Retiring in Style (Horizon Air Magazine, July 2010)

Bill and Mitzi Ohlstrom lived in their North Seattle home for 40 years, so the decision to move to a retirement community was a tough one. “That house held so many memories for us of raising four kids and all those holidays with our eleven grandchildren,” says Mitzi, 80, who has been caring for Bill, 90, through various health issues for years. “When I started having heart problems it was just too much to take care of a house and my husband’s daily needs by myself. I had to admit I needed help.”...Contact me for entire article

Like many seniors, the Ohlstroms were faced with selling their house and trying to find somewhere new they could call home. “Most seniors don’t want to sell their house until the last possible moment, but that can be a big mistake,” says Stella Henry, R.N., author of The Eldercare Handbook: Physical Choices, Compassionate Solutions. “If you wait until a health crisis, decisions are hurried and a family member may make choices that aren’t consistent with a senior’s real wishes. Plus, you’ll have fewer housing options.”

Ten Little Ways to Say “I Love You” (Woman’s Day, February 2008)

Food has always been at the core of my connection with my husband, Eric. When we were dating—20 years and two teenage sons ago—we'd spend hours lingering over a bottle of Chianti as candlelight threw shadows on the cavernous walls of our favorite Italian bistro.
      As our relationship evolved, so did our bond with food. We spent Saturday mornings shopping at the farmers' market, then cooked together all afternoon. It was a ritual we kept up for years—even after the birth of our first son, Justin. Back then we couldn't afford a sitter, so "date night" consisted of chopping veggies, stirring sauces and winding up the baby swing...Read entire article

Ten Things to Leave Behind in the New Year (Woman’s Day, January 2007)

Every year I make a New Year’s resolution that involves starting something—a diet, a hobby, an exercise regime. Usually, by February I’ve either completely forgotten my pledge of self-improvement or I’m kicking myself for giving up. This year I decided to focus on leaving behind the old patterns and relationships that aren’t working, so that I can clear the way for healthy new habits. Here are examples of what you can leave behind in 2007...Contact me for entire article  

A New Survivors' Club (Cure, Spring 2006)
Unique programs give gratitude and support to co-survivors.

At first glance, Patricia Newton, 71, and Kim White, 45, don’t appear to have much in common. But during the past four years, the two women from Warren, Arkansas, have become as close as mother and daughter.

     “Kim was just a casual acquaintance, but when she heard I was diagnosed with breast cancer she called me right away, and she’s been there for me every day since,” says Newton, who discovered during that first phone call that her newfound friend had a lumpectomy just a month before and was going through radiation treatment. “My life changed drastically after meeting Kim. She became so much more than my caregiver—she’s my best friend, companion and faith teacher. She’s my co-survivor, my co-everything.”...Contact me for entire article

Kiss and Tell (Woman’s Day, February 2006)

My husband of 18 years and I recently learned that you really can teach an old dog some new tricks! We attended Kissing School, the brainchild of Seattle psychotherapist Cherie Byrd, an all-day smooching seminar attended by couples from as far away as London and South Africa. So, what did we learn after seven hours of locking lips? A kiss can be so much more than just a kiss. Here’s how to make the most of making out:

      Start from the bottom up. Your feet are packed—heal to toe—with sensitive, sensual nerve endings. Giving and receiving a 10-minute foot massage will heat things up before your lips ever meet...Contact me for entire article

Do-overs in Discipline (Parenting.com)

Go to any playground and you'll hear kids clamoring for "do-overs" when they goof up or forget a rule in a game. Why not use that concept to get them to redo bad behavior at home?
      "Children under age five think of right and wrong as absolute. But from five on up, they're all over the idea that everyone slips up and you can ask for a second chance," says Mimi Doe, author of 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting.”...Read entire article

The Santa Myth: How Long Should it Last? (CNN.com)
Every holiday season for the last three years, my son Justin, age nine, has asked me straight out if there's a Santa Claus. Every time I say no. But each year he still wants to sit on Santa's lap. The "real" Santa, that is—the one at the mall with the best decorations, not those impostors at the other malls. And he delights at finding a few of Rudolph's stray sleigh bells in the fireplace on Christmas morning.

     Even if you haven't actively cultivated your children's acceptance of the Santa Claus myth, chances are good, thanks to the magic of Christmas TV specials and slick holiday advertising, that they believe in the man who knows if they've been naughty or nice. So what happens when a child's logic, or perhaps a friend, reveals a few inconsistencies in the jolly old man's story?...Read entire article