Mom to the Screaming Masses

An Interview with My Mom

 

This poster is on display at my mom's place of work - the quote on it is from a patient

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been a nurse. In reality, she's been a nurse for my entire life. When my younger sister was in kindergarten she went back to work, and she's worked ever since. At first, I thought I'd much rather have a mom who was a doctor -- it seemed that there was no glory in nursing.

Gradually, over the years, it's become clear to me that my mom could be nothing other than a nurse. It's what she is -- as corny as it sounds, it's what she was called to do. I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview my mom on behalf of Capella University and their Master's program -- and even happier that I get to share a bit of my mom with you!

What is your job title? Clinical assistant

What made you decide to pursue the field of nursing? I was 12 years old when my grandmother fell and broke her hip. I helped my aunt with her during the summer after she fell. One of the neighbors was a nurse who came by now and then to check on grandma. I decided that I also wanted to be a nurse and never changed my mind.

What degrees do you hold? Registered Nurse; Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing, minor in biology; Masters of Arts in Transpersonal Studies and certification in Orthopaedics and Ambulatory Care.

Can you perform in your field with less education? Yes, you can but most places now want nurses with at least a Bachelor's degree.

Did you find it difficult to be a woman in your field? No, as nursing is a traditional role for women.

Did you find it difficult to be a mother in your field? I would have if I had not taken time off from work until my children were all in school. My husband was military and to pay for child care even part time, and gas and extra expenses would have taken all my salary so I was a stay at home mother for 10 years. As long as I worked part time after that, I could arrange appointments around my schedule. I did have difficulties when someone was sick because of the need to find child care.

Have you utilized your mothering in your nursing or your nursing in your mothering more? I think itís a toss-up which I have used more. My children would bring everyone who was hurt to my door and tell them I would take care of their problem. I worked many years at Girl Scout Day Camp as a nurse and my children were involved in camp, also. None of my daughters were the least bit interested in nursing and in fact, never wanted me to talk about what I did ... I worked nights for 20 years and during the night, patients often need to talk, need someone who has time to listen. Now I work with young corpsmen in the Navy and young doctors and residents who always seem to need a mother or sister or den mother.

Has having a job in the field of healthcare made a difference in your life? YES, it gave me a life! At the time I graduated high school, girls were limited in what they could do and growing up in southern Missouri, I had no strong female role models who encouraged me to continue my education.

Would you recommend that others in your profession earn their Master's degrees? I would if they want to go into management or a supervisory position. More and more nursing positions are becoming available for nurses with advanced degrees. I earned my Master's in Transpersonal Studies because this was something that interested me. It has certainly increased my confidence in myself and my ability to do my job.

Share some of your favorite personal experiences: Nursing is one of those professions where you work hard day in and day out (or in my personal experience, night in, night out) and sometimes you wonder am I doing any good here at all? Am I making a difference or am I just marking time? Then I get a card or a letter of appreciation from one of our patients and I can see that for that person I did make a difference.

I am an Orthopaedic nurse, taking care of mostly hip and knee replacements; I worked over twenty years on an Orthopaedic ward in a hospital and working nights I would frequently be able to spend a little more time than the day shift nurses when patients wanted to talk. Pain is always worse at night and to be able to have time to listen was important to me. Now I work days and I do pre-op teaching to prepare our patients for surgery. Many days it feels like that I am spinning my wheels, that no one is listening, then I get a letter that says this: I'm not sure how to say thank you to an awesome group of people who were just doing their job -  however I want to try. Nurse Sue for making the paperwork streamlined and easy to understand, I'm grateful.

Or this letter: I wanted to personally thank you for all your assistance during my recent hip replacement surgery ... you care about people, you make the process work and you get things done! All characteristics of a true Professional!

And one last one: We believe that anyone who knows you can tell from your warmth and
understanding that you sincerely care about their well being. This is what has kept me in nursing for over forty years and I have no plans for retirement at this time. This is how I give back to society.

L Sue Aten MA BS RNC ONC

Capella University is a rigorous and supportive learning community with award-winning programs in healthcare, education, counseling, business, and IT.

At Capella, you will develop the knowledge to go further in your career and to help others reach their potential.

To see what Capella University has to offer, visit their webpage and look around.

Or see what our community has to say by going to the Capella University Facebook page!

