these questions over and over again because I'm curious about what lies beneath these personas of ours. More important, I wonder what lies beneath that and I'd like to know how we can re-lay our foundation without totally destroying the house on top of it.

Now I know my personal foundation cracks and changes daily with each breath I take and with every thought I have. I am certain I am rewiring myself in my sleep, maybe even while awake. I'm certain I will complete my soul and advance this lifetime. Is this true for everyone though?

is it true for you?

How would a new romantic partner adjust to these thoughts, these crests and troughs? Is there enough compassion and surrender in the Universe for me to exist here, like this, along with the other 6 million menopausal women in the United States? These are my questions.

One day, in the last several years, I realized that I may be single the rest of my life and although fairly uneasy about it at first, I've grown, learned and become quite enthusiastic about this as a very distinct possibility. On the other hand, I am not adverse to finding and living with a mate. He would have to be an open-minded and spiritually special man to venture into this very rugged terrain.

Since that discovery, I have hovered around the bush of courage, sometimes hiding behind it and other times dancing around it. In this moment, I truly embrace being celibate as a possibility. In fact, I am certain that mature women worldwide can hold the creative space for all evolutionary processes, particularly those fearless women who use their creative energy for nothing but the process of human expansion.

Whatever its past was, or future consistency may be, our most auspicious and productive state of being is to courageously embrace who we are in present time, even if that means temporary insanity. And that's quite a feat, yet there are ways to manage, to cultivate and entrain this wildly creative energy in our bodies through visualization, conscious living and breathing, as well as spiritual intention.

Female Creative Energy Practice I

Transform sexual energy into creative Chi energy by breathing into and focusing on the Ovaries. Begin by breathing into your ovaries. Rapidly and lightly rub your palms together placing them over your lower abdominal and ovarian areas. Feel the warmth created with the breath and hands.

Next, visualize an oval shape that connects the two ovaries and the cervix, completely encircling the uterus as well. Feel the energy moving through and circulating around this "Oval" shape.

Ground the cervix into the Root Chakra at your tailbone and further, into the center of the Earth. Allowing anything foreign to release down this grounding connection. All the stagnant energies will be transmuted by Earth's fiery core.

Let the creative energy swirl around in the oval while you pump your perineum gently (squeeze the pelvic floor muscles like a Kegel). Feel the energy created in the "Oval" moving up through the spine into the center of your head.

Here it cycles around both clockwise and counterclockwise, eventually returning back down to the "Oval." You can also try pooling and circulating this energy into each chakra along the way as it journeys upward.

Do this both on the way up to collect energy and the way down to re-fill the spaces with a higher vibration. Now try the exercise again with your tongue touching the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth.

I trust you will enjoy empowering yourself to be as broad and deep as I know we all are.

The Energetic Connection offers a series of online courses through its sister site, Heart of the Mystic, focusing on self-mastery and the sacred feminine. All courses assist you in Opening your Body to Spirit. There are two six week courses: "Exploring Ceremony, Healing & Intuition;" "Balancing Fire & Water, Sun & Moon;" and a year-long course broken into 8 seasons following the Celtic Wheel of the Year: "Rhythms of Change." Each season may be taken as a separate course or as part of a year-long program. Join one of our classes today by visiting http://heartofthemystic.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michele_Geyer

Selecting Great Plus Size Shirts

2010-04-28T02:55:00.003-07:00

Are you tired of searching for plus size shirts in the stores? You can stop that endless search of yours because the answer is in front of you. The plus size shirts are now available easily on a large number of online websites. Everybody knows that it gets frustrating when you are not able to find what you are actually looking for. But do not stress on this little fact too much and stop worrying as the solution for every problem is present on the internet.

All you need to do is to select which place you are going to spend most of your time in buying your beloved t-shirt. You can do this after doing a normal search and browsing on all the available websites on the internet. After all in the end you are going to buy that one best t-shirt so going through a large number of websites is not advisable. But still if your budget is much larger, then it's better to do proper research before you go and buy something. Nowadays plus size shirts are scattered everywhere. Every designer knows that these plus size clothing are the need of the hour as the average size of every American women is increasing slowly year by year due to various problems like obesity. So no need to be worried if you require a plus size clothing, as the solution is already out there in the market both online and offline. Also more varieties are present out there for women as compared to men. So it's all win win and happy situation for all you plus size ladies out there.

A good thing about these shirts is that they have great designs and very fashionable buttons. While buying you can check if these buttons are strong and durable so that they don't break off while wearing etc. Also it is advisable to check and ask for replacement of buttons in case one or two of them do fall out. You don't want to be in that situation where the buttons of these shirts are very unique and in case you lose one of them, you are not able to replace them. This is an unlucky situation and try to avoid ending up in such a problem by seeing the design of buttons beforehand.

Apart from the buttons of the shirts, take a good look at the fabric as well as the color of the shirt you are going to buy. The fabric should be gentle and comfortable on your skin. It should be so soft so that you can carry it whole day long on your elegant curves without causing any itch or problem. After all, apart from being stylish these shirts should be comfortable. One such comfortable shirt is Classic Collar Plus Size Shirt which can go on many occasions. Of course, you can see and choose yourself which one you want to buy. It's all up to your choice, your preferences and your budget.

Stacy Montgomery, Sales VP with Sealed with a Kiss Designs, a leader in trendy, affordable plus size fashions, has built her career around her passion, embracing her own unique beauty, and her plus-size figure. Check out what they have to offer at http://www.swakdesigns.com/c-111-shirts-blouses.aspx

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Plus Size Swim Suits Guidelines

2010-04-28T02:55:00.001-07:00

If you are a full figured woman then you will want to consider wearing a plus size swim suit. Nothing looks tackier than a woman who can not fit properly in her swimsuit. The last thing you want is to own a bathing suit that is too small, or is not designed for your body type, and have the upper half spilling out over the side and front. There is help for you and it can be found with an underwire swimsuit.

For a plus sized woman support is the very first thing you will want to consider in your swimsuit. Plus size swim suits are available that give you the support, comfort, and fit that you need. Underwire swimwear is designed with added strength and stability for your body type and will help you improve your posture. In addition, being properly supported will prevent your breasts from bouncing around and make sure you do not incur any tissue damage. Not only that, but you will be surprised to know these styles come in designer fashions and can make you look fabulous around the pool or beach.

Before we recommend some plus size swim suits we need to discuss sizing. You need to get the suit to fit properly or you will be wasting your money. Most women do not understand how to properly fit themselves with upper body undergarments, let alone a swimsuit. Most importantly when try on the swimsuit your breasts should be totally contained within the material. Make sure the underwire completely covers the underside of your skin without any gaps while not being too tight. Also, the front should never be pulled away from the skin. If you do not get fit properly you will be miserable in your swimwear, and it can also be unhealthy for your posture, back, and neck.

Here are some plus size swim suits that we really like, particularly the underwire swimsuits. The first one is the Trim Shaper one piece bathing suit that offers underwire support. It will also provide you with hip, tummy, and waist minimizing fabric to help with body shaping. We also really like the Miraclesuit line of swimwear with their patented body shaping fabric called Miratex, along with the underwire design. The company claims by wearing their swimsuits you can look ten pounds lighter in ten minutes. For retailers you can visit Old Navy as they have some reasonably priced plus sized underwire suits. They especially feature a halter top underwire that can be add some extra support.

If you are looking for alternative styles of plus size swim suits besides the one piece swimsuits you might want to consider and underwire tankini or bikini. The tankini is really nice for women who want the concealment of a one piece swimsuit but the comfort that two pieces offer. There are some oline retailers who offer these plus sized tankinis such as Always for me, the Swim Outlet, and Aerin Rose. If you are looking for a bolder look then consider a plus sized underwire bikini. Not every plus size figure will look right with this style, but if you have a nice hourglass figure then a plus size bikini will enhance your figure.

If you are shopping for better support in your swimwear this season you need to consider purchasing plus size swim suits.

Find out more information, reviews, and availability for underwire swimwear by visiting http://underwireswimwear.org

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Menopause Adventures - Fifteen Kitchen Helps For the Creative Cook

2010-04-28T02:54:00.002-07:00

IN THE KITCHEN: Yes, sanitary napkins in the kitchen. It's time to re-evaluate some of our old notions of where these handy items belong. Take a deep breath and try to rid yourself of your former prejudices. After all, the key word here is "sanitary," isn't it?

* Attach maxi pads to your hands to use as hot pads when removing a pan from the oven.

* Blot recently washed fruits and vegetables. Give an apple a good polish.

* Moisten a pad with plenty of water and place in a glass jar to sprout bean or alfalfa seeds. This is a delicious and healthy way to impress your friends when you invite them over for a sandwich or a salad. It is, however, recommended that you remove them from the pad before serving. Not everyone is as practical and open-minded as you obviously are.

* Place a soaking wet pad on a microwave-safe plate in your microwave and heat for 40 seconds. This will steam up the inside and soften all the baked-on residue that is normally so difficult to remove. Clean as usual.

* Use in place of magnets to hold miscellaneous lists, pictures and artwork on your refrigerator.

* Keep a pad by your stove to use as a disposable spoon rest. Keep away from heat or flame.

* Use a pad as a mini cutting board. Not only is it disposable for a quick cleanup, but it will absorb any excess juices.

* Instead of draining pasta the conventional way, place unscented pads in the pot to absorb water. Then blot away the remaining moisture with another pad.

* Use a pad as a disposable butter dish-after all, you've heard of a "pad of butter, haven't you? Well, now you know what that means.

* Use a pad to absorb bacon grease.

* Pour a little oil on a pad and use it to grease baking surfaces. You may keep the oiled pad in a baggy in the refrigerator for future use. Remember-waste not, want not.

* Use a pad to dry dishes. We recommend the ultra-absorbent overnight variety.

* Line the bottom of the veggie crisper in your refrigerator to contain undesirable moisture.

* If you happen to have the variety of pad "made with real baking soda," you can place one in your refrigerator to absorb odors.

* In a pinch, use a frozen pad as a candy thermometer. To test the candy's temperature, drop a small amount of the cooking syrup onto the pad. If the syrup is easily absorbed, you are at the, ahem, "syrup" stage. If the syrup piles into a soft, squishy heap, you are at the "soft ball" stage. If the syrup turns brittle upon contact with the pad, you are at the "hard ball" stage. If the candy burns a hole in the pad, you should probably turn down the heat-and start over from scratch.

Karen Isaacson is the award-winning author of RAISIN' BRAINS: SURVIVING MY SMART FAMILY and LIFE IN THE FAST BRAIN: KEEPING UP WITH GIFTED MINDS. She also co-authored INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE CLASSROOM: SMART KIDS AND THEIR TEACHERS with Tamara Fisher. She loves to laugh! Visit her at http://www.kisaacson.com.

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Stop Hot Flashes Naturally Once and For All

2010-04-28T02:54:00.001-07:00

The majority of women will suffer from menopause at some point in their lives. The symptoms are what can make menopause dreadful. Hot flashes are a very common part of menopause. When hormone levels change, sudden waves of heat overtake your upper body. They can occur often throughout the day and last up to 30 minutes. Due to a hormonal imbalance, waves of heat overtake your body leaving you feeling dizzy. Luckily, there have been some proven methods to help stop hot flashes. Below are some simple tips.

How does one stop hot flashes?

Consume Soy. Soy has long been a vital part of a healthy diet for women in Asia. You can find soy tablets at your local health food store. Many women have reported soy as helping to reduce hot flashes.
Exercise on a regular basis. Exercising helps to alleviate stress and calms you. Thirty minutes a day should do the trick. You can always exercise longer than this which is even better. Exercise will also help to alleviate stress.
Wear cotton pajamas and loose fitting clothing. While this may seem like common knowledge, many women take this lightly.
Stay away from caffeine and alcohol. Estrogen levels rise when consuming alcohol. Consuming these drinks will only help to increase your symptoms.

What is the best solution?

There have been many treatments who claim to stop the symptoms of menopause. One of the most widely known ways is hormone replacement therapy. This treatment is proven to have damaging side effects. It is also very expensive. Find out how to stop all of the symptoms of menopause below.

Do you want to learn the best treatment is to stop hot flashes as well as where to get it. Click Here for details.

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Perimenopause to Menopause

2010-04-28T02:53:00.002-07:00

Perimenopause can last up to 10 years before you reach menopause. Menopause is reached when your menstrual cycle completely stops. Your body will go through many changes during this period. Not all women experience the same symptoms, some will experience more than others. It's how your body reacts and at what your level of hormones are.

Symptoms include:

Fatigue
Cravings for sweets and carbohydrates
Depression-mood swings-irritability-anxiety
insomnia-restless sleep
Headaches
Loss of desire-Vaginal dryness
Digestive issues
Stiffness-joint pain
Urinary dysfunction
Unwanted hair growth
Irregular periods
Itchy skin

These are signs of hormonal imbalance or metabolic damage due to stress, poor diet, and other factors. You may have already experienced one or two of these symptoms and never thought of perimenopause or menopause.

In your late 30's, egg supply to your ovaries begin to decline. Ovaries can produce too much or too little estrogen/progesterone levels. You may notice PMS symptoms that you never had before. Your menstrual cycles will become shorter and this can continue 2-10 years before your cycle ends.

Six months to a year before you period stops, your estrogen levels starts to drop. After a certain point, your cycle will stop. After one year of no periods, you reach menopause.

During the first year after menopause, your estrogen level continues to drop. Hot flashes and insomnia may or may not continue. When hormone level reach a certain point, then symptoms stop. Women with very low estrogen levels will experience symptoms much longer.

Menopause is a natural process for the female body. If symptoms are mild, then try a home treatment. You can take a high grade multivitamin made for women. Try more calcium/magnesium, and a fatty acid supplement. Plants and herbs can naturally change your hormonal imbalance. Increase the vegetables and fruits in your diet. Find healthy sources of fats and proteins.

Exercise and stress reduction are key to a healthier you. Always keep in contact with your doctor about your health issues.

Take time out from all that's going on in your life, and put your health first.

B. Jones for more info go to http://momsmindandbody.info

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Boudoir Photography - Is it Just For Confident Young Women?

2010-04-28T02:53:00.001-07:00

There is little doubt that boudoir photography is the new growth area within social photography. Part of the reason for its increased exposure in recent years is that it has become embraced by brides - particularly in the USA - as part of a pre-wedding activity. Brides are latching on to the concept that it might form an exciting honeymoon gift for their partner. Some fine art for the couple to enjoy in private.

But now, as a form of portraiture, its popularity is extending well beyond wedding circles. The key reason is that boudoir photography is no longer seen as a preserve for the brave and sexy. Instead the causality has almost reversed: because it is increasingly seen as a private celebration of femininity, boudoir photography is being commissioned by women as a way of increasing confidence in their own body. It is now being embraced by women who have lost weight; women who have undergone surgery; and women who have recently experienced bereavement or divorce. Or simply women who would simply like to boost their self-esteem.

What Is Boudoir Photography?

Like many photography genres, a simple label can conceal wide spectrum of styles, interpretation and execution. But boudoir photography is generally seen as being distinct from glamour or pin-up photography. Here the styles tend to centre on exhibitionism, eroticism and perhaps sleaze. Most important, glamour photography is normally for the benefit of men.

In contrast, boudoir photography is normally commissioned by women for themselves (though a gift idea is often used as an excuse). The term (originally derived from the French word "bouder", meaning "to pout") has its roots in the idea of a lady's private dressing area. The term also conjures up images of Dita von Teese and images of burlesque performances, though that is a theme that has stronger prominence in the USA than the UK and Europe.

At its most simple level, the genre is about artistic, tasteful images of a lady in her best lingerie. Although boudoir imagery sometimes crosses the line into artistic nakedness, nudity is most often implied - in a provocative, yet tasteful and sensitive manner. So whilst the imagery centres on luxurious lingerie and sensuality, this often manifests itself through noir shadows, enigma and creative understatement.

New Mind-Set, New customers

Most crucially, the photography itself is suggestive of the woman being very feminine, fully in control and liberated. And perhaps this is one of the main reasons why boudoir photography has changed from a form of private vanity and confirming confidence to a vehicle for increasing confidence. If there is a common theme for new commissions, it is related to women experiencing major events in their life. Women who have undergone mastectomies for example, often want to confirm to themselves that they are still feminine; that they still exude sensuality. New divorcees may want a similar stimulus to their confidence for slightly different reasons.

Whatever the motivation for the shoot, and physical shape of the woman, most specialist boudoir photographers are skilled at enticing out the best in their subject by using creative light to derive an intimate atmosphere - and careful posing to bring out the woman's femininity and personality.

Ultimately boudoir photography is now about empowerment and liberation. A far cry from previous generations when anything remotely connected to this form of photography was almost seen as anti-feminist. Attitudes change quickly.

Gary Roebuck runs Art of Boudoir - a boudoir photography company near London. He also runs an award winning London Wedding Photography service, which also serves Surrey, Sussex and the south east of the UK.

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Ways of Defining Waist

2010-04-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

Defined waist is the hallmark of attractiveness, thus desired by every woman. But it's not possible for all to have defined waist. But at the same time it is very much possible to create defined waist. With a little bit of fashion knowledge, you can make the waist look smaller.

Though procedures like exercise and dieting are there to slim the waist but not quick ones. If suddenly you have to go for some special occasion and for that want a slim waist in few time what will you do? There are solutions for this problem also. The best strategy to give your waist the slimmer appearance is to dress correctly. It sounds quite awkward but it's true. Dress has the power to give you any expression you want. By changing the silhouette of the dress everything is possible. Here are mentioned some simple ways of creating the illusion of a waist through clothing.

Full or A-line Skirt or Gown

Skirt or dress with flare at the bottom or having A-line silhouette skim nicely over your each curve and give your hips a heavy look, which in turn makes your waist look smaller. If with full skirt you emphasize shoulder also it will give the appearance of an hourglass figure, the ideal of all.

Belt

BELTS? Yes, belts do a lot in defining waist. You will be thinking belts are used for emphasizing waist but its opposite also happens. For that you have to stick to few rules like wear darker shades belts only. Black or brown color belts are perfect. Light or bright colored belts will emphasize the problem area more, thus avoid them.

Wear one color dress

Monochromatic dress is the easiest solution for a smaller waist. Wear a body hugging dress in a single color and it will automatically make your waist look smaller.

Emphasizing Shoulders

Emphasizing shoulder area is one of the commonest methods to give illusion of a smaller waist. Emphasized shoulders take all attention upwards thus away from the waist giving it a smaller look. For attaining a look of broad shoulders explore tops that have stronger shoulders, else go for shoulder pads to give added width in the shoulder region. But don't exaggerate much if you do not want to look like a football player. You can also wear scarves or jewelry or add detailing on shoulders to draw the eyes upwards toward your shoulders.

Body Shapers

If nothing comforts you best is to go for body shapers. They do come in various shapes according to the type of shape wanted. It is worn under the clothing. It does come in the form to slim the waist as well as give the appearance of a flatter tummy and is found in various department stores. Girdles are yet another option but body shapers are much more comfortable then them, also highly in use.

Thus if you have extra pounds around your waist don't worry. Fashion has made everything easy. Following the above suggestions will make it easier for you to obtain waist size you want. These styles will work like a magic pills, which will lend you look of smaller waist in minute's time. Just give one try and results will be in front of you.

I am Alica Bacon working for the fashion industries. I am having 4 years of experience for fashion world. Currently i am associated with the very reputed fashion website http://www.onlygowns.com. Onlygowns is well known brand in women apparel, It deals in women clothing like cocktail dresses, evening dresses, prom gowns, bridal wear, wedding dress many more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alica_Bacon

The Red Hat Society Community Groups

2010-04-28T02:51:00.000-07:00

A lot of us have heard of Red Hat Society at one time or another but what exactly do we know about them? What is the purpose of this organization and what exactly do they do? We're going to try and answer these questions for you. Mainly the Society is aimed at networking. What the goal is is to have women make friends and be fulfilled in their lives.. Most importantly they want for the members of the group to enjoy their lives together.

The Society is nothing like a sorority though. It is totally unlike a sorority in that there are no initiations here. It is also not considered a voluntary service club. It is merely a social organization specifically for women. Founding members of a chapter are called "Queens" and each member over the age of 50 are called the Red Hatters and always wear red hats and purple attire to all Red Hat Society functions.

Women under the age of 50 are invited to join the organization too. These members are referred to as the "Pink Hatters". When they attend the Red Hat Society functions they are required to were a pink hat and lavender clothing. When they turn 50 they will then graduate to being a Red Hatter and wear the appropriate attire to the functions.

There are many different activities that the Society members attend. They are always dressed in their appropriate member attire and love wearing their hats and fun fashion accessories. A favorite accessory among the members is a feather boa.

The types of events that they host vary a great deal. The most popular however is a tea party. Often times they will host an event that includes many different chapters. The headquarters of the Society host the majority as well as the largest of the events. Members are required to pay an annual membership fee as well. For even more information about this fun group visit the company's website.

Come and visit my site on the stair basket and read my articles at http://stairbasket.net.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Grummans

Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer - The Truth Is Not Yet Known

2009-05-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

"It's not that people are ignorant, but that they know so many things that just ain't true."
MARK TWAIN

The banner headline on the Susan G. Komen For The Cure website homepage, "Pregnant Women with Breast Cancer Do Not Have Worse Outcomes" is unfortunately somewhat misleading. Perhaps the editor should have read the paper published by Dr. Beadle more closely. What Dr. Beadle actually reported in her article published in the March 15, 2009 issue of Cancer was:

"The lack of a statistically significant correlation between the diagnosis of pregnancy-associated breast cancer and a worse outcome does not necessarily preclude a true association."

Which is to say, Dr. Beadle cannot say for certain that young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer when they are pregnant have the same prognosis as non-pregnant women their same age. Dr. Beadle goes into great detail to explain the many flaws in her otherwise excellent study of 652 women, less than 35 years old, who were treated at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center between 1973 and 2006. Dr. Beadle was very thorough in explaining that the data, though suggestive, were not definitive. Indeed, it is too soon to jump to conclusions. We've been down that wrong road before - with hormone replacement therapy and, more recently, with daily use of alcohol - and it is not yet clear what the true story is regarding pregnancy and breast cancer; so, beware banner headlines that proclaim conclusions that are not yet certain.

In fact, young women who develop breast cancer when they are pregnant may, indeed, have a worse prognosis and a decreased survival. We've not studied enough women to be certain about this. Dr. Beadle went to great lengths to make sure the reader understood that there are still some missing pieces to this puzzle, still many things to learn and discover about breast cancer that occurs in young women when they are pregnant.

Overall, all young women who develop breast cancer have a dismal prognosis. Pregnancy may or may not make things worse. I hope that Dr. Beadle and other researchers will be able to clarify the true character of pregnancy-associated breast cancer in the near future. But at the present time we simply do not know for sure whether or not a pregnancy confers a worse outcome for young women with breast cancer.

The news media and their ambitious headlines typically try to grab for a hook that will capture a reader, but in their clamor to be noticed they often fall short of the mark of accurate reporting. We may forgive CNN for these hungry oversights for we know they are going for the sensational, not the substantive. But when the leading breast cancer foundation falls short in reporting the results of an important paper such as this it leaves all women less, not more informed. It is a disappointment, to say the least.

Zoft Breast Gum is Not Another Ordinary Breast Enlargement

2008-09-23T22:20:00.001-07:00

Something ordinary is easy to get. It is anywhere. For example, if you want to find ordinary persons, they live everywhere you look. You can meet them when you walk alone in a public park, on the street, in the market, etc. And another fact about ordinary thing is, it's not easy to remember because they all look the same. So when you suddenly need its name, you will forget which one among them because it has no different characteristic from other products, they all look the same.

It also happens when we talk about one hot woman's issue, breast enlargement. You can find more than four million topics related to breast enlargement method. Only a few of them are really good, have proven techniques to augment your breasts. One of them is Zoft Breast Gum. This is different.

The size, shape and fullness of breasts depend on estrogen hormones. If there is not enough estrogen, the underdeveloped breasts can not be avoided. Zoft Breast Gum is there to help breast tissues to produce more estrogen, and the fuller, firmer breasts can be achieved. That's how it works.

But if you have fear to consume ordinary supplements, that is good. You protect yourself real good. Do not worry, Zoft Breast Gum does not contain dangerous elements to make you breast look nice instantly. There are no chemical, additive, morphine or mercury in this gum. It only contains 13 different herbs which promote the natural development of your breasts.

So when you want to augment your underdeveloped breasts, you do not have to go to a good doctor and request an expensive cosmetic surgery. Just chew this gum and you are going to see the difference only in 30 days.

Daniel Perangin-Angin is an author who especially researched supplement named Zoft Breast Gum For more information about Zoft Breast Gum and its benefit please visit Daniel's website at http://www.zoftbreastgumreviews.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Perangin-Angin

Fight Reoccurring Yeast Infections With the Right Food

2008-09-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Yeast infections are worst when they keep coming again and again. Reoccurring yeast infections are typical to treat and serious in nature. While seventy five percent women are affected by yeast infection, only five percent of them are likely to be suffering from its recurring form.

The reason behind the occurrence of yeast infection is increase in the number of candida fungus which is generally triggered by excessive use of antibiotics or high sugar levels in the blood. Therefore, it is very important to keep a tap on your food habits to control yeast infections. There is a direct connection between the diets you take and yeast infection. Healthy nutrition is the best defense against these infections.

Yeast infections keep coming again and again whenever the body loses its balance. When the immune system gets weak, the attacks of infection may affect you every now and then. As mentioned earlier, the best thing to do in such a situation is to keep a track on the food you eat.

Eating yogurt is known to be the best way to treat yeast infections. But make sure that you eat its unsweetened form only. Yogurt contains probiotics which are very effective in treating yeast infections. You must eliminate fast food completely from your diet chart. Do not eat red meat and bread. Taking wine and beer is also not recommended. Include plenty of fresh vegetables in your daily diet and exclude processed foods completely from it.

Take a fiber rich diet which would boost the immune system of your body and cut down on cold drinks, tea, coffee and artificially flavored drinks. You could take fresh water and fresh fruit juices instead of these drinks. Also, you must drink at least 3 liters of water everyday. Wash or peel the fruits and vegetables nicely before consuming them. You must avoid foods high in sugar but you could eat a chocolate bar occasionally. Do not overcook the food. It is better to prepare recipes by steam. Also, if you are addicted to alcohol then it would be better to leave the habit altogether.

Thus, eating right could keep you away from recurring yeast infections. Learn to prepare some healthy and tasty recipes so that you are able to eat even disliked foods easily. Remember that eating healthy food is the best way to keep away from reoccurring yeast infections. Therefore, if you are suffering from this problem then do complement the medications with an appropriate diet chart.

Source: Simpleyeastinfectioncures

Find out about natural yeast infection remedies at http://www.simpleyeastinfectioncures.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Liow

Bleeding After Menopause - Is it a Cause For Concern

2008-09-02T19:34:00.002-07:00

It is not always a warning sign of cancer, especially if you are on hormone replacement therapy to ease the symptoms of menopause, but it still should be checked out. Other causes are possible so if you do start bleeding, do not assume it is cancer. Simple sex can cause bleeding during or after.

When Am I Done Menopause, Darn It!?

If you have been period free for six months, you are considered to be through with menopause. If you had a hysterectomy or had your ovaries surgically removed, then your bleeding should stop within a month of your surgery. If you do bleed after that, you need to consult your doctor as soon as possible. It could be a sign of complications from your surgery it self.

If it's Not Cancer, What Is It?

Only your doctor can determine by looking over your complete medical history what is causing your bleeding after menopause or surgical menopause. Occasionally the bleeding is caused by the growth of polyps or fibroids within your womb. Sometimes, it is just your wombs way of keeping something growing inside.

Treatment can include a biopsy and if needed the growth being removed. If you have ever had a pap smear or cervical smear, the process for having your womb checked is much the same. The doctor will use a tiny, thin telescope to check your womb.

If you are taking any kind of hormone replacement therapy and discover bleeding after menopause, it could be due to your body not adjusting to the hormones. You will most likely try lower doses or different kinds of hormone replacement therapy to avoid any kind of surgery. The same is true if you are taking birth control pills for any reason whatsoever, as the pills do contain hormones that can disturb your body.

You can also find more info on hives and menopause. Menopausebaoard.com is a comprehensive resource which provide information about menopause.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Gross

Natural Candida Remedies - Coconut Oil

2008-09-02T19:34:00.001-07:00

Those looking for natural remedies for candida should look at organic coconut oil and candida as an option. So many things can help you fight candida off naturally and changing your diet provides the biggest potential for health benefits and yeast infection eradication you can find.

Changing what you put in your body will have the biggest impact on your overall health and will do much more than any medication will do. While medications can work quickly, if you don't change the underlying cause of the overgrowth it will happen again and candida can become resistant to antibiotics.

Organic coconut oil can help your body naturally fight off yeast infections. Candida albicans grow in a low pH, highly toxic environment. You might not see your body as toxic but if you are sedentary, eat a lot of junk food, are overweight or underweight and don't take care of yourself you're creating a toxic environment which is a thriving environment for bacteria such as candida albicans.

Coconut oil that's organic and virgin contains lauric acid and caprylic acid which will help your immune system substantially. Lauric acid is found in human breast milk and is the component that strengthens a baby's immune system. Caprylic acid is found in many candida remedies and naturally occurs in coconut oil.

Candida Diet Solutions.

Coconut oil is antifungal. This oil along with oregano oil and garlic are all very effective in helping your body fight off unhealthy yeast levels. Consider following a candida diet high in antifungal foods as well as low in yeast.

Avoid alcohol and white bread as well as sugar. Consider making candida smoothies that contain probiotic yogurt, fresh fruit and coconut oil and consuming daily. Eat prebiotic foods as well as consider taking a synbiotic supplement.

By strengthening your immune system, raising your pH level, sweating out toxins through exercise and oxygenating your blood with healthy living, you can naturally cure candida infections and prevent them from recurring.

Antibiotics are a potential cause yeast infections as well so if you must take any antibiotics, consider increasing your probiotic and coconut oil consumption. Because they kill bacteria, they kill the good and bad bacteria and leave your body susceptible to unhealthy bacteria overgrowth.

Ways To Get Coconut Oil Into Your Diet

While virgin coconut oil is more costly than the regular stuff, it has many more health benefits. Use it on your steamed veggies and in your stir fries as well as in smoothies. If you have a yeast rash, use it as well; it's great for your skin. Substitute it for butter and use it as your primary frying oil. Put a dab on your roasted potatoes in the oven and watch them turn a beautiful golden brown. It has a long shelf life which is why it's used in commercial baking and can withstand high temperatures and doesn't release trans fatty acids either.

A healthy lifestyle and healthy eating choices will help your body naturally fight yeast off for good.

Discover facts about candida and coconut oil, get candida diet information and more yeast infection cure info at Candida-Solutions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samantha_Jaine

How to Cure a Yeast Infection For Good

2008-09-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

A yeast infection is very common in women and less common in men, but at one point in most of our lives we will likely experience an infection. Unfortunately, some of us suffer from a chronic form of infection. Fortunately, this is a very treatable condition and the word has to be spread because all that suffering is now completely unnecessary.

The first step is to learn how to cure a yeast infection.

But to do that, it's best to understand what causes a yeast infection. The list is basically: antibiotics, because they kill the healthy bacteria that keep yeast from overgrowing, allergies, hormonal imbalances, diets with too much sugar, coffee, and dairy products, and lastly, tight clothing that allows for the warm and wet atmosphere that yeast needs to grow.

