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Childhood Cancer and Celebrity Joy – The Dragonfly Foundation Connection

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Recently I had the pleasure of enjoying an early breakfast with my dear friend and respected colleague, Ria Davidson. Ria is co-founder of the Dragonfly Foundation, an organization whose mission is to bring comfort and joy to kids, young adults, and their families enduring cancer and bone marrow transplants. The Dragonfly serves patients, and their families, who are or have been treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Cancer and Blood Disease’s Institute, and works to enhance the inpatient experience at Dayton Children’s Hospital in Ohio and Lurie Children’s Hospital and Loyola Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL. Quite a mission for sure, because the emotional and physical pain and anguish some families and kids can feel following diagnosis and long-term recovery, can last forever.

For information, please visit http://dragonfly.org

Celebrity Involvement Important to The Dragonfly Foundation, Its Young Patients and Their Families! I asked Ria what the Dragonfly Foundation needed the most to support its ongoing programs and she said, more donations and more celebrity involvement. The support, validation and awareness that comes from having celebrities involved not only helps Dragonfly fulfill its mission in the best way, by bringing more donors (and contributions) to events, but enables the organization to arrange for celebs visit ill kids at partner hospitals, bringing the most joyful distraction and creating the best memories ever.

Joy has been proven to promote healing and wellness. Seeing the impact of cancer first hand, would influence and shape how celebrities spend their time and charitable efforts, guiding them to support Dragonfly! Unfortunately, I don’t personally know any tier-one, or even tier-two celebs, despite having been close to several. (One time, I stood next to Paul McCartney at a party and pretended we were dating, but he doesn’t remember. And, there was the time I was walking through a casino in Vegas with my mother, who was then about 88 years old, when she dashed through some slots and maneuvered past several very burly body guards to hug Adam Sandler. I am sure he remembers – my Mom, not me. All I did was thank him for being so nice and calling his guys down. There you go.) The Dragonfly Foundation needs help from generous and willing stars, starlets, TV personalities, comedians, sports figures, moguls, etc., simply because for young cancer patients and their families, time can be far too short, too boring, too isolating, and frankly, too scary to contemplate.

Joy Promotes Healing and Wellness. Dr. John Perentesis, Division Director of Oncology of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, shares how much joyful distractions can mean to both patients and families. He speaks about how important it is to cure the soul, heart and the spirit, along with treating the cancer with medicine. As he says, The Dragonfly Foundation is Dr. Parentesis’s trusted partner, because of how they touch children and families DAILY with their programs, engaging hospital events, and fun outings where Dragonfly families can feel a sense of normalcy. Listen to Dr. Perentesis tell the story himself.

Along with in-hospital support and fun events, The Dragonfly Foundation’s facility in Cincinnati (referred to as “The Landing”) is designed to offer ill kids and their families a place to hangout and meet others in similar circumstances. It brings them a safe haven where they can enjoy age appropriate toys, games, movies, crafts, and other activities. There are also huddle places where Dragonflies can sit quietly or take a quick nap. The Landing is a carefully monitored environment, with consideration to germ contamination, comfort, and privacy.

Fun at the Landing

    Fun at the Landing

Helping can be more than a donation. Don’t get me wrong, financial contributions, new toys and electronic donations (i.e., video games, laptops, tablets, etc.) are extremely important to Dragonfly. The money helps to pay for urgently needed items and hospital requests, including gift cards for patients and families help them buy needed items, food, or even gas to go back and forth to see their hospitalized children, meal cards, emergency help for lives that are disrupted and jobs lost, computers to use while away from school, etc., etc. etc. The help I am asking for with this post is celebrity connections. Many of my Facebook Friends and other online friends and acquaintances have access to celebrities and we need help that only well-known and well-respected famous people can offer.

Please ask, because what you can do to help is really not that complicated or time consuming. I know first-hand that your faith and trust are well-placed with The Dragonfly Foundation.

 

Dragonfly Picnic

   Dragonfly Picnic

We know that many celebrities want to give back to fans that continue to support their endeavors. And, we know the best way to reach them is through their agencies or the companies that hire them to promote their brands or businesses. All you have to do is ask their managers if they would be willing to visit ill kids at Cincinnati Children’s while they are in town The Dragonfly Foundation will manage the rest. The co-founders are experienced public relations professionals who can coordinate visits with their partner hospitals to make it as simple as possible for the celebrity and their handlers.