For every comment on my post, BlogHer will donate $1 to American Lung Association.

So please take a moment to comment (and help make a donation!) How has education improved your life or the life of someone around you?

Donation Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total donation entries by leaving up to two comments in response to the prompt on this post.

This promotion is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

The Official Rules are available here. This promotion runs from 11/12/2012 - 12/31/2012.

Visit the BlogHer.com Capella page to check out more blogger stories and for more donation chances!

My Mom's a Nurse!

†

This poster is on display at my mom's place of work - the quote on it is from a patient

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been a nurse. In reality, she's been a nurse for my entire life. When my younger sister was in kindergarten she went back to work, and she's worked ever since. At first, I thought I'd much rather have a mom who was a doctor -- it seemed that there was no glory in nursing.

Gradually, over the years, it's become clear to me that my mom could be nothing other than a nurse. It's what she is -- as corny as it sounds, it's what she was called to do. I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview my mom on behalf of Capella University and their Master's program -- and even happier that I get to share a bit of my mom with you!

What is your job title? Clinical assistant

What made you decide to pursue the field of nursing? I was 12 years old when my grandmother fell and broke her hip. I helped my aunt with her during the summer after she fell. One of the neighbors was a nurse who came by now and then to check on grandma. I decided that I also wanted to be a nurse and never changed my mind.

What degrees do you hold? Registered Nurse; Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing, minor in biology; Masters of Arts in Transpersonal Studies and certification in Orthopaedics and Ambulatory Care.

Can you perform in your field with less education? Yes, you can but most places now want nurses with at least a Bachelorís degree.

Did you find it difficult to be a woman in your field? No, as nursing is a traditional role for women.

Did you find it difficult to be a mother in your field? I would have if I had not taken time off from work until my children were all in school. My husband was military and to pay for child care even part time, and gas and extra expenses would have taken all my salary so I was a stay at home mother for 10 years. As long as I worked part time after that, I could arrange appointments around my schedule. I did have difficulties when someone was sick because of the need to find child care.

Have you utilized your mothering in your nursing or your nursing in your mothering more? I think itís a toss-up which I have used more. My children would bring everyone who was hurt to my door and tell them I would take care of their problem. I worked many years at Girl Scout Day Camp as a nurse and my children were involved in camp, also. None of my daughters were the least bit interested in nursing and in fact, never wanted me to talk about what I did ... I worked nights for 20 years and during the night, patients often need to talk, need someone who has time to listen. Now I work with young corpsmen in the Navy and young doctors and residents who always seem to need a mother or sister or den mother.

Has having a job in the field of healthcare made a difference in your life? YES, it gave me a life! At the time I graduated high school, girls were limited in what they could do and growing up in southern Missouri, I had no strong female role models who encouraged me to continue my education.

Would you recommend that others in your profession earn their Masterís degrees? I would if they want to go into management or a supervisory position. More and more nursing positions are becoming available for nurses with advanced degrees. I earned my Masterís in Transpersonal Studies because this was something that interested me. It has certainly increased my confidence in myself and my ability to do my job.

Share some of your favorite personal experiences: Nursing is one of those professions where you work hard day in and day out (or in my personal experience, night in, night out) and sometimes you wonder am I doing any good here at all? Am I making a difference or am I just marking time? Then I get a card or a letter of appreciation from one of our patients and I can see that for that person I did make a difference.

I am an Orthopaedic nurse, taking care of mostly hip and knee replacements; I worked over twenty years on an Orthopaedic ward in a hospital and working nights I would frequently be able to spend a little more time than the day shift nurses when patients wanted to talk. Pain is always worse at night and to be able to have time to listen was important to me. Now I work days and I do pre-op teaching to prepare our patients for surgery. Many days it feels like that I am spinning my wheels, that no one†is listening, then I get a letter that says this: ìIím not sure how to say thank you to an awesome group of people ëwho were just doing their jobíÖ however I want to try. Nurse Sue for making the paperwork streamlined and easy to understand, Iím grateful.î

Or this letter: ìI wanted to personally thank you for all your assistance during my recent hip replacement surgery ... you care about people, you make the process work and you get things done! All characteristics of a true Professional!î

And one last one: ìWe believe that anyone who knows you can tell from your warmth and
understanding that you sincerely care about their well being.î This is what has kept me in nursing for over forty years and I have no plans for retirement at this time. This is how I give back to society.

