Lose Weight, Gain Self-Esteem--Healthy Dieting Improves Confidence

When I walked into yoga class recently, my yogini said "You should lead class tonight. You look so perky and confident!" I realized that I'm a lot happier and more energetic. Why? Because I lost 98 pounds. The left picture is where I began. The right, taken May 2014 is where I am--down 9 sizes from 20 to 3, BMI down 14 points. Losing weight can restore lost self-esteem and help you find confidence if you never had it. And that is healthy for you and your relationships. Lose Weight, Gain Self-Esteem--Healthy Dieting Improves Confidence



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Free Printable Bridal Shower, Bachelorette Party Games

Bridal showers are a blast to the throw, but party planning is expensive. I just dropped $250 on a bridal shower for my daughter and we went very frugal! Why not save money with free printable wedding shower games? Print bride and groom quizzes, bingo, trivia, memory, puzzles, advice and word games. Hosting a bachelorette party for the bride? We've got you covered with free printable party games, too. And as you'd expect from a ladies' night out party, some games are sexually explicit and based on drinking. Use discretion and play games at adult-only parties. Wedding Shower Games, Bachelorette Party Printables 

Sensual, Erotic Works of Art for Valentine Gifts

In their salad days, many now-famous artists sold their works for barely enough to survive. Now they're worth a king's ransom. Happily for lover's of art, quality reprints are available cheap. For that quintessential Valentine's Day gift for your one of a kind lover, how about framing a piece of art that communicates your love? And for Valentine's Day, no Cezanne bowls of fruit pastoral Monet paintings. We want romantic, sensual art--something passionate, intimate and even a little erotic. So I am going to play Sister Wendy Beckett. Let's scour The Louvre, MOMA, wherever our journey takes us in search of that perfect, that definitive work of art for the perfect sensual, romantic Valentine's Day gift. (Like Klimt's "Embrace" to the left!)  Erotica Art Valentine Gifts

How Addiction Damages Relationships, Intimacy

Anyone who has lived with addiction of any kind knows that addictive behavior affects everyone around them in unhealthy ways. In some relationships, addiction creates a counter-condition called "codependency." A codependent makes unhealthy behavior changes to accommodate the addict. Codependency and addiction are equal and opposite in unhealthiness. They reflect imbalance and distortion in these areas. Read more

Parenting tips to survive teen depression

While clinical teen depression is relatively uncommon, most teens are subject to bouts of depression. Tedious as they may be for parents, blue periods in teens are normal and even healthy. Teen depression is particularly challenging to deal for parents who are struggling with their own emotional issues. Here are some coping strategies to help parents help teens. read more

Family closeness improves intimacy in relationships

 When teaching, I always assigned the traditional holiday essay: "what I'm thankful for." Invariably, students from preschool to adult responded "family." That says something about our priorities. Over everything, loved ones matter most. Intimacy involves more than just closeness with a significant other or spouse. In our relationship, my husband's and my intimacy manifests itself in our unity with our kids. Parenting our children is a big part of what's kept us together and brought us closer. We don't live through our kids, but in learning to be good caregivers to them, we've learned to love each other more. For us, family has made our dyad three-dimensional. Bluntly said, I find it very sexy that my husband is a loving dad to the kids I've borne him. I think my closeness to my kids turns him on too. It may sound weird, but if you think about it, intimacy is what got us the kids. The kids grew from our romance. They're the logical conclusion. That's why it's important, nay crucial, to celebrate the holidays as a family. Here's how we've done it. read more

How I Keep My Work-at-Home Job from Consuming Me

I've been a WAHM (work-at-home-mom) since 2005. There are advantages to working at home. I see more of my family, I'm readily available. I don't have to go out to work every day. Oddly, those advantages are closely related to the disadvantages. Work-at-home perks caused many problems before I learned to set boundaries. It damaged relationships and caused lots of tension in my family. Read more. How I Keep My Work-at-Home Job from Consuming Me 

