Long-term-care insurance

There are times I feel I am just throwing money into the wind with insurance policies, but we did buy long-term-care insurance a few years ago. To young to think about nursing care? I for one do not want to think about nursing home care, but being realistic I do have a long-term-care policy. Pricy! a little - worth it - hopefully. Our children are just getting started in their respecive careers and since there are no grandchildren yet just at the point where my husband and I might require care they will be knee deep in child raising. With a projected bill of $5,000 dollars a month for long-term-care, savings can be depleted quite rapidly. It is recommended that the insurance be purchased by the time you reach your 40s or 50s. Pre-existing conditions can result in denial of insurance coverage. So unless you really believe the government will take care of you in your declining years take time to explore your options.

Breast Cancer Awareness

A friend emailed me this site and I posted it to generate some clicks to the free mammogram button. It takes less than a miute to go to the site and click on "donating a mammogram". The corporate sponsors / advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammograms in exchange for advertising.

If you want to know more about breast cancer: National Cancer Institute and

Cholesterol Level

I must admit I will try anything to try to "naturally" lower my cholesteral level. I am not overweight, exercise at least 3-4 times a week, and watch my diet. My idea of a non exercise day is to walk a few miles. I do not eat a lot of processed food and try to keep the veggie and natural fruit intake high. I saw this new product at the grocery store. I tend to shop the sale items at the local grocery store. I noticed a product called Promise activ it was on sale so I decided to try it. The drink itself is quite tasty and states it is "clinically proven" to lower cholesteral levels. It contains plant sterols (fish oils) 2 grams per drink. I will not stop taking my doctor prescribed Lipitor but am adding this product to my daily dietary intake.

My Pyramid Blast Off Game

I received an update from one of my pediatric journals about obesity in the pediatric population. I was directed to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)and they had a little food pyramid game for the school age child. Whether you are a teacher, parent, grandparent we need to focus on the nutrition habits of the young. Diabetes is projected to be the major health issue of this century. We can do something about Diabetes Type II by teaching people to eat wisely. I took the test as a 12 year old. It was fun and educational.

Mother Knows Best

I know the real title of the 1950s to 1960s TV show is Father Knows Best. I do not know why this just popped into my head this morning but I was looking for a catchy title. Remember Robert Young and Jane Wyatt as the ideal American couple along with their three children: Princess, Buddy and Kitten. I did not realize that the show started as a radio series and only went to television in 1954 until 1960. Apparently there is a movie version starring Tim Allen coming out in 2008. Anyway back to the reason I switched the title a bit. Women know that we are the real force behind the men in our lives. My husband and sons humor me about my blogging but this week my 28-year old just sent in his claim for "lost money". (I blogged about that a few weeks ago) and my husband is getting his $100 rebate from Apple for his Iphone. So just maybe mom does know something.

What Does Business Casual Really Mean

I work with student nurses and usually they will wear white uniforms or when in pediatrics a colorful top with white pants and shoes. There are a few times during the semester when they are allowed to wear street clothes with a lab coat. How do you explain to a young adult what "business casual" is when casual wear for this generation can be boxer shorts or pajama bottoms and jeans, cleavage, short tops and flip-flops. I know I am old fashion but when I lecture I wear a skirt or pant and blazer or sweater. I see professors (especially male) teach in jeans, tennis shoes with the obligitory navy blue blazer. Not my style! CNN posted an article about what business casual means in the workforce.

"If you want to play on the team, wear the team uniform," Freedman says. "Look around your office, see how successful people dress and imitate. I'll bet you won't find senior-level folks at work dressed shabbily - or in flip-flops." After reading the article I realize I am not alone in trying to define what appropriate dress it.

Shoppers follow stars to healthier foods

What a great idea. Hannaford Bros. a New England Supermarket lists food items on a star rating system. The less stars the less healthy the food. It is hard to read labels (remember old boomer eyes) but the star system seems easy to follow. We need to educate our children about healthy choices. I have been shopping with my daughter to make healthier choices for myself and my family and was quite surprised at the hidden sugar in many processed products. Wouldn't it be nice if the "guiding stars" could be expanded to every supermarket. Educating people about healthy eating should be easy! Kudos to the Hannaford Bros supermarket for coming up with such a great idea.

Apple has offered a $100 refund (to be spent at an Apple Store)to all buyers of the $600 Iphone 2 months ago. My husband was first in line to buy the new gadget and I must say it has been a winner. When he takes the Iphone out he is surrounded by interested parties viewing the features of the phone. My son has been waiting patiently to purchse his. I will not be surprized if my son manages to use his fathers $100 certificate at the Apple store to purchase an Iphone for $299 minus the $100 or $199. It is a nifty little gadget and I think Apple just got a lot of free publicity with the public apology to its customers. Might not be a bad time to buy a little Apple stock.

Little, little Liechtenstein

We had the oportunity to visit Liechtenstein this summer. What a wonderful little find nestled between Austria and Switzerland. We were in an elegant little hotel nestled in the mountains with spectacular views of the valley below and the castle in the distance. We did a tour of the Liechtenstein vineyard and sample some of the wines. I found a web site where you can order the Wine from Liechtenstein. The vineyards and the view were the most memorable. The town itself was filled with bank buildings. The major industry in the tiny country is banking. If you ever get a chance tour the vineyards and taste the wine.

Finding the Right Bra!
In April I went shopping for a dress for my sons wedding. When I tried on the dress the first thing the sales lady said to me was you need to get a better fitting bra. I went to Norstroms and allowed the sales person to measure me and bring me a sampling of the bras in my correct size. I was way off in my sizing. It is pretty amazing what a proper fitting bra does. Opray did a great show on finding the rigth bra.

8 Top Traffic-Ticket Myths

I have managed to drive for 40 years without a ticket or a trip to traffic school. I asked my oldest son about traffic tickets. He has acquired 20 since age 16 and has managed to get out of 10 of the tickts. Now that he is married and ticket free his car insurance is finally within a manageable cost basis. In fact when he added his ticket free wife to his policy their rates went down. 8 top traffic-ticket myths states that you need a lawyer to beat a ticket, but my son found that knowing the law and looking for any loop hole helped to beat over 50% of his tickets. Maybe the next time you are pulled over you need to let your pet do the talking.

Escape Hybrid by Ford

My son and new wife have been looking for a vehicle for a few months. They have finally settled on a Ford Escape Hybrid. My daughter-in-law is particularly concerned about gas mileage. Since they hope it will last them at least 10 years they are trying to be thoughtful about the environment. My son is the "muscle car guy" so this is quite an about face for him. Well the quest is not that simple. The car in not available. There is nothing in the Los Angeles basin. They found two in Palm Springs but the one they wanted was already sold. They found a few up in San Jose but need to get up there with no guarantee the car would be availabe once they made the trip. So why with all the government pleas to go "carbon neutral" is it so hard to purchase a hybrid vehicle. So until Ford Motor Co. can produce enough hybrid vehicles to go around my son will continue to drive his 1998 F150 gas guzzling truck.
About the Ford Escape Hybrid by Ford Motor Company.