That's the basic low down of what typically causes thrush, but how to cure a yeast infection is fortunately just as simple and surprising the answer is all natural. Of course, you can use drug based medications such as anti-fungals to kill the overgrowing yeast microbes. This used to be the only solution but if you want to know how to cure a yeast infection and keep it cured then no medicine will help. The technology hasn't been developed because the right way to cure a yeast infection involves a combination of:

Effective (and common)natural ingredients that will alleviate the symptoms of yeast infection within twelve hours

And a few simple adjustments to your lifestyle. Period.No pill can provide these things which is why so many people suffer from chronic yeast infection. The solution begins with learning how to cure yeast infection so you will get a healthy yeast balance back.

You really can learn how to cure a yeast infection for good and start living a healthier life Today. This is not fantasy anymore Get it now You are guaranteed to relieve your symptoms within 12 hours backed by a 100% money back!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abby_Jarvis

Successful Women in Business

2008-08-26T22:02:00.001-07:00

My wife and I often believe that women are undervalued in the workplace and that most women have the ability to become successful with their own home business. These days many more people are looking for an extra stream of income. The world wide recession is taking its toll on almost every working family in most of the countries around the world.

Starting your own home business can mean the difference between living a really successful lifestyle and just surviving by living on the bread line.

We have found that more men come to us looking for an extra stream of income or change of job than women. We have never really found out why this is, and it seems strange why more women never give the home business opportunity market a try. The women who do give the home business opportunity a go succeed as well as the men, with many women sometimes out performing men in the same identical home business opportunity. So come on ladies take a look at the possibilities for your future success.

We have no real answer to why more men than women come into this type of business opportunity, as women are just as capable as men when it comes to running a home business. We would go a step further and say that more women should give it a try because it can fit nicely around your family circumstances by working the hours you choose to work. Even if you have a part time or full time job this type of business can easily be done on a part time basis, leading to a full time income while working part time from home.

Times are getting harder as this world wide recession deepens, with fuel costs, utility bills, food and commodities all spiralling upwards. With all this happening We believe now is the time to seek out an extra stream of income, and become successful before you leave it too late.

These opportunities are there for anyone who has the desire for more income and a better life, there are no barriers or excuses because almost anyone can be shown how to be successful with a home business opportunity. We would love to see more women coming into this business, and we believe that women have all the abilities needed to successfully manage their own home business with ease.

Here are our top two tips when choosing any home business opportunity.

Choose your sponsor with care they can make the difference between you becoming successful or a failure in business.
Be sure that you have the backing of a team of experts as well as your sponsor.
If these two points are not firmly in place you could be on dodgy ground and your whole business be at risk before you even start.

Choose well and choose wisely, we wish you a successful and happy life whatever you choose to do.

Robert and Karen Waugh

If you are one of the many people looking for a better life, please take a look at what we are doing and see how we can honestly help you to achieve your dreams, desires and a better lifestyle. Take our FREE Tour and visit us at http://www.incomepool.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Waugh

How Smart Women Stay Connected

2008-08-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in a park recently watching my children play with their grandparents and all at once I heard this deep, booming voice from a distance say, "You must make contact if you want to stay in the game." I turned to my left and saw a coach working with a girl's softball team - instructing them on their swing and explaining the importance of making contact between the bat and ball at just the right moment.

This made me think about the idea of contact. For me, contact is about making connections in the relationships I care about - both personally and professionally. If you look up connection in the dictionary, its meaning is "linking things together, the joining of two or more parts or people." How are you linking people, things, and places together in your life? Are you connecting on a regular basis with yourself, your mind, your body, your relationships, and your creativity?

Given our busy lives as women, we have to be very intentional about making contact with others. Whatever path you choose as a woman - be it career-focused, family-focused, or an integration of the two, making contact and connections is important. Why? Because connecting is vital to our survival in this game called living a meaningful life.

I have the good fortune to spend quality time with many smart women. One of the things they all have in common is a great support system. From friends, family, colleagues, coaches, mentors - these women are clear that making contact and connecting is essential to their success on every level. Smart women know that a solid support system makes the painful times in life bearable, the stressful times more manageable, and the good times all the richer because they are shared.

I recently returned from a retreat with one of my Women's Circles where we spent time connecting with ourselves and with each other, and also making plans about the parts of our lives we wanted to become more intentional about. Each women created a vision for the next chapter of her life including who, what, and how she wanted to connect or "make contact" with the people in her world. When we are clear and focused about who we intentionally want to connect with, we become more present, lighter, and happier. Having a vision of what our next chapter will be - and who will be in it - is key to a meaningful life.

As summer begins to wane and you open your door to autumn, think about the connections and relationships that are so vital to your life. Because, remember - you must make contact to stay in the game!

Copyright © 2008 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions, a Certified Professional Coach and Professional Speaker. To read more articles by Joy and learn more about her Success Circle workshops, teleseminars or keynote topics, please visit her website, http://www.SmartWomenSolutions.com or contact Joy at Joy@SmartWomenSolutions.com

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Natural Hormone Balance Can Keep Your Yin & Yang at Peace

2008-08-20T08:58:00.002-07:00

Are your Yin & Yang at war with one another? I don't know about you, but when I approached that "certain age", I became, well, someone ELSE! I had heard all about hormone balancing and the hot flashes and the night sweats and the mood swings. What I hadn't heard about was how you could essentially lose yourself. I had always been one of those women in control of herself - thriving career, supportive wife, responsible step-mom and grandmother, friend, sister, daughter - a well balanced house of cards. Then suddenly I was a crazy woman; always on the edge and barely able to make herself to drive to her job. And when I did get to the job, I couldn't MAKE myself do anything! Who WAS this woman?

Come on ladies. You know some of you have been there too; or perhaps you are in that place right now. A surprise corporate lay-off at the time of life when I was approaching menopause was all it took to tumble the house of cards. Maybe there was a traumatic trigger event for you too, maybe not. And a severe hormone imbalance can occur at any age; a traumatic life event, illness, surgery, you name it can get the ball rolling.

Fortunately I have a very supportive family. I found a good therapist, we downsized our home to help compensate for the lost income and more importantly I uncovered lots of invaluable information about natural products to help with hormone balance which I am happy to share with you here. Of course, I am not a doctor and this article certainly doesn't qualify as medical advice. I am simply sharing with you what worked for me as I did not want to nor thankfully did not need to use traditional chemicals.

Let's start with the hormone balance part. I found that over-the-counter Wild Yam Creme was very helpful. Talk to your local health food store or natural grocer about the best choice for you. Also, the therapeutic essential oil Clary Sage is excellent for helping to achieve hormonal balance. Clary Sage oil contains phyto-hormones that will help to stimulate your own body to increase the production of whatever hormones you are lacking. Of course whenever purchasing essential oils for this purpose, be sure you are buying from a reputable company and be sure as well that the oils are of therapeutic grade. Clary Sage oil can be blended with a carrier oil (such as Jojoba or Grapeseed) or a natural lotion and massaged into the body or inhaled using a diffuser or nebulizer.

And then there are the hot flashes! As an herbal supplement, I found Black Cohosh to be helpful in minimizing hot flashes and night sweats. Again, be sure you are purchasing quality products from a reputable source. Also, as with any herbal supplement, be sure to be aware of potential side effects or allergic reactions. The essential oil Ylang Ylang, especially if combined with the use of Clary Sage and other therapeutic essential oils I will discuss in a moment, can help to minimize hot flashes. It can be used in massage or inhaled as described above.

As for mood swings and anxiety, nothing can beat the restorative powers of lavender. Lavender is truly Mother Nature's miracle. The essential oil Neroli is beneficial for anxiety as well but can be quite expensive. Using these oils combined in a therapeutic essential oil blend is believed to help create hormone BALANCE and minimize symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings and anxiety.

There are many other things you can do as well to help Mother Nature and the natural products I've described above. Avoiding caffeine, eating a low fat diet, consuming more frequent small meals rather than 2 or 3 large ones a day, avoiding hot tubs and hot showers or baths, using meditation and much more. I continue to use many of the same aromatherapy and natural products to help me whenever I'm feeling stressed or blue. The good news is that the "bad" times don't last forever but your knowledge of how to heal your body naturally will.

Live an Essential Life!
Diane Hague

Visit our web site at http://natural-essentials-nw.com to learn more about our PUR ESSENTIALS Natural Aromatherapy product line

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Hague

Fuller and Firmer Breasts With Zoft Breast Gum

2008-08-20T08:58:00.001-07:00

What is important to many women is breast size. Their self-confidence is usually linked with the size. They can feel comfortable and certain when they meet their clients, friends, workmates, boyfriends, often because they have nice breasts with big or average size of breasts. When they have to find others, especially men, with underdeveloped breasts, they usually do not feel confident.

To provide what men like to see is important in order to get what you wish for. You do not attempt to magnetize men with your attractive breasts, but you just make them happy with a nice view, the magnificence of your breasts. It will make your way smoother to get your purposes. No wonder some women consider seriously to have a smart plastic surgery, a breast implant surgery, fill saline or silicone gel into their breasts, to beautify their breasts by making them bigger.

It works for some ladies, but it doesn't for others. For those who don't, dangerous side effects after implant surgery are things they have to face. Those side effects can be in many forms: breaking implants, undetectable cancer, breast pain, breast hardness, expensive maintenance, etc. Those bad effects are the consequences women have to take because of the minimum information they got before surgery.

Because of those horrible consequences by enlarging breasts with surgery, a supplement maker provides a safer method now. This is a great non-surgery method. All you have to do to augment your breasts is just to chew a gum, Zoft Breast Gum. This gum is not an ordinary sweet gum for kids. Zoft Breast Gum contains 13 different natural herbals. Those herbals promote a rapid development for your breast tissues. No significant side effects when you consume this gum.

There is nothing to lose to learn more about Zoft Breast Gum.

Daniel Perangin-Angin is an author who especially researched supplement named Zoft Breast Gum For more information about Zoft Breast Gum and its benefit please visit Daniel's website at http://www.zoftvirilitygumreviews.com/zoft-breast-gum

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Perangin-Angin

Daniel Perangin-Angin - EzineArticles Expert Author

Herbal Remedies For Uterine Fibroids - Do They Have Merit?

2008-08-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

Uterine Fibroids have not had a huge awareness campaign around the world so it remains a relatively little known condition even though many women suffer from it to greater or lesser degrees; perhaps it is because the tumors that are the fibroids are always non-cancerous and therefore not life threatening. Herbal remedies for uterine fibroids are sought after quite often despite this because what women that suffer from large fibroids know is that they can be extremely uncomfortable causing constipation, painful periods, painful intercourse, heavy menstrual bleeding and if that was not all they can seriously hamper your chance to have children.

So how do herbal remedies for uterine fibroids work?

Natural herbs and potions are often scoffed at in medical circles but the truth is that everything we eat has an effect on our bodies good and bad. All the foods we eat and all the liquids we imbibe have qualities in them that play an important part in how our bodies function. While most people only have a rudimentary knowledge of how this works in terms of dietary requirements naturopaths and alternative health practitioners have studies various natural herbs that can be used to make herbal remedies that are targeted to your particular condition just as a doctor would prescribe drugs. However the difference is a drug is often a brute force method that tries to destroy a problem and can have consequences in side effects while an herbal remedy usually tries to fix a problem in a milder way that often has a better effect on your health as a whole.

For uterine Fibroids the problem is often linked to hormonal imbalanced especially an excess of estrogen, scientific studies have not proven this to be the only cause however but the concept of hormonal imbalance is enough to go by to create a herbal remedies for uterine fibroids that will be able to counteract these problems and in turn shrink your fibroids without needing surgery or harsh drugs.

For more information on natural cures for fibroids that have helped many women overcome painful periods, constipation, infertility and more click below.

http://Stop-Fibroids.1001-Solutions.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janice_C_Wheeler

A Little Lingerie Lingo

2008-07-15T08:08:00.001-07:00

When shopping for lingerie online, some of the item descriptions can be confusing, especially for those purchasing a gift for that special someone and are not familiar with all the lingerie terms used to described a particular fabric or style. So, let's cover some of these terms so you can be better informed when choosing your lingerie.

First, some commonly used fabrics you may not recognize. These are charmeuse, chiffon, jacquard, lace and satin. When you see these terms, the material/fabric of the item is being described. Charmeuse is a very satiny, very soft and flowy non stretch fabric. This fabric is typically used for chemises and camisoles, slips, gowns, robes, short sleeping sets, and even blouses.

Chiffon is a fabric of sheer silk or rayon. It is a lightweight material with a slightly rough feel to it. It can be made from cotton, silk or synthetic fibers, but is usually associated with silk or nylon and can be dyed to most any shade you like. Chiffon is very delicate and must be hand washed very gently. Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open web-like pattern. A Jacquard fabric has a pattern of some kind pressed into the solid background. It can be a flat or a raised pattern. It can be of any type fabric such as a knit or a spandex. Satin is a smooth fabric, as of silk or rayon, woven with a glossy face and a dull back.

Now lets discuss a how they describe an item having some sort of decoration on the fabric - this is called embroidery. So if you see an "embroidered lace babydoll", you know it's a lace babydoll with some kind of decoration or enhancement. You may also see the term 'appliqué'. This is a decoration or ornament made by cutting pieces of one material and applying them to the surface of another.

Men, if you are buying for your beautiful woman and she's self-conscious about her breasts hanging a little, you need to be familiar with the terms 'underwire'. Bustiers, bras, and other 'underwire' items have wire sewn into the fabric under the breasts to add support. You may also see items with 'boning'; these are rigid plastic or metal strips sewn in shape wear to give structure, support and body contouring.

There are several other fabrics available which you may be familiar with, such as silk, rayon and of course leather. There are also many other terms which we did not discussed, but the ones we went over will give you a little more familiarity with what's out there. Happy lingerie shopping!

Bodysnarking Nastiness

2008-07-15T08:07:00.002-07:00

In the Vancouver Sun this past Friday there was an article on bodysnarking, a term I was unfamiliar with. I knew women were cruel to other women about bodies and body image, I just didn't know it was this formallized, I guess I could say.

According to the article,

"bodysnarking involves mercilessly appraising ordinary people's appearances on a worldwide playing field that includes social networking hubs, photo-sharing services and blogs...policing personal imperfections..."

You know, this approach isn't really that surprising given the tortuous pulling apart of women on fashion makeover shows and the sometimes nasty critiques on American Idol. Basically those shows, and other written media have modelled and taught people (who one could argue, are impressionable), to do this. Glamour Magazine has had a website page, called3 perfectly normal women Don'tspotting since 2006, that encourages women to criticize their peers' appearances. (the pic of 3 very normal looking women is from dontspotting)

A recent television ad for Oreo Thins (100 calories per package) shows a woman, with a shake of her head and a negative expression, discouraging another woman from buying a dress she's trying on, because she wants it for herself. There's nothing wrong with the way the dress looks on the first woman, but she trusted that the opinion of the second woman was an honest and accurate one. Consequently she didn't buy the dress, and the second woman got it!

Whatever happened to women supporting women?? I wrote to the Oreo company and said I thought this ad was going against years of feminism. In their first reply to me they said they had marketed tested the ad before using it and it had been vetted by their testers. In their next reply, from another department, they said the ad had been discontinued!, much to my surprise, and pleasure. I'd sure like to hear some of the other negative criticisms they received about it. They also said they were sending me some Oreo Thins for my trouble!!

So where does this leave midlife women, most of whom (I hope), have philosphies that are kinder to their fellow woman? We're just as aware of the fashion messages, and for the push for perfection in the area of beauty and appearance (like in many areas of our culture). I guess a lot of us try to strike a middleground, of grooming and dressing (half-way) decently in a way that pleases our own selves...and not trying to look like we're 20 years old.

On a more jovial note, I'll leave you with the following quotes from a birthday card I just bought for my friend, who's been sick for 3 weeks with flu, on the occasion of her 60th birthday:

"Doctors say that drinking 8 glasses of water a day helps your skin look younger" (Outside of card)

"But my advice is drink 8 glasses of wine a day and you won't give a damn how old you look." (Inside)

MidLife Women in Hollywood - Reflections on Women's Roles

2008-07-15T08:07:00.001-07:00

The other day I heard from a woman who was fired from her management track job for having a close friendship (not yet an affair) with a male colleague. From what I can tell the man was not fired.

Which got me on my soapbox again...My partner was surprised that that kind of dismissal would happen in this day and age. I told him that women are often treated badly and unequally in business out there in the corporate world, (as opposed to our little self-employed, protected non-corporate world of friends here).

Then I began reading the Women in Hollywood blog. First the writer mentioned how some great women's shows are being axed for next year (Men in Trees, one of my favs). On another WIH blog, Kristen Davis, one of the stars of Sex in the City addressed the eternal question of whether the four women get along or hate each other. Kristen's very smart point was that these questions were sexist and that people didn't repeatedly question the Sopranos stars in that way. Opening of Sex in the City in London

Still on WIH blog, Jennifer Fox, writer, producer and subject of Flying, a six-part series on Sundance takes the position that women without children aren't perceived as real women in our society. She says: "We define women as being married mothers actually". I think she has a valid point. Our culture often perceives child-free women as somehow different...lacking...selfish..oh, I don't know...But not complete.

And then of course there's the invisibility angle - the idea that women over a certain age (~45) just aren't noticed - it's like they're not even there. That's why two Australian women, who go by the names Loris and Lucy, began their eclectic blog for midlife women.

It pains me that this is happening in this day and age. We only have to look at Hilary Clinton and the ongoing "damned if she does, damned if she doesn't" criticisms of her and her campaign to see that we're a far cry from equality as yet.

Through her 'Odyssey of Change' coaching program, Ellen Besso offers Midlife Women the opportunity to navigate the midlife maze and find joy & fullness in their lives.

Personal action plans include strengthening the body-mind connection; releasing beliefs that limit growth; & specific actions to move you forward into your ideal life.

The Challenges of MidLife Caregiving

2008-07-15T08:06:00.001-07:00

My mother never wanted to be dependent on anyone, but by age 76 the demands of caring for herself amidst her growing confusion became overwhelming. She left her beloved apartment on the beautiful Victoria harbour to live closer to her two children in order to get the help she needed.

By midlife many of us are ready to kick back, relax more, and maybe begin a new venture, but this may all change when our aging parents' needs come into play. I was two months into menopause and one month into the first term of my new, and very demanding counselling program, when we moved our mother to the Sunshine Coast. My stress level was sky-high. Fortunately, after mom was moved in, my brother took over the homecare arrangements, but still it was a big adjustment for all of us.

Many of us take on additional caretaking demands at a time when our personal focus and energy levels are changing. The result may be stress, burnout and sometimes depression. Love and a sense of responsibility for the aging parent often become mixed with resentment and guilt as we struggle with the question of how to meet our parent's needs.

The Canadian Women's Health Network reports that one in five Canadian women aged 30-64 spends 28 hours per week on average caring for someone chronically ill or disabled - on top of their regular life activities. American statistics would be similar.

It's often a challenge for caregivers to find the time and energy to meet our own physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Unfortunately these needs often go by the way when we have heavy responsibilities.

Setting aside some daily time for spiritual renewal is important. This might be different for each person and could mean meditation, prayer, walking in nature, journalling or reading uplifting writings. Regular, good quality meals, water, adequate sleep and exercise are basic when so much energy is going out. Balancing time spent with the parent and enjoying connecting with them while also being with others who support us helps us meet our own emotional needs. It takes careful thought and planning to make the balancing act work for all.

MidLife Women - How Humiliating is That?

2008-07-15T08:05:00.002-07:00

Have you seen the tv commercial that focuses on a woman stuck in bumper-to-bumper highway traffic with her partner and kids? She squirms and looks very uncomfortable, embarrassed and maybe even in pain. Suddenly a porta-potty floats gently down from the sky! The woman relaxes and smiles, and a picture comes on the screen showing a popular disposable pad/diaper product.

I find this commercial disgusting and demeaning. It's just a grab for a new market using any angle possible. And it's downright silly too - having a toilet come down from the sky!

It's true that many women suffer from some urinary incontinence or urgency. Sometimes it begins after pregnancy and birth, sometimes with the hormone changes in perimenopause. Some women just 'leak' when they laugh from a young age. But I hardly think a disposable pad for incontinence (billed as the traveller's porta-potty) will make everything tickety-boo!

Yes, these products are helpful in some circumstances, but why, why, why, don't we hear about products that can tone, build and strengthen the bladder? This is a preventive approach and the products that don't heal the symptoms wouldn't be necessary (or not for many years anyway)? Can't our allopathic medical docs get on board with the idea of 'complementary medicine', like in Britain. When allopathic medicine combines with natural (i.e. herbs, homeopathics, mega-vitamins, trace minerals, etc.) we get the best of both worlds. If it's good enough for the Queen of England, why isn't it good enough for us?

Through her 'Odyssey of Change' coaching program, Ellen Besso offers Midlife Women the opportunity to navigate the midlife maze and find joy & fullness in their lives.

Personal action plans include strengthening the body-mind connection; releasing beliefs that limit growth; & specific actions to move you forward into your ideal life.

Comparing Ourselves

2008-07-15T08:05:00.001-07:00

"If a woman understood that 'what I create has nothing to do with what anybody else is creating', then she wouldn't be so afraid of what others are doing" Abraham

Do you have a tendency to compare yourself to others to see if you match up? I do. When the money isn't coming in or the project isn't working right, it's easy to slide into blaming ourselves for the outcome. But if we've given our very best, that's all we can do. We need to "let go and let God" as I believe they say in AA.

Sometimes there are many other factors at play in the "success" or "failure" of a project or in the outcome of our interactions with others. Byron Katie has a very succinct question that cuts right to the chase on this. I love it. We can use it for almost any situation or difficulty. The question is:

"Whose business am I in - my own, someone else's or God's (i.e. the unknown)".

We often spend huge amounts of time in other people's business...we call it helping. Or it could be criticizing. This simple little question works like a charm in most situations.

So if our work isn't going well, or we're having difficulty with our boss, partner or friend we can use this question to determine whether we're trying to control a person or situation that we just can't or should not be attempting to control.

This realization can give us an enormous sense of relief. It can also free up a tremendous amount of energy that we've previously been using on things that are not in our power to control.

Through her 'Odyssey of Change' coaching program, Ellen Besso offers Midlife Women the opportunity to navigate the midlife maze and find joy & fullness in their lives.

Personal action plans include strengthening the body-mind connection; releasing beliefs that limit growth; & specific actions to move you forward into your ideal life.

Women's Fiction vs Romance

2008-03-01T03:35:00.001-08:00

Women's fiction and romance have similarities, but also distinct differences. While many of the publishers may be the same for both genres, editors are looking for the key elements that make for compelling women's fiction. (Lisa Craig, Inkspot copyright 2000).

From the research I have completed, women's fiction may have romance as a component, but it is not the complete plot, just a part. Women's fiction revolves around a story-line that women (perhaps more than men) would enjoy reading. The issues involved should appeal to a woman, including the enpowerment of women.

Quoting Lisa Craig again: "Women's fiction, however -- like the women who read it -- has evolved to include subjects and themes that range far beyond romance."

In Craig's article, she quotes Literary Agent Linda Hyatt of the Hyatt Literary Agency: "Good women's commercial fiction usually touches the reader in ways other fiction cannot. Relationship stories, generational sagas, love stories and women's commercial fiction must touch on subjects women can relate to in their real lives. Whether there is a happily ever after ending, or a bittersweet one, whether the reader laughs or cries, women love reading stories that touch their emotions - and tug at their hearts."

I like the way author Eileen Goudge explains, first by quoting advice from her editor. "Think of your novel as a tapestry, woven with multicolored threads of various warps and wefts." Then Goudge compares women's fiction with that tapestry, saying the more intricate the tapestry of this genre, the richer it is. Each subplot starts as thread on the loom of imagination. The author's job is to weave the threads together in a way that's not only coherent but engrossing to the reader.

Her explanation actually applies to any writing, not just women's fiction, but she does give the picture of a plot more entailed than a straight romance plot.

Goudge later in her article (Women's fiction vs. romance, The Writer April 2007) states that the writing separates the two genre. Romance writers, she says, indulge in "verbiage that borders on purple prose." In women's fiction, flowery descriptive passages, unnecessary adverbs and love-scene metaphors are cut.

Oriental Medicine and Women's Health

2008-03-01T03:34:00.000-08:00

Women's health, and the problems that affect it, has been well understood by Oriental medicine for millennia. This holistic approach to health and well-being is exceptionally effective today in treating women's health problems, such as:

# All kinds of menstrual-related problems like cramping, headaches, mood swings, and depression.
# Childbirth-related problems.
# Post-partum depression.
# The full range of health issues affecting women throughout their reproductive and post-reproductive years.

Unique Bodies
Oriental medicine's foundational approach to disease prevention and health maintenance is that each person is unique, and there is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution to a health problem. For example, there are Chinese herb formulas that address the specific needs of young women, and others aimed at conditions experienced by women in their post-reproductive years.

Unique Problems
Women have unique reproductive systems that are prone to unique health problems. For example, women as a group, have higher instances of kidney-related problems and illnesses than men: problems Oriental medicine effectively addresses through a combination of Chinese medical herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, Chi Kung, and diet and nutrition. Effective remedies, without side effects.

The Power of Oriental Medicine
An example of the power of Oriental medicine as it relates to women's health can be seen in a thirty-one year old woman whose menstrual period stops prematurely. Oriental medicine has diagnostic methods for determining why her menstruation stopped, and therapeutic methods for getting it to start again.

A Better Quality of Life
By addressing women's unique health issues, Oriental medicine helps you regain and maintain a unique feeling of health.

(Note to editor: Please list Kitty Bradshaw and Michael Kessler as authors)

Kitty Bradshaw is a licensed acupuncturist, with an advanced clinical degree in Oriental Medicine. Studying and working with Oriental Medicine since 1986, Kitty combines Traditional Oriental Medicine with Taoist healing methods to offer healing possibilities beyond the level of standard health care. Her deep understanding of Chinese medical herbs, combined with her intuitive abilities to diagnose and treat difficult problems, has helped many people regain and maintain their health.

The Positive Signs And Symptoms Of Pregnancy

2007-07-09T02:51:00.002-07:00

The various sign and symptoms of pregnancy occur due to hormonal changes in the body. Since the pregnancy symptoms can also be caused by stress or illness, the blood test is a definite method for conforming pregnancy.

Some Of The Early Signs Of Pregnancy Are As Follows

# Missed Period - This is the most common of the early pregnancy symptoms. Even if there is less bleeding than usual during the period then it may be a sign of pregnancy.

# Backache - The backache symptom of pregnancy is very common to all pregnant women as there is an extra stress on the spine because of the growing baby.

# Constipation - There are two main reasons for constipation due to which it is considered as one of the early pregnancy symptoms. One is the change in hormone secretion in the body and the other is growth in the size of the uterus. The grown uterus presses the bowels resulting in constipation.

# Change In The Color Of The Areola - If the color of the areola or the nipples is darkened then it may be assumed that the woman is pregnant. In fact, it is one of the early signs of pregnancy occurring within one week of conception.

# Sleepiness - This pregnancy symptom occurs one to six weeks of conception and continues for the rest of the pregnancy period.

# Frequent Urination - This symptom of early pregnancy usually occurs within one or eight weeks of conception and generally is owed to hormonal changes. Another reason for this being increase in the pressure on the bladder making it one of the prominent pregnancy symptoms.

# Nausea - Commonly known as pregnancy morning sickness, it is one of the most common signs and symptoms of pregnancy. It usually occurs within two to ten weeks with degrees varying from person to person.

# Tenderness Of Breasts - Usually the size of breasts increases and they become tender. Experts explain it as the body preparing for breast feeding.

All the above early pregnancy symptoms should be taken under consideration to ensure complete care for the pregnancy health.

One should consider that these signs and symptoms of pregnancy can also be because of other factors such as poor diet or a hectic lifestyle. Symptoms like morning sickness and body changes can occur due to infection, food poisoning or hormonal imbalance. Consult your doctor while testing for pregnancy. While there are home pregnancy tests available, make sure to follow the instructions about the usage properly. Finally, your doctor should confirm the pregnancy symptoms and you should take next course of action based upon medical advice.

Briefs and Thongs – We All Need Them!!!

2007-07-09T02:51:00.001-07:00

We all wear them in some form or fashion. Some of us prefer sexy thongs, others prefer bikinis, and still others want full coverage briefs. But the truth remains that almost all women wear underwear. For most of us, our underwear reveals something about us and our preferences.

If you are looking to step out of your lingerie comfort zone, your panties are a great place to start. A new pair of panties is fun and inexpensive way to add some spice to your day. No matter what normally occupies the panty drawer in your bedroom, there is a new option available for you. Today’s lingerie is made from very soft and comfortable fabric and you don’t have to be concerned about itchy lace or stiff elastic.

If you are normally a bikini wearer, try a string bikini. String bikinis are a more comfortable option for today’s fashionable skinny jeans. With less fabric on the side you will much less likely to have unsightly panty lines. Obviously, alone string bikinis are a more sexy and revealing panty than bikinis. The advantage is you still have all the coverage you look for in a regular bikini.

Many women prefer thongs to deal with panty lines in their clothing. As fashions become more tailored and slim fitting, panty lines become much more obvious. The always sexy thong is the perfect solution. Again, this is where the fabrics of today are a great gift to women of today. Womens thongs are no longer uncomfortable and restricting but very comfortable.

When shopping for thongs, determine the style that you prefer. Some are constructed with a small triangle of fabric that sits below the small of your back. Others known as g-strings don’t have that little bit of fabric, the elastic simply rides around your hip or just below and between your buttocks. Both styles give the clean no panty line in form fitting styles. For wearing with the ultra low rise style of jeans, some thongs have small charms or jewels attached to the back fabric panel to peek a boo above the jean line. This is fun little accent for weekend or evening wear.

But maybe you have always worn briefs. There is no shame in this. The beauty of underwear is that there are sexy options in every panty style. Sexy panties are available everywhere from your local discount store to high end lingerie boutiques. A very comfortable and sexy panty choices is the seamless, cotton lycra stretch blends. If you want to minimize the appearance of panty lines and still have more coverage, these are the panties for you. They are available in every imaginable color and with or without details like soft lace. Neutral skin tones are perfect to pair with light colored clothing. But with jeans, get a few sexy panties in colors that are vivid and fun. No one has to know if you don’t want them to.

When purchasing swimsuits, keep in mind the various panty styles. Your cut of the bottom of the swimsuit will depend upon whether if it is one or two pieces. Two piece swimsuits can have bottoms from full coverage brief styles to thongs and g-strings. Determine how you are going to use your suit before choosing your bottom style. For beach wear, all styles work well. However, for swimming as exercise or diving, you will likely want a little more coverage.

Briefly in review (pun intended), you can have a lot of fun with your underwear. It is a great way to add a sense of adventure to your lingerie drawer and easy on your pocketbook.

Women's Tennis Apparel by Stella McCartney - How it all Began

2007-07-06T02:34:00.001-07:00

Just Who is...Stella McCartney A child prodigy, a hard working young mother, one of the best fashion designers of her generation, a crusader for justice for humans and animals alike, Stella is, like her name suggests, a real Star. Stella has been both blessed and cursed by being the first born of her illustrious parents, Sir Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman McCartney. Even before she was born, she made musical history. Linda had a difficult labor, and baby Stella came into this world through cesarean section. Her father reportedly prayed that she would be born "on the wings of an angel", thus the choice of Wings as the name of Paul and Linda's new band. Fast forward a few years, and it wouldn't be hard to think Stella had an easy childhood, but that isn't quite true. She was bullied at school because of her famous parents, and her folks were determined she would develop important values, like independence and creativity. However, they were also very supportive, teaching Stella to have confidence in herself. Stella washed dishes to earn money to afford to buy clothes. She couldn't even afford fashion magazines, but this might be why and how she's so innovative. Stella considers her late mother Linda a fashion icon. Linda did care about fashion, but she was also independent about it. If the prevailing style didn't suit, then Linda would wear what she liked, because it suited her and felt good. So this 'never be a slave to fashion' attitude has given Stella a foundation which her brand is so renowned.