If a celeb you know will be in town at the same time as The Dragonfly Foundation’s annual Dragonfly Gala on February 11, 2017, perhaps the celeb could attend or perform, and help draw further community involvement to such an important cause and worthy organization.

Why do I care? About eight years ago, my granddaughter (I call her Matters, as in what Matters, Matters Matters) at the age of two was one of the youngest –and actually may have been THE youngest — child in the United States to be diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a blood cancer. She was admitted to Columbus, Ohio’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital for treatment. Matters was in a lot of leg pain due to the rapid production of immature white blood cells in her bones. We were scared, and I truly thought we would lose her. But, we didn’t, and today she is doing wonderfully.

Before her chemotherapeutic medication began working to its full extent, my granddaughter wasn’t walking because her legs hurt her. Despite our best attempts to motivate her, we could not get her to walk. Wonderful Ria drove up to Columbus and brought Matters a gift: a bubble machine. With bubbles blowing in the wind, Matters stood up and hesitatingly began chasing them. Yes, not surprisingly, Ria was bringing joy and comfort before Dragonfly.

IMG_1891

          Matters

For those of you looking for a Procter & Gamble connection to the Foundation, there are P&G families who have been recipients of Dragonfly’s joyful programs. Childhood cancer isn’t specific to any socio-economic, racial, or religious demographic. It can hit anyone with its powerful, ugly blow. And, P&G families are no different. Also to note, there are other P&G volunteers at Dragonfly.

Read the inspiring story about how Ria and her close friend, Christine, began The Dragonfly Foundation, after Christine and her husband Jim’s youngest son was diagnosed with cancer. Christine’s family received a lot of support at the time, but saw so many other families struggling alone trying manage the devastating diagnosis. Ria and Christine jumped in to help by creating The Dragonfly Foundation.

I hope you will jump in, too.

https://dragonfly.org

If you can help, please contact Ria at the Dragonfly Foundation: R.Davidson@Dragonfly.org

Book: BEYOND EMBARRASSMENT by JoAnne Lake

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Recently I toured the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey, North Carolina with my friend Linda Anselmi.  While with Linda, I lamented about the lack of writing I have done on my own blog space, even though I have lots of ideas and truly want to write.  Linda was with me at BlogHer when I met the wonderful JoAnne Lake.  With her encouragement, I finally just sat down and blogged about JoAnne and her Book.  My review is posted on Linda’s Blog, Below the Salt News.  I am hopeful that I have raised visibility of the Beyond Embarrassment so that those suffering from Neurogenic Bladder will have information that can truly help them.

The link to Below the Salt News and my review of the book:

Book: BEYOND EMBARRASSMENT by JoAnne Lake

 

Stuck in an airport overnight: Laments and Tips

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Last week I spent the night at the Tampa Airport. I got stuck there due to a connecting flight cancellation that occurred too late in the evening for me to find an alternative flight home – or anywhere else. After trying my best to find other flight options, I remained smug and unperturbed because I could afford to stay overnight in a hotel. Also, the Marriott is located in the airport and I, being a platinum elite Marriott cardholder, was certain they would welcome me with a smile and a room for the night.

I proceeded to the Tampa Airport Marriott and informed the desk attendant, in a sort of nice way, that I was one of their valued elite members and needed a room. She informed me back, in a sort of nice way, that there were absolutely no rooms available. At first I thought she didn’t hear how important I was to Marriott with my platinum status so I repeated it – though this time a bit more desperately. She said again, with no sound of angst in her voice, that there were NO ROOMS. Also, she told me that there were no rooms at any decent hotels within 49 miles. The desk attendant told me she had previously checked room availability in the area for others inquiring who were also stuck. This was confirmed by my husband, who was at home was making all kinds of calls to try and find me a room. He finally told me that to get one, I would have to drive to Sarasota.

In the meantime, my daughter and son-in-law were online trying to find me other flight options. (If only there had been a flight to Vegas, I would have gone there!) I had a sophisticated search team and an elite card, yet still ended up with no flight or room that evening. However, I managed to get a flight out the next morning to Atlanta at 5:15 AM. That was reassuring actually.

What to do what to do??? As I am not a survivalist or a camper type, my first impulse was not to get sustenance or a comfortable place to nest for the night; it was to post my dilemma on Facebook. Actually, that helped. So many friends responded with nice words of OH NO and STAY SAFE. It made me feel that I wasn’t alone. Unfortunately, none of those wonderful people live in Tampa.

