SPRING/SUMMER FEVER By Michele Benza www.michelebenza.com Spring is officially upon us! And of course this means it’s time to put away your winter clothes and come out of hibernation. Now is the time to be inspired by this season’s bright and colorful collections and to be creative.

Tama's Musings

Are you waiting for something wonderful to happen? Forget waiting. Commitment to the life you desire changes absolutely everything. Lack of commitment changes absolutely everything, too. Commitment is the magic wand, the sorcerer behind the bush, the technical support of the Gods.

But let's keep it simple: If you're not watering you're garden, you're killing it.

Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author

All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow
but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I
have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am,
one closing in fast. Three people who read the same
books I do and have learned not to be afraid of
disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who
sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I
choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel
and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more
than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom,

I make my living teaching women how to own their ambition in a society that has a double standard. It's our prevailing cultural paradigm: ambitious men are go-getters, but ambitious women are bitches. I define ambition as that which drives our creative existence, provides an outlet for our talents and passions, defines who we are, and allows us to earn our full worth without apology. I walk my talk. But just like you I take hits. In a moment of trauma, I too succumbed to those deeply ingrained cultural beliefs about how women are supposed to behave.

Over the weekend, I had my first paid photography work and I had some editing to do. It used to be part of my job description to take photographs, but this was the first, REAL gig. There were about twenty photos I was editing out of a hundred, and I didn't want to work on it late at night again. My "plan" to get Lil' Miz napping while I worked was foiled by her "decision" to nap in the car on the way home. As usual, she is REFRESHED and ready to go as soon as her head hits the pillow at home.

These days, many of us are in the bog-swamp-fog of transition. Transition is that Jello-like place on the way to a new identity—a place that defies certainty in the meantime. Maybe we have chosen to leave something behind. Maybe we've been heaved off a crumbling ledge--with or without a severance package. Either way newness and "lack of control" have a way of sweeping in and taking our breath away, changing the course of our days, and leaving us hesitating before the Grand Void of Change. Here's what happens in transition - you're left alone with your mind.

My husband works for one of those Banks discussed in every newspaper this week (not Bear Stearns, but a close 2nd).  Dinner table conversation for our teenage kids has been focused on the economy and what it means for our family so I found this blog in the Juggle interesting.

When the Kids Worry About Layoffs, Your Finances
Posted by Jennifer Merritt
The Juggle

As the lucky parent of a child in the biggest high-school graduating class in history, I found this article very interesting.  Yes, the college application process is time consuming and stressful and nothing like the process I went through, but are people really quitting their jobs to help their kids?  Do employees need OffRamps and OnRamps to guide their 17 year olds?  Read on.

College Admissions: How Involved Should Parents Get?
By SUE SHELLENBARGER, WSJ

When I'm stressed out, I often want a quick and easy way to regain my composure. I've found that the easiest way to do that is to get back in touch with my body.

Today, I want to share with you a posting from my friend, Kate Henley, aka Ms. Mind-Body. It's what she calls a Cure for the I'm Too Busy to Relax Blues.

http://www.msmindbody.com/02-07-08-TooBusy.html

I've tried it. It works!

I no longer need to have my "back up against the wall," but now I've discovered that stretching my back opens up my breathing and my ideas.

Enjoy!
Susan

Susan Bernstein

I want you to know that I love you very much. It doesn't matter to me if you eat fudge ice cream in your vintage underwear in the middle of the night. And I think you're precious, not following through on your Gratitude Journal yet, fourth year running. Beloved, I'm not the least bit concerned with those unsavory thoughts about your ex. I am not limited to momentary facts. I know your shimmering nature. I know how AMAZING you are.