"I've been struggling furiously all my life to be independent. -- Stella McCartney Stella began her career at the tender age of 15, working with Christian Lacroix on his first collection and then learning tailoring on London's famous Saville Row. She then attended St. Martens College of Art and Design, her final year collection creating a stir, but not for all the right reasons. She enlisted her friends, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Yasmin Le Bon to be her models. Her parents high profile insured the world's media were to descend on this little student show, leaving some of the other students reportedly declaring that she turned it into a circus. Her entire final year collection was bought by Browns, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, so all the hard work was starting to pay off.

"I know what makes chicks tick" -- Stella McCartney After only two collections, Stella took over the job of creative director for Chloe, from a very disgruntled Karl Lagerfeld. This turned out to be an astute move by Chloe; their profile and profit rising after Stella's first collection in October, 1997. After her mother's tragic death from breast cancer in 1998, to honor her mother Stella stepped up her campaign against animal cruelty, actively joining PeTA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) campaign. She re-newed her contract with Chloe in 2000, but there were reports that Gucci had approached Stella and were turned down due to Gucci requiring Stella work with leather. Coming to their senses, Gucci offered Stell a 50/50 agreement for her to launch her own label, without the strings. She took them up on it, and her first store was launched in New York in 2002, to be followed by a second in Mayfair, London, and then, on her birthday in September 2003, a store in Los Angelos and a her first perfume.

"This collection is for women who take their sport and their style seriously. Why should we have to comprise one for the other." -- Stella about her latest adidas collection In September 2004, Stella began a joint-venture with adidas, and thus the birth of the classic Stella McCartney Tennis Dress. Entering it's fifth season with the Spring/Summer 07 collection, delicate but tailored looks continue to flourish through-out the line. Rising WTA Star Maria Kirilenko plays exclusively in adidas by Stella McCartney. For all garments close to the skin, adidas' ClimeLite(r) fabric technology insures a comfortable game. No creatures have been harmed in anyway by the production of the adidas by Stella McCartney brand, and this includes people. Stella wouldn't have it any other way, another good reason to admire this remarkable young woman.

How to Lose Baby Weight

2007-07-06T02:33:00.000-07:00

If you are a celebrity who’s just had a baby, you probably don’t need to read this article on how to lose baby weight. It seems that celebrity moms possess some magical formula that allows them to lose all their baby weight within 8 weeks of childbirth.

Until those moms release their secrets, we have to rely on good old-fashioned healthy eating and exercise. Unfortunately, new moms soon find out that it not as easy to lose weight as it was pre-baby because of a lack of time and energy.

New moms need to give themselves some slack and not expect a huge amount of weight loss in the first few months. If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll find that some of your weight will melt away as you nurse your baby but if you continue to eat the way you did when you were pregnant, then you will quickly gain that weight back. At least, that’s what happened to me.

The first step you should take is to record what you are eating every day for a week. Eat what you normally eat and record the calorie counts. Then the following week, decide how much you want to lose per week ( a pound or a ½ pound) and cut 500 calories a day from your diet, whether it’s from what you eat or how much you exercise or a combination of the two.

One pound equals 3500 calories, so to lose one pound every week, you need to cut 500 calories per day (500 x 7 = 3500). If this is too much, cut 250 a day and you’ll lose half a pound per week.

Cutting calories does not mean eating less, by the way. Substitute high energy, low calorie foods like protein and complex carbs (vegetables, salads, fruits) for the quickly burning carbs in breads and pastas you might be eating now and leaving you hungry soon after eating them.

Exercise is a key factor in losing baby weight. Even if it’s only 10 minutes a day, consistency is the key. Start slow and increase exercise as your energy level allows and as your body responds to your new healthy diet. If you are too tired to exercise, you may not be eating enough of the right kinds of foods or getting enough rest. Talk to your doctor if you are eating right and still too tired to exercise for 10 minutes a day.

If you find that you are exercising and eating right but still struggling with weight loss because of cravings for carbs and sweets, you may need to take a look at the type of vitamins and supplements you are taking. These are important to take since we can’t get all of the nutrition we need from food.

Plus, as a new mom, you are dealing with fluctuating hormones as your body adjusts to post – baby life. Eating a good diet and exercising will help you get more energy but may not help your mood. In some cases, you might need help from supplements that can help with depression such as 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) which increases serotonin in your brain, helps you feel calmer and experience less cravings for sweets and carbohydrates. Beware of taking an antidepressant since these medications can sometimes cause weight gain.

Taking phytoestrogens (plant based compounds that have a mild estrogenic effect) may help your body deal with mild mood swings. (If you are pregnant, lactating or taking a prescription medication, make sure you check with your doctor to make sure it’s safe to take these types of supplements.)

More than anything else, you need to be gentle with yourself and not expect too much weight loss too fast. Enjoy your new baby and don’t let weight loss issues rule your life. If you are consistent in your efforts, you will lose weight and be healthy as well.

Are Your Tootsies Ready for Summer?

2007-07-02T04:28:00.003-07:00

You don’t have to be guilty of skanky sandal feet this Summer. It doesn’t take a lot of expensive trips so the spa to have nice looking feet, all you need is to exfoliate and moisturize daily, then pretty up your toes with a nice polish.

The best type of moisturizer for your feet is one with alpha hydroxy acids. These will slough off the dead skin cells that make your heels so dry. Apply a good one twice a day: after bathing, and at night.

Here is a recipe for an all natural moisturizing treatment for your feet. The papaya contains natural fruit acids.

Mix:
1 ripe papaya
1 cup plain yogurt
1 T. honey
1 T. coconut oil

Apply to feet then slip into old socks for at least 15 minutes. (While you wait, deep condition your hair or apply a self tanner.)

Contrary to popular belief, if you use a pumice to scrub the dead skin off your feet, it will actually be more effective if you do this when your feet are dry, not wet. After you remove calluses, rub your feet briskly with a salt or sugar scrub, then soak your feet for 10 minutes in warm water. Push back your cuticles gently, and apply a moisturizer, making sure to keep it off your toenails.

Then, apply two coats of a polish you like. A pale pink looks good on almost all skin tones and makes your feet look tan too. To keep them looking good, apply a top coat once every other day.

Single Women-Find Your Smile

2007-07-02T04:28:00.001-07:00

Several years ago I broke up with a man I thought I’d marry someday. Unfortunately, we came to some major road blocks in our relationships. He was not willing to see a therapist, and I was not willing to deal with issues I thought were likely to compound over time. About the same time, my mother’s health got worse and I was felt forced to spend time and money caring for her. Needless to say, men were not banging on my door asking me out. I gained some weight, became somewhat depressed and just got by doing what had to be done.

Shortly after my last boyfriend and I broke up, I found a Pit Bull near death. She’s was savaging garbage cans for food. Her open wounds and scaring indicated that she had been used for fighting. $1000 and 4 weeks later, the dog was ready for adoption. I tried to place her, but the only people interested in adopting her wanted to use her for protection. She’s had been through so much abuse and suffering that I just didn’t think it was right to place her in a situation where she might have to endure more abuse. Besides, she loved everyone she met.

So three years later I still have my very loving, high energy, dog aggressive Pit Bull. I have had inflammation in my feet for years and my dog needs strong exercise. No matter what I think, feel or do, I have to exercise her. A few months ago I got a great device that attaches to my bike. It’s called a dog jogger. It allows me to run my dog on my bicycle. Most days we fly up and down hills through a corporate office park near my house. This activity has resulted in an unexpected perk….as we zoomed down our first hill, I felt like a kid on her favorite swing. There was a giggle in my belly. As I smiled from the inside, a grin landed on my face. Since then, life just keeps getting better every day!

Protect Yourself And Your Possessions

2007-06-25T03:11:00.001-07:00

As the warm weather is upon us we tend to leave our home more often. Along with us we want to carry all of our personal possessions. One of the most important personal possessions that should be carried and readily available is a self-defense product such as pepper spray, a personal alarm or a stun gun. Here are some tips regarding personal possessions and your safety. These are tips that we hear all the time but must be reiterated every once in a while. After all, our wallets, purses, credit cards, personal organizers and cell phones are just a few of our everyday items we carry that would be missed if they were stolen.

Some of the items we carry can be replaced however, there are some that if stolen could cause you a lot of grief and sorrow. The best advise would be to take only the items you will need.

Only take what cash you think you will need. Take only the credit cards you are most likely to use. If you do not need a camera or a camcorder, don’t take one with you. Limit the possessions you carry with you.

If you carry a purse or wallet, keep it where you can feel it, like inside of your jacket or pants pocket. Check to see if it is still there on a regular basis. If you are carrying a bag, strap it across your chest and hold on to it, but try not to look overly cautious. Always keep the opening or the zip part towards you. Never leave your bag unattended. If you have a backpack on, be extra cautious. Keep your cell phone out of sight as well, preferably in a zipped pocket. Watch out for pickpockets. They are watching every move you make.

Always be aware of your surroundings and appear relaxed. Pickpockets like busy streets and crowded places. If someone bumps into you, it could be a pickpocket. If this happens check and make sure you still have your possessions with you, but do not act too obvious.

If something has been stolen from you go to the nearest police station or call the police. Do not call 911 unless you have actually caught someone in the act and you have managed to apprehend the person. Be very careful. Do not risk your life. It is not worth the value of what they may have stolen. Put your own safety first.

I hope this helps those of you who are busy bodies and are always on the go. There are non-lethal, self-defense products out there that can help in your defense against an assailant. Such products include Mace, pepper sprays, personal alarms, and stun devices like stun guns and Tasers. Please check your locality or jurisdiction for pepper spray and stun device restrictions.

Pictures Of Black Hairstyles For You To Try At Home

2007-06-25T03:09:00.000-07:00

Can you use Pictures of Black Hairstyles to help you to decide if black is really your color? Do you have Black hair or maybe you want to color your hair black? If so, then you might want to use Pictures of Black Hairstyles to help you choose what look is right for you.

By using different pictures of black hairstyles you can get an idea of what the effect might or might not do for you. Also, the idea of cutting or changing your hair can be a drastic and frightening step. Using a picture to help you decide makes the choice easier and the adjustment less dramatic.

You can look around at all the different styles, shapes, and cuts for black hair and then possibly print a picture or two for you to use. If you think you have found the right photo, take a picture of your face and neck only and place the hairstyle on it. This will give you a pretty good idea of what you are getting into. Better still see the link below to try different looks on your own photo.

Your face shape and coloring also have a lot to do with whether black is a really good color for you. Using the pictures, you can place them up to your face and see what changes you notice. There will be a difference in the way your skin and shape looks, so using a photograph is a good way to judge whether the choice is right.

The length and upkeep of black hair also play important roles as well. The length will determine how much you can or cannot do with styling it. The upkeep of black hair is different than other colors, from the types of shampoos and conditioners you use to the actual accessories used to style it.

Also, you need to decide whether you want a drastic change in the color and style you choose compared to the one you have now. Not everyone was meant to have black hair just like we are all not blondes either and knowing what will look good, not only on someone else but mainly you, is very important. Try using Pictures of Black Hairstyles on your own photo - see below.

Your Man, Your Friends & Boundaries

2007-06-21T03:12:00.002-07:00

Unquestionably, she is your best friend. You have shared everything about your life and your man with her. She knows the exact size of his penis, the last time you had sex together and how he rates with your past lovers. You trust her implicitly and deeply, the mere thought of her betraying your trust is un-imaginable, because you know in your heart you would never intentionally hurt her.

She can borrow your favorite dress and the necklace from your deceased grandmother, but the one thing that is off limits is your man. The main difference between your best friend and your man is that you share your body with him and he owns a piece of your heart. He arouses a part of your being that no woman could ever touch. You believe in him and his words whispered ever so gently that can only be heard by you. You love them both dearly, but your best friend and your man loving each other is simply out of bounds.

So how do you set boundaries for two entities of your life that you love so much? First, realize that men are supposed to be attracted to women and visa versa. There are no exceptions. It is in the essence of his nature to be smitten by the shapeliness of a woman's body, to become spellbound by her scent and magnetized by her cleavage. For most men there are internal biological and spiritual boundaries that curb them from being attracted to relatives and friends. But sometimes we put too much faith in external laws rather than respecting the natural laws of human nature.

Intellectually, most women understand that it is treacherous to sleep with a friend's male partner. But emotionally, some of us do not see our own role in contributing to this type of betrayal. Listed below are eight suggestions on how to set boundaries between your best friend and your man.

Girlfriend Etiquette

1. Mothers have told us over the years that if a woman is consistently in your home she is after your man or your business. There is a place and time for girl-talk. No woman should be at your home visiting during the work week while you are preparing meals or spending quality time with your husband or boyfriend. Unless she is invited to dinner with a male partner or you are fixing her up with a male friend your home is sacred and should be respected as such. Pay attention to your own behavior with your female friends. Are family members putting on their pajamas while you are there? Yawning? Mentioning how late it is or how sleepy they are? Catch a hint.

2. When you are un-escorted by a male partner you should be conscious of the message you are sending to your friend's male partner. Is your skirt extremely short, cleavage showing, belly out, nipples showing?. Come now ladies, do you present yourself in a manner that shows respect to your girlfriend? Or do you blame her male partner for not controlling himself or acting like a "dog?" Do you bring up inappropriate conversation about sex and your male partners? What vibes are you sending out? We are not talking about male responsibility here, we are talking about being aware of human nature. It is okay to dress provocative when you and your girlfriend are with a male partners because the male energy between the two men will have balancing effect.

3. Don't invite yourself along as a third wheel on your friend's vacations, movies, dinners or concerts with her male partner. Remember, she loves you very much, chances are she will say yes. Be considerate of her relationship and give her the same respect and space that you would want and need. No matter how long the couple has been together, chances are her man is not looking forward to sharing his lady's attention with you.

4. Unless he is calling your friend's home looking for you (under extreme circumstances), there should be mild cordial, conversation on the phone. Your friend should not be in the middle of your lover's quarrels and spats. She is your ace-boon-coon, your comrade not his. Period. Loyalty is very difficult if there is not an underlying single agenda. Your friend knows about the cute guy who you almost gave your number to. The only thing she has in common with your man is YOU. One thing leads to another, don't set yourself up for a three-way-relationship.

5. Don't think that your man would not be attracted to your friends because you are more attractive than they are. What makes a person attractive is very subjective. Mother has always said: It is not the woman that he openly says that he likes and compliments her appearance that you should worry about, but the woman who he constantly calls unattractive and puts down is the one you should be concerned about. This may be his way of throwing you off of his scent and denying his own attraction to her. Yes, you can trust your man. He is around beautiful women all day. Just remember that he is a human being first and a man second. You don't have to touch fire to know that it can burn. Trust that he will honor and respect your relationship, but don't be naive.

6. Should you tell her if you know that her male partner is coming on to you and you have done nothing to solicit this type of behavior? Follow your heart. Limit contact with her when she is spending time with her man. Intuitively she knows, don't become the scapegoat for her relationship.

7. Watch what you tell your man about your girlfriends ladies. He doesn't need to know the size of her vagina, what the guys at work say about her and any of the details of her personal life. Period. Think about some of things that you have shared with your man about your girlfriend, thinking that he will see her as a "tramp." This will back fire. Giving him this information can make her more interesting and appealing. Secondly, stop sharing with your girlfriends information about your man's sexual technique. You have to be responsible for setting boundaries, this is not about trust. When you tell your friends everything about the intimacy between your man and yourself, you exploit the sacredness of the bond between your man and yourself. Many times our friends do not cross our boundaries, we let them in.

8. If you know in your heart that you are attracted to your friend's male partner. Be honest with yourself and don't seek opportunities and excuses to be around him, unless you are willing to sacrifice the friendship. If you know that he is attracted to you distance yourself from him. It is not the mere sex that makes becoming involved with a friend's mate so heinous, it is the loyalty, love and trust that your friend has bestowed upon you that is shattered. When a woman shares her deepest, darkest, most intimate secrets with you, she trusts that you will not use it against her to usurp her man.

2007 Hairstyles - How To Get The Hottest Look For You

2007-06-21T03:12:00.001-07:00

Look hot this season by trying out some of the coolest 2007 hairstyles which will send the mercury soaring wherever you go. Experts predict that the most popular hairstyles this year are going to be influenced by powerful women.

One of the most popular styles this year is the short corporate cut that is considered as a sign of the woman in command. Very low maintenance, this style is simple yet professional and elegant looking at the same time. It’s no small wonder then that the list of the role-models for this type of cut includes Ellen Degeneres, Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton. Another hairstyle that has branched off from this cut is somewhat longer on the apex and tapering down to nearly nothing around the back and ears.

If the aforementioned 2007 hairstyles reflect the look of a hard-working, successful careerist, then surely the following styles represent women who like to work hard and love to party harder!

That’s right, we are talking about the just-out-of-the-shower, shaggy hairstyle which has been already been adorned by many a celebrity this year. Slightly longer than the ultra-short look mentioned above, in this case the hair is styled to give a somewhat punk-type messy yet feminine look. In order to achieve this look, it’s important to not wash the hair too often and to allow the natural oils produced by the scalp to give it a natural glow.

Another look that has made it big in 2007 is the feminine wavy long hair look. This one has been popularized by divas such as Jessica Alba and Shakira. The secret to getting this look is again not to wash the hair regularly as this allows the hair to keep its natural health, hold its shape better and shine with natural oils.

Apart from these 2007 hairstyles, redheads are also very hot this season, so depending on what kind of woman you are, pick any from any one of the above looks and let your tresses do the talking for you!

The Other Woman

2007-06-13T04:32:00.001-07:00

I believed him: when he said that his wife no longer loved him; when he said that he was filing for a divorce; and when he said that he had never loved another woman like me. I simply believed him. I never questioned the time that he did not spend with me. I never wondered if he truly loved me. I never doubted the paltry complaints that he made about his wife or if he had ever stopped loving her. Not even once was I concerned about his marriage with her... that is until she called me.

The phone rang. “Hello,” I said, but there was nothing but moments of silence. Hesitantly, she asked to speak to me. The sound of her voice lingered in the air and I intuitively knew that it was her, his wife. I could feel our hearts beating as one connected to the same line of drama. I sensed her feelings of agony, sadness and betrayal as we both gently hung up the phone. A deep, nagging pang settled in my abdomen and I was paralyzed in the moment. She reminded me of myself during a period of my life that I never wanted to remember. But I had too soon forgotten what it was like to be on the other side of the phone.

When I was married, my husband told me that there was no one else, but I could sense her between us. I couldn’t prove it. I had never even seen traces of her. There were no clichés of lipstick on his collar, hotel receipts or strange phone numbers in his wallet. No, he did not stay out late at night; in fact his actions were very predictable. There was absolutely no tangible evidence, but I knew I had lost him long before he had the courage to leave. Because whomever she was, she had managed to touch my baby so deeply, that only my heart could detect her presence. He denied that she existed and branded me as insecure. How could I ask him to leave a woman who only existed in my imagination?

My imagination was quite vivid. When I snuggled up next to him at night there was no one there, Just the corpse of a man who use to love me. He was obligated to me, but I felt his loyalty to her. I could hear him promising her that he only slept with me, because he had to. I wondered who she was. My mind audited every old girlfriend, coworker and neighbor whom I thought he might be interested in. I wanted to know what she looked like. Were her breasts bigger, smaller, and firmer than mine? Was she prettier than me? I wondered how many times had he made love to her and where and when had he met her. I imagined him caressing her perfect body and declaring his love to her. I tortured myself to sleep each night as his listless body laid next to mine. We both were thinking about her.

I didn’t have to search for her phone number because it was always available waiting for me to address, accept and dial reality. I wanted to see why he loved her. So I called her house just to hear her voice. She sounded, so innocent and sweet that it made my heart ache. She thought I was playing on her phone, but I needed to know if she was real. I needed to hear her voice to validate my instincts. No matter how much it hurt, I needed to prove to my husband what my heart had already known. She knew it was me, the other woman because both of our hearts were connected to the same man. I could hear the echo of her thoughts as we both silently, politely hung up the phone. Upon confronting him, the pain and humiliation was unbearable when he said that he needed time because he loved her too. I never asked the other woman to come into my life therefore; I had no right or power to ask her to leave.

I was disgusted with myself for inflicting such horrendous pain on another human being. I had absolutely no excuse because I knew exactly what my lover’s wife was going through because I have been on both ends of the phone. And now I was the other woman. I wanted to call her back and tell her that I was so sorry. But I couldn’t, because at that point, I loved him too. I demanded that he choose between us. But he clearly stated that there were no easy solutions because he loved both of us and needed time and space to sort his feelings. After a few days of thinking, I decided to treat his wife as if she were me. I asked myself what would I have wanted if I was her. I searched my soul and went back to the exact moment when I suffered the most and my decision was easy, clear and faultless. I told him that I sensed that his wife loved him more than he could ever imagine and I gave him back to her.

Bridal Lingerie – Surely the Ultimate Pleasure

2007-06-13T04:31:00.000-07:00

Congratulations - you are getting married. You have got your gown fitted and the invitations are sent. Are you missing anything? Have you considered your bridal lingerie? No, well, let the fun begin. Bridal lingerie in the uk and around the world has never been more alluring and memorable than today.

Today’s brides have a myriad of choices in wedding lingerie. No longer just for the honeymoon, but for the wedding itself. Many gowns need a very specific type of bra, often strapless. Strapless bras have never been more comfortable. You want to look your very best so be sure to find a bra that is supportive and shows off your breasts to their best advantage. For very fitted gowns, you may want a bustier. Bustiers not only show off cleavage beautifully, they slim the waist to a perfect hourglass. By choosing a bustier that also works with your going away outfit your husband will get to enjoy it also as you begin your honeymoon. You also must consider your bridal underwear. You don’t want to wear just any old pair from your drawer; you need something pretty and sexy. Be sure to choose a pair that works well with your gown, minimizes those panty lines and is in a neutral color tone.

When shopping for your sexy bridal lingerie set, consider the mood you want to set on your honeymoon. Of course, you want to be sexy and erotic, but will you also want some fun and flirty options? Many brides chose elegant bridal lingerie for the first night of the honeymoon. Elegant choices are frequently silk or a silk blend long gowns. White or cream are popular colors. Many bridal lingerie sets are embellished with delicate detailed lace and pearls or sequins. For breakfast in the room in the morning, choose bridal lingerie set that has a matching robe. Then you are set to enjoy mimosas in style. Remember you are what really makes the sexy lingerie look good.

For later in the honeymoon, go with some more erotic lingerie. A flirty baby doll set is just the thing. Babydolls are fun, affordable and very erotic. When shopping for your bridal lingerie, wander through the more exotic selections. Look for something in your groom’s favorite color. Then find a long robe to put over your baby doll so you can do a big reveal on your honeymoon. He will be sure to enjoy that.

Getting married is a great time to refresh your lingerie and panty drawer. Throw out all those tired panties, worn out gowns, and scruffy robe you’ve had since college. It’s time to start fresh and your husband will surely appreciate the new lingerie as well. Shopping for wedding lingerie and other lingerie items to start your new life together is a great break from the stressful planning of the wedding. Call up your best girlfriend and go shopping. Maybe she will find something she likes too. This is no time to be shy or for t-shirts and flannel sleep pants. You will need new panties for everyday and the wedding. For your honeymoon, you will want at least one long gown with matching robe and one erotic lingerie choice. But don’t stop there. Pick up a few items to surprise your husband with on your first month anniversary or maybe to cheer him up after a long day at work. Remember, you will be a newly married woman and you have a man to tease and please.

The Strengh Of A Woman - Happy Mother's Day, Mom

2007-06-08T03:26:00.001-07:00

Since it’s going to be Mother’s Day in a couple of days, I decided to ask my mother to share with me her experience of becoming a mother for the first and only time.

The two of us recently sat down on my bed. We went through some pictures of my childhood. She‘s always present in them and those were her teenage years. I look at her and I recognize the same beautiful woman -- just with a few extra lines of maturity on her tired face. It’s time to begin. So, I turn my recorder on and prepare to listen to her telling me the story of how my body came to this world.

It doesn’t take long before my mother closes her eyes and lies down. She begins:

“When I was seven months pregnant of you, I found out your father was cheating on me, I was very upset and committed to get a divorced as I felt like he violated my woman’s right to be loved and protected - not betrayed. Both his and my family were extremely disappointed by him; but a baby was in its way, and they felt like he should have been forgiven by me at least for your own sake. I couldn’t trust him anymore like I would have wanted. And I had a dignity to keep up to. But I didn’t like the idea of you growing up without a father.

While all these thoughts were processing in my mind …a few days later my water broke, so I called the doctor. (He) told me to rush to the hospital where he was. Your father, my mother and I seat in the car, and drove. I saw a bridge ahead of us, and my gut feeling was telling me something was going to happen. I didn’t like that bridge for some mysterious reason, but we had to cross it. While we were crossing it, a car behind us decided to overtake us, not realizing she wasn’t going to make it in time to go back to her lane. A semi-trailer truck was speeding towards us. The car crashed into it and made our car flip until it finally stopped against the truck. I broke the front window flying away from the car, I fell on the ground and I was ‘clinically dead’ with you inside of my womb.

Your father was fine and my mother broke a foot, the rest of the people involved in the accident were also doing ok. Your father was crying and so everybody else witnessing the scene. People thought I was dead, and they called an ambulance, but a man realized I was pregnant and thought the ambulance was taking too much time, therefore he decided to put me in the backseat of his car and take me to the nearest hospital.

I was in coma, but you were still inside of me - alive and fighting with me. The doctors told dad and grandma that only a miracle could of saved either one of us. They said:

‘Let’s just pray, as we are powerless.’

“Nowadays maybe something could have been done; I don’t know, but in Italy in 1983, there was nothing to do but pray.”

Although it’s not the first time hearing this my story, I still get emotional. To the point where I have to take a deep breath and fight my tears, I ask my mother if she saw anything while she was in this state of “life and death.”

“Yes. I remember it felt like I was dreaming,” she responded. “I saw a group of old women wearing the authentic black Sardinian folk clothes and dancing in a circle. I remember I asked them if they knew my grandmother. They replied, ‘Yes, don’t worry young lady, your grandmother went to church to pray for you.’

Two days later I woke up from the coma. As soon as I came to my senses, you couldn’t wait either to come to (see the) light. So with a broken arm, a confused mind, but lots of desire to see you, I found the strength to welcome you in my life.’

At this point both my mother and I were in tears. I hugged her. As I did, she told me that I was so tiny, but so beautiful. She said I had pitch-black hair and blue eyes, and that is why my father named me Azzurra. In Italian, Azzurra means, sky blue .

‘They had to put you inside an incubator for two months,’ my mother continued. ‘And I didn’t leave the hospital until it was time for both of us to go home. You were known as the “miracle baby.” It was the first time Italy had witnessed a story such as this so you was already making news and headlines!’ My mother laughed with pride. I then asked her if the coma left her any scars. Not surprised, I learned it did and left her with a humming noise inside her brain that is inoperational because it’s nothing but a noise. At times it irritates her to the point she feels she will go insane.

“Today we are both alive and health,” I say to my mother,

“Yes, we are both very lucky;” she confirmed. “And I have been very blessed to have you as my daughter. I knew I was going to give life to a strong baby girl such as yourself,” she concluded convincingly.

Before I stopped recording the conversation, I asked, “Is there anything else you want to add to this story, mom?”

“Yes I do,” she said. “You and I were very strong; but I owe this to the spirit of my grandmother whom I believe was our angel. You see, when I named you Francesca, I thought it was a beautiful name that meant being frank and honest. But not long ago I found out that my grandmother’s formal name was Francesca Maria Agostina. However, the family never knew this. She was always called Maria. Now I know she has the same name as the angel that looked over us.

Today, I can’t help but look at my mother with amazement. She has been through so much – alone - and with us. I thank her for not having gave up on me then; and for always have been by my side during all these years and never gave up on me not just then but for all this time. That is what makes you a mother, Mom. It really is, “through thick and thin, in good times and bad times, and til death do you apart” when you have children. Right?

“Right” says my Mother. She then expresses her desire to be as blessed as she has been. I end the conversation by stopping the recording. My hope is to be at least as half as good with my children, as she has been with me. That would still make me a great mother. And, I imagine that makes her a GRAND woman.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

2007-06-08T03:25:00.001-07:00

It’s two in the morning and you’ve just turned off the horror movie you’ve watched for the last two hours. It wasn’t great, but you just couldn’t seem to stop watching it. You’re exhausted and can hardly keep your eyes open as you head towards your bedroom. For some reason you feel tense as you walk up those stairs and you just can’t help thinking, what if there’s someone around the next corner, waiting to “get you”. As you continue to walk, it gets worse; now you hear a noise. You ask yourself, “did I really hear that or is it just because I’m tense over that stupid movie?” You keep walking along, and now you hear another noise that definitely sounds like it’s coming from the roof. You ask yourself, “Could I really be hearing this stuff? It’s got to be the movie, right?” Now you’re nervous and doubting yourself and you really don’t know what to do next.

Well, let me break something to you. If you heard noises—you heard them. When we’re tense we are more in tune to whatever is happening around us. It’s a physical reaction that nature instills in all of us--to help us survive. We become hyper-aware. We hear and see things much more clearly.

Regarding the example above though, you may have heard those same noises before, however, at that time, thought nothing of it, not perceiving it as a threat and unconsciously skipping right over it.

Below are some tips to help you to deal with noises at night
• Know this: At night there may be no television or radio noise, little or no automobile traffic sounds, no sounds from lawnmowers or children playing outside, just silence. When there’s silence, every little sound can be heard, such as the natural creaky sounds of a house that may be settling or reacting to the weather, to the sounds of the wind, or animals that may be near to—or actually on your home. As a policeman, I answered more calls than I can remember of people hearing noises in or around their homes at night. By far, the vast majority of those calls were caused by easily explained non-threatening phenomenon such as the ones mentioned above.
• When you are hypersensitive because of a scary movie you’ve watched or a crime report you may have heard about (happening in another area) remember this tip: TELL yourself you will be CALM and you will assess the particulars of the sounds you hear. The key to handling any catastrophe, stress or danger is to keep calm. Yes, you too, can keep yourself calm; calm enough, no matter whom you are, to look at things as they really are, while they are occurring. AFFIRM that you will be calm and see things as they actually are. Do not sway from that affirmation.
• Always keep your doors and windows locked no matter where you live.
• If you hear noises outside, turn outside lights on. Criminals and animals do not like light, and most likely, if there’s something out there, they will leave.
• If common sense or calm assessing of noises shows you there’s the possibility of danger, call the police.

Most nighttime noises simply are nothing to be concerned with. However, there are the very serious sounds that can be caused by criminals. That’s why it’s the best course of action to remind yourself that you can handle anything that comes your way--when utilizing calm judgment.

The Alternative Hen Night

2007-06-05T04:12:00.001-07:00

Organising a hen night for a close friend or your sister can be a daunting task especially if L-plate, tacky tiaras and inflatable men aren’t really your thing!

Fear not there is an alternative……

Recently spas and hotels across the UK have realised that not everyone wants to have a rowdy hen night on the town and have started to offer spa breaks as an alternative getaway for hen parties.

What could be better than a relaxing day or weekend away with the girls at some of Britains wonderful hotels and spas? Take advantage of facilities such as saunas, steam rooms, whirlpools and Jacuzzi’s. Some venues even have a full programme of workouts for the more energetic. If you are looking for something a little less vigorous then many venues around the country have beautiful grounds that you can take a leisurely stroll in.