Celebrating the moment despite the circumstances

Celebrating the moment despite the circumstances

Next, realistic survival popped into my head. To that end, I went to the Marriott bar restaurant, ordered a glass of sparkling wine, something to eat and made friends with the waiter. The friendship part was big, as the waiter watched my suitcase and plugged in devices while I used the restroom, as can happen when one drinks sparkly. The bar closed at 1:00 AM and the Marriott lobby was pretty utilitarian with uncomfortable furniture. Plus a woman had taken up residence on the only couch and was sprawled out and sleeping. (It would have been nice if the Marriott had opened up space in one of its meeting rooms to accommodate Marriott members for the night, during inclement weather when flights were cancelled and people stranded). I moved on back to the airport itself to find a place to rest and plug in devices.

I managed to find myself a comfortable chair in the center of the terminal area. There were lots of others in the same predicament hanging out and resting, so I wasn’t alone. While I couldn’t sleep, I was able to read and think about what I would do differently should this type of situation ever happen again and, pooh, pooh, pooh, may it never ever! (Jewish people sometimes say pooh, pooh, pooh with a bit of spit to remove the jinx of something reoccurring).

Here are some tips to prepare and manage should you get stuck overnight in an airport:

Charge up: Make certain all of your electronic devices are charged up before you leave home. No doubt, if you have to use your devices to access flight and hotel information to reschedule and search, you will be glad you have enough power if there aren’t plugs available nearby.

Know your passwords: I was low on data space on my iPad and had to buy more. However, I couldn’t remember my AT&T password to purchase additional data space. Fortunately, via my iPhone, I was able to reset the password on my iPad and continue my searching and entertainment viewing. It was frustrating, as I was trying to act fast. To add to the annoyance, my iPhone was not the latest version and continued to need to be rebooted. UGH!!

Carry nutritional bars or other snacks: Most airport shops close at night and you may get stuck without food or water. It is nice to have something to eat at night and not have to go traipsing around searching for a store or vending machine. I was fortunate that the nice waiter at the Marriott offered me a large glass of water in a take-out cup. It lasted me through the night.

Use the bathroom before settling in your space for the night: Like I have told my grandkids before getting into the car to drive where there isn’t easy access to bathrooms: TRY to go, as you don’t know when we will be able to find a place to stop. Same thing holds true when spending the night at the airport. It is annoying to have to go potty once you found your space. Then it is pack up and leave with the hopes that your well-placed spot will be available when you return. (For the ladies: If you pack product like Always Discreet in your carry-on, it will help keep you feeling fresher for the night when you don’t have a change of unders available – you get my drift.)

Dress comfortably: That idea is never more apparent then when you are wearing the same clothing and shoes for 24 hours. Glad I did – in a mid-life stylish kind of way. Also, if you have room in your carry on, include a fleece top in the winter or sweater in the summer. It can get chilly in the airport at night. I was happy I had my down coat, as it made a great blanket.

Carry antibac: I always do and was glad I had enough to cleanse the chair where I settled for the night. Yes, I tend to be somewhat of a germaphobe and doing that made me more comfortable.  By the way, the Tampa Airport is quite tidy and their cleaning crew was very active during the night scrubbing bathrooms and washing floors and windows.  Thank you Tampa Airport for being so hygienic!

Don’t sleep on the floor: Yes, I saw several people sleeping on the floor with their bare cheeks on the carpet. I wanted to antibac their faces when they awoke. What were they thinking??

Include disposable toothbrushes in your carry-on: I do when traveling internationally, but not in the U.S. Wish I had some in my bag and will next time.

 

Anyone else ever get stuck have additional suggestions or stories?

Do Face Masks Protect Against the FLU?

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The quick and easy answer is: YES, if the person who is ill is wearing the mask!

Recently, when talking to a dear friend, another nurse, and lamenting that I was hesitating taking unnecessary, though desired, plane travel due to concerns about the flu, she said to use a facemask. I pooh poohed it due to my experience using them while a labor and delivery room nurse many years ago.   What I remembered is that once the paper surgical mask became moistened, due to the moisture we exhale while breathing, it became less effective as a barrier. After our discussion, I decided to research this further. After all, technology changes and this may be the answer to coughing, sneezing and nose blowing contamination from fellow passengers.

