The Savvy Marketplace

Just about every woman knows how to fix simple hairstyles like a bun, a braid or a ponytail.

If you can manage these simple (but usually pretty boring) hairstyles, then with a few twists on these well known hairstyles, you can have a gorgeous hairstyle that will turn heads.

A CUTE FLIP-THROUGH FOR ALL OCCASIONS

For the first hairstyle I’ll teach you, you start with an ordinary ponytail. I love this hairstyle, which is a really cute ponytail that is extremely easy to make. Make sure the ponytail you make is a high one. Loosen the ponytail just slightly so that it hangs a little lower.

Now, using your fingers, part your hair in the center, starting from your crown and ending at the nape of your neck. You should be sure to divide the hair underneath the ponytail as well as above it.

Then push your thumbs up from the nape of your neck through the part you’ve created in your hair. Hang your head upside down for a second, flipping your ponytail over. Hook your thumbs around the base of your ponytail and push it upwards to the nape of your neck.

Once a good sized loop of hair is pushed through, grab it with your hand and pull it all the way through. Now turn your head right side up again and carefully comb your hair together just above the ponytail to make a neat finish.

A GORGEOUS TUCK FOR SPECIAL DATES AND OCCASIONS

This next beautiful hairstyle starts the same way as the flip through I just taught you… with a high ponytail. First you make a part down the middle of your head (like you did for the flip through) only you end AT the ponytail, leaving a good layer of hair under the ponytail untouched.

Then you pull the sections of hair apart above the ponytail creating a “pocket.” Fold the entire ponytail up and gently tuck it down into the pocket, distributing the hair as even as possible.

Push the elastic ponytail band down into the pocket as well, so that it is hidden from view. If you find this to be hard loosen the ponytail a little more.

Now, just comb your hair carefully over the part you made earlier. Try using a bobby pin or barrette to pull your hair together just above the pocket. If your plastic band tends to show, a barrette will also help to hide it.

A SEXY HAIRSTYLE YOU CAN WEAR WHILE MOUNTAIN BIKING

Yet another of my favorite hairstyles is one that is a variation on the braid, and is rightfully called “the rope.” To make this hairstyle you start with a ponytail that you’ve divided into 3 even sections.

Twist the right most section of hair to the right, and cross it over both of the other sections. Repeat this, always twisting the farthest right section to the right and crossing it over the other two sections until your “rope” is the length you desire.

Then secure your hairstyle with a scrunchie or elastic ponytail band once you’ve finished.

Master these hairstyles and you’ll never be stuck wondering what “do” you should wear today. But better yet, you won’t be stuck with the same drab hairdo everyday.

The total number of moisturizers on the market today can be overwhelming. Which one is the right one for your skin type? Well, that depends. As we get older, estrogen becomes more important because of two structural proteins called collagen and elastin. These two proteins actually give us structure and elasticity. As we age, the collagen begins to break down. As it breaks down, we start to notice fine lines and wrinkles appearing. This is where a good facial moisturizer comes in. If you find one that contains collagen and elastin, it can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Now if you are still young, you may not need this type of skin moisturizer. A growing trend is to use all natural moisturizers. We will discuss the benefits to that next.

Your skin is your largest organ and can therefore absorb into your bloodstream certain chemicals found in today’s moisturizers. There are over 5000 chemicals used in personal care products and that is one of the reasons people are turning to natural moisturizers and beauty products. When it comes to a facial moisturizer, find one that contains vitamin A and E. These vitamins are great for your complexion and they can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Getting a cream with an SPF of 15 or greater will provide you with the protection you need when outdoors. The sun’s harmful rays can cause some serious damage.

You can use the best, most expensive moisturizer in the world, but your complexion won’t look its best unless you do some extra things. First, you must drink between 8 and 10 glasses of water a day to make sure you stay hydrated. Make sure to exercise and stay healthy. After a good work out, be sure to apply a quality facial moisturizer. When out in the sun, wear a hat and a sunscreen with minimum SPF 15. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to buy your skin moisturizer. There are a number of recipes on line that tell you exactly how to make your own us ingredients such as Aloe Vera, olive oil, cocoa butter and rose water.