Anything from a spa day to a full weekend spa break are available at venues around the UK.

What’s Included?

Spa Days are likely to include the following:
One or two spa treatments
A light lunch
Full use of the venues leisure facilities i.e. swimming pool, gym, sauna & steam rooms

Spa Breaks generally include:

1 or 2 nights accommodation
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Several spa treatments
Full us of the venues leisure facilities

What Type of Treatments can I Expect?

Most spa breaks will include one or two treatments. This can range from a manicure or pedicure to a facial or back, neck and shoulder massage. It varies from venue to venue

When Should I Book?

It is always advisable to book a group as early as possible as spa breaks are extremely popular. Extra treatments can usually be added on to your break but again this needs to be done in advance to avoid disappointment.

Nurse Lingerie - A Favorite Among British Men

2007-06-05T04:11:00.000-07:00

Nurse lingerie is tops when it comes to fantasy uniforms. Need proof? A recent survey found that nurses are Britain’s most sexually fantasized about profession. In fact, 54% of British men say they fantasize about nurses. I guess that means that nurse uniforms are at the top of their Valentine’s Day wish list!

So how did this ultra-popular fantasy come about? It’s probably due, in part, to the portrayal of nurses in the days of vaudeville. The super sexy nurse was one of vaudeville’s most common running gags. As with today’s nurse costume, the actresses would wear a low-cut, sexually suggestive version of the standard nurse uniform. When she entered the room, the men on stage would holler “Hello, nurse!” as a catcall.

When you think of a nurse costume you probably think of the classic version:
• Tight white mini-dress
• White nurse’s cap
• Stethoscope
• Fishnet stockings
• High heels

The vast majority of nurse uniforms are white and trimmed with red. They typically feature a red cross on the front. But in recent years nurse lingerie has really branched out. Gothic and fetish-style lingerie remains a popular subset of intimate apparel. To fit this trend, you can now find Gothic nurse uniforms. With most fantasy lingerie, either nurses are naughty or nice. These fetish nurses don’t fit that mold. They’re dark and seductively evil.

Instead of white cotton, Gothic nurse costumes are made from black material, usually leather, rubber, or PVC. They also feature Gothic detailing, such as corsets, chains, and metal rings. In place of high heels, these nurse costumes are paired with chunky knee-high black boots. And of course, the fishnet stockings are black, not white.

Nurses aren’t the only medical profession with the potential for sex appeal. Along the same line as nurse uniforms are sexy doctor and pharmacist fantasy uniforms.

Regardless of which style you choose, the survey clearly shows that nurse costumes are can’t-miss fantasy lingerie.

French maids came in second place in the survey mentioned above. Forty percent of British men say it’s the profession they fantasize about most. The French maid has been a sexy symbol for a very long time. As with nurses, there’s a bit of history that can trace the roots of this sexual fantasy.

The typical French maid costume (black dress, white trim, apron, etc) derives from costumes worn by actresses portraying maids in burlesque shows. Burlesque shows were highly sexually charged, and French maids were a staple of bedroom farces. These shows set the stage for the French maid fantasy. This sexy caricature of household help morphed into one of today’s most popular fantasy uniforms.

As you know, fantasy lingerie can go just about as revealing and risqué as you like. If you’re feeling really adventurous, go for a French maid costume made entirely out of sheer fabric. They’re the same style and color as the typical uniform, but entirely see-through!

Don’t forget the feather duster -- of course, whether you do any house cleaning is up to you!

The Do's and Don'ts of the Red Hat Society

2007-05-21T03:50:00.003-07:00

The Red Hat Society is a wonderful organization where women, usually over the age of 50, gather for fun, parties and a whole lot of camaraderie. Perhaps you've already heard the buzz and are thinking about becoming a member or starting a chapter in your own neighborhood. Or maybe you've recently retired, have raised your family, ran your household and are looking for a little something different in your life.

Here are some do's and don't regarding the exciting and friendly world of The Red Hat Society.

The Red Hat Society Do's

- Do join a chapter if you are looking for new and exciting ways to celebrate life. The women of the society are known for throwing fabulous parties and their famous tea parties.

- Do buy a stunning red hat and a spectacular purple outfit once you're ready to become one of the Red Hatters. The more elaborate and beautiful the better!

- Do join in on the fun if you're under the age of 50 and wear a lovely pink hat and a crazy lavender outfit until you reach that special birthday.

- Do know that you will form new and lasting friendships that you'll more than likely treasure for a lifetime.

- Do remember that each chapter of The Red Hat Society is free to plan any type of fun event that they wish.

The Red Hat Society Don'ts

- Don't join the society if you don't want to meet new and interesting people.

- Don't bother becoming a member if you don't plan on having a lot of fun and trying out new, exciting things.

- Don't bother joining if you aren't prepared to wear the most gorgeous red hats and purple outfits that you can possibly find!

- Don't join the group if you're looking for one that's extremely organized or one that follows a set list of guidelines or rules.

- Don't miss out on becoming a part of the best group in the world where friendly, caring women come together for fun and friendship!

Babies at Work? Of Course!

2007-05-21T03:50:00.001-07:00

In today's world, it's normal for women to work outside of the home. Just a few decades ago, it was the exception. But when women become pregnant and have babies, the choice to work can become quite a problem for everybody involved. Though most companies must allow six to twelve weeks of maternity leave, the new mother might not be paid for that time off.

Even worse, a six- or twelve-week-old baby is extremely young. Babies are still very dependent on their mothers, especially if they're breastfed. It makes no sense to me that babies are forced to separate from their mothers at such early ages. Babies need their mothers, pure and simple. There is no substitute for a mother when it comes to raising her children. The bond is biological, and affects how women feel at work and in their life. And infants remain babies until they're well over one year old.

But should women be allowed to bring their babies to work? I think so. And I think everyone would benefit. When I went back to work (my daughter was about 7 weeks old), I was still very hormonal. I worried about her, called the daycare often, cried when I dropped her off at daycare, cried at work, and tried to spend every moment with her when I got home (missing sleep, as a result). I was a basket case. And my work suffered. I was tense, worried, sleepy, and I had to take time twice a day to pump enough milk for the next work day.

Eventually, the toll was too much, and I quit my job. As a single mother, this was a tough decision.

Had I been able to bring my daughter to work with me, I could have fed her discreetly in a sling and she would have had the comfort of being next to Mommy all day long. Some studies show that babies who are held often cry very little, if at all. At the very least, if my office had a nursery in the building, I could have left her there while I worked, still able to nurse her and mother her.

This isn't about making things easier for women. It's about making life better for babies. Too many are being raised by others, along with several other children. Mothers and babies were designed to have a largely one-on-one relationship. As a result, I believe our society will suffer from this detached parenting forced by our current workplace 'rules.' Things have to change.

Ovulation Calendar Choices - Find The Best For You

2007-05-21T03:49:00.003-07:00

If you are woman trying to find your online ovulation calendar, you could start with a google search and get lots of results. This summary of ovulation calendars will help you cut to the chase and make an informed decision quickly.

First let’s review three techniques for determining when ovulation occurs:

1) Calendar method: This method uses the starting date of the woman's period and the cycle length. Assuming a regular cycle, ovulation occurs 14 days before the next period date. It's the simplest of methods that works reasonably well for a majority of women. It does not work too well for women with irregular cycles.

2) Basal temperature:

During the days prior to ovulation, a rise in the level of luteinizing hormone LH causes a slight drop in body temperature. When ovulation occurs, the body temperature goes up. A basal thermometer is accurate enough to detect the changes in body temperature and can be used to determine when ovulation occurs. It's more accurate than the calendar method but of course it comes with the price of having to remember to measure the temperature every morning. The biggest change in temperature is noticeable when ovulation has occurred, meaning a woman may not know about her most fertile days until after the fact.

3) Cervical Mucus (CM)

During the days prior to ovulation, the cervical mucus thins as its pH level rises. The thinner mucus allows the sperms to pass through the cervix and reach the fallopian tubes, where they wait for an ovum to be released. Shortly after ovulation the mucus reverts to being thicker again. So by performing daily checks of the cervical mucus, a woman can detect how fertile she is.

Now let’s take a look at the tools you are most likely to find when searching for it on the internet. Most of the sites offer the calendar method which requires the minimum effort for the user. I grouped the sites into two main categories. Category one is sites that use the calendar method only. Category two is sites that use a mix of methods, category, basal temperature and cervical mucus. Finally, a third category lists a few offerings for download to a desktop or PDA.

CALENDAR METHOD: WEB

The following are free and don't require registration:

* pregnancy.about.com
* americanpregnancy.org
* marchofdimes.com
* ibabydust.com
* babyhopes.com
* babycenter.com
* yourdays.com is free but requires registration.

CALENDAR METHOD: WIRELESS

* LadyTimer.com is the only ovulation calendar choice for women who prefer to use their cell phone. Ladytimer is free with registration.

MULTIPLE METHODS (Calendar, Temperature, CM):

* Cyclepage.com used to be a pay site, but now it is free with signup required.
* Webmd.com offers the calendar based ovulation calendar free. They charge $20 per month for the extended service version.
* MyMonthlyCycles.com is free with a somewhat lengthy signup requirement. In return the member gets to see cute little rabbit pictures on the calendar showing fertile days.
* FertilityFriend.com and FertileDays are the same. Basic charts are free with signup required, and they promote a paid VIP services. I couldn't find any contact info on their site, which also seemed to generate user complaints on reviews on Epinions.com
* Ivillage.com offers the fertility planner at 8$ per month with initial free trial.

There are also many downloadable ovulation calendars for your desktop or PDA, way too many to attempt to produce a complete list. Here is a short list:

* Idreamofbaby.com is free fertility software
* iKonceive costs around $30
* ovulation-calendar.com costs around $30

Hopefully this summary of popular available ovulation calendars will help you find your best option.

Female Quadis in Iran

2007-05-21T03:49:00.001-07:00

Why can women not be appointed as judges in the Islamic Republic of Iran?

Introduction

Women cannot become verdict speaking judges in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Why?

Is this rule based on the Islamic treatment of women and their role in society or is it furthermore an adaptation of traditional rules? Women’s rights in Islam seem to be interpreted and misinterpreted, perhaps more than in any other religion.

This might be because of the lack of knowledge of insiders and outsiders of the religion, as well as the political representation through the Middle Eastern countries, with the starting point of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.

The question whether women could be appointed as judges has become one of the main controversial issues, since numerous clerics believe that this would be against the true meaning of the Quran. In Iran, while women are allowed to listen to civil cases as judges, they are prohibited from becoming the verdict-speaking judge in civil courts and absolutely prevented from participating as judges in criminal courts.

1 In the Persian Empire, the role of women and their rights was historically determined by their relationship with the king.

2 While during the Achaenemid Dynasty, the king was the sole source of authority, legislature and executive branch simultaneously, women enjoyed economic independence. They were involved in state affairs and had decision rights in numerous situations (wealth, marriage, and occupation).

3 Women had the opportunity to choose their profession and stay financially independent, which indicates that regardless of their family status they were not separate living creatures behind high walls, just kept for child bearing.

4 Through the Achaenemid Empire, Persian empresses, such as Pourandokht and Atoosah, daughter of Cyrus I., were accepted as leaders and rulers of the nation.

5 There was unequal treatment of women under the Qajar dynasty in effect between the World Wars. This caused Iran to be seen as a backwards and unreasonable country in regards to human rights and especially women’s rights.

6 The major date for re-evaluating women’s rights in Iran between the World Wars is 1928: Reza-Khan, the ruling shah from the Pahlavi dynasty decided to attend a state event with his wife and his daughters without “higab”, the veil.

7 In 1979, another major change in the role of women role occurred: through the Islamic Revolution. Women were forced to put on the hijab and they were guaranteed to be treated equally on the Islamic level.

13 But soon after the revolution, promises given to women were taken back. While many women did not mind the dress-restriction, conservative clerics imposed Islamic law mechanically.

14 The Islamic government required not only the hijab for women, but went further and forced all female members of the courthouses out of their jobs. Even though women had a tremendous role in the Islamic revolution, they were only given supportive roles and no leadership positions in the governmental institutions.

15 Hence, women started fighting for their own rights and requested a reform of the Islamic movement.

16 A Persian woman’s magazine published that, due to the wrong interpretation of Islamic verses, women rights were suppressed and improperly denied.

17 Islam tried to reject the notion that women were objects for the male society. Instead women are described as the nurturer of the public and the protector of humankind.

18 Arabic society would call “son-less” families abtar, meaning the ones who will not continue. But Islam rejected such a notion. As an example, when Prophet Muhammad’s son died at the age of two, the Sure Kauthar (108) was revealed, which secured the continuation of the family through female descendants.

19 At a time when Arab society would bury their daughters alive, the Prophet would honor women in their role as society leaders.

20 The issue is whether the appointment of a woman to become a judge in the Islamic Republic of Iran would contravene (a) Iranian law (b) Islamic law. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran is strictly based on the Quran and states the equality of the genders in two articles.

21
i. Art 20 of the Iranian Constitution
ii. Art 21 (1) of the Iranian Constitution
i. Sure 4 (Nessah):34
ii. Sure 2 (Baqarrah): 228
Under the rule based on hadith, there are different schools of thought. An isolated ahad hadith requires the restatement of two people only, and is not accepted by the majority of an Islamic group.

Abu Bakr was one of the closest followers of the Prophet, who wrote his hadith twenty-five years after the Prophet died. He states in his hadith that the Prophet was outraged when he saw that a Persian king’s daughter was ruling over the Persian nation. Furthermore, he declares that the Prophet told his followers that no nation would be able to grow under female leadership.

22

An indefinite (mutawatir) hadith is told by many people and is accepted by most Moslems within a sect. Sayidinah Ali was another follower of the Prophet. He cites in his hadith that the treatment of women reflects one’s own respect for humankind and for God’s creatures.

23 The question of female leadership came up mainly after the women’s liberation movements of the 20th century. According to Article 20 of the Iranian Constitution women and men are to be treated equally. However, the article states that this treatment should be according to the law and does not mention that the genders have equal rights.

24 The meaning of law is interpreted further in the sentence “… in conformity with Islamic criteria”, which means that the treatment is only equal and the basic principles are only considered in a given scope. This interpretation however, is not the one given by the Quran, but is interpreted in the Preamble of the Islamic Constitution. "The family is the fundamental unit of society and the main center for the growth and edification of human being. … Not only does woman recover thereby her momentous and precious function of motherhood, rearing of ideologically committed human beings, she also assumes a pioneering social role and becomes the fellow struggler of man in all vital areas of life."

The contradiction in the article becomes clear when it is read parallel to the preamble. Sure enough the rights are given, but the woman is considered in her high role of motherhood and mentor for her family society.

On the other hand, the preamble states: “Through the creation of Islamic social infrastructures, all the elements of humanity that served the multifaceted foreign exploitation shall regain their true identity and human rights. As a part of this process, it is only natural that women should benefit from a particularly large augmentation of their rights, because of the greater oppression that they suffered under the old regime.”

Hence, even though it is not directly stated, the Islamic Constitution wants to give women more rights than they had during the Pahlavi dynasty and claims to go back to the “true” Islamic rules. This can be supported by the requirements the Constitution sets for leaders in general:

Article 109 [Leadership Qualifications]
While the requirements concentrate on the professional and social ability of a candidate, a gender requirement is not mentioned. The best example of the misinterpretation of this article is given in Shirin Ebadi’s case, who states that after the revolution she was not able to be a judge, based on the rule that women were too emotional and hence, not able to judge fairly. She and thirteen female judges were suspended from their work and were given clerical roles at the courthouses.

25 Article 21 (1) also states the “…Islamic criteria…” as the main measurement for gender rights. It even continues by stating that women should be able to develop and be supported in their role as “mother” and “raiser of humans”.

26 Setting the measuring stick with the Islamic criteria leaves a tremendous option for interpretations. These interpretations are usually done by the more powerful people in the political society, which are men and hence, read to their own liking.

27 One could argue that to become a presidential candidate, one has to be “rejal”, which means in Persian “mature and wise “, but this is interpreted by the higher power as a male person.

28 Furthermore, a gender requirement could be seen in Art 107: “… qualifications mentioned in Article 109, they shall elect him as the Leader.”. This cannot be supported as an argument, since the Persian language does not distinguish between the 3rd person singular, and hence, him is just a mistake of the English translation.

The Iranian government claims that there are female judges in the country, however, not revealing that they act as “Inquiry Judges”: paralegals, legal secretaries and legal assistants.

29 Before the islamization of the Middle East, women in that region had basically no rights. They were treated as slaves in their own homes and were not considered as human beings. 30 For the first time in religious history, the Quran mentions women, addresses women directly, and dedicates two chapters to them. One sureh is named Nessah, the Arabic word for women, another is called after Maryam, the mother of Jesus.31 Nessah draws distinction between men and women and reveals their different social roles (Nessah: 1), inheritance law (Nessah: 11), and their positions in family law. (Nessah: 23-25).32 But Nessah is not the only verse speaking about women. Furthermore, it should be seen as a summary of the entire “female” rights in the Quran.

Several unique women are mentioned: The wife of Noah, the wife of the Pharaoh, and Maryam, the mother of Jesus are cited as samples of believers (Ahqaf: 10-11) and the wife of Egypt’s Aziz who fell desperately in love with Yusuf (Josef) is mentioned (Yusuf: 2) as a non-believer who converted.

The Nessah verse is misinterpreted and read to mean that
• men are superior to women and
• have authority over them.

33 This is supported by the argument that men are qawwamuna, which is translated as superiority over women. Part of the sureh, which states that “some are preferred over others”, is interpreted as men are preferred over women.

However, the Quran does not support this interpretation. Furthermore, it indicates equality among the genders by bringing supporting sureh Al-Taubeh: 71, which clarifies the meaning of care and responsibility. “…for the believing men and for the believing women, they are guardians of each other…” and Al-Taubeh: 72 “… to the believing men and the believing women…” Al Taubeh states that women and men are awliyya, meaning supporters of each other and gives rules for commitment to both of them.

34 It is also argued that the superiority of men can be seen in the second part of the verse “… what they spend of their property (for the support of women) …”. But this argument can not be supported. Before the Quran was written, women did not work, and hence did not have the financial capability to survive. Therefore, judges at that time did not take the ‘new’ changed social status of women into account and continued seeing the man as financial head of the family.

35 Additionally gender equality can be supported by Sure Ahzab: 34-35, where both men and women are addressed.
“Surely the men who submit and the women who submit… believing men and believing women…obeying men and obeying women… truthful men and truthful women…humble men and humble women…”.

Afsane Majmabani, an Iranian woman in the judicial field, claims also that she was forbidden to follow her career as a judge. She argues that the Quran does not support this treatment, since the Quran itself refers to female judges.36 The best example is Belquis the Queen of Saba, whose duties did not only include to rule over her nation in Marib, but to set verdict in legal cases. Sure Al-Naml: 23 also mentions a visitor entering the kingdom and citing at a later date: “Surely I found a woman ruling over them… and she has a mighty throne.”

Baqarrah: 282 states that the testimony of two women equals that of one man, and explains this requirement with the following “… so that if one of them should make a mistake, the other should remind her.” This verse is understood as the main source of women’s lack of intellect and their incapability to judge on their own.

37 This interpretation of the verse is taken out of its context. Given the time and location of Quran’s revelation, this statement would have been a very progressive step for women. As we could see from the history of the Islamic development, it is clear that woman did not have any rights before Islam.38 While Islam did give them numerous rights and did not question their intellectual capability; they were unfamiliar with the world outside their own homes and did have little knowledge about society.

Furthermore, this interpretation against women does not consider the fact that first, women were allowed to be witnesses, and second that the Prophet’s first wife, Khadijah, was one of the only business women of her time; nevertheless, she hired male workers and trusted their business sense.

39 Neither could this be supported by Ahzab: 33, which requires two women witnesses verses one man. This as well has to be understood in the historical frame. This verse was written at a time, when Aisha was accused of cheating on the prophet. She had been alone in the desert and returned with a young man, who had rescued her, hence people immediately started rumors.

40 iii. Hadith of Abu Bakr Since the Quran was not sufficient enough to give rules for every life situation, several narratives were collected, which gave numerous points of view for each situation, and made the religion difficult to understand. 41 The main goal of the hadiths was to define certain topics and give an explanation for Quranic rules. But, regardless of the number of present hadiths, a hadith can only be a rule set as a fundamental rule, if it is not in contradiction with the Quran, is not in contradiction with the human intelligence, and does not contradict historical events.

Abu Bakr’s Hadith states that women are not to become Khalifeh, which is the female version of Khalif, the leader of a nation. 42 To support his understanding of the Quran, his followers cite the following sources:
•"And when you ask of them anything, then ask them from behind a curtain." (Al Ahzāb: 53). This should be seen again in the context of the Quran. To avoid men entering houses where women were walking around in light clothes, and underwear, any door or wall is considered a “curtain”. The verse wanted to give women their right of privacy and prohibit any uninvited entrance into their homes
•"O Nabi! Tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw their jilbābs (a special cloak that covers the entire body) close around them ...."(Al Ahzāb:59) This is directed mainly to the women of the prophet. They should cover themselves up as a sign of dignity and superior standing. Their cover showed in public that they did not belong to the working class, but to the higher class, and should not be approached under any circumstances.

43 His stance is supported by Al-Zukhruf: 18 "… Is then one brought up among trinkets and unable to give a clear account in a dispute (to be associated with Allāh). This hadith argues that women’s intellect is so low that they would not be able to express themselves and decide between wrong and right, since they are preoccupied with their beauty.

44

He cites the Battle of the Camel, in which one of the prophet’s wives Aisha was the commander of the army and led them into the battlefield, which cost most of the soldiers their lives. Additionally, Abu Bakr states that Aisha herself regretted the fact of taking a leadership position.

45 Hence, he argues that not only should women not have leadership positions, but also they do not want to have them. What he does not consider are the following facts: The Prophet Mohammad was alive at the time of the Battle, and he himself gave his young wife the control of the army. In addition, none of the soldiers rebelled against the female leadership.

46 If the position of women were as Abu Bakr claimed it to be, it is denying the fact that the prophet treated his daughter, Fatimah, with such respect and used her as a sample of a religious, yet independent woman.

47 This hadith also does not consider the fact that after the first collection of the Quran, it was trusted to one of the prophet’s wives, who made copies and distributed them amongst Muslims.

48 Abu Bakr’s hadith also does not consider the fact that the first follower of the Prophet and his “new” religion was his first wife, Kahdijah.

49 If Islam treated women as unreasonable and weak, it would have not accepted their participation. Additionally, it is stated that the first person to commit jihad in the name of Islam, was a woman.

50 Moreover, Abu Bakr’s position does not explain why the Quran would give women rights regarding family affairs, inheritance and would let them have their own property without male guardianship, and on the other side treat them as incapable creatures.

51 His argument, that the prophet had apparently stated that a nation under female leadership could not develop properly, has no basis in the Quran. Al Naml: 31 tells us about the queen of Sabah, Belquiz, who was the head of her nation and due to her belief is highly recognized and respected.

52 Hence, the hadith of Abu Bakr would contradict the Quranic verses and denies the historical events. This hadith is an isolated one, and it does not have the competence of being rule binding. It is therefore unreasonable to regard it as a source of whether women can be appointed as leaders, in this case as verdict speaking judges. iv. Hadith of Sayyidinah Ali This general (mutawatir) hadith states that the Prophet had appointed a woman as the leader of the prayer, while numerous elder men were around.

53 Additionally he states the Prophet consulted women on many occasions for decisions. This definitely does not support the argument that women lack intelligence. Seyyadinah Ali affirms further that the Prophet wanted women to have an independent life, marry and get a divorce whenever they wanted to.

54 Even if the Prophet did not truly want women to hold leadership positions, there should be a distinction between the leadership positions in different circumstances.
•Personalized leadership, where the ruler is not dependent on anyone else,
•Absolute, with no sanctions, and
*Not absolute, with sanctions 55
The appointment of women as judges would clearly fall into the last category, due to the fact that her power would not be absolute, and she would be required to obey the written law. In conclusion it can be said that the appointment of women as judges does not contradict the Quran or the position of Persian women in the Iranian constitution.

Furthermore, the policy against this is based on the traditional interpretation that women are inferior and emotional. Hence, they would not be able to fulfill the job requirements of being objective and critical. As Motahari Frauim Islam states in his writing (Die Stellung der Frau im Islam) Women in Islam:

“In our modern times we do accept the differences between men and women, there are psychological ones and biological ones, and however,

through the differentiation they should enhance each other”

56. Most likely, the notion that women cannot be judges is based on some hadiths with the belief that women were made after god created men. But this should not make women inferior in terms of choosing their occupation. It is unfortunate that no one has the possibility to challenge this treatment and request a legal change from the Iranian government. It is upsetting to see that no one is able to petition the government to make constitutional changes. I truly believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran has to put traditions aside and interpret the Quran for the modern times. Sure enough, it might be extraordinary to see a woman speaking out the verdict and the change might not be accepted quickly by the Iranian society. But even for that, the answer lies within the Quran: Ra’d:11 “Allah does not change the situation of people unless they change it themselves.”

Fragrance Tips and Tricks

2007-05-21T03:48:00.001-07:00

When you are considering purchasing a perfume or cologne that you've never purchased before there are some things that you should know so that you can make a wise decision. Here are some tips and tricks that every fragrance wearer should know.
# If a perfume or cologne smells great on your friend so you are going to purchase it WAIT! First of all fragrances smell different on everyone. Maybe you can talk your friend into letting you try the fragrance first or get a small sample of the fragrance before you spend the money on getting a full bottle.
# Actually try on the fragrance before buying it. Don't just smell it fragrance from the bottle. Really try it on and leave it on for a little while before deciding if you really like it. I have found that when you put a fragrance on it's really strong at first. Give it some time to lower it's potency. Then you will see what the fragrance is really going to smell like on you.
# NOSE FATIGUE! It's a real thing. If you think that the 10th bottle of perfume that you have smelled is the best then you should wait a while and smell it again. Nose fatigue is caused by smelling too many fragrances at one time. When you do this everything really smells mixed together and sometimes everything you smell starts to smell the same. So, smell maybe 2 or 3 fragrances at a time. Then give your nose a rest because it will need it.
# Ok so i know that some of the bottles online here are cute. Oh and the cell phone perfume and cologne bottles called "Hello" are just the neatest. Then there is "Watt" that looks like a light bulb. These are really neat marketing ideas but remember that it's the fragrance inside that bottle that you should really be concerned with. Make sure that it's the right fragrance for you and not just the right bottle.

Mentoring Basics for Working Mothers

2007-05-15T05:14:00.001-07:00

Success in motherhood, career and life doesn't happen alone. If you want to move beyond the daily, "just getting by" routine of your work/life, then it's time to find a mentor or mentors.

"Everyone who makes it has a mentor," declared the Harvard Business Review in its July/August 1978 issue. Mentoring has always been an integral part of career advancement for successful business leaders. But, even if you don't aspire to rise to the highest echelon of corporate leadership having a mentor still matters. As a working mother you're responsible for fulfilling the ultimate leadership role as you guide and develop your children to become contributing, thriving individuals, while pursuing your own life's dreams.

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is a developmental relationship between a more experienced person, or mentor, and a less experienced person (referred to as a mentee or protégé). A mentoring relationship enables you to learn from someone who has been where you are, has seen what you see, and understands the intricacies of managing career, family and life. A mentor offers you the unique opportunity to receive feedback, advice, support and motivation without the "noise" of personal opinion or hidden agendas (something you often get when you seek similar things from friends or family).

Why You Need a Mentor

You have strengths and characteristics that are part of your unique design. At the same time, it's virtually impossible to be perfectly equipped to succeed in every aspect of life. You may have blind spots, limited capabilities, lack of experience and weaknesses that can get in the way of fulfilling your work/life goals. A mentor can not only help you define your goals more clearly, but she can also provide access to valuable resources that will help you achieve them.

How to Find a Mentor

The first step is to determine whether you are prepared to enter into a mentoring relationship. Are you willing to receive and act on advice and feedback from your mentor? This may mean stepping outside your comfort zone to try new ideas and approaches you never considered before. Mentoring isn't for everyone, so it's important to know why you're doing it, what you want to get from it and what you're will to give to make it successful.

Next, decide what kind of mentoring relationship you need. Do you need help advancing beyond your current role in an organization, or is your biggest challenge in managing your time, stress and role responsibilities? Do you prefer having meetings with your mentor on the calendar in advance, or is "on the fly" access ok? Generally, mentoring relationships can be categorizes as follows:

Career Development: provide support that advances your career such as visibility, coaching and challenging assignments

Psycho-Social: provide support that grows you personally such as role-modeling, counseling, friendship

Formal: a structured approach that follows a set program

Informal: a loose approach that is used on an "as needed" basis

Once you've assessed your readiness and needs, begin creating a list of potential mentors from people you already know. Let your friends, family and co-workers know that you're looking for a mentor. Then, set aside time to meet with potential mentors to find out if you're compatible. Ask questions that will help you determine whether the potential mentor's experience is aligned with what you want to learn. Also recognize that there may not be a single person who has the breadth of experience to mentor you around every aspect of your work/life; be open to having more than one mentor. And remember, mentoring is a relationship so in addition to experience also seek mentors with whom you are compatible.

You may also consider checking with your company or other external resource that may already have a formal mentoring program in place. This option can save you time with a "ready to go" solution; however, plan to take some time research all your options.

Establishing a Mentoring Relationship

Unless you've started a formal, pre-designed mentoring program, it's important to establish guidelines for how the relationship will work. Critical areas to agree upon include, understanding each other's goals, establishing timeliness, clarifying communication methods, and agreeing on confidentiality of your conversations.

Also remember that a mentoring relationship isn't all about you. Be considerate of your mentor's time and what he or she is getting back from investing in this relationship. Be willing to listen. Act on advice. Return favors. Volunteer to help. Demonstrate your commitment to nurturing this important relationship.

A mentoring relationship may begin because you need help. Over time, mentoring relationships often mature to a point where you can help your mentor. Eventually, you'll rely on one another to share contacts, offer encouragement and provide needed insight. Every working mom needs someone to look up to and mentoring is one way to fill that need.

Awesome Tips On Selecting A Pattern For Your Quilt

2007-05-15T05:13:00.002-07:00

Selecting a design is quite an individual problem and naturally we can not tell you which one you would enjoy most. However, we can tell you which ones are most popular—do you want the one everybody is making or an individual one? Double Wedding Ring unquestionably popular, and yet the owner of an art needlework shop told me recently that in her opinion it was an ugly, erratic design! She had not seen it in our rainbow tint plan which (opinion again!) is really more lovely than when made of all unrelated prints. "Dresden Plate" or "Friendship Ring," the hexagon plan quilts like "Grandmother's Flower Garden" or the "French Bouquet" are favorites and not so because they are easy to make, either. Flower and basket quilts are popular; so are the tree designs and stars—there are some very beautiful star patterns, with the Lone Star best beloved of all.

Irish chains are charming for the amount of work. They come under the class of cut pieces all straight with the weave of the material; no triangles or diamonds to an Irish Chain, but exactly even squares placed as shown with our pattern of Triple Irish Chain or of Double Irish Cross. An ordinary nine-patch set together with alternate plain squares is sometimes called Single Irish Chain, while 9 each way in one block with 3 applied onto alternate square corners is called "Forty Niner" and not Quadruple Irish!

Names often have much to do with a quilt's popularity. They do more than identify a certain combination of pieces—a catchy name like Crazy Ann, Dove in the Window, or Wild Goose Chase whets the imagination. We get many letters from people saying, "I have an old family quilt, pieced like the sketch with red, etc., etc., please, what is its name?" And if we can trace back its family branches, the grateful owner feels like the treasure of her ancestors has been made legitimate.