U.S. Center for Disease Control Doesn’t Recommend Masks

First, I checked out the U.S. Center for Disease Control website for their latest guidance. This is what I found: “CDC does not recommend the routine use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as respirators, gloves, or surgical masks, for protection against avian influenza exposure (I projected this out to season flu exposures too, as the guidance is about the same), except in health care-related situations. However, gloves are recommended when cleaning potentially contaminated surfaces.” In lieu of gloves, hand washing for at least 30 seconds is key.

However, the CDC does recommend that there be a barrier between the ill person and everyone else. The following guidance is for air flight:

  • If flight crewmembers or other personnel are concerned that a passenger traveling from an area with avian influenza may be infected, they should try to keep the ill passenger separated from the other passengers as much as possible (3-6 feet).
  • If the ill passenger can tolerate a mask, provide a paper or gauze surgical mask to reduce the number of droplets coughed into the air.
  • If a surgical mask is not available, provide tissues and ask the ill person to cover his or her mouth and nose when coughing and to put the used tissues into a wastebasket or bag.
  • If an ill passenger is unable to wear a surgical mask, personnel may wear surgical masks when working with the ill person if 3 feet or closer. (Note that the person is supposed to be separated from others, so no need for facemasks for seatmates, as there should not be any! Just try to forget about the plane’s ventilation system.)

Surgical masks are designed to trap respiratory secretions not to prevent breathing in airborne microorganisms.

From an abstract of a study presented in part to the 48th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy/46th Infectious Diseases Society of America Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 25-28 October 2008 (abstract K-4206) and printed in the Oxford Journal: Clinical Infectious Diseases comes this finding:

“Surgical masks are designed to trap respiratory secretions (including bacteria and viruses) expelled by the wearer and prevent disease transmission to others [4]. Surgical masks are not designed to prevent inhalation of airborne particles, and their ability to protect HCWs from disease acquisition varies. In contrast, N95 masks (termed respirators in the United States) are designed to reduce an individual’s exposure to airborne contaminants, including infectious viral or bacterial particles. Although N95 masks are designed to primarily protect the wearer from infection, they presumably also prevent transmission if fitted correctly on a patient at high risk of transmitting a virus [4]. However, some HCWs find the more expensive N95 masks difficult to tolerate [2, 6].*”

http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/49/2/275.full

There have been other studies that state that facemask could help reduce the spread of the flu or other droplet type infections that are airborne. Though, it depends on the mask. Also to note, many can’t tolerate wearing masks continually.

Best the ill person stay home and not spread the illness. For those of us who are well, hand washing seems to be the best way to reduce the chance of picking up any infection. As for me, I am going to stay home too. This is the peak of the flu season and I don’t want to throw myself into a wet and wild germ cloud unless it is truly necessary. I miss my grandkids, but we will Facetime for a while longer.

My pup didn't tolerate the mask very long.

My pup didn’t tolerate the mask very long.

BREAK THE CEILING TOUCH THE SKY

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BREAK THE CEILING TOUCH THE SKY

I am starting 2015 out in a very good way by increasing awareness of an inspiring book written by a friend, Anthony Rose. The book, BREAK THE CEILING, TOUCH THE SKY, Success Secrets of the World’s Most Inspirational Women, is a compilation of interviews, conducted by Anthony, with some of the world’s most respected female business, educational and cultural leaders. The review of the book, I have written, has been published on the Below The Salt News. It seemed like the best place to have this review appear, as their mantra is: Honoring Creativity, Pondering Possibilities, Sharing Knowledge and Valuing Usefulness. One could say that the book has a similar mission, as it shares insights from successful women in an effort to inform and offer guidance to others as they seek to achieve in their own lives.

As an added bonus, Anthony has chosen to give 100 percent of the royalties from BREAK THE CEILING. TOUCH THE SKY to the non-profit organization Save the Children.  The proceeds are funding the prevention of maternal anemia across 150 villages in India, impacting over 20,000 women.

 

Here is a link to the review.

http://www.belowthesaltnews.com/arts-media/books/break-the-ceiling-touch-the-sky-by-anthony-rose/

I welcome your comments.

Willpower: It’s all in your head!

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With it being early in the New Year, I have read several articles addressing willpower and how to best obtain it.  While I promised myself I wouldn’t blog on New Year’s resolutions, especially about dieting, I couldn’t resist talking about willpower since I don’t have much, if any, about anything and I finally see a glimmer of hope.

