reinventing ourselves Archives - Mothering in the Middle

Cyma Shapiro Interviews Suzanne Braun Levine, Author of You Gotta Have Girlfriends

Q: On the heels of your last book How We Love Now: Women Talk About Intimacy After Fifty, what compelled you to write this new book?

With each book about women of my generation – Inventing the Rest of Our Lives, Fifty Is the New Fifty, How We Love Now – I talked to more women, did more research, and learned more about the exciting new stage of life we are exploring. Every interview, no matter how wide-ranging, eventually got to the subject of girlfriends. “I couldn’t have done it without my girlfriends!” was the phrase I heard over and over again. I realized that I needed to write a book that focused on that life-enhancing subject. Hence, my just-out e-book You Gotta Have Girlfriends: A Post-Fifty Posse is Good for Your Health. […]

Cyma Shapiro Interviews Erika Athanas, Co-Founder of 4GOOD

Dear Reader: I was SO impressed by this group and its founder that I requested an interview. Please read more about their 4/7/13 Los Angeles-area event.

In 2009, having organized the purchase of school supplies for her then 4 and 10-year-old children and posting the event on facebook, Erika, then 39 years old, immediately recognized the innate power of combining cooperation, community and social media. Together with friend Katie Goldman, she decided to put that philosophy to work. Within a few short months, Erika and Katie co-founded 4Good, now a nonprofit designed to match families with organizations in need.

Mindful of creating the right message, Erika sought causes and venues which would be appropriate for both children and their parents. Today, 4Good helps nearly 30 organizations in and around Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley; and can boast a following of nearly 3000 people encompassing nearly 250 individuals who regularly work with them. In 2011, the Athanas Family won the Scholastic Parent & Child Family of the Year Contest. Their celebrity ambassadors are William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman.

Q: Good Day, Erika! I’m so pleased to interview you – I was most impressed with the work you’ve done in just three very short years. Please tell me a little more about what you originally set out to accomplish. What personal experience did you bring to the table to foster this organization?

A: Honestly, I had no experience. I was just a mom who wanted to expose her kids to giving back. I wanted to make sure I was actively showing my children that one’s […]

Being Ageless – Resilience!

by Aleta St. James

Recently, I’ve been focusing on inspiring people to Be Ageless. Many of you may imagine that’s about exercise, vitamins, and green-tinted healthy shakes — and it partially is — but one of the greatest keys to agelessness might surprise you: resilience. […]

“Mr. Midlife Mom” It Is, To You!

by Marc Parsont

Please welcome our first regular “Mr. Mom,” stay-at-home-midlife-father-contributor. His perspective will be most welcome!

Dear Reader: It’s 5:30 a.m. and my son wet his bed. Since I was up, I set a camera to record my daughter sleeping to see if she has apnea and following this lead in will try and learn Quick Books in time for our taxes, all the while hoping, no praying that the dog won’t bark and that I’ll remember to turn off my alarm before waking, you guessed it—my wife.

As a “Mr. Mom,” I thought that writing on a midlife mothers site would be daunting. Women writers, and midlife mothers, in general, have me at a general disadvantage. My experiences, while similar, can only skim the surface. Since I’ve been asked to present my perspective, I’d like to start with this post. […]

Mr Mom: A Mid-Life Career Change

by Douglas C.

You might think it unusual that I read parenting magazines; that I know women by their children’s names; and that most women who speak with me are grandmothers – around my own age! However, what you don’t know is that at age 52, I’m actually the mom (The Baby-Daddy) of the household – not what I expected to be at my age, but one that clearly enhances and supports my family unit. […]

Learn to Ride the Waves

by Valerie Gillies

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf” – Jon Kabat-Zin

In the last few weeks, the why question has come up every day. It really is a foolish question. Honestly, outside of a scientific topic there is rarely a good answer for “Why?” If I could say why a vibrant, kind, friend succumbed to multiple myeloma last week, don’t I also need to know why the shell of a nasty ancient relative remains alive in a nursing home? This is complicated, and our hearts yearn for simple answers that we can wrap in tidy packages, secure with twine, and pack away, so that we can go on with our daily tasks without interruption. […]

IVF, The Spaniard and Me

by Ellie Stoneley

The solemnity with which the two medical assistants entered the room, carrying the strange long floppy syringe as if it was the Holy Grail was almost laughable … apart from the fact that for me it was the Holy Grail. The embryo about to be transferred from the depths of the syringe into my waiting and perfectly prepared womb was the most precious most longed for mass of cells in the entire universe. […]

Why Midlife Rocks Your World

by Kathy Caprino

In my career and executive coaching, I work with hundreds of women each year going through major transitions. Recently, I was speaking with a fascinating client of mine — let’s call her “Carol” — who shared with me her views about midlife BEFORE she had arrived there, and then what happened when her 40s came. […]