The easiest quilts to make are perhaps four-patches upon which so many little girls have learned to sew, and "brick work," that boon plan of piecing for the woman who has a lot of "sample" oblongs all shaped alike. Brick work is simply sewing into shallow rows a strip of equal size oblongs, then jogging the seam half way over for the next row, etc. Four patches are 2 dark and 2 light squares joined checkerboard fashion, and two of these alternated with plain square of equal size to make a large block.

A nine-patch demands that you get four intersections to meet exactly instead of just one as in the four patch. A double nine patch made of tiny squares cut about 1 1-4 inches square makes one of the daintiest quilts imaginable when flowerlike colors are used in profusion with white for the alternate squares. Using all four corners of little pieced ninepatches as well as the center makes it even lovelier.

Quilts like Swastika, Orange Peel, Old Maid's Puzzle, and Windmill are elaborated four patches; while it is easy to trace the nine patch variation in many like Weathervane, Pin Wheels, Maple Leaf, Greek Cross, Jacob's Ladder, etc.

Beggar's Block, Burgoyne's Quilt, and the triangle corners of the Skyrocket are sort of three patch placings. Then come a great group based on the diamond unit, the six and eight pointed stars, the piecing plus appliqué designs like Honey Bee, Noon Day Lily, Cherry Basket, and Friendship Ring. There are those that take curved seams, Mill Wheel, Rob Peter to Pay Paul, and the French Star and those that demand shallow angle seams like Baby's Blocks and French Bouquet. Double Wedding Ring and Lone Star have the whole quilt top as a unit, although they, too, must work from small pieces to larger.

If you are an appliqué enthusiast, we have included a few straight "laid on" patterns.

We do hope you will find the very one that appeals to you, and after that another and another as every one has possibilities of real beauty. It's up to you—Choose a pattern!

Could Your Supporters Actually Be Holding You Back?

2007-05-15T05:13:00.001-07:00

Have you ever felt really passionate about doing something, but then lost your courage to pursue it after sharing it with friends or family? Sharing your ideas with friends and family actually may be holding you back in life.

I recently completed coaching with Christina, whose experience is common to that of a lot of women. She agreed that I could share her experience with other women as a way of helping them to find the courage to pursue their passion in life.

When Christina began coaching, she really wanted to be in business for herself. She had dreamed of having her own business ever since she was a young girl. Yet, anytime she shared her business ideas with her husband, he quickly pointed out all of the financial risks involved. He reminded her the family depended on her paycheck from her job. Christina lost her nerve after each of these conversations.

When Christina shared her business ideas with friends, they were quick to point out all of the obstacles Christina would face, including loss of time away from her family, which was very important to Christina.

Christina sought out coaching because she wanted support as she pursued her passion to be in business for herself.

Christina was doing what a lot of women do. You have ideas that your are passionate about and then take them to your "committee" (i.e., family, friends, etc). You are brimming with excitement about the possibilities, eager to have that excitement mirrored back to you from someone important in your life. Yet, this is not what happens.

Instead, you hear about all of the flaws in your idea. You hear about all of the obstacles you will face. You walk away from those conversations with your hopes and dreams dashed. You go back to living your life, but longing for something more.

With coaching, Christina built a successful business that allows her to replace her paycheck from her job and have more time for her family. Her passion and enthusiasm propelled her forward. She overcame multiple obstacles to build a successful business.

As she completed her coaching, Christina shared the realization that her passion pushed her forward through the difficult times. She realized that when she had shared her ideas with her committee, she was actually seeking their approval. With coaching, she had let go of the need to earn approval from others.

Christina also learned that when her committee shared their doubts, they did not share her enthusiasm for business, so the obstacles they anticipated for Christina were much bigger in their eyes.

Christina's lesson: When you do what you are most passionate about, your passion overcomes your doubt and fear. Your passion is greater than your doubt and fear. Your passion keeps you moving forward. Your passion gives you energy. Your passion prompts you to find the resources to deal with obstacles that arise.

There are always obstacles to overcome, so why not overcome obstacles while doing what you are passionate about?

Planning Your Dream Wedding in Mexico

2007-05-15T05:11:00.001-07:00

Honestly, I am not sure what made me think I could do this. Well, actually, I have always considered myself a relatively competent and somewhat intelligent person. I am in my thirties with children and a career, I even speak a little Spanish, so how hard could it be to plan a wedding in Mexico?

Apparently, connecting with a wedding coordinator online (my preferred method of communication) is not as easy as it appears. Most of my requests sent through the resorts' websites went without response. The one (yes, one) who did respond set up a date and time along with a deadline for signing a contract to hold it. Then nothing. I called, I emailed, I even flew down there and tried to meet with her just prior to the deadline... nothing. I started to panic. I had let all our family and friends know our plans in advance since a destination wedding requires more preparation.

Finally, I sent an email to the corporate headquarters here in the U.S. for a resort where I really wanted to have our wedding. They put me in touch with their wedding coordinator at the resort in Cancun, who has been a blessing. She asked questions, then I asked questions and emailed pictures I had found online of things I wanted like menus, flowers and cake. She has really gone above and beyond to give me everything I want, exactly how I want it for this very important day.

When planning a wedding in Mexico, getting in touch with the proper person is key. The right person will make your dream wedding come true. Find someone who is genuinely interested in your wedding day planning.

Today's Leading Ladies

2007-05-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

Although their leadership roles differ, Joy Enriquez, Chip Hurd, and Roxanne Wilson share a common trait. Before being propelled into the limelight, each first mastered the art of serving. In many ways, these leading ladies still maintain supporting roles. Among other influences however, exceptional talent and a strong desire to help others fuel their success.

Purposeful Passion

Recording artist and founder of Joyful Child Records, Joy Enriquez is no stranger to the entertainment industry. She was 15 when she appeared on Star Search and 18 when she released her first R&B album on LaFace Records. In addition to being a spokes model for L'Oreal and voice talent, Enriquez is also known for her season long acting role on Warner Brother's hit television series, 7th Heaven.

Prior to embarking on a fulltime music career, Enriquez volunteered with Bridge of Faith--a California based community outreach geared to helping young adult girls transition from adoption and foster care situations to a work-life environment. In order to accommodate her desire to serve while on tour, Enriquez became involved in a similar initiative facilitated by Mercy Ministries. The nonprofit organization meets the needs of young women who face life-controlling problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, addictions, depression, eating disorders, and unplanned pregnancy.

A firm believer that "God can do big things through your gift," Enriquez uses every opportunity to speak to the girls she encounters at Mercy about their dreams and "everyday life issues." "A lot of the girls want to be the next top model, American Idol or dancer on TV," Enriquez advised. Using her experience in entertainment to provide balance she cautions, "If you have to compromise who you are and your integrity it's not worth it because in the end you pay a bigger price."

With a very firm foundation in faith and family, Enriquez made a commitment not to compromise. "Whether it's a job, marriage or a relationship, it's better to wait on God and be patient," she said. "Don't compromise. Don't settle for less. You have to reach for the highest," she admonished.

Even though Enriquez's first album garnered international acclaim, ironcially, it also inspired her to switch gears. Relased one week following the 9/11 attacks, Enriquez came to realize the difference a song makes to listeners. "It was a good pop, R&B album but not something that would help somebody get out of a situation they were in or to cope with life issues," she admits.

Driven by the desire to make a difference in the world, Enriquez opted to make songs that would "mend people's heart." Instead of releasing another R&B album, Enriquez pursued her passion. With help from her husband, Grammy Award winning super producer, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Enriquez created a gospel-praise album titled, Atmosphere of Heaven. Jerkins' extensive experience working with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, and Usher, enabled them to complete Enriquez's sophomore album in less than three weeks.

Today, Enriquez believes that she is doing what she was born to do: sing, yes, but also, mentor, and inspire. "The older I get the more I realize that [your] gifts make room for where God wants to take you," Enriquez commented. "Singing is great. I love singing, glorifying God, and making great music but that opens the door for me to talk to people and let them know that [their] gifts or talents ultimately came from God the day [they] were born."

Lifelong LessonsChip Hurd is an accomplished actress with more than 10 years of experience on stage, in film and television. A dialogue coach for 20 years besides, Hurd has worked with a variety of entertainers from comedians to athletes and recording artists. Her resume also includes director credits for sitcoms, All of Us, Girlfriends, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, Hannah Montana, Living Single, One on One, and The Parkers.

So passionate about encouraging others and using her gift for ministry, last year, Hurd accepted the position of senior director for Inspired By Media Group's breakthrough audio production, The Bible Experience. Her most fulfilling role to date, Hurd describes directing The Bible Experience as, "one of the most extraordinary blessings God has bestowed upon me." Clearly, Hurd's experience as an actress, dialogue coach, and TV director prepared her to direct the project. Her ability to discern heart, passion, and tone is reflected in the final product.

Known best for portraying Penny Gordon's mother on the 70's sitcom, Good Times, Hurd is the mother of daughters, Kim and Alexis Fields--the eldest of whom she played alongside as an onscreen mom. Even though Hurd's progression from actress to director was seamless, it came at a price. "Once I realized I was going to be in television as a director, I should have taken a break and gone to film school. Because I came out of theater, I fooled myself into thinking I knew how to direct." To be effective as a director, Hurd took it upon herself to learn the roles of supporting crewmembers including director of photography, gaffer, and even cameraman.

Drawing from her experience as a parent and entertainment executive, Hurd has learned many life lessons. "I never got to college because I ended up being a mom, " she said. "I got pregnant in high school and it interrupted what could have been a much easier flow for me--where I would have gone straight into college," Although she graduated from New York's Performing Arts High School, Hurd advised that she had to "learn everything by the ‘seat of [her] britches.'" "That's not the best way to do it especially if you don't have to," she advised.

Reinforced by a lesson Will Smith learned while filming Ali, Hurd stressed how important it is to be consumed by the information you want to master. In addition to acquiring a "trusted godly mentor," Hurd advocates being around people who are more skilled than you and asking a lot of questions.

Among other lessons, Hurd has learned that success is based on application. "God wants to trust you to do your part to prepare yourself and take advantage of all the things that are available to you," she said. Success can also be found in encouraging support. Crediting her husband, Ervin Hurd for her personal growth and achievement, Hurd advised, "We have a beautiful marriage based on love and respect."

Despite having extensive experience with public speaking, directing, and working with high profile personalities, Hurd says one fear remains: Feeling intimidated by hierarchy. Overcoming that fear however, is as simple as "recoginzing that God made all of us and that there is no need to fear," Hurd said.

Boardroom Business

At 27, Roxanne Wilson has achieved much by way of the courtroom and the boardroom. An appellate attorney by trade, Wilson first gained public attention during season five of NBC's The Apprentice. Described by Donald Trump, as "very, very smart... brilliant ...a good speaker... [and] very impressive," Wilson is the first African American woman to make it to the final four. So impressed by her ability to state her case, Trump commented, "I would like to have [Roxanne] represent me in court."

Wilson's track record for making an impression began at an early age. The second of three girls, Wilson was that child who always asked probing questions simply because she wanted to understand. Her skills as a top debater, competitive swimmer, and counselor were developed in the various roles she championed as a teen.

To her credit, Wilson is the first woman and second African American member of Baylor University's Chamber of Commerce fraternity. After two years as a member, Wilson was elected the fraternity's president. In addition to serving as an attorney at Winstead, Sechrest & Minick P.C., Wilson clerked for two justices on the Supreme Court of Texas.

Intelligence, ambition, and congeniality enabled Wilson to secure a spot on The Apprentice. However, fear nearly short-circuited her decision. "I had to let go of the fear of what others would think of [me]," Wilson advised. "I am a daddy's girl and I didn't want to do anything that would disappoint or embarrass [my dad especially]. At the same time, I wanted to take on the challenge of The Apprentice and I realized I couldn't worry about what others--not even my dad-- thought."

Although Wilson has since retired from the courtroom, she remains active in the boardroom. Currently, she is a provisional member of the Junior League of Austin, a national spokesperson for the Make-A-Wish Foundation's Destination Joy campaign, and a member of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Austin Affiliate Board. Wilson is also actively involved with advancing the young professional's group at Riverbend Church, singing with Riverbend's chorale, and managing her Jazzercise franchise to include instructing classes.

Realizing that being in business leadership is harder for women than men Wilson notes that true leadership is about serving. "You can't lead effectively if you can't put yourself in the shoes of those you are leading. On The Apprentice, those who couldn't relate to the rest of the team alienated the team," she said.

Not one to be moved by limitations, Wilson encourages, "Whether you are young or old, female or male you have to seize every opportunity that comes your way. If the door is even slightly cracked open, push your way through."

Even though she is pursing a new career, Wilson still dreams of returning to law. "One of my dreams has always been to be a U.S. Supreme Court Justice," Wilson said. "If the President called me up and said, ‘Roxanne, I need you to serve as a Supreme Court Justice,' I am there." Until then, Wilson is focused on completing an inspirational and motivational book titled, Footprints in the Boardroom, serving as television host, and speaking to college students and business professionals around the country.

Which 2007 Celebrity Hairstyle Is For You? - Practical Guidance

2007-05-08T04:37:00.003-07:00

Searching for the 2007 Celebrity Hairstyle for you? If you decide to go for super star style then make sure you do your research. What looks great on the longish face of Gwyneth Paltrow might not be good for you. When you do your celebrity watch, look for one whose face shape is closest to your own.

Not all hairstyles, however trendy, will suit everyone. Whether a hairstyle looks good really does depend on the structure of the face. Celebrity hairstyles change constantly, don't forget they are likely to have a team of professionals looking after their hair. You may have to live with yours a bit longer so it's essential that you find a style that suits you well.

Look in celebrity and fashion magazines or surf the internet looking for a 2007 celebrity hairstyle that will go with the shape of your face. If your face is long and thin then unfortunately the long and sexy waves favored by Jessica Alba are not for you. However, if long hair is your thing some celebrities are having it cut shorter and wispier at the front and longer at the back. That way you would offset a long face. Or go for a layered medium length style like Heather Locklear. This is extremely versatile because you can wear it up or down, on your face or off.

At the other end of the scale, short hair is back big time, on the catwalks this year. If your face is shaped like Kylie Minogue's then go for short, wispy hair this season. You'll be right up to date as well as sexy and stylish.

Short hair comes and goes, it is never entirely out of date, from Twiggy in the sixties, to Halle Berry the look has been used with great success.

2007 Celebrity Hairstyles Revealed and Explained

2007-05-08T04:37:00.001-07:00

Experts say there are four hot and sexy 2007 celebrity hairstyles that will be around for some time.

Short is in, lots of celebrity stars will be losing their long hairstyles this season, if they haven't already done so. The cool and business like look as worn by Ellen Degeneres and Hilary Clinton will get shorter and punkier. Hair will be longer on the top and short-short on the back and the sides - think business-like but messy. Some of the styles will be almost mannish in their look.

The bob is back and in its cropped form can be seen on Victoria Beckham and plenty of other famous faces. This is cropped short at the back and curved onto the face in the front. Even if Posh isn't your favorite celebrity model, the look is set to run throughout the year.

2007 Celebrity hairstyles go from short and funky, to shaggy and sexy, side parted, and ending up with long and wavy. The shaggy look can be seen a lot on TV reality shows and it relies on shine and condition. The idea is to use gel and styling cream to achieve a 'just got out of bed look'. Men are already sporting shorter versions of this - it's set to be a head turner during 2007.

The masculine side part has been an integral part of recent fashion shows. The side part is a classic style that leaves room for maneuver, it can be smooth and trendy or sexy rock chic. Experts say it is about to take the scene by storm in 2007.

Long and wavy, but not too tidy and neat hair, is set to be a winner this year. When you think of this style think Jessica Alba. Use a saltwater spray on damp hair to bring out the natural curls and waves, then scrunch it dry. The salt spray is the latest 'product' in New York City Salons and bound to be a winner for 2007 celebrity hairstyles.

Radio 4 Women

2007-05-08T04:36:00.003-07:00

A Web radio site for women? Can it be? Will this be successful? What I’m really asking is will women support a Web radio station aimed specifically at women? Your first reaction might be “why of course, silly. Women support women all the time.” If you think like this you might want to talk to Hillary Clinton! It seems there are an awful lot of women in this country who will not support Hillary precisely because of her gender. Of course there are other reasons why women won’t support her, but too many people hold her sex against her.

So if we won’t support Hillary because she’s a woman, will we support a Web radio site aimed at women and women’s issues and concerns? We’re about to find out here in Brevard County, Florida. Beginning the end of March, 2007, there will be a new Internet-based talk radio station. Radio4Women.us is being launched by a married couple, Leigh and Richard Hendry.

Tired of the same drivel aimed at a primarily male audience, Leigh Hendry decided that she’d had enough. All of the programs are about politics and male issues Hendry declared and she envisioned a program geared toward a female audience.

Approaching several local terrestrial radio stations with this innovative concept, the Hendrys were disheartened to find little or no interest. The stations were uninterested in changing their format or integrating this new show into their existing format.

The Hendrys discovered the logistics, not to mention the expense of starting their own terrestrial radio station, were prohibitive. When XM and Sirius satellite radio debuted, the couple waited for someone else to do it, but they discovered no one was doing anything quite like this.

Thus Radio4Women.us was born. The couple will present a mix of entertainment and informational programming they hope will appeal to local Brevard County residents, both women and men. They will discuss what is going on in Brevard County. And according to them, there is a lot to do in this county, only people aren’t aware of it. They aim to change this.

The initial programming will consist of “Art and Soul,” “Her Natural Life,” “Strategies for Success,” “Her Success Story,” and “She’s Got the Beat.” The six hour program block will repeat four times a day. Several more hours of locally originated programming will air by the end of April.

“The programming has just fallen into place,” Leigh said. “Our goal is to entertain and inform – not infuriate. The topics are ones I want to hear, and I think other women will be interested in them too.”

Richard Hendry believes this is the year of Internet radio. According to Hendry, “by the end of the year, you’ll be able to order an Internet radio player for your car. The crossover point will be the portability and convenience. That’s what’s going to change Internet-based radio.”

The four elements of Radio4Women are to inform, enlighten, empower and entertain.

Other aspects of the radio show will be Strategies for Success, hosted by Bonnie Dubrow, who will present coaching and interviews with local and national coaches, authors and motivational speakers.

Another program will be presented by Dr. Ashley Lundy who will host Her Natural Life, a radio show about natural health news and interviews with local practitioners.

There will be many more programs featured on Radio4Women.us such as It’s In the Stars which will feature local psychics and readers. There will be interviews with national mediums and authors.

Women’s Health and Fitness will offer the latest information on health issues along with interviews with local doctors, authors, and trainers.

What’s With Him? will deal with the secrets of men, to help women understand what makes men tick and why they’re different.

Entertainment Me will feature new book, movie and video reviews from a woman’s point of view. There will be interviews with authors and a call-in segment for listener participation.

Her Golden Years will deal with topics and information geared toward senior women.

If the show lives up to its advance publicity, I think we’re in for a treat. Not just us women but the men too. They will also benefit by finding out just what makes US tick.

Widowed, Ripped Off, and Alone Part 2

2007-05-08T04:36:00.001-07:00

We recap our story from Part I, based on a true life experience. It's about the woman married to the high level auto executive. They led a happy and successful life, raised a family, and assumed they would retire together and continue to live the good life, with homes in upper Michigan and sunny Florida. Unfortunately he died unexpectedly, and this is where the story continues.

Sometime after the death of her husband she moved to Florida, purchased an upscale condo, and developed a new group of friends and activities. Because her pool of assets was ample she was able to draw income from her investments to help support her lifestyle. Her financial advisor, whom she had retained due to her husbands relationship, soon advised her to make changes in her portfolio, changes he said would be beneficial to her. Those changes, moving from a relatively conservative stock and bond portfolio to a high flying portfolio of technology load mutual funds, turned out to be her undoing.

By the time I met her in late 2002, she was a nervous wreck, and did not know where to turn. Because of her new found distrust of financial advisors, she brought her son along to our meeting. After a lengthy discussion, I agreed to analyze her situation and in a second meeting, provide a full written report, including recommendations to help turn things around.

Upon careful analysis, two glaring details jumped out at me. First, and most obvious, her investment portfolio was totally unsuitable for her needs and life situation. Her primary objectives were protection of capital and supplemental monthly income, but her portfolio consisted largely of technology and telecommunications stocks and mutual funds.

But there was more. The costs of her portfolio were egregious! The financial advisor, and I use the term loosely in this case, had "diversified" her portfolio across six different front end load (commission) mutual fund companies, even though every company had dozens of its own branded funds. This had the unfortunate consequence of costing her far higher commissions than necessary.

You see, load fund companies have what are called breakpoints at different investment levels. For example, the load might be 5% on the first $25,000 invested, 3% on the next $75,000, and only 1% over $100,000. By spreading her accounts over so many fund companies she did not receive the full benefits of these lower loads, therefore her total commission costs were much higher than necessary. Of course, her advisor benefited from these higher loads as his commissions were tied directly to them.

As promised I returned to the client with my report and recommended course of action, which included radical adjustment of her portfolio to meet her needs for income and substantially lower risk. I presented our fee-based asset management program as an alternative, based on the objectives of capital preservation and income production.

At this point her son interjected and declared another financial advisor was unnecessary and instead, he would help her. (This from an individual who had previously stated he had no specific financial expertise and had himself lost over 50% of his investments in the Bear Market).

We parted company on good terms but I could only wonder what would become of this fine woman who had done so many positive things throughout her life, and was now dependent on the advice of an incompetent and unethical financial advisor, and a son who was well intentioned but as financially illiterate as she.

A Christian Mothers Unfeigning Love

2007-05-08T04:35:00.000-07:00

Mother,

It seems you’re gone. I don’t know quite what to say. You brought so much to our lives that I couldn’t even begin to explain….my oldest friend of 37 years.

From the time I was old enough to know who you were I felt safe. After dad left, you struggled as a single mom in the 70s for 10 years until you eventually remarried (because I needed a father), only to have your heart broken yet again… but you had integrity. No matter what was going on, you always did the right thing.

It must have been so hard, to watch your kids making so many bad decisions over the years.

Thank you for your prayers.

You never gave up on us or yourself. You went to college, got your degree and enjoyed a wonderful career as a nurse. Finally you married a pastor and finished out your lives together serving the LORD. Through many trials and what sometimes seemed like endless suffering, you hung in there. The both of you, used mightily of God...until the wreck.

In one day, in less than an hour…you were dead. We will miss you both terribly but Mom…

I had to write you, to tell you, what a wonderful experience it has been to know you. You're the strongest person that I've known in my entire life. Consistent, like a rock you never flinched. You always lived up to your own standards...I am so humbled.

You taught me about honesty and all the things in life that really matter. You were at every game. I will never forget you. Our relationship has always been very special to me. I cherish the many, many fond memories and am grateful for your portion in my life.

You were graceful, charming, lovely, funny, caring, compassionate, forgiving, patient, all the things a mom "should" be. Thank you so very much.

Widowed, Ripped Off, And Alone - Part 1

2007-05-04T04:10:00.002-07:00

She is an intelligent woman, seemingly well to do, living in a high rise condo in Florida. Retired, active lifestyle, involved in many activities with her friends, giving of herself to her community, church, and local charities. She did everything right, at least right for her generation, place and time in her life.

She was the loving wife of an auto company executive. She hosted parties for him and his business colleagues. She kept a beautiful home, entertained lavishly; always there for the children, active in the community, in short, she lived the American dream.

But below the surface was fear, uncertainty, and pain. What's happening here, how did it happen, and can she save herself?

Why is she now living a nightmare, through no fault of her own?

There are many reasons, for her life was and is complex. But high on the list is the fact she relied entirely on her husband to make all the financial decisions throughout their years together. After all, he was an MBA and a financial wizard. He ran the financial division of his company and had an extremely successful career. But he did something neither counted on, nor planned for. He died.

He died, but left her with a sizeable pool of investment assets, life insurance, and a fine home, seemingly more than enough for her to continue a comfortable lifestyle. But there were two crucial things she lacked. She did not have a high financial I.Q, and she did not have a trusted financial advisor. Having just one of the two would have protected her, but unfortunately having neither led to a number of unwise decisions, which ultimately led to severe financial difficulties later.

After the death of her husband she moved to Florida, purchased an upscale condo, and developed new friends and activities. Because her pool of assets was ample she was able to draw income from it to support her lifestyle. Her financial advisor, whom she had retained due to her husbands relationship, soon advised her to make changes in her portfolio, changes he said would be beneficial to her.

With her agreement, but also with lack of understanding, her investment portfolio soon began to resemble the high flying NASDAQ and technology indices of the late 1990s. As long as the market was going up, everything seemed fine. She was making substantial monthly withdrawals from her portfolio, and her accounts continued to grow. Life was good.

But then, things began to go badly. The market began to swoon in 2000, her account began to decline precipitously, and she began to worry. But her advisor said not to worry, the market always comes back in the long run. And every now and then over the next few years, the market did bounce back, at least temporarily. But it did not come back to its previous level. She continued to trust her financial advisor, and her accounts continued to lose value. Over the next three years, with continued withdrawals and market declines, she lost over 50% of her money!

Wise Women Win

2007-05-04T04:10:00.001-07:00

They say that women are too emotional. And when it comes to troubles, the women are much too engrossed in them. You may have seen women back in your elementary and high school days pushing each other, slashing spiteful words at each other, pulling each other's hair, and the likes.

This behavior is quite integrated naturally into the persona of the women in general. Wherever you go, there are those bullies who make meddling with the lives of others their utmost business. In the corporate world, such environment remains to be present. It is but natural to encounter people who bully their fellow women by using the smear campaign. These days, the most common is the smear campaign. And definitely, once this is used on you, you have your reputation stained at all costs.

Wise women could win against the smear campaign. You could never be referred to as a wise woman if you would fail in this aspect. But first of all, arm yourself with enough knowledge regarding the smear campaign so that when you spot the indicators that it is being used on you, you know how to stand up as one of the wise women who win the battle.

The Smear Campaign by Definition

The smear campaign is a form of bully wherein some people inconsiderately bully you with the title of being a . Being called a is not nice. It is categorized as harassment. You totally do not deserve it. It is an insult to your personality.

By and large, the occurrences of the smear campaign is increasingly heightening and what makes it bothering is that such bullying practice seriously ruins the reputation and credibility of a person.

The Common Victims of the Smear Campaign

Who is the prime victim to be affected by the smear campaign? Certainly, a woman or a girl could be the subject of the smear campaign. It could even be you. But of course you have to assert that wise women win. Do not ever think that you are safe from the smear campaign. This could be heaped on you while you are in school, at work, within the confines of your home, with your family, friends, social circle, and even in your religious group.

The smear campaigns could be concocted regardless of the truth therein. And for sure, being victimized by this smear campaign will leave you shamed for all eternity.

The Victim Categories

Actually, any woman or young girl could be an easy prey to the smear campaign. There are three main categories of victims though. They are:

The woman who is the subject of jealousy among her peers. There are women who are found very attractive by most boys. Now the less attractive ones develop the notion that the woman is a flirt, a seducer, and worst! The smear campaign is of course rooted from this.

The women who have been sexually assaulted. They think that once a woman is sexually attacked, she is responsible for it. Now it would fragment stories that are so twisted that they make it appear that it the victim is at fault.

The cultural victims. They are those who simply go out of the conventions. People see them as abnormal because they do not conform to the existing norms.

The Recourse of Wise Women in Order to Win Wise women win against these smear campaigns. How? Refrain from standing above the rest. Make sure to go along with the norms of the environment. Do not get involved in circumstances that could easily be misinterpreted. Avoid flirting. Take legal action in cases of sexual abuse. Never partake in gossips.

Wise women win against these detractors because they definitely know what to do. How about you, do you prefer being called a wise woman too?

You Want Him To Be The One

2007-05-04T04:09:00.002-07:00

He has denied starting a relationship with you and you feel like you’ve been rejected as a woman, that you’re not beautiful enough, or that it’s the work of old evil Mr destiny. Why is it so hard for us to reason things in the positive way? Couldn’t it be that he’s just not the one?

If man and woman are meant to be one at some point in their life, why do we doubt it every now and again? If you’re single and you’re looking for Mr Right – The name is already a big hint – he’s right for you. It shouldn’t be complicated to be with him.

And yet, many single women force a relationship that isn’t meant to be. Whenever the guy leaves for someone else, or doesn’t want to come back, or simply shows no interest in you should already tell you that this is not meant to be. Wouldn’t it be easier and more dignified just to leave it that and be available for the right one to come along?

Our emotional state is not a playground for silly games of love. We’re not made of steal, ready for heartbreak every 6 months or once a year. It’s too much to endure and then put up a brave face to world, as if you were just having fun. It’s not fun to be in and out of relationships, let’s be serious.

The right man for you is somewhere out there, far or near, it doesn’t matter, he’s somewhere. You’ll both meet when the time is right, and that is where you need to work on in your life, making the most out of it. The right time means you’re ready for a real relationship. Your goals are set and you’re both happy with yourselves. No baggage from the past or fears and insecurities hanging anywhere. You’re free to start something that will endure your whole life.

Whilst you’re in this ‘waiting room’, take care of yourself. Be the right woman for Mr Right. Remove those old habits that usually spoil a relationship. Invest in your inner beauty. There’s so much that we can do for ourselves in order to be better and more pleasant to be with, why not take the time and effort into something that will bring us everlasting joy?

The inside beauty comes outdoors making us the woman we were meant to be.

Fantasy Gifts for Her - What Women Really Want

2007-05-04T04:09:00.001-07:00

The movie, What Women Want, depicts Mel Gibson as Nick Marshall, a Chicago advertising executive, who gets a new perspective on life when an accident gives him the ability to read women's minds. Other than being privy to unwanted information, Nick realizes that he can use his newly acquired ability to outwit his boss, Darcy Maguire--played by Helen Hunt. In addition to falling in love with Darcy, Nick learns a coveted lesson about what women really want.

From the sensual to the practical, the popular vote for what women want is as follows:

1. Lingerie

2. Perfume

3. Spa treatments

4. Gift baskets

5. Sweets--especially chocolate

6. Weekend or vacation getaways anywhere relaxing, different or fun

7. Jewelry to include diamond studded trinkets from Tiffany's or a favorite jeweler

8. A luxe or designer bag, coat, outfit, other--LV, Gucci, Prada, Burberry, Coach, are examples

9. Most things warm and fluffy e.g. a full-length mink coat with matching accessories

10. A favorite or meaningful something such as a CD, art, cookware, and recipe books or the latest gadget: iPod, PDA, trendy cell phone, etc.

Surprisingly, while acceptable, a house or that "Oh my God!" car for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, or any other occasion, does not trump being pampered or romanced often. Staple goods and services such as flowers, notes, shopping, and attention (hint guys really big hint) are must haves that meet four basic needs romance, rest, relaxation, and relevance.

ROMANCE

When it comes to ways to really "wow her," aspiring recording artist, Aloyisus Wordsworth has all the elements of the perfect gift for his fiancé. "After we get married, I'd like to shut down the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for 24 hours just for her," Wordsworth comments. In addition to having chefs on hand to cook themed meals throughout the day, a horse drawn carriage, and penthouse reservations at a prominent Atlanta hotel, Wordsworth's idea of romance includes rose petals on the bed, champagne on chill with accompaniments, a Jacuzzi filled with oils, more petals, soft candles, a skyline view of the city, and a full body massage.

With romance at the top of her list as well, newlywed and Atlanta based ABC news trainee, Leah Robinson muse over three things:"A day of holding each other and playing, a specialevening where my husband pays attention to me and we enjoy one another, and buying something he would like to see me wear."