The reason I am writing about this topic now, even though I said I wouldn’t, is because I received a brochure for a seminar for health professionals titled, How The Brain Forms New Habits:  Why Willpower is Not Enough.  The one-day seminar will include information on why habits are so difficult to change and how they govern how we think and act.  So far so good.  The session is broken up into the following sections:  Reward Centered Habits, Using Your Brain to Form New Habits, Threat-Based Mental Habits, Overcoming Threat-Based Mental Habits and Initiating and Maintaining Healthful Habits.

As you would expect since this course is for health care professionals, the focus is on caring for others and facilitating change in their behavior (some life-threatening) by understanding barriers and working through challenges.  While at the class, I am optimistic that I can also self-reflect and learn more about the habits and coping behaviors that keep me from reaching my own personal goals.  My biggest failures being diet and exercise.  Last year, I decided that I would not purchase, for myself, any new clothes, shoes, handbags, makeup, etc for a year.  I lasted 3 weeks.  A pitiful but realistic example of my willpower and why I don’t stick to diets long enough to make a difference.

You would think that entering a new year and believing strongly in healthy eating and exercise, I would be trim and toned.  NOT and I wonder why since I have the time and just about any exercise machine available in close proximity.

In one of the sections of this seminar, there will be information on the addictive features of comfort foods and changing reward based habits.  Much of this centers on the physiology of the brain and where programming happens, which for those who care is the basal ganglia.  The basal ganglia are a storehouse of bad habits, but you can also change those habits with intentional goal-directed behaviors.

I was reading a review article that I found in Neuroscience magazine titled:  “ The role of the basil ganglia in habit formation” published in the June 2006 by: Henry H. Yin* and Barbara J. Knowlton‡ Before I talk about the article, I just want to mention that the basil ganglia are a set of nuclei located in the cerebrum area of the brain.  I promise not to go on about the anatomy and physiology, since I am not an expert on neural functioning and only want to talk behaviors. Back to why I am mentioning this. Within the article there is compelling research on conditions that lead to habit formation.  Since I know that research has shown that habits can be changed, hopefully at the course, I will learn more about how to form different habits.  Importantly, I want to change my behaviors in a way that will make a difference to my health and learn how to help others do the same if they want my assistance.

I will be making every effort to attend the seminar with the only barrier being the dates.  If I do attend, you will hear more from me about this.  If not, I will be disappointed but will try to do better anyway changing old habits and welcoming new.

YOU CAN’T HIT THE ‘LIKE’ ICON ON YOUR OWN COMMENT: A commentary on self-esteem.

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I almost mistakenly hit the ‘like’ icon on my own comment today after reading what I wrote about someone else’s blog post several days ago. While I hadn’t intended to do that, the only reason I didn’t ‘like’ my own post is because technically you can’t do that on BlogHer. While not a big deal initially I began to think further about what that means. The first thought that came to mind was the idea of voting for oneself in an election type of situation. Of course I would vote for myself and have every time I have run for any office. Important, I believe, because if I didn’t have confidence in myself to be the best candidate for what I was seeking election for, who would. Then it brought to mind the importance of self-esteem versus the opposite, which is a lack of self-confidence.

Anyone who reads my blogs knows that I love the beinggirl.com site and often use information from there to educate and make a point. In regards to self-confidence, there is a really good article on the site titled: Building Self Esteem. While the article was written for teens, the information is relevant to anyone who struggles with feeling good about herself.

The article begins with a definition of self-esteem using the Webster’s Dictionary which states that self esteem is: “a confidence and satisfaction in oneself.” Not surprisingly, for girls, self-confidence is related to appearance and peer acceptance. Too often, appearance means weight. Unfortunately, attempting to set the standard for femininity are media stars that are too slim and are often bedecked in the most expensive clothing and jewels. Not many of us can achieve that type of look. While I am an advocate of exercise and trying to stay within a normal bodyweight for health’s sake, media stars can take their bodies to a place that is unrealistic and can be unhealthy – not something we want our teen daughter’s to emulate nor hold up for ourselves to compare to when assessing our own being.

Whether we have it currently or need to build it up, a healthy self-esteem can be achieved. As the article on beinggirl.com states: Building self-esteem depends on attitude, attitude and more attitude. And, that is something we can control.

There are some ideas in the article to help achieve self-esteem. I have picked out a few that I found particularly meaningful for girls of all ages:

• Stop comparing yourself to others. Focus on the parts of yourself you like the best.

• Try to silence that inner critic who seems to find fault with so many things you do. That inner critic belongs to you, not anyone else.

• Exercise. You’ll unload stress and feel stronger and happier.