So, Boomers are Turning 60. What’s All the Hype? By Dotsie Bregel

Founder and President of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women and the # 1 site on all search engines for “baby boomer women.” www.nabbw.com www.BoomerWomenSpeak.com

People should know age has never meant anything to baby boomers. We don’t care about the years creeping up on us. We simply care about feeling good and making a difference no matter how old we are. Especially baby boomer women.

There are 38 million of us turning ages 42 to 60. The sheer number of us is changing the image of midlife women like no other generation before. Middle age finds us pondering how we’ve lived the first half of our lives and what to do about the second. Some of us are in the grips of a midlife crisis, going through menopause or even considering cosmetic makeovers. Many are caring for elderly parents while parenting our children and working full time. But don’t let that concern you. Boomer women are reinventing themselves at midlife by choosing to follow their passions.

As little girls we lived the simple life. Moms were at home caring for their children and husbands; dads worked nine to five and dinner was on the table at six. We jumped rope, played hop-scotch, married off Barbie and Ken, and played with our Hula Hoops and Slinkies. Violence in school meant the few boys who threw eggs at the windows of their least favorite teacher. We practiced duck-and-cover drills and wore silver bracelets with our POW’s name and birth date.

The first wave of boomer women came of age during the women’s movement and civil right’s era. We protested Vietnam while losing boyfriends in battle. Some of us burned our bras and helped spark a sexual revolution in the 1960s and early ’70s.

The second wave of boomer women benefited from the women’s movement. We had greater access to legal abortions and the pill. We led a metamorphosis from housewives to career women. This group came of age in the late 1970s and early ’80s. We created the diet and fitness craze, but were also responsible for ushering in a society that is more global in its thinking while becoming more conscious of individual rights and our environment. In the 1960s, when some boomers were in diapers and others entered adulthood, society-shaping events took place: the assassinations of JFK, MLK, Malcolm X, and RFK; racial riots; Roe v. Wade; the moon landing; and The Beatles. Woodstock, the celebration of peace, love, and rock and roll, codified a generational divide once and for all.

As young women we were told the world was our oyster. We should DO something with our lives. We should never become dependent on a man. We were the generation that could have it all, do it all, and be it all. Education, Prince Charming, families, careers–you name it and we could have it. We chose diverse paths. Some of us aborted our babies while others gave birth. Some chose the corporate ladder while others chose to stay home. Some lived together while friends married. Some of us divorced and became single moms while others chose to stay in loveless marriages.

We chose to challenge ideas and reinvent lifestyles. We altered the traditional role of the sexes as we played tug-of-war with work and home. Believing the voices we heard, we attacked life with a vengeance, entering the workforce while exchanging our roller skates for pumps, candy necklaces for pearls, and wax lips for lip gloss. We returned to the workplace three months after giving birth, pumping our breasts at lunchtime. The societal expectation was for us to work. Our self worth was questioned when we chose to stay home like our mothers before us. Staying home meant we didn’t get a pay check and chanced missing the next rung on that corporate ladder. We felt guilty leaving our children in child care while our friends who stayed home felt guilty for not working. At midlife the 40s and 50s are no longer as old as we once thought. We are more educated, spiritual, wealthy, and healthier than any generation of women to precede us. We’ve changed society’s expectation and continue to redefine womanhood. We will be the biggest and richest market segment by the year 2010.

At midlife we’re transforming and influencing every segment of society. With children leaving the nest, we have time to reflect. We’re going inward, hiring life coaches, exploring, and finding new direction. We’re seeking spiritual guidance and questioning if we’ve been true to ourselves or society’s expectations. We’re searching for peace, solace, and direction for the rest of our days on earth and the afterlife. We’re seeking balance and pursuing our passions. We’re no longer obsessed with being who others want us to be. We’re finding contentment in who we are being called to be.

We’ve had more choices than our mother’s generation and have lived and continue to navigate uncharted courses. We are pioneers in our own right. We’re faithful, loving, and hard-working women who multi-task to survive. We continue to better ourselves so we can help those who need us. We come from various backgrounds carrying different baggage. We love our country. We’re trying to be all that we can be.