REST & RELAXATION

Randy Love met his wife, Monday through mutual friends 25 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama. Among the things he knows his wife wants is being treated like a lady, respected, romanced, and loved. Love has also learned to allow his wife to "be independent and do her thing." According to Love, giving his wife space when she needs it often equates to having his time with her as well. "You get better quality time when you allow [women] to relax and be themselves," Love says. As a result, he asserts that the right gift for his wife would be "a vacation--‘me time' somewhere in the Caribbean like the Virgin Islands. I'd give her two weeks--one week to unwind and the next week to enjoy it," Love advises.

Married for two years and the parents of one daughter, Shawn and Sharon Nelson find it easy to agree on an ultimate gift. The Chula Vista, California residents both list vacation time as a top present. "I like to keep things simple," Shawn says of his ideal plan. In addition to tangible gifts along the way such as jewelry, a spa treatment, and sweets, Shawn says that a "surprise vacation via boat cruise to an exotic island would suffice." Regarding the tangible gifts, Sharon elaborates: "I'd like princess cut diamond-studded earrings in white gold, three meals cooked daily, and a bouquet of flowers or roses." In lieu of a spa treatment, Sharon prefers being spoiled by her husband to include "a personal massage and a week off without working around the house."

Bronx, New York native, Ed Ramirez has a similar take on what to give his favorite lady. His mom, who loves to travel and socialize, would board a private jet at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. With close friends and family in tow, they would arrive at a destination of their choice for an all expenses paid three-day vacation. Upon arrival, ladies would be greeted with a room full of fresh flowers. Manicure and pedicure spa treatments, fine dining, lively entertainment, strolls on white sandy beaches, and shopping excursions would highlight each day's venture.

RELEVANCE

The ideal gift for Romeoville, Illinois resident, Lisa Hardaman must be both sentimental and family oriented. One such gift happened five years ago with the birth of the couple's daughter. Since then, Hardaman's husband Tyrone surprised his bride of 13 years by obtaining the couple's wedding video. At the top of Hardman's wish list? "We are over due for a family portrait. I wanted one before we put [the family dog] down. Now that we have a new addition to the family (the couple recentlygained custody oftheir nephew), I would love to have a formal portrait."

What makes a perfect gift? Director of programs for the Economic Empowerment Initiative, Shaneka Douglas, asserts, "It doesn't hurt to receive diamonds, chocolate, etc. [However] the best gift for me is something that is thoughtful..."Although a gift does not have to be expensive, Douglas says a gift should, "let [her] know [her] man has been listening to [her] all year."

Unafraid to learn through trail and error, Chicago native, Richard Coleman admonishes men to invest in their woman's passion without a motive. "I did and my wife can't keep her hands off me," says the 28 year old.

Writer, Matthew Keegan provides additional insight about gifts for women. "Your gift should illustrate that you put some effort into your attempt. Remember, there is no generic ideal gift for every woman. Each lady in your life is different...you don't want to get something too ordinary or too elaborate, depending of course, on which woman you're shopping for." Keegan also advises that a gift should reflect the seriousness of a relationship as well as the woman's taste and needs. "If you feel that one gift is not enough, don't hesitate to give her a full-fledged package of gifts," he admonishes.

Matching Lingerie Sets Make It Easy to Coordinate

2007-05-04T04:08:00.000-07:00

Sheer erotic lingerie is double the fun when you get a matching set. It's rare to come across one-piece sheer erotic lingerie. Even a teddy is usually paired with matching thigh-highs. For not much more money, you can add a whole ensemble to your lingerie collection.

You can find two-piece sets or sets with four or five coordinating pieces. For example, it might be a simple bra and panty set, or it could be a bustier complete with a thong, garter belt, and thigh-highs. When it comes to sheer erotic lingerie, you can wear as much, or as little, as you like. The options are out there.

For inspiration, you can search online for a lingerie gallery. Lots of online lingerie retails offer high-quality pictures of their products. You might even invite your significant other to check out the lingerie gallery with you. That way he can point out what he likes. Some men go for bustiers; others like a simple chemise. You'll never know unless you ask!

Sheer lingerie is definitely one of the most popular styles of intimate apparel. See-through fabric is naughty and erotic. You can find sheer lingerie in a floaty chiffon or in tight, stretchy lace. A common sheer lingerie set is one that comes with a sheer top and a solid bottom, such as a color-coordinated satin thong.

Exotic lingerie comes in some of the most fun matching sets around. These are the kinds of sets that come with matching cuffs, gloves, or chokers. You can find sets that are fit for an exotic dancer, and every woman should try stealing some of those moves once in a while! Don't shy away from exotic lingerie even if you've never tried it before. With matching lingerie sets, you'll have not trouble putting together an exotic ensemble.

What are your favorite types of lingerie? You can easily find your favorite styles as part of different womens lingerie sets. Bras, camisoles, bustiers, chemises, and babydolls often come paired with matching panties or a coordinating thong. But there are lots of other womens lingerie sets out there other than the typical top and panty set. You can find a nightie with a matching robe, or a camisole with matching satin shorts.

Remember that you're not locked in to the set as it's sold. That is, womens lingerie sets really do give you some room to play around. Buy a few different sets that coordinate and do some mixing and matching. For instance, a solid black bra and panty set will mix and match well with a black and turquoise polka dot set. A pink and purple flowered chemise would look pretty with a pink robe.

Matching lingerie sets don't have to be worn together. When you see a matching set, you might forget that you can wear the pieces separately if you like. Even if you don't plan to wear the pieces together, you should still check out matching lingerie sets. You might find that you'll get the best deal by purchasing the set.

What Does "High Maintenance" Really Mean?

2007-04-30T03:12:00.002-07:00

We hear this term "High Maintenance" quite frequently used as an adjective to describe Women. Men say, "She was/is high maintenance." What does it mean to you? Do you consider yourself HIGH Maintenance? Do you think being HIGH maintenance is wrong?

High Maintenance to me isn't a financial issue, exclusively or about a woman being demanding. Although being high maintenance requires the means by which a woman's needs, wants, desires and pleasures can be given to her. There should be perks for "staying the course." Many [women] have stayed the course and can enjoy the perks that come with working hard and smart. I do not particularly like when the phrase "high maintenance" is used for a person. I think it works perfectly well for certain vehicles, and other things such as hardwood floors, 100% linen and silk outfits, or even a long and thick head of hair. It works for things that require more attention than their alternatives, perhaps.

I am aware some women require more 'upkeep' than others but it's their choice and lifestyle. One woman may not care about makeup, manicures, pedicures, massages, highlights in her hair, fine jewelry, luxurious suites at their vacation destination, or being catered to and pampered. Another woman may seek out this treatment because it enables her to thrive and flourish. Would the latter type of woman be considered “High Maintenance?"

What I think is wrong is when a woman demands these things from someone when she isn't capable of providing them for herself. Or when she forces a man to go into debt just to maintain a facade, which isn't affordable for either of them. A man complying with such demands need to reassess his involvement with this type of woman and bid her farewell.

Read what a young man of 26, whom I’ll call Michael, thinks High Maintenance women are when he was asked the question.

“High maintenance women, from my personal definition means:

1. Needs lots of time

2. Needs lots of effort

3. Are very fussy and particular

4. Are difficult and troublesome

5. Are annoying

6. Have high expectations of her partner or date

7. Will be quick to reject a person if those expectations are not met

8. Hard to please, not easily impressed

9. Takes forever to get ready

10. Something all but the most patient and tolerant men should avoid like the plague."

And a gentleman of 68, whom I’ll call George, describes a High Maintenance woman as follows:

“High Maintenance includes many things. She selects a restaurant because of she's heard VIPs go there not because of great food and service. Another High Maintenance definition is she's very demanding with little consideration of what the guy enjoys so the time together becomes high maintenance (wasted). The rental car must be impressive and so many other things."

To be fair, here are two quotes from women who are 47 and 50 years of age, respectively:

“High maintenance here in Australia is really the term used to describe women being highly groomed which includes nail polish, good make up, classical/business clothes, etc. on a daily basis." —Jeni

“Funny, I thought getting your nails done and your hair done and looking nice and acting appropriately was just part of being a woman/girl. Since when did the maintaining the aspects of our sex become high maintenance?" —Cheryl

And finally, a 50 year old, whom I’ll call Sharon, made this contribution to the question.

1. If your purse holds more than 5 lbs of ESSENTIALS . . .

2. If you own more than 50 pairs of shoes . . .

3. If your make-up case is a double-decker toolbox from Sears . . .

4. If a small family could live in your closet . . .

5. If more than 3 items in your closet still have price tags . . .

6. If your jewelry box used to be a high-boy chest . . .

7. If you have more underwear than you can wear in 3 months . . .

8. If a weekend trip takes more than 1 piece of luggage . . .

9. If you spend more on hair products than groceries . . .

10. If your dry-cleaning bill is more than your car payment . . .

11. If you have a weekly Botox appointment . . .

12. If you're still making payments on your last plastic surgery . . .

You may be High Maintenance!

I am guilty of four of the twelve (#2, #5, #7 & #8); therefore, if Sharon is correct, I am High Maintenance! Pffft! I don’t think so! I, admittedly, require more 'attention' than I used to. I am older. I deserve it. I have earned it. I also give as good or greater than I get. I never want to feel obligated to anyone or for anyone to feel taken advantage of by me. If I am over-indulgent with myself, you can count on me being over-indulgent with you. I maintain myself. I'm blessed and highly favoured! Because I'm blessed— I must be a blessing.

Are you High Maintenance? The phrase is not restricted to describe only women. Men have been deemed and a few I know, as High Maintenance. I just think people have different requirements, likes and dislikes. I hope Michael and George aren’t entirely correct!

The Power & Effect of Magazine Cover Models

2007-04-30T03:12:00.001-07:00

The behavior of these women IS real. You just have to know your relationship to it and where YOU stand so that you can be yourself without getting used or manipulated. Then you can instead have win/win relationships with women under the type of relationship that you choose.

It's important that you maintain the relational authority and lead of the relationship as a man.

If you don't choose what type of relationship it's going to be, the woman will have to choose it for you. At that point, all hell can break loose and you may find yourself losing control.

For many men living in California who can't see the signs, they end up getting married, divorced and used for their money.

This behavior of women is purely social but it's still up to you to know what it is, see the signs and lay down the law that it's not going to happen or limit the type of relationship before it would ever happen. In other words, keep money out of it and have a pre-nup.

Focus on the more important things and qualify your women on that. There was an early Cary Grant movie where he was a rich, well-to-do guy and found this woman but pretended he was poor. She made the right choice and chose him and found out at the wedding that he was rich.

The movie 'Intolerable Cruelty' epitomizes the whole California divorce scene of mercenary women.

The world would be at an end if all women behaved 'socially' like that. Unfortunately millions of them are and will get away with it if the man doesn't realize what's going on and put his foot down.

Ok, well what about more 'normal' (good-looking) women?

If you ask men around the world what they've noticed about American women you'll hear all kinds of things. Those men can more clearly differentiate what's going on because they can see it objectively rather than subjectively.

That's to their own benefit. Many of our men have been divorced while they were just being themselves the whole time and couldn't figure out the behavior of their wife.

Maybe you've seen the movie 'Stepford Wives'. This is the movie I watched the night the lightning bolt of realization finally hit me and culminated everything together.

I've wrote about this before but I encourage you to see that movie.

See how they portray traditional women as those who were blatantly stupid, robotic and subservient to their wussy husband's desires.

You have to be careful of the message behind all of the programming you are receiving.

The reason female behavior changed in the first place is because of the causal programming and environmental upbringing they received.

That is why American women are vastly different than other women from around the world.

I've even found our women trying to 'encourage' other more natural women to 'develop' and 'evolve'.

For better or worse what happens? Why do you think we have a 50% divorce rate now? Few are willing to admit it.

We're talking about a role reversal here. Society is now not only promoting women to be more like men but men to be more like women.

Everything is screwed up in an ever (socially) evolving culture where we continually get away from our natural roots and that which supports life itself.

Nature is what got us here, not prickteasing, not sexploitation, not nagging. We've come along and messed with the design of nature.

women naturally have all the right things to make a family and relationship work and they still do in most of the world except in the 'developed' areas.

What is sad is that our 'developed' women want other women to take on these socio-cultural attributes that they think are proper for all women.

Thank God most of Asia still has it straight. Not only do their men not HAVE to put their women in place, their women instinctively know their role so that the relationship can focus on abundance and bliss instead of challenge, power struggles and logical confrontations.

So it's up to you to understand what the behavior of women is and what it means to you in different types of relationships.

It will save you a lot of drama, turmoil and money.

Most of the world is beginning to realize that 'independent' women are a disaster in waiting for a long-term relationship or marriage. Know the signs and know what types of relationships you want to have.

If you choose an independent woman it boils down to this in your commitment; compromise and communication.

Advanced Female Behaviorism Insight

2007-04-30T03:11:00.002-07:00

Female behavior is pliable. It changes. It adapts (although much less so in the Independent icier women).

Men are more stubborn and now they're stubborn AND extremely confused by the behavior of women. One could even get away with saying that women are hypocritical. But I don't blame them from the level of cognition I'm at.

Women are the response. They know how to adapt faster than men and it's been scientifically proven.

Why do you think they act different in different environments, around different people, around different stimuli and especially around different men?

Because they are more of the adaptive response to their environmental stimuli.

They're the response in mating to the character stimulus of a man, but it also means they have the power to let in a man or 'reject' him. I also teach you how to completely prevent rejection as an uber-player because it's really about a woman (I'm just looking for signs from her but that's another topic).

So if you look at what is happening with sexploitation and the eye candy that you see everywhere today, women are also just the socio-cultural adaptive response.

They see social icons with certain attributes having fame, power, success, gifts, free meals, and all kinds of men chasing them so they adapt to their alpha models.

They bleach their hair blonde, get a 'makeover' (I could go on and on about this one), get a chihuahua and a boob job and all of a sudden they have the same attribution from men that their alpha models had.

It's much more difficult for men to adapt to something like that. We have fewer clothing options and we can't wear makeup, plus women are the adaptation.

so what happens with sexploitation is that although women have adapted to their social environment, they are still women in mating and that means they are STILL the response.

What's going on is that they realize they've become the stimulus and 'leader' of men in relationships instead of being the natural 'response'. They can't open up to men because men have been conditioned to respond to her attributes and place her above them.

(Here I'm primarily talking about the Social Alpha Prickteases)

This prevents women from getting what they want emotionally, romantically, sexually and physically. Sure they get what they want 'socially'...they get to look like a soft porn star and yet it's nothing like their true sexuality and women know it.

They've just 'adapted'. So if they 'know it' themselves, why don't they just stop it?

I'll tell you why. Remember that they're the response.

Men have the strength to be independent and stand up to all of it and be equal to all of this power. The power of social influence is so great that women have no choice but to continue or risk being a social 'outcast' and unpopular.

I've not seen one woman deny her inner or social power to go back to her natural roots, not one.

Since women are the response (and the only men they sleep with by the way are ones they can respond to) and are still living in a social reality which is the social alpha constant - stimuli, they can't change their behavior.

They'd have to be taken into a different conditional environment or stimuli where they know it's ok to finally escape all of the social pressure they're putting up with.

They wouldn't wear all of this make-up if they had to.

They wouldn't have to spend all of this money on clothes and cosmetic surgery, but the programming above them tells them to do it.

They could justify it as their own personal choice but they're still being massively influenced by their social environment which is a great game of money, power and influence.

The Repressed Secret & Female Models of Behavior

2007-04-30T03:11:00.001-07:00

What would it be like for a man to be around a woman who helps him grow and be comfortable in being a man instead of challenging him or intimidating him?

What would it be like to find a woman that completely lacks pretension, who has massive intuition and who isn't a socially defined 'housewife'?

Many just don't know. Americans don't know. Even the women don't know. There are no natural models of success in our women other than the traditional (dying breed of) unspoken housewives.

Unfortunately our society doesn't define being a perfect mother as being a 'success'. It's now about unlimited development and empowerment. It's gone way beyond equality.

If women and people would have listened to Phyllis Schlafly or Marabel Morgan, we would have a much healthier, happier nation in our households.

Our current female models of behavior are not natural like they were, instead we now have either independent women or high social status women.

We don't have natural alpha models in the United States anymore. If any woman seeks fame or popularity, she can't do it without becoming a part of the immensely influential social powers that exist.

She has to adapt 'socially'. The problem with this is that the people within the social culture can't differentiate it from anything else. They don't realize they're selling their soul in a way for gaining popularity.

Who is to say that it is a good thing? It's driven by profit, power and unnatural influence but these people aren't aware of it (at least the adaptive clones aren't).

When a natural woman comes to the states people want to immediately be her friend and 'make her over' to adapt to their own idea of social culture. Soon her behavior changes and she loses touch with the one thing none of these poptart clones have.

Jewel had high natural alpha character and inner talent, yet unfortunately she sold out to the power of social influence when she had a 'makeover'. Joss Stone just did it recently and these were women who had evident natural and inner character.

In order for any woman to retain her natural character, she would have to be outside of the sphere of social influence that we have.

It's pressure is too strong. The environmental stimuli promotes and provokes 'development' all the while reversing and shifting the natural relational dynamic between men and women that created lasting families.

Billions of dollars in profit are being generated that weren't there before. A natural alpha woman wouldn't spend but may 1/10th of what the social alpha clones spend on makeup and fashion, etc.

There are some natural alpha women in the U.S. but they're hard to find above the age of 18. I'd say rural communities and Amish villages would have the most natural character women apart from recent immigrants.

From the age of around 15 onwards, the power shift occurs and it only grows from there. Women start repressing their natural character around this time because everything transfers over to the 'social' hierarchy of pressure and influence.

Their behavior changes. The women have the power not just because their breasts grow but because of sexploitation and their adaptation and that it's not kept in check like it is in uniformed schools.

I remember my mom talking about when there was a controversy of girls wearing skirts that showed some skin of their legs. That's where it began...the power started to shift because men became 'interested'.

Fast forward to today and girls can wear just about anything and the way the most 'social' of them behave is incredibly pretentious (see 'Mean Girls').

Heck, the more 'sexy' she is the more she's just socially adapted. It's up to you to see through it all.

Men are suffering greatly. They don't know how to behave around women because the women are the ones who changed the most. Sure, the men are repressed and confused but women have altered their behavior the most.

To me it's quite clear and simple. The nation is in turmoil with 100 million singles, fewer marriages, record high divorces and all because of the new female alpha models of behavior; inner and social as well as the cultural environment that promotes it.

It's tragic in a way. Everyone has lost touch with nature. Heck, people don't even know what a woman's natural attributes were because they just attribute it to disempowerment and being a 'slave' at home (being a perfect mother).

We forgot that nature is why we are all here. Nature is where simple truth, beauty, power and emotion lies. Women know this too..they just don't have the supportive environment to let it out.

That's why the romance novel industry is huge. What a perfect system for profit; effective behavioral change keeping men and women apart from each other in their own independent self-propagating fantasy world outlets.

As men, there is hope. I have found a natural alpha model (several of them actually) of behavior which also represents a woman's true sexuality compared to her sold out desire to sexploit her body or her desire to conquer the world.

Of course I had to go outside the First World completely to find such naturally evident women. It's changed my life. It is the answer to everything. I am at peace with the world and with all women because I have found purity, innocence and beauty..attributes that are real and magnified the more cognitive I am.

I can show this to you. When you can ground yourself in nature and have a natural alpha model of sexuality instead of the culturally adaptive behavioral models (ie. Oprah and Britney), everything will change. You will feel like a man again and discover the truth of women that lies repressed without agenda.

You will be able to be comfortable in your own skin around the most developed and social of all women because you see through their causal adaptive behavior to their truth.

Discover the secret of women on my website to find out more and get some real answers.

Are Today's Socialized Women Really-Luts?

2007-04-30T03:10:00.000-07:00

Even though millions of women now look, act, talk, behave and dress like what was known as 'slutty' years ago, does NOT make them sluts.

Yes, Christina Aguilera helped pave the way on that one. Though she actually does have (inner) talent, she's a total pricktease and sellout.

It's up to you as a man to know that. In fact, female sexuality is Not how sexy they look or how flaunting they can be towards men. Their sexuality is something completely different and I actually show you on my website.

I hate using that word 'slut' because it does not represent a woman's true sexuality and I've never ever directly called a woman that.

It's the greatest insult and undermines any and all integrity she would have more than anything else.

Sex itself is to be respected and one of the reason's that you'll consistently get there with new women is that you DO respect them and their decision to let YOU in. She has to trust you to let you in.

Women have to authentically know that you do NOT view them as a slut...they have to be reaffirmed before going with that ultimation.

Yes, it's the most ironic thing in the world...millions of women flaunting and teasing men. Showing their T&A in photos on myspace isn't just for fun; it's their social alpha model of behavior and they're adapting to it more and more.

You have to know what it really is that it's a fantasy and that it won't get you to sex. You have to see beyond all of it to trigger her NATURAL sex drive which is really just opening the 'path' to be in a relationship with you to get the value she wants out of it.

I know, it's the greatest irony ever I know yet that's why you're so confused and thrown off around 'sexy' women. You've been conditioned to 'respond' to the stimuli of sexploitation.

Men are (have been taught to) confusing sexploitation with a woman's true sexuality and they really believe it too because the women are visually in front of them supposedly getting hot and turned on.

That's why you have to see it for what it really is; a conscious production of exploitation of a pre-existing (contract) relationship to influence the (buying) behavior of men in any and all forms.

In fact, ANY amount of sexploitation in any form is purely social based. Someone behind the scenes which you don't see has the true power there. How do I know this? Compare sexploitation to our pure biological nature.

Compare it to Natural Alpha women where you don't even think about sex with them yet are always comfortable and in the proper relational dynamic for real success.

This is the way it's been through history until blatant sexploitation came along and threw off the behavior of man.

So, just because the women you want are purely adapting their identity to their socio-cultural role models of actresses and soft porn stars doesn't mean that they are sluts at all.

That's just their 'social' character and their outward appearance.

Inside, they really are still innocent, intuitive and wondrous.

Bring that part out of them and you'll invariably get 'yours' because women have always been the 'path' to sex.

Thongs and G-Strings - Ultimate Impact

2007-04-25T05:21:00.001-07:00

There's a reason that sexy thongs get more popular by the day. Thongs are revered for their ability to eliminate the "VPL," or visible panty line.

Would you believe that sexy thongs actually have their roots in tribal clothing worn by the people of South Africa more than 75,000 years ago? It's true! The sexy thong is a relatively recent trend in lingerie, but it is, in fact, considered one of the oldest types of clothing created by humankind! Want another interesting tidbit? Our much-loved womens thong was, at that time, made for men.

Thongs and g-strings aren't just a style of panties. They're also two types of swimsuits. The thong and g-string bikini owe their popularity, in part, to the string bikini. The string bikini paved the way for the super sexy bikinis that were later to come. String bikinis are a skimpier, more revealing version of traditional bikinis. The thong bikini then came along and combined a string bikini top with a thong bottom. Swimsuits haven't been the same since!

Thongs and g-strings actually aren't one and the same. A g-string is a more risqué version of the womens thong. A g-string has considerably less material in the back. As the name suggests, it resembles a string. There are two variations of both the thong and the g-string: the T-string and the V-string. It just depends on which letter the piece of fabric in the back most looks like.

When it comes to sexy panties, does it really get any sexier than the thong? Many women, and many men, would say thongs and g-strings are tops in the world of sexy panties. They're a bit of a tease because they reveal a lot, but still leave quite a bit to the imagination.

Thongs and g-strings look great when paired with virtually every type of lingerie. Bustiers, chemises, camisoles, babydolls - they almost always come with a matching thong or g-string.

As we mentioned earlier, a sexy thong is also a functional undergarment. The dreaded VPL rears its ugly head when you wear briefs with a tight pair of pants or a snug-fitting skirt. Even if you prefer briefs for daily wear, no woman should be without a stockpile of thongs. Next to going panty-free, thongs are our only line of defense against the VPL enemy.

Also a lot of thongs are low-rise. Low-rise jeans continue to be all the rage. And they call for equally low-rise panties unless you want passers-by to chant, "I see London, I see France..."

Sexy thongs are very affordable. They can fit into any woman's lingerie budget. You can get a beautiful thong for around $5. There are also more high-end thongs, made from rich fabrics with intricate details. It's easy to find a thong or g-string that really suits your fancy. You can buy them in silk, satin, or even see-through fabrics. A popular style is the womens thong that resembles a lacy butterfly in the front.

Your lingerie collection isn't complete with a thong, actually, without several thongs. Buy some that are sizzling sexy and some that are cotton and comfy.

Saying No To Toxic Relationships

2007-04-25T05:20:00.004-07:00

After the long cold days of winter, spring sings her chipper song. As I write this, I have brightly coloured tulips to gaze at happily in my garden. Spring is a great time to start eating healthier, lighter food, wear bright colours, and get outdoors. It also happens to be a great time to fall in love. Perhaps scientists will one day reveal a specific chemical that flies around in the spring air that gets the pheromones going. Who knows? Maybe they already have…but before you take that exuberant leap into a special someone’s arms and fall head-over-heels, here are some suggestions to keep your head in the clouds, while your feet are firmly planted on the ground.

In my therapy practise, I work exclusively with women and what seems to make it over and over to the “top 5” list of most important topics in therapy without fail is how to be in a healthy relationship with a significant other. From my therapy chair, I hear countless stories of hopes dashed, hearts broken, and very often, women being abused verbally, emotionally, and physically. Their pain is often gut-wrenching, extremely palpable, and difficult to bear witness to. I sit there day after day looking at the most beautiful, intelligent, strong, and capable women -a great inspiration to me in my own life- who are paying me decent money to help them figure out why they keep picking the wrong guys and how they can stop feeling so miserable in relationships.

By the time they enter the therapy door, they have often reached a state of desperation and hopelessness. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard women say, “That’s it. I give up. I want to be in a healthy relationship but I’m not capable of it. I just keep repeating the same patterns over and over again and I never get what I want.”

This is where the therapy starts and the healing begins. Changing self-destructive relationship patterns is a long and difficult, and often frustrating process. But it is completely achievable if you have the courage, guidance, and stick-to-it-ness to do it. Because I am asked so often for help in this area and because I have been through this process myself and ended up in the best relationship I could ever have dreamed of, I wrote a self-help relationship workbook entitled, “Dump That Chump: A Ten-Step Plan For Ending Bad Relationships and Attracting The Fabulous Partner You Deserve”. It’s available on-line at: www.dumpthatchump.com.

For the purposes of this short article however, I’ve compiled a list of signs that you should look for that will tell you whether your relationship is toxic:

· The people who care about you most don’t like him

· You stop doing things you used to enjoy to be with him

· You feel like you can’t live without him and vice-versa

· He has a bad relationship track-record

· He makes you feel badly about yourself

· He gawks at other women in front of you

· He doesn’t seem to care about what you have to say

· You’ve had a gut feeling that something was wrong from the very beginning

· You feel “on edge” or get “the crazies” when you’re with him and begin to doubt yourself and your judgment

Although it sometimes doesn’t feel like it, it IS possible to walk away from a toxic relationship. The first step is to understand why you’re in the relationship. We learn most about relationships from our families. You have to examine what kind of role models your parents were when it comes to intimate relationships and become aware of what you’ve picked up from them. Even the most dysfunctional family patterns will feel comfortable when they are repeated later in life- but just because they are familiar, it does not mean they are working for you.

You need to examine what you’ve been taught about relationships and how you have applied that teaching to your own life, and then sort out what isn’t useful or productive anymore and find alternatives. Other steps I outline in detail in my book include identifying what your needs are and coming up with a list of your ideal partner’s characteristics.

So many incredible, intelligent women-including myself- have dated toxic people- but it is possible to break the pattern and begin enjoying healthy, happy, and fulfilling long-term relationships. I have seen countless women ditch bad relationships permanently, and achieve great success in attracting and maintaining healthy, fulfilling relationships. How? By digging below the surface and doing the ‘self work’ that is required…there’s no “quick fix”- the work is hard and often painful, but as one who has come out the other side and guided many other women there, I can confidently say that it’s worth it!

Dating Dilemmas - How Do I Look?

2007-04-25T05:20:00.003-07:00

Dating is a pretty tricky proposition these days. There was a time when men were just happy that a girl allowed them to talk to her. It now appears that men have slightly more exacting standards. A male friend of mine recently told me that he didn't like women who wear nail varnish, women with long toenails (we are talking millimetres here), women who wear too much make up, women who don't wear any make up at all, tights with open toed shoes or indeed tights at all and, very importantly, bikini lines have to be porn star perfect. He said all of this with his gut hanging over his trousers, a three-day old beard (not designer) and a spot the size of Cuba on his chin. On speaking to other men, it seems he is not alone in his way of thinking.

What struck me, apart from being guilty of one or two things on the list, is that whilst women are preening before a big night out, some of that preening appears unnecessary and is sometimes downright detrimental to the cause. Whilst we think that ruby red nail varnish is sexy and alluring, your date may be thinking that you are as common as muck, no matter what women's glossies say about the colours of the season. On the other hand, he may not be at all impressed with your more relaxed approach to female body hair.

I was always under the impression, false it would seem, that men didn't take much notice of the specifics of beauty. They knew if you looked nice or not, if they were attracted to you or not but they didn't really realise the hard word that went on in the background. Unfortunately it would seem that they do notice when your eyebrows need some attention and your lip liner is a shade too dark. Scary. There also appears to be a fine line between well-groomed and over-groomed. Some men obviously prefer the more natural look. Unfortunately for us girls, the natural look actually takes longer to achieve than the polished look.

How did men get so fussy when, let's face it, most of them are just ordinary looking? Only a handful of men have faces like Brad Pitt and even fewer have the torso. I look around at my friends on a night out in their new outfits, painted nails, glossy hair and then look at their men who have obviously found it an effort to put on a different top over the jeans they have been wearing all day. Are there really so few men out there that they can demand perfect partners whilst being so much less than perfect themselves?

Of course there are exceptions. Notably another friend of mine who showers and changes his clothes at least three times a day and goes to the barbers once a week, where the obliging stylist merely waves the scissors over his head without cutting a strand of hair for three out of four visits. If your own grooming habits are as exacting as this then you are fully justified in expecting the same perfection in your mate. But let's be honest, when was the last time your man had any of his hairs ripped out at the root (on purpose) or spent an hour having hard skin sheared off his feet before feeling able to don his summer sandals?

Modern Man seems to be setting the bar so high that a girl has to be in a constant state of tweezer alert. And yet, what do we expect from them in return? To shower regularly, not to scratch their manly bits in polite company and not to dress like their dads. It hardly seems like equality to me. And how dare they complain when we spend so much time in the bathroom. The blame lies entirely with them. I would, of course, have pointed out the unfairness of the situation to my male friend but I had a fairly lengthy appointment at the beauty salon...

Make Your Own Dorothy Shoes

2007-04-25T05:20:00.001-07:00

Do you remember the shoes in the Wizard of Oz?

Most people do and a lot of people would love to have their own pair of Ruby red shoes.

However if you do want a pair of Dorothy shoes, you might have to make your own. But don't worry it's very easy.

When my sister started her business abctheemers.com and decided to perform The Wizard of Oz she needed some ruby shoes. We looked everywhere and even managed to buy a few pairs form the internet but some were awful and some just didn't fit properly! In the end, out of sheer desperation, I decided to create a pair of Dorothy shoes for her!

They were an instant success. She loved them, the children loved them, the parents loved them, and the customers who have created them since love them!!

All you need is a pair of shoes - the best type are satin shoes, wedding shoes are ideal but I have also covered suede shoes very successfully.