• Straighten up, smile, and look straight ahead. You’ll look and feel more confident. (This is something I so believe in. There have been times that I have been in situations where I felt totally like I didn’t belong. I faked it by smiling, pausing, looking around and acting like the Grande Dame of the moment. Worked for me – really!!)

• Importantly, don’t hesitate to ask for professional help if you need it. Healing emotional hurt and building self-esteem, sometimes takes some expert guidance. It takes work, but the payoff of better relationships, sticking with a project until it’s done, and dealing more easily with disappointments and mistakes is worth every second!

This is a new year and a time for a new start of good things. Start 2012 by pressing the ‘LIKE’ button on your inner being and I bet other aspects of your existence will be better too. At least that is what my New Year’s wish is for you!

http://www.beinggirl.com/article/building-self-esteem/?utm_source=wordpress&utm_medium=NursePlummer&utm_content=link20120104&utm_campaign=comm_mgr

A History and Cultural Celebration of Happy Birthdays

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Sunday, December 11 is Janelle the Intern’s (http://www.beinggirl.com/expert-bios/janelle-wichmann/?utm_source=wordpress&utm_medium=NursePlummer&utm_content=link20111210&utm_campaign=comm_mgr) birthday.  Janelle is a beinggirl.com expert and a great resource for teens when it comes to supporting them through the chaos that adolescence brings.   In honor of her birthday, I thought it would be fun to look at the history and culture of how birthdays are celebrated globally and throughout time.  Since December is also a very distinctive birthday month, it seems that Janelle’s birthday comes at a very opportune time to talk about this very special topic.  

I was searching the Internet for a site that would provide the content for this post about birthdays and think that Wikipedia has the most robust info to use.   While I can’t attest on a stack of Bibles that all in this post is totally factual, Wikipedia does have references for their content, so I am hoping that all I am sharing is true.  Please let me know if there is something that is in error or if you have contradicting information that I should know about.  

According to Wikipedia:

The ancient Romans celebrated birthdays with hedonistic parties and generous presents.  The early Christians rejected that practice as being pagan.   I like that today’s birthday celebrations can include generous gifts and fun parties, but there are also other ways to make the birthday person feel special without spending a fortune.  For example, I got all mushky over the Facebook birthday wishes I received, as I loved being remembered by so many people I usually don’t get to see or talk with.  Also, just bringing the birthday boy or girl a special home baked treat may suffice as a way to help celebrate their day.  

In Judaism, it doesn’t surprise me that various rabbis dispute the perspective on birthday celebrations.  Rabbis are learned scholars and learned scholars always debate stuff and how it should be handled even birthdays – go figure!  In any case, it seems that the one single mention of birthdays in the Old Testament is for an Egyptian Pharaoh in Genesis 40:20 (I checked my Bible and there is mention of the birthday celebration.)  The Bar Mitzvah of 13-year-old boys or Bat Mitzvah for 12-year-old girls is the only Jewish celebration connected with birthdays.  Both are recognitions of religious maturity and don’t have to fall on the exact birthday of the Bar or Bat Mitzvah child (or very young adult).  I actually had a Bat Mitzvah way back when in the days of yore.  If I remember correctly, I was the second woman in my Conservative Temple to have a Bat Mitzvah.  My Russian immigrant instructor felt I could do it and, I believe in the spirit of feminism, she encouraged me to prepare for this.  I was undecided until my parents offered (bribed is more like it) a puppy as a gift.  I said YES.  It was such a big deal at my synagogue, that there were more attendees than usually come for the high holy holidays.  They had to open the back overflow areas.  I still remember the passages I recited and am truly happy that I had the experience.  

The early Christians didn’t celebrate Christ’s birth because they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.  In medieval times, ordinary people celebrated their saint’s day that they were named after.  Obviously, celebrations have changed greatly today and I am very glad.  Though, still today, Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays on the basis that they are portrayed negatively in the Bible have historical connections with magic, superstitions and Paganism.  By the way, since I have been throwing the word pagan about, I thought I would define it:  from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:  One who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods –  OY!

In Islam, while Conservative clerics consider the celebration of a birthday to be a sin, a few Muslim clerics issued a statement saying that the celebration of a birthday is permissible (check out birthdays on Wikipedia for the reference).  In the US, some Muslims celebrate birthdays of children mostly.

Hindus celebrate the birth anniversary that is related to the lunar month or solar month and star alignment, etc.  It is very astronomically controlled, which makes it seem, to me, as a celebration of ones part in the universe.  I really like that bigger than ourselves out-of-the world type of connection.  