How We Got Cheap Wedding Rings (Romantically) Under $200

Want to hear a romantic engagement story? When we got married, my husband and I paid for our wedding and reception. To cut costs, we looked for cheap wedding rings. For less than $200 we bought an engagement ring, woman's wedding ring and man's wedding ring. What's romantic about that? Read on...How We Got Cheap Wedding Rings (Romantically) Under $200

Meditations for OCD, Relationship Therapy

I'm a recovering obsessive-compulsive. My OCD can devastate my relationships if I let it (and it's pretty hard not to). It cramps intimacy and turns me into an irritable, irritating drone. Every case of OCD manifests itself a little differently--for me, time (or feeling the lack thereof) is a big OCD trigger. I'm consumed with urgency. I feel overwhelmed by responsibilities (many self-imposed). I'm driven by anxious thoughts that I'm behind and can't get caught up. If you struggle with OCD like this, here are some meditations I've developed. I repeat these when I feel an OCD mind-storm brewing. Meditations for Time-Driven Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Thinking

Four Must-Have Relationship Rules of Engagement

Starting a relationship with significant other can bring much happiness. As with marriage, there's a honeymoon phase where you float above problems and always get along. But the honeymoon doesn't last forever. And if some ground rules are put in place early on, the relationship will crumble quickly. As the relationship progresses and depending on what level it gets to, more definition may be added. Here are some basic must-have ground rules to start with. Four Must-Have Relationship Rules of Engagement

How Addiction and Codependency Distort Relationships

Anyone who has lived with addiction of any kind knows that addictive behavior affects everyone around them in unhealthy ways. In some relationships, addiction creates a counter-condition called "codependency." A codependent makes unhealthy behavior changes to accommodate the addict. Codependency and addiction are equal and opposite in unhealthiness. They reflect imbalance and distortion in these areas. How Addiction and Codependency Distort Relationships

Relationship Reflections from 25 Years of (Pretty Much) Wedded Bliss

My husband and I are celebrating 25 years of (mostly) wedded bliss today. On July 18, 1987, I was going on 24 and he was going on 25. We were ignorant, idealistic and ridiculously romantic. A quarter of a century, we still are and I think that might be what's kept us together.

We've each only been married once, to each other, which makes us (some have told me) a rare breed. (I might say "more like a piece of work!"). We've been asked (I blush every time) for the secret of our success. I always quip "we fight all the time!" That's only partly jest. With four kids, money struggles, crazy schedules, work-a-holic tendencies, job woes, health setbacks, two lost babies, a old crumbling house, old cars (which we share) and a DIY-of-necessity lifestyle, I guess it's to be expected. And relationships get gritty in and of themselves without any help from outside stresses.Relationship Reflections from 25 Years of (Pretty Much) Wedded Bliss

How to argue, fight (safe and healthy) with your partner, spouse

There's a misnomer in parenting intelligentsia that mom and dad should never argue around the kids. This myth is not only unrealistic and unfair, it's unhealthy. Disagreements are normal. Kids need to see their parents squabble to learn communication and interaction skills. Obviously, there are cleaner ways to fight, but even messy battles provide learning opportunities. Here are some healthy "fight club" rules for parents.  Healthy 'fight club' rules for parents 

Levi Johnson Fathering Another Baby is No One's Business

 Levi Johnson, father of tea party figurehead Sarah Palin's grandson Tripp (with Palin's eldest Bristol), is fathering another child with his new girlfriend, Sunny Oglesby. I'm not sure what response the media expects of us: Shock, righteous indignation? The best I can muster is tepid apathy. The New York Daily News primly calls the pregnancy "out of wedlock." I don't think anyone is startled by revelations of babies born on the wrong side of the blanket. It's not like Johnson is a kid, either. The couple says they're happy. That's refreshing. With all the haranguing about abortion rights, you'd think pregnancy was some kind of randomly acquired infection. Levi Johnson Fathering Another Baby is No One's Business 

