By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor

My husband surprised me with a 50th birthday party this summer. He invited all my friends throughout my many stages of life to come and share pictures of me when they knew-me-back-when. It was really fun to watch the slide show and reminisce about the good times with old friends.

There was one of me on my father’s sailboat that my…

By Susan Keats, Contributor &  Seize-the-Day Propagandist

I am running down the hall. In the living room there is a party going on and women are dancing to the music. I’m nervous. Very very nervous. One of the women calls to me. Suuuusaaaaan. Its yooooouuurr turrrrnnn! She has a feather boa in her hands and she wants me to shimmy my way into the center of the circle and…

By Susan Keats, Contributor &  Seize-the-Day Propagandist

I don’t have much respect for anxiety. My own anxiety is ridiculously annoying. I was never an anxious person until that cancer diagnosis came from out of the blue. Now I worry about my health all the time. I have read that anxiety serves a purpose: to keep you aware of potential danger, but when you…

Do you remember that frighteningly titled infographic “Sitting Will Kill You”? That was almost a year ago and it scared the daylight out of me. I won’t get into to the details (there’s that fine infographic for that) but essentially, the news is that we have all become way too sedentary for our own good, so much so that not even the recommended 30 minutes of exercise…

As I age I notice that I do not exercise the way I used to. For one thing, I no longer care as much about the latest fitness trend. I still enjoy the social sports like golf and enjoy swimming, yoga and skiing when I can. The reality is that none of these are consistent. I have never been a runner and quite frankly it hurts my feet, knees and back. So, my regular exercise regimen simply consists of walking almost everyday. I do anywhere from two to five miles.…

By Susan Keats, Contributor &  Seize-the-Day Propagandist

It was a dark and stormy night.

No it wasn’t. It was a fine night as far as the weather goes, but as we sat our two daughters down in the living room to tell them that I had breast cancer, the storm raging inside my brain was pretty harrowing. I attempted a brave face while my husband told the…

By Amie Valpone, Culinary Marketing Consultant & CEO of the gluten-free blog, The Healthy Apple.

Ready for a sweet treat on ‘Love Day’ but not ready for the sugar overload and empty calories? Look no further than…

By Margaret Plouff – Contributor, Natural Wellness

The beginning of a new year, ahhh, a time for fresh starts and new fresh energy. Time to move forward with grace and improved health, strength and vitality. The holidays were a time to indulge, and did we enjoy that! Now we have a choice to implement new healthy habits. It’s time to take exquisite care of ourselves, really show lots…

By Jennifer Urezzio, Contributor – Spiritual Affairs

It was the day after Christmas. I stopped in the grocery store to pick up some necessities and was confronted with the Season of Love.

Giant pink and red hearts filled the aisle. I was surrounded by heart candies and heart cards and everything one would need to create the Season of Love. And yet, what is truly needed to…



Have you noticed recently that there seems to be a lot of men sporting new mustaches? There is a reason for this. By now, we are well aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month (we wrote about it last month). This month is Movember (mo is slang for…

When I was over for dinner at my friend Jill’s home, she used this great bottle called the Blender Bottle to make her salad dressing. Although it was a simple oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice and salt dressing, the Blender Bottle emulsified all the ingredients perfectly and made the salad dressing light and airy.…

By Jennifer Urezzio, Contributor – Spiritual Affairs

“You must love yourself before anyone else can…”

The above statement is old and true. Why? Simply, if you don’t show yourself love and compassion no matter what anyone says or does, it will feel as…

By Marjie Killeen, Contributor- Midlife Wisdom

Hot flashes. Night sweats. Sleeplessness. Mood swings. Anxiety. Memory loss. Low Libido. It’s enough to make a woman crazy!

Historically, menopausal women were considered that and worse. In the Middle Ages they were burned at the stake as witches; in the 1700′s they were institutionalized as lunatics. Even today, many women view the phase so…