Cultural Birthday Celebrations:

In Africa, some families commemorate a girl’s sixteenth birthday with a sweet sixteen celebration.  

In some Hispanic-American countries, the quinceanera celebration marks a girls 15th birthday.

Hindus, in India, celebrate a boy’s 12th or 13th birthday with a grand “thread ceremony.”  In a ceremony, called a Upanayana, The child has a blessed thread to wear that symbolizes his coming of age.  

In the Philippines, girls on their 18th birthday celebrate a debut.  

In Japan, there is a Coming of Age Day to celebrate the 20th birthday.  

While I only covered celebrations that I found in Wikipedia, I know that there are so many more that are interesting.  I would love to hear how other cultures celebrate birthdays.  Please share!

Before ending this post, and in celebration of Janelle’s birthday (and because I love history), below are some key events that happened in history on December 11:

1946:  The United Nations General assembly established the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

1941:  Hitler and Mussolini announced they are at war with America and then America announced it is at war with them!!

1936:  Great Britain King Edward VIII abdicates the throne to marry an American twice-divorcee, Wallis Warfield Simpson.  

1866:  First yacht race across the Atlantic Ocean (wonder why they would begin this in December!!)

1844:  First dental use of nitrous oxide, Hartford, CT (so glad about this one!!)

1620:  103 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock

Happy birthday JANELLE and many, many more happy and healthy celebrations!

Finding YOUR Fashion

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There is no way that I would consider myself a fashion guru. However, after all my years of being alive, I do know what colors look best on me and what styles work on my full-figured loveliness. But, this isn’t about me. This is the counsel that I would like to provide to the teen girls that are struggling to find their unique beings within the fashion realm.

This is a great time to be a newbie in the fashion world, since clothes today are beautifully colorful, run the full gamut of design and are available in price ranges that go from what a real-life princess could afford to the girl earning her clothing allowance by emptying the trash or babysitting for bucks.

OK, enough with the commentary. Now about clothing, fashion and you. When I first started thinking about this post, I was going to approach clothing from the perspective of how to ask your mom for a new outfit that is different from the way that you usually dress. Or, the clothes may be very different from what your mom or dad would like you wear out. However, my tips on how to ask your for your parents’ permission that I wrote about in previous blog posts would hold true for this also. That is: meet your home responsibilities promptly and pleasantly, do your schoolwork well and on time, and ask in a way that is respectful. Then, respect the answer given to you.
For moms: listen and be open to what your daughter is asking of you. And, be glad she wants to talk this with you and not sneak. I know what I am talking about in regards to sneaking. We hear all the time from girls who sneak clothes in their backpacks to wear once they leave the house. In fact, I hear from older women who tell of their own teen-sneak years, so it does happen!!

But, I was given an idea by another of the beinggirl.com experts, Janelle, known as Janelle the Intern on the beinggirl.com facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Beinggirl

What Janelle suggests, that holds true for me sometimes (unfortunately) is that some teens and women are just enamored with the idea of designer clothes, handbags, cosmetics, etc and confuse that with really having their own “personal chic style”. They become a walking designer label, rather than establishing their own look. To make that point, are you the person or do you know someone who always looks fabulous and interesting in clothes that were purchased from discount stores or second hand stores. The labels aren’t what make the look unique, but the colors, fabrics and style are what come together in a way that makes the whole thing memorable and enviable. I have an artist friend who puts clothes, scarves and jewelry together in a way that looks like she should be in a fashion magazine. The clothes flatter her figure and she wears the outfits comfortably. My friend isn’t wealthy in any way. In fact, many times she struggles financially until she sells some art. However, she manages to find bargains and great looks – none designer labels. The point here is that she has chic style on a budget.

What do I want you to take away from this fashion blog post for teens and women written by a fashion-challenged, budget sensitive, and yet always learning women’s health expert? You can achieve a great personal style within your budget!! Below are some tips I found in an article on beinggirl.com titled, “Teenage Girls Style: Define Yourself”, that I found helpful for me too.