L Sue Aten MA BS RNC ONC

Capella University is a rigorous and supportive learning community with award-winning programs in healthcare, education, counseling, business, and IT.

At Capella, you will develop the knowledge to go further in your career and to help others reach their potential.

To see what Capella University has to offer, visit their webpage and look around.

Or see what our community has to say by going to the Capella University Facebook page!††††††††††

For every comment on my post, BlogHer will donate $1 to American Lung Association.

So please take a moment to comment (and help make a donation!) How has education improved your life or the life of someone around you?

Donation Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total donation entries by leaving up to two comments in response to the prompt on this post.

This promotion is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

The Official Rules are available here. This promotion runs from 11/12/2012 - 12/31/2012.

Visit the BlogHer.com Capella page to check out more blogger stories and for more donation chances!

Getting to the Center of a Tootsie Pop

I remember being a kid and wondering the answer to that age old question, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?"

I always tried to figure it out - but after about a dozen licks, I'd grow impatient and CHOMP into it. So, for me, it was a dozen. That commercial, which debuted in 1970 and still runs to this day, is a big memory for me. They've made different versions, but I recently saw the original, with the wise old Owl, and it brought me right back to my childhood.

Minus the Holly Hobbie lunch box and the braces and the glasses - it was still the same.

I was super duper excited to get to challenge my younger children - could they withstand the pressure? Could they avoid crunching into the hard candy coating to get to the chewy Tootsie Roll Pop center - and could I join them?

I was ready to take one for the team - and then I noticed something really weird. When I dumped out the bag - out of my kids' sight - there was not ONE chocolate pop. NOT ONE. Those are my FAVORITE, the ones I jumble through the Halloween punkins for, the ones I hide in the bottom of my purse in order to have on bad days, and there wasn't a single one in the bag.

The original five-flavor mix--Chocolate, Cherry, Orange, Grape and Raspberry--has been expanded to include a new sixth flavor that alternates among Pomegranate, Banana, and now Green Apple flavored hard candy.

But my bag had no chocolate.

Emma chose Blueberry

Riley chose Cherry

And Gabe chose Grape!

I asked my kids how many licks they thought it would take. Emma said 1 million, Riley said 1000, and Gabe - well, he had a slightly more complicated answer.

And what were the results?

Emma finished in 205, Riley in 312, and Gabe - well, I'll let him tell you himself.

Each of you is invited to enter the "How Many Licks?" video contest where readers can win prizes by submitting a video which answers the ""How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Pop?"" question. This was super, super fun for us, as you can see above. The contest begins October 1, 2012 at 2:00 a.m. PT and ends on October 25, 2012 at 11:30 p.m. PT .

HOW TO ENTER:
Access either the Tootsie Roll or Tootsie Pop Facebook pages, Like the Fan Page, click the How Many Licks Contest tab, and click Submit Entry. Then, follow the instructions to enter by uploading your How Many Licks video. There will be weekly winners, a grand prize winner, a funniest video winner and a viewersí choice winner as stated in the attached graphic of your post.

The Most Pampered Hair in the Free World

I am ridiculously vain. Stupidly, ridiculously vain. I like to look good.

My hair is probably the area of myself in which I devote the most attention and find myself experiencing the most obsession. When I met my husband, it was very long, probably half way down my back, and I set it on rollers. He told me that he like blonde hair, and so I started to get it highlighted. Years and years of highlighting and it was ridiculously light - and it was also stupid fragile. And, see also: I had me a fine mullet, yes I did. Short in the front, long in the back - my hair was a thing of beauty. Only in my eyes.

When I had my fourth baby, I was so sick of it being pulled and yanked on

that I cut it all off. It was almost, but not quite, a crew cut. And I kept it that way for many a year. My hair has a lot of red in in, which means that it brasses out, and I was seeing a hair stylist who loved to make my hair even more red.

One unfortunate color batch looked purple.

And I hated to tell her that I didn't like my hair, so I kinda just gave her free reign. And, lo, it was ugly. So, so ugly, and very dry. About four years ago, I decided to let my hair grow back. I was so tired of it looking incredibly ugly. Now, it's longer. About shoulder length, maybe a bit longer - and I've forgotten, over the years, how incredibly frizzy my hair can be.

It becomes less than optimal.