Michelle Duggar Unfairly Advocates Big Families

Is it wasteful to have a family of 21 in these times? No, according to Michelle Duggar, quiverful-mom of TLC's "19 Kids and Counting," because the population explosion is a myth. Duggar explained this in an interview with CBN's The 700 Club. I don't always see eye-to-eye with Jezebel, but I find myself nodding my head at their analysis that Michelle may not be seeing the big picture. Let me add that I'm sure the Duggars are lovely people-kind and loving. I just don't think they're being fair linking their larger-than-life family to God's blessings, when we all know their show nets them a lot of things that most large families couldn't afford. They also enjoy the support from many sources. There's a lot more that goes into caring for that large a family than what two parents could ever provide. Read more at  Michelle Duggar Unfairly Advocates Big Families

Why the Flap Over a Gay Marine's Homecoming Embrace Photo?

When gay marine Brandon Morgan posted a photo of him and his boyfriend Dalan Wells in a passionate kiss after Morgan's homecoming, I'm not sure what he expected. The hate comments probably weren't surprising nor was the fact it went viral, as The Lookout says. I'm not surprised; it was an intense kiss. That in itself engenders a lot of gawkers. Was it going overboard? Read more at Why the Flap Over a Gay Marine's Homecoming Embrace Photo?

Relationship Glue Recipe: How to Keep a Marriage or Any Relationship Solid

In a few months, I'll celebrate 25 years of marriage to my first and only husband. When people ask about our recipe for relationship glue, I point out that we've made every mistake in the book and probably invented some. The failures, especially those we knowingly committed (and learned from), have taught us much more than any successes, particularly accidental ones. These are our classic "been there, done that" communication mistakes, along with bits of wisdom we've gained from those mistakes. Read more at Relationship Glue Recipe: How to Keep a Marriage (or any Relationship) Solid

Michelle Duggar Miscarriage, Loses 20th Baby

Michelle Duggar Loses 20th Baby; Miscarriage Resources for Parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, quiverfull parents of TLC's "19 and Counting" lost their 20th child. A 19-week ultrasound detected no heartbeat and the Duggars have opted to let the miscarriage occur naturally, says People magazine. Here are stillborn-infant and miscarriage information for parents. Medicine Net says 60 percent to 70 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Most occur before 13 weeks and many before mom knows she's conceived. Despite it's commonness, miscarriage, is one of the most guilt-producing events in parenting. Read more...

Romantic Gifts for Husbands, Boyfriends and Lovers - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

Best Gifts for Husbands, Boyfriends and Lovers We women often complain that our men aren't romantic. And then we buy them a tie and a wrench set for Christmas. If you want to light your man's romantic fire this holiday season, you need the right fuel. Here are romantic gifts for husbands, boyfriends and lovers. I've said this to men buying gifts for wives and girlfriends, and I'll repeat it to women buying gifts for husbands and boyfriends: do not buy gifts that represent work (appliances, tools). Do you want him to buy you a vacuum for Christmas? Also, do not buy your man a gift that you want him to use, but he will hate (aka a tie, tickets to the opera). This is a gift you would like. You have to buy him what he would like. Do you want him to give you season passes to the Possum Lodge Beer-a-thon? I thought not. The best way to shop for your guy is to get inside his head. Read more...

Sensual Gothic Victorian Pre-Raphaelite Ghost Halloween Costume Guide

Gothic Victorian Pre-Raphaelite Ghost Halloween Costume DIY Guide Zombies are not a new invention. They've walked the pages of horror fiction for centuries. The undead have plagued generations of Devil's night, Samhain and Walpurgis revelers. Looking to recreate some of those vintage creeps of yore? Here's a DIY guide to make Gothic Revival Victorian costumes for women. Originally, "Gothic" didn't mean the same thing as the "Goth" styles (black hair, dark clothing, vampiric overtones) of today. Gothic referred to a high medieval architectural style. Modern Goths are a throwback to the Gothic Revival (mid 1700s to early 1900s). They are influenced by the Victorians' dark obsession with rigid morality, morbidity and sexual frustration. Pre-Raphaelites opposed this hypocrisy and focused on innocent sensuality. Read on...