The next stage is to dye the shoes, this is extremely easy and once this is done you'll need to find a shop that sells sequins and the holographic type are best. Using a special glue you begin to stick the sequins on the shoe. I have now created hundreds of pairs so have this down to a fine art.

You don't just have to stick at Ruby shoes, bridesmaids can have shoes to match their dresses. Little girls can have shoes just like Sleeping Beauty or Arial and be proper little princesses.

The bride can have either silver, white or any other colour she fancies.

As a memento of the wedding some brides have a pair of christening shoes customised in the same way as their wedding shoes. These can be used in later years for a christening or kept as a memento of the special day.

You don’t need to worry about the weather either – Stephanie in the guise of Dorothy has encountered rain, mud and snow and the shoes survived.

How To Keep Your Self-Esteem As The Years Are Marching All Over Your Face

2007-04-25T05:19:00.001-07:00

So you turned 40. And before you knew it, another year flew by and you’re approaching your next birthday.

As you look in the mirror, you notice that the years are making their statement, loud and clear. The skin no longer appears like you just turned 25, and the pounds are creeping in faster then you can chew. Having this daily enlightenment in front of the mirror can trigger a big depression. However, if you look from the other perspective you can (and should) take a totally different approach.

Yes, as my friend has bluntly pointed out, the years are marching all over my face, and probably yours. My reply to that is, so what?! Haven’t we earned every wrinkle?

Every muscle that is a bit loose still holds our facial expressions extremely well. So if the skin sags a little, it’s no big deal. When we were younger, it was a painful experience removing zits and getting lectured on the evils of sugar. Now we get to enjoy relaxing facial massages and soothing cleansing masks.

Of course, sugar is still our enemy, and is now accompanied by a host of starches that don’t belong in our diets. And alcohol seems to have more of a negative impact on our brains and bodies than it used to, so we should probably leave that behind as well.

On the other hand, an army of plastic sergeants eagerly awaits the opportunity cut into our skin, inject us with rat poison, and lipo fat from places we didn’t even know existed. And for the privilege of looking a few years younger, we get to pay for their services like a mortgage amortized over 30 years. Is that a deal or what!

For the disciplined, there are health clubs within walking distance of each other, preaching nutrition, exercise, aerobics and weight lifting. There are hordes of personal trainers standing by, who are more than willing (for a fee) to listen to us bitch and moan the whole hour on the exercise bike or treadmill.

And there are creams, made with exotic ingredients, for every possible situation. There are special inventions to lift your eyes, neck, breast and anything else you might think of. There are even bathing suits guaranteed to make you look 10 pounds lighter.

Today’s fashions allow us to wear just about anything, but let’s not get carried away and make fools of ourselves. It is not okay for a 40+ woman to wear a short miniskirt and think she looks “hot.” Remember -- everything in moderation (and I don’t care how good your legs look!).

Fabulously40 women today are at their best. Many of us tackle new careers, run marathons and date men 15 years younger. Heck, some of us are even having kids for the first time. Regardless of the circumstances, this is our time to realize that lines on our face do not make us older, they make us stronger!

No longer do we have to buy into preconceived notions about getting older. We can be verbal about our true feelings, we can conquer any challenge, and we know that if we lasted this long, we can do just about anything. We don’t have to work harder, just smarter.

We do, however, need to remind ourselves that after 40 it’s all about us. This is our time to be “high maintenance.” As long as we allow ourselves to be just a bit more self-centered, as long as we stay focused on being positive, and as long as we try to love ourselves more than anyone else does, self-esteem will not be an issue, no matter how many wrinkles keep showing up in the mirror.

Your Relationships - How To Tell If You Really Get Along With Your Partner

2007-04-24T05:15:00.001-07:00

If you are somewhat familiar with computers and the internet and you have used both, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Explorer you will have noticed how some webpages open up differently with one as opposed to the other. I am not a programmer and I am sure that there is an E=MC squared type of reason for that happening that I would never under stand.

Which brings me to my point of how you can tell if you really get along with your partner. Just like the two computer programs operate with different underlying code so do people. How often have you been involved in a conversation with someone and you bring up a subject along with your opinion on the subject and everyone else suddenly becomes quiet. It makes you feel awkward because you know it must have been something you said but you just can’t put your finger on what it was. Then as a result you become quiet or start asking what you said wrong.

The problem is that you didn’t really say anything “wrong.” You added your opinion into a conversation you were having with people who obviously have a different opinion than yours but were afraid to say because their opinions may not agree with the others in the group. Now, while your opinion may be an excellent one to thousands of people it is not to the ones that you are with. It seems that as we age these differing opinions or hang-ups become more exaggerated. I really don’t know the reason for this except maybe it is just that the different opinion always existed with the person when they were younger and now after they have been out in the world for a while they become less tolerant about anything other than their own beliefs. So their underlying code, like in the computer programs was there all along it just needed to be accesses or triggered.

The very same thing occurs in relationships. When a couple are too quick to rush into a commitment they run the risk of not having a happy relationship because they never really got to know their partner well at all. That is why you really need to keep the pace of your relationship slow and steady. After all, when you first start dating someone you are on your best behavior and you are real careful that you don’t say the wrong thing to upset your partner and damage the relationship. That is fine when you first start to date someone you naturally want to have a good first impression. It only becomes a problem after you and your partner are together for a while. Eventually the veneer wears off and the real personality shows itself. When that happens if you and your partner don’t have a compatible underlying “code” you will have problems that you may never be able to fix. You can’t change someone’s personality and they can’t change yours.

It’s not easy to try and sort through people to find the right one for you. It’s not like picking out a car, but you have to find out how your partner or prospective partner really thinks and feels about things that are important to you and they have to know how you feel about things important to them. The best way to do this is to just talk to each other without any other distractions, especially physical contact. Physical contact while you are trying to have a meaningful conversation will throw you off track and you may not be able to get back to what is important and that is getting to know your partner. A big red flag that I have run into several times is someone who only wants to talk about “happy” things. They consider anything other than fun to be depressing.

I don’t know about you, but real life doesn’t work like that. There are good days and there are bad days and you are going to have to support each other through both. Another innocent looking potential problem is when you are having a heart-to-heart talk with your partner and you are talking about something important to you and your partner replies “whatever!” You definitely do not have a meeting of the minds on that subject. While it is unrealistic that you will have a meeting of the minds on all issues you need to have a high percentage to really be happy with your partner. You need to know that after you have been out dealing with the world and the frustrations that it can cause, you can go home to your partner fully confident that your partner will understand you and as long as you have that nothing else really matters. Find someone who understands you and you will greatly increase your chances of being happy.

How To Use Pictures Of Hair Styles To Choose The Ultimate Look For You!

2007-04-24T05:14:00.002-07:00

Here’s a great way to avoid hair disasters and major bad hair days: - checking out pictures of a hair styles carefully first! OK, so this sounds somewhat mundane, but there’s a clever twist you probably don’t know about yet! Read on below to discover more…

Browsing through pictures of hair styles can be a great way to find the perfect look for you, but there are some things to be careful off, and also some important guidelines you can use to make the most of your time.

The most popular places to look for pictures of hair styles are in style books and portfolios found in most salons, and also in most good fashion magazines. As well, there are some excellent online resources such as hair style blogs and photo galleries. You can quickly and easily get lots of ideas and print out ones that appeal to you so you can discuss your new style with your hair stylist. By seeing a picture of hair style variations, it’s easier for both you and your stylist to have realistic expectations of what you want. But it’s not always as easy as that….!

One of the biggest problems with using magazine or web pictures of hair styles is that the hair style is on someone with a completely different looking face from yourself. Very often, the pictures you see in magazines are models or celebrities, all of whom will usually have close-to-perfect facial structures! But here are some ways to carefully choose helpful pictures of hair styles and avoid ones which could cause an instant bad hair day!

Making pictures of hair styles helpful –Tip # 1: Hair style type

When looking through hair style pictures, try not to be hypnotized by the glamorous first impression and look closely at the type and texture of hair that the picture is showing. Is it fine and straight, thick and curly, carefully kept or tussles and messy. It’s best to try and find pics that are closest as you can to your own style, and face shape.

Making pictures of hair styles helpful –Tip # 2: Face shape

There are many different face shapes, including Oval, Oblong, Square, Heart and Diamond-shaped. If the pictured model has a different shaped face from you, the look of the particular hair style can be totally different from what it would on you!

Making pictures of hair styles helpful –Tip # 3: Interactive online photo gallery

There are several services online you can use to quickly and easily upload your own photo and literally see what you would look like, choosing from a massive range of different hair styles, and colours... The appearance of the different styles on your face is surprisingly realistic, and you can carefully align the photo, so you can adjust the position of the hairstyle accurately. This is an excellent way to try out a particular hairstyle or range of different hairstyles and avoid disastrous “bad hair day” mistakes if the one you choose and pay for, turns out not to be right!

Is My Woman Body Pious – Does God Lives In? - Part 7

2007-04-24T05:14:00.001-07:00

My dear Ezine readers, today I would concentrate the discussion about my previous reevaluations of 36 Gods living in the pious body of my woman. Is it true; or my assumptions are just new superstitious hypothesis? I believe it is true. I have seen two forms of creator and the creation both living as mother and child simultaneously for over 180 days, 17 hours and one minute leaving aside abnormal deliveries. Most of my Western scientists would argue that a body is nothing beyond a heap of bone, flesh and blood. Yes; of course the wise scientists are absolutely true that is why most of the Western people only consider my woman’s pious body as such and they behave alike. How Madonna, Nicole, Marline Munroe, Margaret Thatcher, Golda Maier, Razia Sultan, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, Mrs SM Bandaranaike and Indira Gandhi like women have used their body is an example by itself? While the first stream of women were all out to exploit men’s weakness’ for lust by posing befitting men’s sexual desires and urges through exposed body, the other women beautified their body with worldly achievements through sanctity and purity. Which body is pious? While enlightening you through Atharv Vaid, I came across numerous verses where a woman is revered and worshipped in every form of her life. The Atharv Vaid even goes to the extent of saying that the country in which women are not protected and respected, that country would be going to be destroyed sooner or later. The insult of a woman led to the Great War of India, Mahabharata which destroyed everything. You will agree that even if you consider that woman body is made of flesh and bones only, and then also Atharv Vaid says, that all the five elements Air, Earth, Water, Fire and Sky are present in the living form of body. It is because of these elements our body continues to exit till soul remains inside. The moment soul departs from body, it begins to rot. Isn’t it true?

Not only Hindus but many other religions also existing in the world have given these elements the place of god. When five Gods unite to create thy body; than why should not a woman’s body be pious? The other elements of shyness and attraction is blessed by Moon, dedication and joyous through Sun, love by Venus, and all the mounts of hand are places for seven different forms of Gods that is Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Raahu and Ketu. You will agree with me that so far 14 forms of natural revered Gods and goddess are really shaping my woman’s body of flesh and bones. Why should than woman disrespect thy body? Is the only means of getting into fame left through nude and barely covered body of woman? No, most of the woman would firmly agree. How a woman who gives birth to oneself of creator willing could chose an immoral style of living in the name of woman liberation. I believe a woman, after such glittering exposure generally becomes captive of her own doing. I have observed that most of the women though usually enjoy well their glittering life; but they always remain under insecure social environment.

My endeavor in making my woman body pious is not based on vague assumptions of hypothetical analysis but I am of the firm view that the role of other 18 Gods and Goddess which gestate my woman’s body and various attributes and characteristics. My God has made seven forms of women as well. I would discuss about these forms in next series of article. These seven forms of women are based on their sexual and gorgeous look characteristics.

The moon, sun and Venus are three prime sources through which various types of traits and characteristics develop in my woman. These three Gods together make a woman pretty, loving and caring. The various qualities and traits of woman body depend on the Ansh (quantum of share) of these Gods and Goddess while growing a female fetus inside womb. The beauty and shape of ideal woman generally revolves around her height which is made of earth, air and water component of Gods. The scientists might argue at any length but the color of skin is governed by the periods of conception, time, longitudinal and latitudinal movement of earth in a particular area. Though many spiritual scientists will be able to show proof but it would tantamount to miracles and which they never want. It is suffice to say that if a woman lives in Europe, her skin color would be quite different from rest of the people living in Asia. It is all with the complex structure of our atom both in male sperm and female ova.

Though a few women have risen to great heights but most of the time they were found to be living under insecure environment. If my woman body is viewed as pious as it is, I hope the future of the world would be changes through a great renaissance in making. It would make the world most peaceful planet to live. I would uncover balance of other Ansh of different Gods and Goddesses which live with my woman in her body.

I, S Kalpna Sharma, am a freelance journalist who frequently write on various issues relating human values. My impetus of debate has been always focused on current issues which affect human beings life and social behavior. As always try to bring out debates on human values, my readers support base become large.

Bridal Lingerie - There's So Much To Choose From

2007-04-24T05:13:00.001-07:00

Congratulations are in order! You or someone you love is about to get married! Your wedding night is very special, and you'll always cherish the memories. That's why many brides-to-be purchase wedding lingerie in the UK or abroad. It can be soft and romantic or sexy and erotic. It's all up to you. You might even want to get one of each. After all, you've got a whole honeymoon to think of!

Sexy bridal lingerie isn't just sexy; it's also a lot of fun. This type of sexy lingerie draws inspiration from elements of traditional wedding attire. Sexy bridal lingerie is white and lacey, evocative of wedding dresses, yet anything but prim and proper.

You can find thongs that feature a gathered, sheer train down the back. Short or long, it comes in both styles. And there's a wide assortment of sassy veils to choose from.

You can opt for a bridal lingerie set of a matching bra and panties, which, of course, come in thong and g-string styles as well. There are also short little dresses, corsets, and teddies to choose from. Select the style that's right for the look you want to achieve. Are you going for erotic lingerie with a bridal touch? Or do you want to indulge in fantasy-type lingerie?

It's tradition to throw your garter to the bachelors during your reception. But you'll want an extra garter for the honeymoon! You'll have no trouble finding a sexy garter to match your wedding lingerie.

Erotic lingerie is a perfect gift for ‘hen' parties. It's a night for the bride-to-be, and her closest girlfriends, to walk on the wild side. So save the sexy lingerie gifts for your girls-night out. It's probably not something mom wants to see her daughter open at the bridal shower!

Bridal underwear is particularly fun. How about a pair of panties that says "just married" or "The Mrs." on the back? Maybe you could get the hubby to wear a matching pair! You can often find a matching tank top. These sets make cute and comfy pajamas. Of course, for something less kitschy, you can buy bridal underwear embellished with diamonds and lace.

Perhaps you're searching for bridal lingerie uk because you want elegant bridal lingerie, something enchanting and graceful. One popular type of elegant bridal lingerie is a long, flowing nightgown. They tend to be white, cream, or a pale pastel. These bridal nightgowns are made from very feminine fabrics, such as satin and chiffon. They're simple yet lovely. You'll feel like you're floating across the room.

For winter weddings, you can find elegant bridal lingerie with long sleeves. These sleeved-gowns are stunningly beautiful and provide a little extra warmth. You can also purchase a bridal lingerie set that comes with a matching robe.

Even your jammies should be especially pretty on your wedding night. A bridal lingerie set of a satin camisole and shorts will be just right. Short satin nightgowns are also pretty yet cool and comfortable.

Don't forget, the romance of wedding lingerie is just right for anniversaries. You can relive the excitement of your first night as husband and wife.

Stress Management for the Working Mom and Family Relations

2007-04-24T05:12:00.000-07:00

In todays economy, it is sometimes necessary to have a two family income. This can create problems in families where there has been a stay at home mom.

Studies have shown that just because mom is not home, children can still thrive in other atmospheres. They have also shown that both working and stay at home moms can contribute equally to a childs development.

Stress is a part of everyday life. However, for the working mom, it can be even more so. Moms rise and shine way before anyone else, to prepare breakfast, and school lunches if needed, and then wake up the rest of the family. It is mom who deals with the tired cranky children, get them ready and off to school. Then it is her turn to get ready for work, drop the babies off at daycare, and then off to work they go to work long hours.

When the workday is done, they go home to their families, cook dinner, do laundry, run errands clean the house, check the homework, pay the bills, and tuck the little ones in bed for the night. If the working mom is lucky, she can sit for an hour or so with her spouse.

This may seem like it is an awful lot to take in, and you may wonder how can anyone do this day after day?

Being a mother, whether it is a working mom or stay at home mom, it is a 24/7 position that does not come with many coffee breaks.

When you add an eight-hour workday to this, the result will undoubtedly be stress. The amount of stress can be limited with good time management skills.

When you present a good self-image to your children, they will naturally develop to be better adjusted. Children, even small children, can sense stress and will naturally react to it.

Parents are the biggest influence in a childs life. Parents are whom the child models themselves after and it is the parents who shape their child. If a parent is a contributing member of society, then the child will be also.

It is important to talk about your day, your child will want to hear about your trials and tribulations of the day, it helps them to understand what you do for work during the day.

When both parents work, it is crucial that the household responsibilities be shared. Children need to feel that they are loved by both parents, not just mom. When the father shares in the childcare routine, they are forming a bond with their children as strong as mom is. This is crucial to developing a well-adjusted happy child. Starting a routine where dad is involved also gives mom a chance to catch her breath after a long day.

When stress from work is brought home, children sense it and can make it difficult for them to express themselves. They do not understand the feelings that they have and tend to act out more. When a child has these feelings, the subconscious reactions that they have can cause them even more stress. It is important to keep the stress from work at work and not bring it home.

When a child is born, the first year of their life is crucial to their development. It is in the first year that all of the childs major emotional bonds are formed. These bonds will last for the rest of your childs life. They recognize their primary care giver as their protector, and if both parents work outside the home, it can have a serious impact on the child. Some children view their parents as company, and some children even fear when their parents take them home from their daycare provider. If it is possible, staying home for the first year of life will help your child to bond with you.

There are some parents who feel a sense of loss because they work long hours. They feel that they are letting their children down in some way. This can lead to a dangerous cycle of buying gifts for their children to make up for not being home. Experts advise against this because children will inevitably take advantage of these feelings. As the child gets older, the gifts get more expensive and the child grows to expect it.

Spending quality time with your children is far better then gifts of guilt. The time that you spend together will last far long then the gifts that you can buy.

Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

2007-04-21T04:26:00.003-07:00

The hike in the rate of sexually transmitted diseases among pregnant women has raised a situation whereby there is no protection against sexually transmitted diseases making the situation of pregnant women worst as compared to women who are not pregnant.

This is a vital fact that STDs contracted during pregnancy is quite life threatening. Most of the women are not even aware of the potential consequences of such diseases even before they get pregnant so they need to know how to protect themselves and their upcoming children from these threats.

The consequences of such sexually transmitted diseases for pregnant women can be same as for non pregnant women but these may lead to devastating effects too such as cervical cancer, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and other complications.

Very often there are no symptoms among women who are infected with these sexually transmitted diseases and even the women may not be aware that she is infected as such until she is already pregnant.

Many other complications that occur due to sexually transmitted diseases during pregnancy may include early onset of labor or premature rupture of the uterine membranes surrounding the baby and can even cause uterine infection after delivery.

It is quite common that sexually transmitted diseases are being transmitted from pregnant women to her fetus, newborn or any infant before, during or after birth. Certain STD’s such as syphilis even cross the placenta and infect the fetus that affects the fetal development. Many other sexually transmitted diseases include gonorrhea, Chlamydia, hepatitis B and genital herpes that could be transmitted from the pregnant mother to her infant through vaginal delivery. HIV positive women can transmit the virus causing AIDS to the fetus through the placenta while pregnancy or any sort of infection that could occur during the process of birth. Unique to the HIV this is a fact that transmission can occur in infants through breastfeeding by an infected mother.

Types of progesterone menopause treatments

2007-04-21T04:26:00.001-07:00

For many women, it is often necessary to have progesterone menopause treatment. This is especially true if a woman has had an early menopause or had menopause induced through surgery or some other event. Progesterone menopause treatment is most commonly used in conjunction with estrogen in the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT always uses a combination of both estrogen and progesterone to be safe and effective. Progesterone menopause treatment is also often used to help regulate a woman's periods when she is in the perimenopause phase.

Some other types of progesterone menopause treatments come in cream form. These progesterone menopause treatments are supposed to help supplement a woman's need for progesterone. As mentioned earlier, progesterone is essential in regulating a woman's periods. Progesterone menopause treatment can also help reduce the risk of a woman's developing some diseases such as uterine cancer. Without progesterone, the lining of the uterus may become abnormally thick which can increase a woman's risk of uterine cancer.

Progesterone menopause treatment creams are also frequently touted as helping with aging, PMS, osteoporosis and all sorts of other wild claims. It's true that progesterone may be helpful with PMS and other hormonal issues, but the only way to ensure a woman is getting the proper progesterone menopause treatment she needs is by seeing a physician. No progesterone menopause treatment, whether it's in cream or pill form, should be taken without first consulting with a doctor. The tendency to overuse progesterone menopause treatment creams is just too tempting--and with little rewards. Always research any progesterone menopause treatment product thoroughly before handing over your hard-earned money.

To be safe, never use any progesterone menopause treatment without a doctor's permission. Because the industry is not sufficiently regulated, it's difficult to be certain a progesterone menopause treatment cream delivers the amount and quality of progesterone it may claim to provide. Using a progesterone menopause treatment cream that has a doctor's blessing is not only more likely to give true results, but also provide greater peace of mind that the progesterone treatment will live up to its claims without dangerous side effects or results.

Vaginal Discharge & STD’s

2007-04-21T04:25:00.004-07:00

Unusual mucus or other substances coming from the vagina is a common problem and this discharge is usually because of some infection and is associated with pain, burning, itching and painful urination. It is not necessary that all the infections are sexually transmitted so you should not assume that vaginal discharge is always an STD.

Irritation of the vagina also known as vaginitis is the most common reason for discharges and is usually caused by infection. There are mainly three types of vaginal infections and these all could be treated with oral or vaginal medications. Such infection tends to produce a distinct discharge:

1. Usually there is a thick, white cottage cheese like discharge that is itching, irritated skin, yeast infection or candidiasis. Women those who suffer from diabetes and those who take antibiotics are more prone to develop such infection. Most of the women face at least one yeast infection at some point in their lives.

2. There is a thin, yellow, foul smelling discharge known as trichomonas that is also transmitted sexually.

3. Other symptoms include thin, gray or white foul smelling discharge known as bacterial vaginosis.

Pelvic inflammatory disease is frequently caused STD that infects the cervix, uterus, ovaries or fallopian tubes and is one of the most common and serious complications of an STD. Symptoms include vaginal discharge or bleeding with lower abdominal pain and fever. Chronic PID could result into one or more infections and the most common symptoms that could be identified are gonorrhea or Chlamydia that are sexually transmitted.

Genital Herpes can also produce vaginal discharge and it could affect the cervix. It includes features such as fever, itching, headache and general muscle aches. Some women also get infection inside the uterus and this condition is known as endometriosis causing fibroid tumors, cancer or STD’s.

Sometimes a hole develops in the vagina and because of the passageway caused stool or urine passes through the vagina. This problem can develop after a surgery or injury in the area, infection, inflammation or radiation.

Inflammation in the vagina is also caused because of lack of estrogen and as a woman enters into menopause her body produces increasing erratic amount of estrogen. This often makes the vagina dry out and get irritated. This condition is also known as atrophic vaginitis and could be treated by estrogen replacement therapy, vaginal creams or vaginal suppositories.

Ovarian Cancer

2007-04-21T04:25:00.003-07:00

The most deadly cancers to which most women are prey is the ovarian cancer. This type of cancer is however very rare but its overall chances of development are 1 out of every 100 as compared to the breast cancer that holds a ratio of 1 out of 9. The group that is most prone to this cancer is the age group of 50 and 60’s.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer
Since ovarian cancer shows any symptoms in the initial stage it is the most deadly cancer found. The problem is enhanced because of the fact that ovaries are located deep within the abdomen and there is no way out to self examine on a regular basis as it much possible in the case of breasts. The disease also produce symptoms that are often confusing and could also signal to other conditions.

Frequent symptoms of ovarian cancer are vague stomach discomfort, an expanded abdomen or even abnormal bleeding. Many women face these types of symptoms either throughout their lives and they make the mistake of not informing to their physicians. And by the time they feel it necessary to inform their physician, the tumor grows to an extent that it has spread too far to stop.

Even when your physician finds an ovarian mass, it does not always mean that there is a risk of cancer. The higher majority of ovarian masses detected in pre menopausal patients are benign and disappear as time passes by.

Greater risk
With most of the cancers, doctors don’t know exactly what causes the growth of cancerous ovarian cells. Current theory states that a number of factors of which some are controllable and some are not influence the development of ovarian cancer. One proposal also suggests that there is a link in between the number of times a women ovulates during her life and her risk of developing ovarian cancer.

The factors that contribute to the risk of ovarian cancer includes ovulation for more than 40 years, women who have never being pregnant or have the first pregnancy after the age of 30 or late menopause.

Other factor that is unrelated to ovulation but ought to increase the risk of ovarian cancer includes:
1. A family history of ovarian or uterine cancer
2. Having breast cancer or benign breast cancer
3. Having colon or rectal cancer or polyps

Stages of ovarian cancer
If your physician makes a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, he or she will make categorize it as one of the 4 stages of the disease whereby stage 1 is the earliest stage in which only the ovaries are involved. Stage 2 involves spread of the cancer from the ovary to other parts of the pelvis. The cases that are diagnosed after stage 3 are the least. The most advanced stage of ovarian cancer is the stage 4 that has least chances of survival.

Causes for Cervicitis

2007-04-21T04:25:00.001-07:00

Cervicitis is the most common gynecological disorder found among women irrespective of the age factor. Any women who has one sexual encounter and has experienced abdominal pain or any unusual vaginal discharge could be affected with it. Cervicitis does not yield to self diagnosis because its symptoms can lead to confusion of other ailments such as vaginitis. If cervicitis is not treated it can lead to problems in conceiving or delivering a healthy baby. Cervicitis can be easily diagnosed by your physician with a variety of drugs and procedures.

Cervicitis
It is the inflammation of the cervix- the lower part of the uterus that extends about an inch into the vaginal canal. Usually, cervicitis results due to infection although it could also be caused by any injury or irritation that could be the result of chemicals in contraceptives or forgotten tampon.

The first symptom of cervicitis could be a vaginal discharge that becomes more pronounced after your menstrual cycle. Other symptoms include bleeding, itching or irritation of any of the external genitals, pain during intercourse, a burning sensation during urination or a lower back pain. If it is mild, then you might not notice any symptoms at all. In a serious form, it could cause a profuse, discharge with unpleasant odor along with intense vaginal itchiness or abdominal pain. If this infection gets into your system then it may cause fever and nausea.

If it lasts for a long time then it could even lead to pregnancy because this abnormal mucus production interferes with the ability of the sperm to enter the cervical canal, but this infection could also spread to the uterus or fallopian tube leading to the ovaries. If untreated then it could also lead to risks such as miscarriage, premature delivery, infection of her new born during delivery also leading to pneumonia or severe eye infection or even blindness. It is important to visit your physician when you experience pain or unusual discharge because many times, cervicitis can be confused with signs of other disorders. The problem could be an infection of the vulva, uterus, fallopian tubes or urinary tract or could also be a sign of another cervical condition called cervical erosion. Erosion of the cervix is caused when the cervical surface layer is partially or completely missing.

It is the result of the body’s normal defense system or whenever there is some injury, infection, irritation or when white blood cells are mobilized, the blood circulation within the area increases. The cervix which is of pale pink and smooth becomes red and swollen. Your physician may recommend you a biopsy if the cervix seems to be abnormal or colposcopy, another diagnostic technique.

Guerrilla Marketing for Women - Creating a Marketing Calendar (PART II)

2007-04-19T03:27:00.001-07:00

SETTING UP YOUR MARKETING CALENDAR

Ok, so now you have your marketing plan written down in "black and white" , now it's time to set up your Guerilla Marketing Calendar. This is an important step because it will help you know when you are doing your marketing. Your calendar will help avoid emergencies, help you in your planning and put you in control.

You marketing calendar is very simplistic in nature. It is comprised of 4 columns and 12 rows.

On the first column heading, will be called "Month" , thus the 12 rows. Under the month column you will write label each row with a calendar month, Jan - Dec..

Your second colum, will be called "Thrust", your thrust is what will propel your marketing for that month. It can be a sales, a promotion, a new product, a freebie - here is here you will list it.

Your third column, will be called "Media", this is the media you will use to market your thrust. It can normally be like an ad in a paper, etc. but we are going to concentrate on the FREE type of marketing first.

For your fourth column, we'll label that "Grade", here is where you will need to turn into a teacher or professor and give your marketing efforts for the month a letter grade based on profits and response.

Now that you have your marketing plan and your marketing calendar in place you are ready to get started. Check out Guerilla Marketing for Women (Part III)

Guerilla Marketing for Women Owned-Businesses (Part I)

2007-04-19T03:26:00.003-07:00

Have you ever heard of "Guerilla Marketing"? Guerilla Marketing is unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources; a tactic I have mastered. I strongly believe that every business owner should use "Guerilla Marketing" as part of their overall plan. Playing Coy and Meek doesn't work and there is no room for shyness here - you are a business owner and should look at your venture as being a very profitable and successful business you must grow.

I will offer information on Guerilla Marketing in several parts as this can get lengthy. But if you employ it well you will be happy with the end result.

You can do some heavy "Guerilla Marketing" for FREE ladies and who doesn't like free? There are a few things you must be aware of first:

***If you have to pay, then it's not FREE
***You will need to invest your time
***The only money investment is an investment you have already made: your telephone, computer, internet, a supply of paper, a printer and your business cards.
***Your tactic must be done right
***Requires some energy --- not necessarily the mental kind either
***KISS - keep it simple sister - your tactic will be deceptively simple.

Part I of "Guerilla Marketing": Create a Marketing Plan

1. Create a marketing plan - this does not have to be a formal plan just something that you will follow. Don't write it and stash it away. Keep multiple copies in areas you will see it especially around your desk, in you planner, little sticky notes in your car.

Your Marketing plan should include a few segments just so you are clear on your goals and tactics:

Your first sentence should be your goal or purpose for marketing. Whatever your goal is, whether it's getting people to book parties; sell more product; get more recruits. Put is in a single sentence.

Your second sentence should describe what you have to offer that will motivate people to tack action or make a move. This is your competitive advantage.

Your third sentence should describe your target market. You will benefit from your marketing and what you have to offer. Don't limit yourself. By having several target audiences you have a better chance of hitting the nail on the head.

The forth sentence lists (and most important) will describe the marketing tactics you will employee. This should be several sentences, the longer the better. You can bullet your items to make them more clear.

The fifth sentence defines your market niche. What do you stand for? Here you have to identify your own market niche so it will shine through in all your marketing efforts.

The sixth sentence defines your identiy. This is not a description of your image, but of your business personality and it should be truthful and honest. This is a reflection of who you really are. So think about this and make sure you shine your best self through.

Your seventh sentence describes your marketing budget. This is usually based on a percentage of your gross sales. But because we are going to work on doing this for FREE. You will not be defining a budget.

Be sure to check out my next article "Creating a Marketing Calendar"

Are You Living The Fearless Life

2007-04-19T03:26:00.001-07:00

When people think about being fearless it usually conjures up images of mountain climbers on Everest, skydivers jumping out of airplanes, and race car drivers on the Nascar circuit. Most people think I could never do that.

The truth of the matter is this. Every person who ever scaled Everest, jumped out of an airplane or raced around a track at 200 miles an hour was scared to death! They were putting their lives on the line and there was no guarantee that they would return alive. The difference between them and us is simple. They faced the fear and didn’t allow it to overwhelm their need for adventure, their need to go beyond their usual comfort zone.