Kinda like Roseanne RoseannaDanna. Remember her?

Many people might embrace the fluff, brag about the fullness, write home about the volume. But I like SMOOTH hair. And I like CALM hair. And I love me some BEHAVING hair. And so I use a lot of product of my hair, and expensive product to boot.

Beginning with shampoos and conditioners. If you tell me it'll calm my hair, I'll toss it in the proverbial shopping cart. I love Aveda, I love Biolage, I love Redken and Pureology. Alterna, Ouidad, Bumble and Bumble - I've tried them all. So when I was sent some Dove Intense Conditioner to try, I'll go ahead and admit it - I was skeptical. My hair is fussy. It's heavily colored (I have a four inch skunk stripe of white that runs straight down the middle of my head - I color every 4 weeks) and I straighten it and blow it dry and use hot rollers and put it up in braids and ponytails

and basically just torture my poor hair. I'm out in the sun all summer, I'm in the pool and at the oceanfront and the water park and my hair gets really abused. That's one reason that I buy expensive products - I know that the moisture needs to be replenished.

But when I realized I had no conditioner one day in the shower, I skeptically grabbed that bottle of Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner I'd been sent - the one that my older girls had been using (and RAVED over, as an aside - but they weren't supposed to be in my shower (!)). At the least, I thought to myself, I can use it for today and wash my hair again tomorrow - and I'll hit the store in the meantime to get the "good stuff".

Except that this WAS the good stuff. Color me surprised.

I really liked it. It was thick and rich and left my hair feeling smooth and silky without being weighed down - and the frizziness was kept at bay. It was nice enough that I've bought another bottle of it - hey, with four girls with long hair, you can only imagine how much shampoo and conditioner we go through! - and designated one bottle for my own personal use.

Want to enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate? I thought you might. To enter, leave me a comment telling me your most pressing hair issue. Frizziness? Lifeless hair? Too much hair? Not enough hair? Losing your hair?

Lay it on me, sisters of the world.

HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL RULES.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES. If you want to comment here, I'm more than delighted - but you won't be entered for the $1000 gift certificate giveaway - and I know that's what we all want, yes?

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 - 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove^®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

First Look, First Taste

I love to cook. All day long, I love to cook. I went to college for Culinary Arts - I didn't finish because I ran out of money - stupid money, getting in the way of EVERYTHING. I really like to share tried and true recipes with you guys - after all, something can look really awesome on Pinterest, and you can follow every direction and every step and end up with something totally unpalatable.

I may have done that once or twice or three times.

I've long been a fan of ConAgra. From their partnership with George Duran (yum!) to their charitable donations through Child Hunger Ends Here, ConAgra seems to me to be a company that stands for good stuff. It also helps that many of the offerings reside in my kitchen.

Yummmm, RO*TEL.

ConAgra Foodsí has come up with a new online resource created especially for bloggers. Called The Dish, bloggers can get the latest information on foods and insights to spark stories for blog posts, including seasonal recipes, the latest food industry trends, recipes, details on upcoming ConAgra Foods programs, and more.

The Dish consists of four main content areas:

• Seasonal Spotlight
• Recipe Resources
• Ask Our Team ñ a panel of experts which includes: Phil Lempert, savings expert; Dan Skinner, editor-in-chief; Carelys Hepburn, Hispanic resources; and Abby Penich, ReadySetEat Community Manager
• First Look, First Taste - the latest and greatest in new products

I spent an awful lot of time on the site, and realized that not only do I know and respect many of the people who are on The Dish - but that, as much as I think I know about both blogging AND cooking - there's always room for more.

Sign-up and become a member of The Dish, follow @ConAgraDish on Twitter, and request product samples from the First Look, First Taste section - I think that The Dish is a completely unique concept and I'm looking forward to seeing it flourish. Besides, ANY opportunity to watch George Duran cook is a golden opportunity for me.

Would you like to win a $50 gift card to purchase groceries and try out one of those great recipes? To enter, please tell me one fact you learned on The Dish.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion with hash tag #sweepstakes and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 8/22/2012-9/8/2012.

Be sure to visit ConAgra Foods' brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers reviews and find more chances to win!

Cedar Fair Theme Parks are Big Family Fun!

