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 [...]

So, I’ve been married 21 years now – to the same man, thankyouverymuch. We have a great trusting partnership of a marriage. It’s filled with laughter, kids, housework and more than enough joy to compensate for all the challenges. I’m imagining and planning on my husband and I growing old together. Which is why, when I was offered to review the couple’s relationship book by Marty Babits, I could not connect to it and passed. However, I’m thinking that the article below sent to me by the author’s publicist might be worth sharing. Though some of the tips are cliché [...]

A simple text will donate $5 to help the crisis in Haiti. Text HAITI to number 25383 to give $5.

Or go to the International Rescue Committee’s website to donate a tax-deductible gift in whichever amount you like. Either way, it shouldn’t take you more than a minute. And, if you have an extra minute, please spread the word on Facebook. Update your status to say:  “I am donating my status update to rescue lives in Haiti.  Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to help the International Rescue Committee rescue lives.  COPY & PASS THIS ON AS YOUR [...]

There are so many charities and causes that are worth our attention and donations. And, they all become more visible at this time of year. Or, are we simply paying more attention?
The Share Your Soles Foundation is one that I learned about as I literally ran into Mona Purdy, its founder and Executive Director. I was leaving a meeting in downtown Chicago when I saw her and an assistant roll out huge bins from their trucks. The brightly labeled barrels were being delivered to collect new or gently used shoes at this particular drop site.
I’m new to Chicago, so had [...]

The days are getting shorter, colder, grayer. Besides overloading on vitamin D supplements, some of these sunny-daily-quotes-by-subscription might infuse you with all the energy you would need to spruce up your spirits. Here are some of my favorites…

Financial institutions in the US has been battered and vilified. Better banking practices in Canada have prevented a meltdown over there. Even so, one institution up North, Servus, is still looking to build good will… and feel good ripples.
Indeed, this great campaign for Feel Good banking by Servus, a Canadian credit union “was developed to inspire everyone to make a positive impact in their community – today and into the future.  It’s the credit union way of creating harmonious communities and sharing our cooperative beliefs.”

They’re too modest. They are not mentioning anywhere on their website that, to get this process [...]

I’m married to a lawyer. When people ask what kind of lawyer, he answers “a good one”. I say “a nice one”. Which is probably why he is no longer really practicing as a lawyer. You can’t be a nice lawyer for long without it coming back to bite you in the derriere and that just gets really aggravating. But I’m only mentioning all this because, as a corporate attorney, he’s always, constantly had clients looking for funding. I’ve heard all the ugly financing stories, the rapacious VCs, etc. And the small companies, or individuals whose projects could really change [...]

Watching Revolutionary Road, my latest Netflix arrival, last night precipitated my need to write this entry today. Just as April Wheeler desperately looked to create a “life worth living”, happiness is still, 50, 60 years later – has always been-  our most sought-after emotion. Yet it is so often so elusive.
So, that’s why I thought that this new little iPhone app was so interesting. The TrackYourHappiness.org is actually a volunteer experiment done through iPhone surveys. It was developed by Matt Killingsworth as doctoral research at Harvard University. You can read more about it here . Essentially, respondents answer a [...]

I’m a yoga person. I have had the privilege of having the best yoga instructor around who really thought me to love and respect the practice. But. Yes, but. The weight, mostly lazily gathered through a year of undiagnosed anemia plus general stress, was not budging. I had to do something other than sun salutations. After driving by the “Boot Camp Las Vegas” equipment trailer a few times, and then being prompted by a Facebook ad (the first one I ever clicked on), I decided to give it a go.
It was as hard a workout as I expected, [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
Living in Southern California, I am quite familiar with the Barefoot wines and bubblies and especially with their distinct label, the purple one with a footprint on it. But when the company contacted me in the context of their social networking marketing efforts, I realized I knew nothing about them.  So, I did a bit of research and found out that these are my kind of people. Not just because they are a wine company (personal weakness revealed) but because the Barefoot Wine company is doing great work cleaning up our beaches in partnership with [...]

What a cool idea for our times… The Uniform Project, started in May 2009 by Sheena Matheiken, is one where she pledges to wear ONE dress for one whole year as an exercise (and creative challenge!) in sustainable fashion. She styles the dress in a barely recognizable manner every day, reinventing it with an impressive trunk-ful of vintage and otherwise donated accessories and jewelry.

I know wait, every morning, with bated breath, to see what quirky concoction Sheena has devised. All are delightful and all based on the uniform dress designed by Eliza Starbuck.
The mastermind behind the uniform dress is my [...]

Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation (2001) book really got me started in 2001 (read excerpts here). Hardly walked into a McD again unless under extreme duress (when there were NO better choices. It happens). It was the eye-opener that I needed. I’m afraid that Food, Inc. might just push me over the edge and I’ll become a fanatical activist. Still, we should all be informed about a product that determines our survival, don’t you think?
Food, Inc. is now showing in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco with wider release starting next week. I’ll get to see it in a [...]