Sandwiched Boomers: Our Gift to You

Just for today, please indulge us in a stroll down memory lane. It's been 10 years since we published our first Stepping Stones newsletter and 5 years that we've been blogging here at Nourishing Relationships.

Early on we discovered that the Internet was like the Wild West and we joined with other pioneers to build a thriving community. We've met some incredible women through our work and want to share narratives they wrote for issues of the newsletter, some dating way back to 2001.

Read about joys and struggles of family life:

stepmother survival tips
kitchen dancing
the loss of a love

And about women who took a big step beyond their comfort zone:

doing what you love
self discovery at 52
a pilgrimage

We want you to know, dear readers, that we appreciate you! Even though we often don't hear from you directly, the statistics show that you're stopping by and reading the posts. As a gift for your loyalty, please download these complimentary eBooks and feel free to share them with your friends:

Courage and Lessons Learned: Reaching Your Goals

Taking Control of Stress in a Financial Storm: Practical Strategies and Resources for Success

If interersted, sign the email list to the left of this post to receive our monthly newsletter. And if you have your own story to tell or a family issue you want to discuss, we're listening. Just click on 'comments' below and start writing. Or email us at Mentors@HerMentorCenter.com.

Communication, Generosity and Thank You

Did you know that June is effective communication month? As family relationships experts doing much of our work online, every point of contact is a chance to share our mission - how to help boomers find solutions to the problems of parents growing older and kids growing up. The challenge is to convey information that is practical and motivates our readers to take action.

We want to tell you about Fotolia.com, a website that is helping us spread our message this month. They've given us the opportunity to download as many of their photos as we want and feature them in our blog posts, free of charge. This gift will make the visuals on our blog stand out and help us connect with the widest possible audience. If you need photos for your blog, Fotolia has extended their offer to you as well - just click on 'comments' below, let us know if you're interested and leave your email address. We'll get that information to them. You can also check out their website, blog and forums or even put your own exceptional photos on their site.

I've often said that the Internet is like the Wild West, where everyone has a voice but there's no policing agency. Yet we've found it to be an incredibly rich, supportive and generous environment. And how does generosity help make the world go round? Of course, the receiver feels warm and fuzzy. And the giver has a chance to connect, share, and contribute. It's a win/win for everyone. So we're grateful, Fotolia.com, and appreciate what you've done!

The Sandwich Generation: 2010 Relationship Resolutions

For the past couple of weeks, we've been blogging about Sandwiched Boomers and the different aspects of the New Year's resolutions they make. So now that we're well into January, how are you doing? You know, setting goals in the love department are just as important as the ones about losing weight or getting your finances in shape. So even though you may already be working toward other goals, don't put your relationship on the back burner.

Instead of accentuating the positives, the advice from couples' research often focuses on minimizing the negatives - don't nag, don't withhold sex, don't overreact, don't try to control. But why not focus your resolutions on the do's instead of don'ts? Positive emotions can open you up to new possibilities.

If you want to actively enrich your love relationship, log on all week - we'll be sharing practical tips on how to go about it. And click on the title above to get started - it will take you to HerMentorCenter.com and an article about how Baby Boomers can re-examine their relationships.

Meryl Streep Tapped into her Creativity - how can you?

The Oscar buzz for Meryl Streep began a few weeks before her latest film, Julie and Julia, opened. And when I saw it, I knew why. Streep, 60, who has been nominated for an Oscar 15 times since 1979 and won it twice, plays the legendary chef and cookbook writer Julia Child. The movie, co-starring Amy Adams and directed by Nora Ephron, is based on a best-selling memoir by Julie Powell that began as a blog and became an international bestseller.

The tagline for the film is 'Passion. Ambition. Butter. Do You Have What It Takes?' Ask yourself that question. If your answer is 'yes,' this blog is a safe place to start. And you can begin by sharing your passion for photography or writing.



What follows is what appeared in the July edition of Stepping Stones, our monthly newsletter:

"Been to our blog lately? It's more colorful now that we've added pictures and videos to our posts. Look back over the past few weeks and you'll see what we mean. We want to include you, so we're opening up blogging at NourishingRelationships.blogspot.com to our readers.

Please share a favorite picture from your staycation or vacation and tell us why it is important to you. Email your picture, as a jpg file, no larger than 4 MB, to Mentors@HerMentorCenter.com. The photos and comments we select will be posted on the blog in September."

Meryl Streep has been tapping into her creativity for years now. And look where it's taken her. Give it a try. Scroll to the bottom of this post, click on comments and tell your story. Or email your pictures to Mentors@HerMentorCenter.com. We can't wait to see what you send in.