I've never been what you might call a fan of amusement parks. My family absolutely loves them. I am not a roller coaster rider at all, and the idea of standing out in the crowd, hot and tired, and watching them do it again! and again! and again! -

Well, this is the part of being a parent that you just do, right?

Wrong. Kings Dominion proved that to me when we visited in May. Hold tight. This is gonna get good.

The best part of visiting a theme park - there're no video games, no Minecraft, no ear buds and blasting music, no screens at all - just a family, spending time together and having a blast! It's a great way to spend time becoming acquainted with those people that you call children - and, being that they might be flipping through the air, there's no time for eye rolling or name calling.

It's a Win-Win in my book!

Kings Dominion is part of the Cedar Fair family of theme parks, which means that they have Planet Snoopy. What's so cool about Planet Snoopy, you might ask? The Peanuts gang happens to be my very favorite cartoon EVER, and seeing the characters come to life was a gigantic thrill for my kids. And maybe for me as well.

One of the best features of the Cedar Fair amusement parks, in my opinion, is the option that you are offered at the entrance to the park. Your child is measured and given a wristband to indicate their height, in order to determine which rides are safe for them. If you are offered this option, TAKE IT. I can't tell you the number of unhappy families I saw who had waited in line to get on a ride and they were sent away, all because Little Kimmie wasn't tall enough.†

Kings Dominion has a rating system in place to help any visitor choose their park adventure, grading rides on a scale from Low Thrills (1) to Aggressive Thrills (5). This is super awesome for us, as we have kids in all age ranges and all thrill levels. Too often, we may pick a ride that we think might be appropriate, only to have the child in hysterical tears because the ride is just too much. By utilizing the ratings system, we were able to do the old "Divide and Conquer" - I stayed with the less adventurous kids while Daddy took the thrill seekers off to experience the roller coasters.

†

†

Joe Cool's Driving School - Level 1 - and Riley's favorite. We stayed here for HOURS.

Taxi Jam - Level 2 - and the more adventurous kid may not be who you think it is!

Every time we counted, we came up with a different number, but I think that there were NINE roller coasters at Kings Dominion. That, my friends, is called NIRVANA to the thrill seekers among us. My husband and daughters rode almost every one - and he was thrilled to do so, because it's really hard for a teenager to roll her eyes or fight with her sister when she's flying through the air.

My husband and girls rode every Level 4 roller coaster - even my nine year old - and almost every Level 5 - but The Crypt proved too much for even them. Take a look at this thing!

†

We went up in the Eiffel Tower, which is just 1/3 of the height of the real Eiffel Tower, and from there we had an amazing view of the park.

The Rebel Yell, a wooden roller coaster that has been at Kings Dominion since 1975 - which doesn't look too intimidating from 300 feet in the air!

The Volcano, which my husband pronounced the fastest ride that he's ever been on in his life.

One of the new attractions for 2012 is Dinosaurs Alive!, 36 life sized replicas that move, blink, roar and in all other ways make you glad you live today and not millions of years ago. It's an interactive guided tour through 6 shaded acres of natural history. The cost of this is not included in your ticket, but it's a reasonable $5 per person. Especially in the heat of the summer, it might be worth it just to visit for the respite from the heat - and no matter what you think you know about the dinosaurs, there's new history being uncovered all the time.

Also new this year is WindSeeker, a 301-foot tall tower swing ride which joins Intimidator 305, Drop Tower and the Eiffel†Tower in the "300 Foot Club" at Kings Dominion. This ride spins riders 30 stories above the park reaching speeds of 30 miles an hour. Too fast for me, but my kids LOVED it.

There's truly a ride for every level of thrill seeker at Kings Dominion!

As for me, I was happy to ride the carousel:

And the vintage cars are alllll for me:

The park was clean, the attendants polite and interested in helping, and even cognizant of food allergies. When my son asked if a food was safe for him, the supervisor was unaware, but she took the time to call on her walkie-talkie and check, which gave me peace of mind that my food allergic child was safe.

I can highly recommend Kings Dominion as a park that your entire family, from teeny tiny to grown, will enjoy.

Do you do the divide-and-conquer at amusement parks or all wait in line together?†

Microsoft Office and Back to School

Back-to-school shopping.

Many of us have to do it--some with more dread than others--with much excitement.

Guess which category I'm in? I love my children, but, let's face it-- I'm not cut out to be a home-schooling mom.

