This film is not out yet, but look for it to be released this fall. It’s one of those really “important” films, like Food, Inc. and an Inconvenient Truth (same filmmaker Davis Guggenheim) “Waiting for Superman” is one of those must-see movies. Through real-life children’s stories, this documentary tells us how the U.S. school system, once the best in the world, is now utterly failing our kids – to the point of calling the schools “drop-out factories” and “academic sinkholes”. Still, it seems that the documentary offers hope as Guggenheim explores alternative, innovative approaches that could revive the system.
The current [...]

What’s your most, most favorite boutique, shop, restaurant? I bet that it’s locally owned by an individual, not a corporation (if you are here, reading us, I’m confident that this is a correct assumption and that you are not about to answer Ann Taylor or Olive Garden!).
Think about what makes shopping or dining in that favorite place so special. The service? The atmosphere? The unique selections? That they know your name or will order something especially for you?
When I lived in Orange County and Las Vegas, shopping independent small stores was really difficult. The large shopping mall and strip mall [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
We all have the stack of books waiting to be read.  I have mine on its own shelf in the family room.  There sit all the books I plan to read this summer (yeah, right…). One such book  that I have been wanting to read for a while was finally selected by our book club this month. It’s Kelly Perkins’ book (a fellow yoga student), titled “The Climb of My Life, Scaling Mountains with a Borrowed Heart“. It is based on her true life experience needing a heart transplant at age 32 and how her [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Christine Northrup, MD, just released the newest version, the latest of four, of Women’s Body, Women’s Wisdom on June 1st, 2010. The release coincides with her new PBS special “Christine Northrup; Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” (check your local PBS listing here).
I bought the original book in 1994 and read it as my own personal bible. The first copy got me through fertility, pregnancy and postpartum issues. This latest copy will see me through the next stage in my life, menopause, with the latest information, material and studies.
I appreciate Christiane Northrup’s straight forward [...]

Like many of you, I’ve just celebrated Mother’s Day. At brunch today, instead of basking in the glory of my achievements as a mother (and all my shortcomings, but there is no assigned holiday to wallow in that), I was mainly thinking that I was no longer that cute young mom that has to keep her toddlers in check, forcing them to behave in the white-tablecloth and fine china setting. That part was a relief to me. But it came with the mixed feeling that it took years to get there and that those years took their physical toll. I’m [...]

By Kym Tolson, Guest Author
Hypnosis is fantastic for promoting healthy sleep patterns. You can use self-hypnosis to help induce a deep state of relaxation that will lead to nights of deep uninterrupted sleep. Using my P.R.E.V.A.I.L system from my last article, you can practice self-hypnosis to induce long lasting subconscious changes to eliminate insomnia forever. The following is a step-by-step guide to help you sleep more soundly.
(P) repare your environment
Prepare yourself for success.  Eliminate all caffeine after 11:00 am.  Exercise early in the day. Arrange your sleeping area to become a sleep sanctuary. Make sure your bedroom is [...]

My issues concerning my body size and all its various flaws? They have haunted me for years and have been the cause of sooooo much wasted energy. I look back on the photos of me in my mid-twenties when I thought then that I was “fat” (a size 4-6). What was I thinking? Why-o-why did I spend a single second torturing myself with those thoughts. And torture I did.
Now, that my beautiful daughter is thirteen, I’m hoping that she, somehow, miraculously, bypasses these issues. I tell her my “wasted energy” story all the time; I tell her that she should [...]

By Kym Tolson, Guest Author
Hello everyone. Here I am today with my second installment (read the first one here) on the subject of hypnosis, this time to tell you about the practice of self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is a very powerful way to transform your life. With practice and consistency you can use this tool on a daily basis to make lasting changes in your life. To help my personal clients learn self-hypnosis, I developed a very simple self-hypnosis system called PREVAIL.  P.R.E.V.A.I.L takes a person through all the necessary steps to succeed at self-hypnosis.
(P)repare your surroundings.
For hypnosis to [...]

Last week Audrey told us about Whyzz.com so that we can all sound smart in front of our kids. How about sounding and being smart-er, just for ourselves? We exercise and nourish our body for optimal health, but what about our brain? If we are not lucky enough to work as quantum physicists or neuroscientists as our day job, it could just be that our brains are not quite as exercised and fit as we’d need them to be.
When I first started thinking about brain exercises, sudoku and crossword puzzles came to mind as the games recommended for the elderly [...]

Note from the Succulent Wife: I am thrilled to present you with this first in a series of articles by Kym Tolson, Certified Hypnotherapist (among other things!). Even though I’ve experienced hypnotherapy with success on a number of occasions, it has always very mysterious to me and, I’m guessing perhaps to you too. So, after meeting Kym on 1000Markets where she has a shop, I thought I would invite her to share her thoughts and insights to help us demystify the subject. Enjoy and please share your thoughts.
By Kym Tolson, Guest Author
Did you know that you are hypnotized on a [...]