1) Accessorize: Think scarves, belts and bracelets in a less is more kind of way.
2) Hats: There are many varieties of hats to choose from like berets to baseball caps (a woman in my Pilates class always wears caps that match her outfits, so you don’t have to be a teen to wear a baseball cap. As for me, I just walk into my exercise class with wild hair that hasn’t been washed yet and black sweats. She takes an extra moment and looks great; I just look needy of exercise and style.)
3) Vintage is new and refreshing: Second hand stores are really a great place to explore for interesting and inexpensive jewelry and handbags. Or, for teens: Maybe your mom has some earrings from her teen years. If you are really lucky, your grandmother may have some from the 70s. Bet you wish you were my granddaughters, because I have a whole box of 70s jewelry that I am saving for my very young granddaughters. I also have handbags for them to use. (To you older but lively women reading this: Schedule some time with your daughters or granddaughters to explore your saved fashion stuff. You can share stories of your youth that I bet makes you both laugh. Or, you can find some second hand stores in your area and shop together. Bet you’ll have some more laughs there too, as you try on hats, scarves or jewels together.)
4) Play with your hair: Experiment, straighten, crimp or gel. There are all kinds of hair options to try. The article in beinggirl.com advises to take it a step further by matching your hair to your outfit. For example, go online and check out some styles from the 70s if you are wearing an outfit from that time and make your hair match the clothes. Recently, I had my shoulder length curls cut to a bob below my ears. What a change that has made to help freshen my look. LOVE IT (thanks Patrick). In any case, my earrings show up better and I think I look younger and more stylish. Which brings up the point that if you think you look good, your whole attitude about your being changes. Even your posture can change you will look better in whatever you are wearing. (I’ll write more about attitude and appearance in another post.)

Check out the article for more info:
http://www.beinggirl.com/article/teenage-girls-style/?utm_source=wordpress&utm_medium=NursePlummer&utm_content=link20111201&utm_campaign=comm_mgr

Would love to hear what others do to achieve their personal style on a budget.

I WANNA USE MAKEUP – IT’S HOLIDAY PARTY TIME!

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In my last post, I wrote about teens and their wanting to get mom’s permission to shave.  Within that, I said my next blog was going to about teens desire to use makeup and mom’s deciding whether it is time.  This post is for those teens who want to show their moms they know how to wear makeup and for moms to give in a little on this, even those moms who never used makeup and still don’t want to.  (As an aside, I wear eye makeup and a bit of blush and have since my teen years, not that anyone truly cares about ElaineR.N.s glamour routine.  In fact, some may say I could do with more and others don’t even notice that I wear makeup, such as my husband.  He was surprised once that my “natural beauty” was enhanced with blush, mascara and eyeliner. Sweet!)

Back to the topic:  OK girls (old and young) once a girl becomes a teen, I think it is time to allow the use of makeup.  Be clear, I am not (as I am sure the teen doesn’t want) advocating for heavy Lady GaGa type of make up.  No!  While it works for her and I like her unique style, I am in support of light natural looking makeup.  By natural, I mean the use of a concealer to dab on blemishes, not heavy foundation; blush for a natural sunny glow type of look, not clown makeup; lip gloss, not red lipstick with liner for a crazy, lips plumped up and gone wild appearance; and, mascara that darkens and thickens, but doesn’t clump and stick together never washed look.  Hope I cleared that up!

We are entering the holiday party season.  This is the time of year when there are holiday parties and other festive get-togethers when everyone wants to look their best – teens and moms!  To prepare, I have a great idea for a great mother/daughter bonding experience.  You can purchase make up that you both agree will look great on a teen and then practice using it together.  Also consider some skin and eye cleansers too, so you can make sure that you are using products made for those skin zones to avoid irritation.  Before shopping, take a look at some online sites of the brands you want to try.  There you can find colors and products that suit the look you are trying to achieve.  It will help you be more efficient when you are in-store.  

Teens:  Check with your mom about starting to use makeup.  Suggest that you shop together to select what you and she wants to try.  Before hand though, and I mention this in the shaving post, do what you are asked to do around the house promptly and with a good attitude.  That will go a long way in establishing your mature being to your mom.

Moms:  Listen to your daughter and take a reasonable approach. If you are hesitant, consider allowing makeup in stages.  First, approve lipgloss and then light blush.  Do it together.  Be her advocate for reasonable make up use.  Enjoy her company, and appreciate that she is growing up and wants to include you in her life as she does.  That is a pretty big deal!

For some help, there are several articles on beinggirl.com about makeup and skin care that is worth checking out for helpful tips:  

http://www.beinggirl.com/my-beauty-and-style/skincare-and-makeup/?utm_source=wordpress&utm_medium=NursePlummer&utm_content=link20111123&utm_campaign=comm_mgr