So we do the back-to-school shopping. Once upon a time, my back-to-school shopping consisted of choosing exactly the right pencils, glue sticks, crayons and tossing a few packets of paper into the cart. It has evolved, though, as my kids have gotten older, and that supply list has become much more sophisticated. Now it's almost a given that each child will need a few memory sticks, a special computer program (or three), and a graphing calculator. We've got computers at the house, which is good news indeed. I have a kid in college, a senior and a freshman in high school, a middle schooler and two elementary students-- and it seems that every night each of them has to do homework on the computer. I need to make sure that the computer is ready for all that's expected of it. What is absolutely mandatory on those computers? Microsoft Office 2010.

When I realized that I had been asked to write about Microsoft Office and Back-to-school shopping, I noticed that I had a perfect focus group in my house-- my teenagers. I asked my two oldest kids and their two visiting friends-- ages noted-- what their thoughts were on the Microsoft Office battalion of products, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

Ashley (18) said: PowerPoint is always consistent; it's already set up and the color schemes look professional. Word has the symbols that I need for math and languages.

Allegra (17) said: I like that I can go into PowerPoint and it does exactly what I want it to do. There are other programs that the school wants us to use, like Prezzi, and they are so hard to use that the projects are no fun. I like that it automatically creates an annotated biography for me when I use citations.

Brian (21) said: I bought a laptop when I first went to college. When I realized that I didn't have Microsoft Office, I immediately went out and bought it-- that's how important the Microsoft Office grouping is to me. It's all I've ever known, it's all I use for school. I mostly use PowerPoint and Word-- Word because it gives me the formatting skills that my professors demand.

Nik (20) said: I use Excel to create spreadsheets for business and Word for everything else. I'm so used to using Word-- that's what they've trained us on since grade school- that I find it difficult to switch.

When I asked all four if they'd like to be without Microsoft Office for school, the answer was the same for all-- NO. Complete with wide eyes and wide head shakes.

As for me, I too just bought a laptop-- and when we saw that there was no Microsoft Office on it, back to the store we went to buy it. Microsoft Office 2010 has everything that we need and I can't imagine not being able to use it. We've made sure that every computer at our house has the Microsoft Office suite-- there's just no way for the kids to be successful at schoolwork without it. With Office 2010, your kids will have everything they need to help express themselves and succeed-- Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote offer features that help kids collaborate on projects, take dynamic notes and give rich presentations-- which, one might hope, will help them get better grades.

And maybe scholarships in the future. I'm just sayin'.

Back-to-school shopping can be expensive-- trust me when I say that. These are the times that I wish for that crayons/special pencils/glue stick shopping cart I had years ago. Buy Office today with this link and save 15%-- but this is only good until September 14-- so grab it for your back-to-school needs.

Because as soon as you get through with back to school shopping, it's going to be time for--gasp-- HOLIDAY SHOPPING.

Be sure to visit Microsoft Office 2010's brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers posts.

What Happened at Harley Camp

This contest is now closed and the winner was #9.

Gets shared all over the place, lol.

This is a really picture heavy post. Grab a drink and settle in. It's gonna be long but it's gonna be worth it.

The first night that we were at Harley Camp, many of us were nervous. I've been on a motorcycle before, but a few bad experiences made me a little gun shy. The fine folks at Harley-Davidson know not everyone is a fan, so they've created the Garage Party.

Which kind of sounds like it's a heavy metal band, but it's not. A Garage Party is geared towards those who have never ridden -- primarily women. It is a class designed to familiarize you with the motorcycle from headlight to tail pipe, teach you want to do if a motorcycle falls over (a great big fear that I have!) and even allows you to sit on the JumpStart. What's that? An honest-to-God Harley, securely mounted, that will allow you to sit on it, rev the engine and feel the power of a Harley.

I think everyone should do it at least once.

Look at the veritable sea of motorcycles; I've never seen so many in one place.

JumpStart, combined with the Garage Party, is a great concept in helping women to overcome their fears. The instructors, all women riders, didn't think any fear or question was too silly, too minor; they calmly and patiently addressed every single question. We learned how to pack for a road trip - I never really thought about the fact that, hello, you can't take a suitcase - what to do if it rains, how to deal with the bike when it falls, and much more.

The next day, we went to Harley-Davidson University.

Which was just as cool as it sounds.