At midlife we’re celebrating and reflecting while experiencing midlife epiphanies. We are wise women who have lived, loved, and enjoyed making a difference. And will continue to do so.

About the Author - Dotsie Bregel is Executive Founder the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, www.nabbw.com, which encourages women to find their passions and live life to the fullest. She is also the Founder of Boomer Women Speak, www.boomerwomenspeak.com, the # 1 site on the Web for baby boomer women. She is passionate about women encouraging, connecting, and supporting one another. She may be reached through her sites.

At 8 weeks pregnant I had an ultrasound and couldn’t believe what I saw, a tiny little flickering heart from the new life that was growing inside of me, my husband and I were overwhelmed with joy.

3 weeks on and I was now 11 weeks pregnant, I woke up that morning thinking only 1 week to go until I’m safe (from miscarriage). Not that I had been terribly concerned as I didn’t think that sort of thing would ever happen to me.

I went off to the toilet and noticed a spot of blood, I reassured myself by recalling that books state this can be quite normal. I kept the issue to myself hoping it would just pass. After obsessively returning to the toilet to check what was happening I decided to inform my husband that I was spotting. We went to the doctor’s who assured me that this can be very normal and sent me on my way. Somehow I new that this was not right, I told my husband that I felt empty inside that something had gone wrong. The bleeding increased over that night so by the next morning we were at the hospital. After what seemed like an eternity they finally ordered an ultrasound. My husband and I sat in silence looking intently at the screen waiting to see the flickering that had bought us so much joy just 3 weeks before. There was no flicker, it had stopped and with that I felt like my heart had stopped too. The pain that I felt was indescribable I felt I was falling into a deep dark hole and although my husband’s arms were around me and despite his consoling words I felt I was very much alone.

The next 24 hours were horrific for me, I had been scheduled for a dilation and curette the next day but during the night I had terrible contractions every 20 mins and the bleeding had increased - how could this be happening and why does it have to be so cruel, not only losing the baby I wanted so much but to do it with such pain. I felt as though my baby and my heart were ripped away from me. By morning the physical pain had gone and so had my little one.

During the weeks to come the heartache did not stop. The crying slowed but not when I was alone. Friends and family offered consoling words but they had no effect. I felt extremely alone, it was all I could think about but no-one seemed to understand, the subject was passed over very quickly like it was a forbidden topic. The words … there must have been something wrong with it, it happens for a reason, at least it was only early days or the statistic’s 1 in 4 pregnancies end this way were not what I wanted to hear, I knew all that but what I wanted to hear was an explanation with 100% certainty why had this happened to me, I wanted answer’s to questions that could not be answered, and that would never be answered.

That tiny life’s flicker will always be in my memory and nothing can ever take it’s special little place, but as the weeks turned into months the sobs did pass and the pain did lessen. That deep dark place I fell into got lighter and over time I realised that I was not alone, that those consoling words I did not want to hear were my friends and family trying the only way that they knew how to turn the light back on for me in that deep dark hole.

I decided to write this article to hopefully help those that have recently gone through the trauma of miscarriage to realise that they are not alone and that the emotions they are feeling are a normal response.

I also hope that from a family or friends point of view that you can take away a few tips to help your grieving loved one. To me what you can do to help is

1. Listen, they will want to talk about it, if you try to change the conversation it gives a feeling that the life they just lost was insignificant.

2. Try to avoid if possible using these lines in the first few weeks:

‘You can have another one’ ‘ at least it was early day’s’ ‘there must have been something wrong with it’ ‘it happens for a reason’ These words although may have a ring of truth are not consoling at the time.

3. Do-not avoid her, give her lots of hugs and let her know that she has her family and friends around.

There are support services set up for those that have suffered miscarriage both locally and on the web. These can be useful especially if no-one else around has experienced the same trauma. Talking to people who have had the same experience can make you feel less alone.

Leisa in total suffered 3 miscarriages but is now a proud mother of two. Owner and operator of Bumps and Bundles - http://www.bumpsandbundles.com.au - article and resource directory for all things maternal. Here you can find more stories like this, or you can have your own story published.