In my role as coach to midlife women, I am constantly surprised at how many women undervalue the amount of courage it takes to live. One of my clients had a child was very ill, she nursed him through the worst part of it, and continued to do her job where the expectation was that no matter what, she had to be in on time and do her work. She did it because they needed the money to pay the medical bills. She felt there was no choice. When told how courageous it was of her to do this, she looked at me blankly and said “what else could I do?”

How many women take their heroic journeys and say “what else could I do?” Or, “Who else was going to do it?” As women, we underplay our strengths and shrug it off as a trade-off. For what? We carry the load. Men may feel they are out there creating the wealth, but today that’s no longer the truth. More women than ever are in the workforce AND still doing all the other stuff they did before. Who has the harder job? In my opinion there is no contest.

Women have expectations about doing it all. We work, we take care of the children, we cook, we clean and we run all the errands. When the kids are sick, or our husband is having problems at work, we nurture them and we continue to run until we run on empty. We get tired, depressed, anxious and angry. And we wonder why it has to be that way.

Along the way, we lost the passion for living. When we were little girls we dreamed about what we would be when we were growing up. We played at being teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers and mommies. We travelled the globe on our wall maps and listened to the music and thought about becoming a rock star. We pushed away the doubts and went to college sure that we could do anything, and then the dream started to fizzle.

We did well in school, or didn’t, we found work that satisfied, or didn’t, and we married happily, or didn’t. And bit by bit, the dream that said you could do anything was gradually taken over by necessities. Money to pay the rent, children who needed special care, husbands who were never home because their job took them away for days on end. We found ourselves taking care of the daily grind and gradually, ever so gradually, the desire and passion for something different, for something more, dwindled to a whisper.

We are happy when we are with our family. Our children give us enormous pleasure (and pain); and our relationships over the years have deepened into friendships that are the backbone of our existence. But something is missing and we can’t quite put our finger on it.

When we reach our forties, we start to feel that the dreams we once had are no longer possible. We give in to the quiet despair of midlife believing “Is that All There Is” and knowing in your heart that the answer is no.

What is it that stands in our way from living the life we used to believe was possible? I believe it’s Fear.

We live in a fear based world. Our culture breeds it in the daily dose of terror news. We are constantly bombarded by what’s good for our health. People die from eating the wrong things. The latest was spinach. People die from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We live in a world without proper health care and we ignore countries in the rest of the world because we have enough troubles of our own at home.

Is it any wonder that we don’t want to deal with our own fears? Better the devil we know than the one we don’t.

I was forty-three years old and I had been in a relationship for thirteen years. We had three children, including his daughter from a second marriage. It was not the easiest relationship to be in because we were both strong-willed and stubborn people. We fought on a regular basis but found mutual ground in the love our children.

On one occasion, our fighting reached a crescendo and I was ready to leave. As usual, it was all his fault. He had made my life impossible with his demands, his thoughtlessness and his constant need for attention. I had had enough.

In the midst of our screaming at each other he yelled “You made the choices, not me.” It stopped me in my tracks. The words stuck to my brain and resonated for hours afterwards. I hated to admit it, but he was right. It had been my choice to accept less than I wanted, to give more than I wanted to, to place myself in a secondary position so that I took care of everyone else’s needs first. I wasn’t even sure I knew what it was I needed at that moment, but I knew one thing.

I was scared to take responsibility for my own emotional happiness.

We keep ourselves in a state of fear! We all make choices. Some good, some bad, but they are choices. I didn’t realize that for a very long time and wanted to blame ‘over there’ for most of the unhappiness in my life. We all have to make decisions. Sometimes these decisions may seem like there is no choice, but there always is.

Now all of this may sound like you’ve heard it all before. You have. But the sad state of affairs is that most women don’t take time for their own needs and make excuses for why they won’t move ahead into a life of fulfilment.

We all have choices and if we don’t choose the things that make us feel good, that inspire us to get out of bed each day, and celebrate the life we live, we only have one person to blame.

Living the Fearless life is not a choice. Living the Fearless life means facing the fears that stop you in your tracks, that cause you to make excuses about why you can’t do something, or refuse to make the changes that will mean feeling more fulfilled and happier with your life.

Think about this. In 2006, it is expected that women in their fifties will live until they are in their mid-eighties if their health is good. That’s thirty more years of living!! You might have another forty or more. How exciting is that.

Isn’t it about time you gave yourself what you need? What you want? What will make you happy? If you don’t know what that is, find help to unearth the part of you that was buried in the landslide called living the unfulfilled life. Stop making excuses for not taking action.

I know it’s hard. I know there are a million reasons why you can’t take care of yourself. There are as many excuses as there are stars in the sky, but you don’t have to wait until they burn out. That will take millions of years and you don’t have that long.

Thirty years is a long time to be doing something you don’t want.

Thirty years is another lifetime of putting your own needs first and creating the life you want to live.

At the beginning of this article, I used the examples of Everest and skydiving. Facing our fears does not have to be so monumental. But we do have to face up to our fears each and every day. It’s in the million details of our daily lives. The decisions we take in our jobs, our families and in our personal care.

My challenge to you is simple. Live the Fearless Life by facing the fears each day. Life is not about being Fearless, it’s about facing the fears and doing what makes us uncomfortable.

This is my first article. I put off writing it for weeks. Now that I’ve done the outline, I’ve got something to work with and I’ll improve.

My fear is getting up and saying to you that you can do this. I’m an expert on Fear. I’ve lived with it from the earliest part of my life. But I’ve refused to give in to it.

I was nine years old, living in an old Scottish tenement building that was built during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots. It was either haunted or I had an overly active imagination. One night I awoke to find a tall dark figure standing by the side of my bed. It looked huge and I could not make out any discerning features. It did not move and neither did I. I looked at it for a few minutes waiting for it to do something until I eventually closed my eyes and fell asleep once more. In the morning I asked everyone in our building if they had come to my bed the night before but no one did. To this day, I am convinced it was FEAR that came to visit. I lived with an abusive, alcoholic father and each day was spent in terror of doing something wrong.

We manifest what we most dread.

Gifts That Turn On

2007-04-19T03:25:00.002-07:00

Gifts create an enthralling effect on everyone. Everybody loves taking it. There are certain types of gifts that turn everyone on. When you give a gift to someone, you must keep one thing in mind, if there is some special occasion or you just want to give a gift.

There can be a lot of common gifts for a particular occasion. For example most of the guys will offer their girl friends, a nice chocolate gift pack along with some nice and beautiful flower on the evening of Valentines Day. So there are always predefined gifts for so many occasions.

So, when it comes to gift someone surprisingly, it is extremely important to know what one likes. And when you know one very well, buy one gift, and give it the way that shows you really care and believe me it will become a memory for him or her.

Giving a gift to a girl, however, is not a big confusing job. The rule is, no matter what you give her; the girls always value what they are given. So it could be anything.

Buying a nice gift also is not a big deal but the most important activity while you buy these gifts is, always keep one’s liking and disliking in mind and find anything that one may like.

A gift given with true love and affection surely creates good vibration in heart and becomes a memory when you give it. So be wise when you choose a gift for anyone.

Strategies Professional Women Speakers Use to Get Ahead

2007-04-19T03:25:00.001-07:00

What do professional speakers who have speaking for 10 years or more say they wished they had known before they started speaking professionally?

What would have made their life a lot easier, resulting in far less struggles, more credibility in a male-dominated work force, a bigger bank account, and easier access to more diverse audiences? What would have eliminated some daily frustrations?

I Wish I Had...

I took a survey among some of my professional friends in the business and here are some of their responses:

"Had I paid more attention to speaking as a BUSINESS, I would not have made some really dumb financial decisions along the way!"

"I believe in going for whatever I want and often that is what I do. The problem is that I run into situations when I do not know what to do and it becomes one bad situation after the next. I am at the point where speaking is not fun anymore. If I could do it over again, I would have joined some speaking organizations so I could talk with other professionals who have already solved the same problems I faced."

"I would have created more products in a shorter period of time."

"I would have tried harder to get into the college speaking circuit."

"I would have negotiated better with the organizations I spoke at for free, such as maybe get a free booth at their next convention, a list of their members, or at least a free ad in their journal."

"I would have changed my attire to fit the audience better."

"I wish I had contracts from the start. It would have eliminated some miscommunication problems that became issues and ruined relationships."

"I always wanted to have my presentations videotaped for videos and DVD's and recorded for audio tapes, too."

"I have had a great speaking career! I remember one time I spoke in front of a crowd of 2000 and they all loved me! It was one of the best times I had in my life, one of those defining moments where you know you were exactly in the right place at the right time. So, to answer your question, I would say I could have spent more time figuring out how to entertain the audience a little more."

"I wish I knew more now about internet marketing. Even if my website was up three years ago, I would have had a lot more business!"

"I would smile more as soon as I started my presentation, and meet everyone individually before the event started. When I did this lately, my conversion rate rose to 78%!"

Technology Has Made Marketing Easier For Women In the Speaking Industry

Although many of us have frustrations about computer technology, the bottom line is that any author or professional speaker can put their career on the fast track and obtain new business contacts through their website within 60-90 days using new technology.

Consider the process of website building. There are templates for header graphics where you simply insert your own text and photo into an already professionally created color-coordinated graphic. You will find WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) technology that allows you to simply point, type and click your way to creating your own site, adding several pages within a few hours. You can add audio and video quite easily to that same site. It is possible to add a service without incurring huge expenses that will allow you to collect names and email addresses of people interested in your topics and then follow up with them at specific intervals.

You can even animate your site and have the animated character do the selling for you. The possibilities are almost endless.

If you want media to contact you, there are multiple methods that very few female authors and speakers take advantage of. For example, ten years ago, in order to contact the media, you had to do it by way of a public relations firm or else sit down and make all the phone calls, one by one, yourself.

Successful female authors made a point to make 5 or 10 calls to radio stations daily, Monday through Friday, each month of the year. Now, knowing where to go online to submit your online press release could and often gets thousands of clicks on your release, driving traffic to your site. My last press release registered over 87,000 clicks within one week.

The problem for most women business owners, is that they do not know what to do with the internet traffic because they are not set up to capture the contacts. A simple "squeeze page" or opt-in form allows an author to continue contact with interested parties, which can eventually lead to a sale or a friend.

Blogposting, podcasting, article and video submissions complete the higher levels of internet marketing.

Internet technology is here to stay. The sooner you utilize this effective technology, the sooner your business will blossom. Learn how to make internet technology work to your advantage!

What Your Mom Didn't Know About Gaining Weight May Be Keeping You Fat

2007-04-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

If you find that you have gained weight in recent years and no matter what you do or don’t do, you just can’t seem to lose it, you are not alone. Countless women across the United States feel exactly the same way and will say so to anyone that will listen.

Of course, you already knew that. It’s likely you grew up hearing your mom, aunt or other female in your life talk about their weight. You also probably heard them go on and on about how tired they were, how their body hurt, how dry their hair was, and a myriad of other general complaints regarding how they felt that were chalked up to being a busy wife and mother.

They focused on calories and fad diets and you learned by their example that dieting equals grumpy woman… and unimpressive, if any, actual weight loss.

Maybe you can finally break the cycle of living a life filled with the ever present battle of the bulge. And even though it’s a cheesy TV commercial tag line, maybe it’s not your fault.

Are you ready to find out what your mom didn’t know that could change your body, and your life?

Here it is:

Your weight gain may be a symptom of a medical condition known as hypothyroidism, even if you’ve been previously tested and even if your physician said you are NOT hypothyroid.

When your blood is tested to determine whether you are hypothyroid, the lab uses what is called a “reference range” to measure your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Patients who are hypothyroid have higher levels of TSH in their blood stream than patients who are not hypothyroid.

Until quite recently, that range was 0.5 all they way up to 5.00. Medical degree or not, you can see what a wide gap that is. If your TSH level was a 5.00 or anywhere even close to it, your doctor probably told you that you were fine.

He (or she) may have also suggested anti-depressants, patted you on the head and sent you on your way.

The good news is that some doctors, albeit still far too few, have finally started to listen. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (the AACE) has changed the reference range to reflect the reality that a TSH near 5.00 is just too high. The new range is a more realistic 0.3 to 3.00.

Sadly, women who for years have been told there was nothing wrong with them and who suffered a host of miseries actually DID have something wrong with them! The happy news for you, however is that hypothyroidism is a treatable condition. Patients usually swallow a little pill first thing in the morning and it can make a world of difference in how they and whether they lose their excess weight.

So what can you do if you are one of the unfortunate millions who have been told you’re in the “normal range” and sent out the door to get fatter and more fatigued every day?

First of all, it’s time to get tough. Talk to your physician about the new reference range and insist upon having a new blood test. If he balks, you walk. The AACE says they expect the number of people diagnosed with hypothyroidism to at least double now with the new range. The old number was 13 million. Is that enough to encourage you to take this seriously?

There are plenty of doctors who will listen to you and who understand the new guidelines. Make sure you have a conversation with him or her about what you’ve learned here and don’t forget to insist upon a copy of your blood levels so you can have a look as well.

If you are serious about finally changing your life and losing weight, you simply must start with this simple blood test. As a woman who was ill for years with undiagnosed hypothyroidism, I want to shorten your journey. Don’t suffer a moment longer and don’t take no for an answer.

Trust me. If your mom had known what you know now, she’d have held out her arm in a skinny minute, pardon the pun!

Why You Shouldn't Listen To Others As Regards Your Small Breasts Size

2007-04-17T04:41:00.004-07:00

I am sick and tired of hearing ladies with good looking breasts telling others those with small breasts not to do anything about it. If you are one of such ladies with small breasts, this article will tell you why you shouldn't listen to them but go ahead and do what needs to be done to gain back your self confidence.

If truth be told, MOST of the ladies out there and the men out there desire nice looking breasts size. Even if the men won't accept it, they just can't get their eyes off the ladies with beautiful looking breasts.

Don't believe me? Take a good look at your man when both of you are walking around ladies with beautiful looking breast size! He will most certainly stare!

Any wonder why the magazines, movies, etc keep using ladies with beautiful looking breasts size? If it was so "okay" to have small breasts, why don't they use ladies with such small breasts?

I have come to notice that most of those that always say women should "make do with what nature has given" and not think about enlarging their breasts via breast enlargement surgery or breast enlargement pills, pumps, etc usually have the right size of breasts.

Because of this they just can't understand why the ladies with small breasts what to do something to increase the breasts.

Some of them do, but they just don't want these ladies to get good breasts size and look good too.

Tell me -- can someone who doesn't have a particular problem truly understand what the other person with the problem is going through?

No way!

It is very EASY to tell others what NOT to do and what to do, because we are not in their shoes.

It is very EASY to tell ladies with small breasts to "make do with what nature has given" when we are not in their shoes.

But the truth remains that -- "he" who wears the tight-fitting shoes knows where it hurts!

Or better still... SHE who carries the burden of the small breasts knows where it hurts!

So, don't listen to ladies telling you not to do anything to increase the size of your breasts. They can say so because they have no idea what you are going through.

If you want breast enlargement surgery or to use breast enlargement creams, pills, herbs, etc, go ahead and do it!

But a NOTE OF WARNING here...

Breast enlargement surgery can be RISKY if care is not taken. I will advice you to first consider natural breast enlargement.

Yes, it DOES WORK and has worked for lots of ladies that have tried it.

It can work for you if you do your home work and get the right information about natural breast enlargement using herbs.

Better still, find any lady that has achieved GREAT results with natural breast enlargement and ask her what she did to get her results.

Sexy Lingerie - Why Every Woman Needs Some

2007-04-17T04:41:00.003-07:00

Sexy lingerie is a must-have for every woman's wardrobe. Married, single, dating. It doesn't matter. Erotic lingerie's just what you need to spice up your love life or just help you unleash your inner love goddess. Wearing sexy lingerie will make you feel fantastic, even when you wear it under a t-shirt and jeans. Consider it an essential, just like socks and shoes. To feel like a real w-o-m-a-n, just slip into sexy lingerie. UK erotic lingerie stores seem to offer a wider choice - perhaps the weather means people spend more time in the bedroom!

Not going to Greece or Barbados this holiday? Exotic womens lingerie will make you feel like you've been sunning on the beaches of Santorini, even if you never leave the UK. Feeling a bit stuck in a suburban lifestyle rut? Release the intercontinental goddess within when you wear exotic lingerie. Great lingerie lets you be whoever you want to be. Have fun with it!

It goes without saying that intimate apparel is a must-have for special occasions. Anniversaries, birthdays, and, of course, Valentine's Day all call for erotic lingerie. Wearing seductive lingerie for that special someone is a gift in and of itself. You can even color coordinate for the occasion. Red and pink says "I'm your Valentine!" How about lucky green for St. Patrick's Day?

Erotic lingerie isn't just for special occasions, though. Surprise your significant other by sliding into some see through lingerie in the middle of a boring work week. See through lingerie has just the right "tease factor." Intimate apparel is all you need to beat the midweek doldrums.

Really spice things up, and break out of your routine, by surprising that special someone with a morning or lunch time (only private lunches, of course!) appearance in lingerie. The element of surprise makes sexy lingerie even sexier.

Who says dressing up is only for Halloween? There are eleven other months in the year just waiting to be filled with fun. Get some themed lingerie and bring out the sexier side of a fantasy career. Even better, make your husband or boyfriend's wildest fantasy come true. Naughty nurse? Flirtatious French maid? Look no further!

You can wear sexy lingerie just for yourself. It'll be your little secret, one that'll keep you smiling no matter what the day throws your way. You'll feel sexy all day long, with a seductive spark that will drive the men wild. The fun part? They won't even know why! They'll be fighting over who gets to hold open the door for you and give up their seats on the subway.

Believe it or not, exotic womens lingerie can also be practical. With a low-cut top or slinky dress, a regular bra just won't work. Visible panty lines will ruin any ensemble. So perhaps you've been searching for just the right undergarments to complete your new outfit. Online erotic lingerie stores in the UK carry the bustiers, camisoles, g-strings, and thongs that will complete-not detract from-your ensemble.

Lingerie isn't just for the bedroom. It can be your secret fashion accessory to keep you looking fabulous. Need a bit of helping filling out a fitted top? Buy a bustier or bra with a bit of a "boost." Pretty, lacey camisoles are perfect for layering. Pair one with a sweater for feminine touch.

Granted, flannel pajamas are warm and comfortable. But how about sliding into bed wearing a satin nightie? Drift off to dreamland feeling like a true sleeping beauty. After all, who says you can't feel fabulous 24 hours a day? Going to sleep next to his lady clad in exotic womens lingerie is sure to sure drive your man wild!

There's no "flash in the pan" trends in the world of lingerie. When you buy high-quality pieces, you're buying something you can wear for years to come. Unlike platform shoes or mini-skirts, a sexy, classic bustier will never go out of style.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I'm just not the lingerie type"? Guess again! Every woman is the lingerie type. It's just a matter of finding the lingerie that makes you feel beautiful and desirable. For instance, some women will feel like a tantalizing temptress in see through lingerie. Others will feel their sexiest in something a bit less revealing. Or, perhaps, something even more revealing! Browse through an online erotic lingerie store and get started.

Let's go! You're ready to take the plunge into the seductive world of intimate apparel. Erotic lingerie, exotic lingerie, see through lingerie-the beauty of intimate apparel is that there's something to suit every taste. There's a countless variety of colors and styles. Experiment until you find the piece (or pieces!) of intimate apparel that make you feel fantastic.

A great erotic lingerie store has everything you need to fill all of your lingerie needs. Whether you're a born wild child or simply waiting to release your inner tigress, you've got to have sexy lingerie - and plenty of it!

Gift Ideas - How To Choose Gift For All Occasions?

2007-04-17T04:41:00.001-07:00

Choosing a gift for someone becomes quite difficult sometimes. You start looking around gift shop but do not see anything that makes sense to the occasion. Such a situation sometimes gets on your nerves.

So we would like to give some ideas on how to choose a gift for all occasions. This is generalized information. Later we shall come up with a lot of specialized articles.

Well, choosing a gift for anyone is not so damn difficult as it seems. If you are going to choose the gift for a girl or lady just be happy. Girls and women are very particular about gifts bur they shall value everything and anything that you give them. The only thing that matters to them is, the feeling that you bought the gift with. That’s all, not a big rule.

If the gift being given is for some kid or young teenager, they will probably like gifts pertaining to their age group. Mature guys, on the other hand are not so careful about what they are given. The best gifts for them are something like, electronic gadgets, mobile accessories, favorite clothes etc.

Gift for matured people is always a fuss. There are no fixed rules or guidelines that can be followed to buy a good gift for them. Just make sure it should match to their age group. For example gifting a T-shirt to a middle aged man who rarely wears such clothes is obviously a bad idea. So just keep above rules in mind and buy the gifts.

2007 Hairstyle Trends - Insider Survey Revealed

2007-04-17T04:40:00.001-07:00

AG Hair Cosmetics runs routine surveys with a few hundred hairstylists to predict upcoming trends for hair. Looks like their predictions for 2007 hairstyle trends were pretty well spot on!

The most popular 2007 hairstyle trend to hit the runways and heads of celebrities is shaping up to be short cuts loaded with volume and "controlled messiness". This look transcends all age groups, and can look flattering on any woman. Slight variations make the style acceptable and fashionable for men, as well. You might think of it as the one size fits all approach to hairstyles!

Ellen Degeneres, Meg Ryan, and Hillary Clinton have already been seen wearing variations of the short and messy hairdo. This year will probably see the ladies adding more layers and volume to the roots of their hair, letting bangs fall over foreheads in a wispy- and slightly too long look that translates into a sexy framing of the face. If you just can't part with your long hair, remember to get rid of the super-straight locks that were popular last year. Adding a simple wave or loose curls will give you the fashionable look of the year.

The popular 2007 hairstyle trend for men is a simple to maintain, shaggy look. A good way to achieve this look is to have hair cut and textured into a short length. Wash and style hair before going to bed at night, and when you wake up simply run your fingers through and you're ready to go! It's the look that all fashionable men will be wearing for this year. In fact, if you want to take it a step further, men can add some warmer hair tones to their natural hair color.

While you don't want your hair to look or feel dirty, it's important to note that the current look of "controlled messiness" is managed better if your hair isn't washed every single day. Just-washed hair will also not hold as much volume as second-day washed hair, so keep that in mind and consider switching to an evening shower routine so you can keep up with the newest 2007 hairstyle trend.

Pregnancy And The Human Parvovirus

2007-04-06T03:18:00.001-07:00

The Human Parvo Virus B19 Infection is present in almost every place. One of the diseases it produces is called the 'Fifth disease", a common infection experienced during childhood or adolescence. Thus, the National Center for Infectious Diseases has estimated that approximately 50% of all adults have experienced the fifth disease. After recovering from the disease, a person will most likely have developed immunity against further attacks of the B19 parvovirus.

A woman who is pregnant can be attacked by the B19 parvovirus. This occurrence is usually not life-threatening since many pregnant women are already immune to the virus. This immunity will also protect the unborn child. But sometimes, the pregnant woman will be easily fatigued and have mucous discharges from her nose. Aside from this, there are no serious human parvo virus symptoms that could endanger the lives of both mother and child. The B19 was never linked to mental retardation or any birth defects.

But there are a few cases of pregnant women who, after being infected by the B19 parvovirus, suffered miscarriage in the first half of pregnancy. The cause of the miscarriage is the severe anemia that happens to the unborn baby. The National Center for Infectious Diseases estimated these few cases to be about 5% of all B19-infected pregnant women.

If a pregnant woman has been known to be exposed to the B19 parvovirus, she should immediately inform her personal doctor about it. Usually, the physician will perform blood tests in order to know the medical situation of the pregnant woman with regards to the B19 parvovirus infection. The blood test will reveal one of the following:

· The pregnant woman is already immune to the B19 parvovirus and her body is not suffering any infection - This means that she has nothing to worry about the presence of the virus. Her immune system can easily handle the B19 parvovirus.

· The pregnant woman had a recent infection, most probably within the last three months - This means that the pregnancy must be closely monitored. There are no specific steps established to monitor a pregnant woman who recently had a B19 parvovirus infection, but the doctor can perform ultrasound examinations and more blood tests to make sure that the unborn baby is developing as he/she should be.

· The pregnant woman has no B19 parvovirus infection but she has no immunity against it - This means that the woman must avoid exposure to the B19 parvovirus. There is no vaccine yet against the B19 infection.

If the blood results revealed that the pregnant woman has no immunity against the B19 parvovirus infection, and she believes that she has been exposed to this virus, the doctor cannot provide medications to stop the infection. All the doctor and the pregnant woman can do is to weather the infection, which could last for one to two weeks. The unborn baby will be frequently examined for any signs of anemia.

Wedding Flowers - More Bang For Your Buck

2007-04-06T03:17:00.002-07:00

When planning a wedding, from selecting the gown to organizing the reception, flowers are an integral part of the overall vision of a wedding day’s event. Without flowers, fresh or silk, the event will lack the elegant and polished appearance every bride envisions for her special day.

In a traditional wedding, not only the bride carries a bouquet, but also the bridesmaids, in addition, there are boutonnières for the men and corsages for members of the bridal party and important family members. Even the smallest of weddings usually add floral bouquets for the church, pew decorations and candles. As a one time florist, I know all the little extras that can add to the overall cost. If a bride is not careful, the flowers for even a modest wedding can run hundreds if not thousands of dollars when the reception is added.

How do you create a wedding to remember without maxing out your credit card?

· First- Don’t plan a holiday wedding. As romantic as a Valentine wedding sounds, it will cost double from almost any other time of the year.

· Second - Consider seasonal flowers. Some flowers are more readily available at different times of the year and cost less when in abundance.

· Third - Consider what you and your friends or family can do yourself rather than have done by a florist. Flowers are available from vendors like grocery stores and Wal-Mart. With a little planning, they can be used to make arrangements as lovely as a “designer” arrangement from the florist.

· Fourth – Join forces. Ask around and if there is another wedding pool monies with the other bride for big items for the church, like candelabras, floral arrangements, pew decorations. Most rental items are for 24 hours.

In most cases, the color of the bridesmaids dresses will influence the colors chosen for the wedding flowers. So choose wisely. If you choose a color with limited options for floral compliments you restrict the selection of flowers available.

A spring or summer wedding with a variety of flowers can be colorful and reasonable in price, because of the availability of flowers. By allowing the florist to select flowers that are readily available in your color theme you can get a better price. If you have a passion for a specific flower, consider it as an accent or focal point for the bouquet. If you just have to have that specific rose in that pale pink shade, you will pay for it if its not readily available.

The style of bouquets are also a factor in cost. Hand-wrapped, natural stemmed bouquets in most cases will be less expensive than cascading floral bouquets with all the taping and wiring. The hand-wrapped bouquet can also be set in a vase on the head table at the reception to add to the floral decor.

Corsages for servers and non-family members that require recognition can be done in silk, ahead of time. A few stems of silk flowers and a bow make a nice remembrance without the custom-made price sticker. Most hobby stores provide all the necessities and a willing designer to share the how-to information.

Decorating the church can be another area that adds to the expense of a wedding. If there is another wedding at the church the same day or the evening before, contact the bride and consider pooling monies. Instead of each having a small arrangement for a budget price, have the same impressive arrangements for both weddings. As for pew decorations, consider the ivy or fern growing in the back yard. Make sure its clean and spray with a foliage preservative. Again, check out your local hobby store for the hangers and add a white satin bow.

Think ahead about using items from the church for the reception. Use the church arrangements to decorate the reception area, the gifts table or on the floor in front of the head table. Any item that can serve at both the wedding and reception is a bargain.

By planning ahead and get more bang for your buck.

In Direct Sales- What Do Women Want?

2007-04-06T03:17:00.001-07:00

Surely you’ve noticed. Go to any company recruiting or training event or attend any national convention and without a doubt, you will see… women are the driving force behind the direct selling industry.

Now before anyone gets uncomfortable or moves on to the next article, let us recognize that men, without question, have and will continue to play a significant role in the growth of the industry. Men bring a much-needed perspective to both the corporate and field level. But the truth is that if your organization mirrors the national statistics put out by the DSA, more than 70% of your distributors are women.

Why is that? First and foremost, women are natural networkers, nurturers, and jugglers. They are driven by an “inclusive vision” that represents a better life for themselves, their families, their companies and the people within their organizations. Studies conducted by the Direct Selling Women’s Association found that above all, women are drawn to direct selling because it enables them to wear the many hats of individual, mother, wife, leader, friend and successful business person without giving up their most prized possession – their freedom!

Notice that it is not the promise of “big money” or the hype of long-term residual income that brings them “in mass.” Rather it is because a direct selling career meets their very real needs, right now, in a personally significant way that draws them to this industry. In short, direct selling offers a viable and lucrative alternative that enables women to fulfill their roles, grow as individuals and create financial stability for themselves and their families.

Now, more than any time in history, women are putting their high-powered careers on the back burner and choosing to stay at home with their children. Sadly, this loss of a second income creates a heavy financial burden on most households. In fact, it has been said that 80% of all home foreclosures could have been avoided with just $100 per month in additional income – a benefit easily enjoyed by even a part-time direct seller.

Why is this important to you as a leader? Because, according to the US Census Bureau 2000 statistics, there are over 144 million women here in the United States, of which, only 8 million are in direct selling. We have not yet begun to scratch the surface of possibility! We need to pose a “collective question” and ask ourselves how we can engage more women in the magic of this industry!

The DSWA is so intrigued by this vision that they have set as a primary objective to see that more women join the direct selling wave this year than in any year in its history! How can you play a part in bringing more women to the industry and better yet, your organization? The answer is quite simple… you absolutely must understand what women want.

What do women want? It’s a question that has puzzled men for years and is now being asked by every company offering a product or service since Faith Popcorn, author and trend expert, shared that women control 80% of household spending today. This question is such a hot topic that it even inspired a Hollywood movie script, headed by none other than Mel Gibson, who, despite the antics, never truly discovered the answer to the question.

Ok, Let’s begin by looking at what we do know about women. According to Faith Popcorn…

• A woman opens a new business every 60 seconds.
• Women are leaving corporate America at twice the rate of men.
• Women consumers control 80% of household spending.
• Women are juggling more now than in any other time in history and they are looking for a way to simplify their lives.
• Women are masters at multi-tasking, able to switch roles and responsibilities as quickly as they change their shoes.
• Women are looking for work alternatives that allow them to be home and maintain a connection to the world outside.
• Women are moving up in leadership positions and becoming top producers in companies around the world. And the list goes on and on! Whether you are a distributor building a large organization or a corporate CEO steering your company into the future, you need to become a student of the wants, needs and challenges of women today.

Here are some places you can start.

1. Read Faith Popcorn’s book, EVEolution. Never before has anyone so clearly and expertly shown us inside a woman’s heart and mind. Every chapter is filled with suggestions and insights that can revolutionize your approach to sales and recruiting.

2. Ask more questions. It may be a mystery to you, but it is not a mystery to them. Women know what they want and they will tell you if they believe your interests are genuine and well-intentioned.

3. Talk less, listen more. Ask for the thoughts, opinions and suggestions of the women on your team. You may be surprised that they already have the answer you’ve been looking for.

4. Walk a day in their shoes. High heels and stockings are optional! Recognize and appreciate the multiple roles and responsibilities that women juggle every day and let this help you see them for the strong, capable women they truly are.

5. Build relationships, not hierarchies. Women want and expect their business relationships to be rewarding, enjoyable and enriching. Take the time necessary to know them for the dynamic individuals they are. For those of you who took a moment to jot down these words of wisdom - congratulations, you are on your way to finding the answer to this important question! For those of you who did not, that’s OK, we’ll catch you next month. Because the truth of the matter is… patience happens to be one of our strong suits as well.