We learned about the four guys who began Harley-Davidson in a 10'x15' foot shed - 3 Davidsons, 1 Harley - who had a dream to create a bicycle that took less effort to work. They were all in their early 20s, and although they look like businessmen in this photo - apparently the boys liked to work hard, play hard, and ride hard.

Not much has changed for Harley-Davidson.

Historically, the Harley-Davidson brand is thought of as a particular type of customer - what I call "My Brother-in-law". Bob is a great guy. He's also a biker in every sense of the word. A big guy, balding, tattooed, bearded, wearing a leather vest and big rings - the exact image if you say to yourself, "Self: What does a biker look like??"

Harley-Davidson is trying to grow its market by reaching out to four smaller, less active groups - the Core enthusiast group (men like my brother-in-law) is going great gangbusters - but Hispanics, Latinas, Women and the older age groups have a smaller market share.

Those are all customers.

They have a solid "No Cages" philosophy - which refers to the cage that a car has around you - but it also means so much more. It means reaching out, grabbing life as it hurries past, and enjoying every minute of it. It means feeling the wind in your face with the open road stretched out in front of you - nothing in your way.

I was honestly surprised at how much I found myself wanting that. Empowering women to live life on their own terms. I like that.

We were introduced to the My Time to Ride Series and watched video of women, just like us, who had decided to become Harley owners. They were nervous and afraid and everything didn't always go smoothly, but at the end of their Rider's Edge course, all were successful Harley Riders. Rider's Edge is the training class designed to get you on the road and feeling safe.

It doesn't get any better than that.

Then we had lunch with Bill Davidson, seen here with our wonderful guides Dana and Amanda -- two of the BADDEST women I've ever met.

The next day, we were in charge of our own destiny; we were the masters of our domain, and we were the solo riders on bikes just like these.

I know. I KNOW!

The group I was in - Sugar, Heather, me, Dana and our two instructors.

The entire experience was amazing. Empowering, exciting - and I'm totally going to find a Rider's Edge in my area. I drive a Jeep now, and I love it. It's fun and zippy and free, especially when the top is off and the windows are down. But there's nothing like a Harley, and I can't wait to experience it for myself at any time I want!

Tell me what life with "no cages" means to you for a chance to win a Harley-Davidson Women's Pink Label Embellished Nylon Jacket.

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the
following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from July 31, 2012 to August 27, 2012

Be sure to visit the Harley-Davidson No Cages brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggersí reviews and find more chances to win!

The Alternative to Getting Old is Worse Than Getting Old

The Alternative to Getting Old is Worse Than Getting Old

No truer words have ever been written. Getting old is not for the faint of heart, it's true, but it sure beats the alternative. Celebrating birthday after birthday is not a bad thing, though - with age comes wisdom and freedom and being comfortable in one's skin.

I embrace getting old - but that doesn't mean I'm going to toddle off into the sunset with nary a glance back or an acknowledgement of the difficulties I face. I can be a focused and aware woman who is secure in herself and takes the steps necessary to educate herself on the challenges that she faces.

Get Old is a platform developed by Pfizer to encourage and support those discussions of getting older and living better that we are all having. The site encourages us to reconsider what it means to get old. It focuses on helping readers improve the quality of their lives and investigates ways to add years to their lives. It's also a tremendous resource in terms of discussing the important health challenges facing society as a whole as our population ages.

Get Old is not just about dealing with the years at the end of your lifetime; it ís about the ongoing process of getting older. Aging is an important issue facing society, health care and government, in record numbers that we've never before experienced.. But getting old is not just about accumulating years ñ itís also about gaining experiences and wisdom as you go on. That old analogy of "Age Equals Wisdom" - you know, I now think there's something to it!

Pfizer, in partnership with Gallup and Robinson Research, took a poll as part of the Get Old platform, asking 1,000 people who are 18 to 65+ how they feel about getting old. One very interesting fact that surfaced? Not quite half of those surveyed - 42% - define themselves as a ìfree spiritî when it comes to aging,and the sentiment increases with age (ìfree spiritî defined as ìI don't think about it ñ I just take life as it comesî) That is DEFINITELY how I classify myself when it comes to aging. There's not much I can do about it, so I just go with it.

Getting old isn't without it's challenges, though. More of us will be caring for elderly parents then ever before, and most of us (source: study above) report feeling that it is our responsibility to care for those elderly family members financially.

