Midlife’s A Trip

We Moved

Posted on 28. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

If you’re a Midlife’s A Trip reader, you may wonder why the blog doesn’t look the same.  We just moved to Wordpress and aren’t quite unpacked yet.  That’s why the look is different and you don’t see the resources and other usual info in the blogroll. 
We’ll have things together soon–along with a fun new header.  So [...]

Continue Reading

10 Ways to Avoid Holiday Overwhelm

Posted on 28. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

As we head into December, I’m already starting to feel the pressure of holiday overwhelm.  Do you know what I’m talking about?  Gifts to buy, cards to mail, decorating to do, food to fix, money to spend–say that again–money to spend. 
It’s enough to drive you crazy.  But holiday overwhelm is just a mindset that [...]

Continue Reading

Menopause Mommy

Posted on 26. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

My sister is the menopause mommy–52 year old first time mother of a 3 year old.  I used to think she was crazy to want the mom experience at her age but she is a wonderful mother.  Wonderful enough to venture out to Toys R Us on the day after Thanksgiving.  On second thought, maybe [...]

Continue Reading

The Definition of Fear

Posted on 24. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

The other day I was taking a coaching class and we were discussing how fear can block us from the things we really want out of life.  Someone in the class threw out this acronym and I’m throwing it out to you:
"F" = false
"E" = evidence
"A" = appearing
"R" = real
Is there any false evidence appearing [...]

Continue Reading

I’ll Have a Second Helping of Gratitude

Posted on 23. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

Ten things that I have to be grateful for this Thanksgiving holiday:

My 88 year old mother is doing pretty well and was at Thanksgiving dinner with us. 
The foot I broke last week is not my driving foot.
We didn’t get the several inches of predicted snow.  I’m grateful for a reprieve from winter weather. [...]

Continue Reading

Mom, Dementia and Me–Just Give Me Scotch

Posted on 23. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

At Thanksgiving dinner, we had wine as one of the beverage choices.  My 88 year old mother who has severe dementia asked for a glass.  All of us from my son to my sister looked at one another and said in unison that she could have a small glass–watered down. 
Later my mother asked for [...]

Continue Reading

Give the Gift of Gratitude

Posted on 23. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

The night before Thanksgiving I got a call from my friend Monlen who used to live near but now lives on the East Coast.  She called to tell me how grateful she was for our friendship and how she remembered my similar call to her the same time last year. 
As I talked with my [...]

Continue Reading

Mom, Dementia and Me–Whatever

Posted on 21. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

I visited my mother the other day at her assisted living facility.  Usually when I arrive, Mom’s face lights up.  In turn I light up because she still remembers me.  This day though I didn’t see that look.
Instead she looked at me like I was an annoyance, an interruption.  She was very focused on packing [...]

Continue Reading

Cranberry Sauce–My Shining Culinary Moment

Posted on 15. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

It’s almost Thanksgiving–the time when I get to shine in the kitchen.  Now lest you think that I am the creator of our entire holiday dinner, let me stop you here.  For the more mundane things like turkey, dressing, macaroni and cheese and the like, my sister does the cooking.  She’s good at it, she [...]

Continue Reading

Dementia Love Triangle or True Love?

Posted on 14. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

Yesterday brought news of a sad and not so typical love triangle involving former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.  For 17 years, Justice O’Connor has watched her husband of 55 years decline due to the ravages of Alzheimer’s.  She stepped down from her lifetime seat on the Court to care for her [...]

Continue Reading

Blogging Creates a Sense of Community

Posted on 13. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

Here I am a midlife blogger.  Eight months ago I didn’t even know what a blog was.  Now I show up here in the blogosphere on a regular basis and share my thoughts on midlife.  What happened?  What caused the shift for me that allowed me to plug in to blogging?
It’s the sense of community [...]

Continue Reading

Funerals and Midlife–The New Meet and Greet?

Posted on 13. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

I went to a funeral for a dear friend last week.  Well, actually there was more than the funeral.  I went to the funeral home for the viewing–and my personal good-bye.  Then there was the family hour which was actually an entire evening.  The funeral was the next morning and stretched through the afternoon with [...]

Continue Reading

What Do We Call You in Midlife?

Posted on 12. Nov, 2007 by Karen.

What do you think of the term "baby boomer"?  I’m not sure I want to be called "baby" anything and "boomer" sounds like the nickname of some big guy who plays contact sports.  I understand how the name came up but it just doesn’t work for me.  Besides the baby boom was when we were [...]

Continue Reading