I'd love to know your thoughts and feelings on aging. What do you do to combat those feelings of depression that can creep up when you feel that your life is passing you by?

All comments you leave on this post will be pooled from participating blogs for a chance to win one of three $500 SpaFinder gift cards.

For your convenience, here are highlights from the Official Rules for the Sweepstakes. Please note by submitting an entry you are agreeing to the full Official Rules, available here.

No duplicate comments.

Please do not mention or imply any pharmaceutical products in your posts. Posts that mention or imply a pharmaceutical product will be subject to removal.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt at the bottom of this post.*
b) Read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
*Note: if you want to comment but either (i) are not eligible or (ii) do not want to enter the giveaway, please include something similar to the following statement in your comment: ìI do not wish to enter the sweepstakes.î

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Medical professionals who are licensed (or are otherwise authorized) to prescribe medications are not eligible to enter. While BlogHer encourages you to share your thoughts and experiences about getting older, comments discussing medical conditions and/or medical products are not permitted, may be deleted, and are invalid entries. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/30 to 8/31.

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Get Old page to find out more about the Get Old platform and read how other bloggers feel about aging!

An Interview by My Daughter on the Topic of Summer Beauty Do's and Don'ts

My daughter Interviewed me on the topic of Summer Beauty Do's and Don'ts. It's always great to be able to get a kid's perspective on the truly important things in life.

She wanted to know answers to the following questions:

1) Have you ever used lemon juice or other products to lighten your hair?

When I was a teenager, it was a big deal to use Sun In in your hair. You could always tell the people who had red undertones and used Sun In -- their hair turned a brilliant shade of orange.

2) What's your favorite summer hairstyle?

This summer, I've become a big fan of the braids. I wear braids most often when I work out and when I am cleaning and, really, quite often. I love long hair, and I really enjoy it -- but I can't wear ponytails as they give me headaches, and big clips are often uncomfortable. So, for the most part, it's lots of smaller clips -- which can be overwhelming -- or the braids, regular or French. I LOVE the Sock Buns that many women can pull off, but I'm not talented enough with my hands to get all of my many layers of hair inserted. I end up getting frustrated -- apparently, I have the patience level of a two-year-old.

3) Do you use any products to help you tan? Why is it bad to lay out in the sun?

Again, going back to when I was a teen, it was the "thing" to lay out with baby oil on your skin and get a tan that way. Years of solid sun exposure are probably the most impressive factor to being diagnosed with melanoma. I have, in the past, tried different tanning lotions, with varying levels of non-success and even, twice, had spray tans that were very, um, memorable. It's always impressive to see the areas that the spray didn't take -- often when you are hanging out in a bathing suit in a resort with friends.

4) Will you put on make-up every day or just on the days that you go out?

I love to wear make-up. Love it. I would wear it every day, but in the heat of the summer it feels like I'm plastering spackle on a wet, slimy surface. Then my face feels like a mask. So, on those super very hot days, I usually default to a bit of under eye concealer -- for the dark circles I have look like death on a plate -- and some mascara. Always with the mascara but, interestingly enough, I don't use waterproof. Even if I use the greatest makeup remover I can find, I can't get the dumb stuff off my lashes and I end up breaking them.

5) How often do you shave during the summer months?

Every night. If I shave in the morning and we go to the beach -- which is quite often in the summer -- the sand stings. So I shave at night. And then I use some super miracle gel that promises to reduce hair growth- - although I think maybe that's a myth and I've bought into a fallacy. One of the most important things to do is to use quality products. I really like the Satin Care Passionista Fruit Shave Gel, which has a rich formula infused with the sparkling scent of juicy, fresh fruit and leaves skin soft and satiny smooth every time I shave.†A great razor is also key and for a young girl like you, the Venus Embrace is a great razor to start with.

By the way, Venus has some great tips for moms of first-time shavers over here.

Do you have a beauty tip that you've shared with your daughter to prepare her for summer? Do you have a funny summer beauty mishap that you can share? Share them here with us and one lucky commenter will win a $50 Visa gift card!

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/26 - 8/23

Be sure to visit the Venus brand feature page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggersí reviews and find more chances to win!

Have you checked out the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com? There are some great tips and expert posts on everything from Looking Your Best to Getting Happy and Getting Organized!†