Surviving College: A Parent's Guide

If you're like me, you've recently experienced one of the most difficult and rewarding experiences of your life -- sending a child away to college.  All those years of saying "I can't wait until he is old enough to . . . " have flown by in a blink of an eye and you're trying to take it all back.  But it's too late -- they're grown up and gone, and you're left wondering if those 18 years of parenting worked.  Are they ready for the "real" world?

Fortunately, my heart is warm knowing that my son is in the right place on many different levels; socially, geographically, academically and mentally.  He's blossomed into a content, conscientious young man.  And I couldn't be prouder.

While I have no fool-proof parenting lesson plan to suggest, I do believe his strength has come from a caring, but not indulgent, upbringing.  While many of his friends were out buying the latest sports jersey or player-of-the-moment athletic shoe, he was learning patience and frugality by waiting for the same shirt/shoe/product to go on sale before paying for half with his own money.  While his buddies spent the weekends in front of the XBox, he was finishing his chores first. Even though we live in the land of lawn services and cleaning ladies, my husband and I wanted to teach all our kids that those amenities are the benefits of hard work -- and not an entitlement.  Yes, in other words, we were the "meanest parents that ever lived," and I'm proud of it.

This job of parenting doesn't end after 18 years, so there's still lots more for me to learn.  Plus, I still have two more kids to get thru college, so my story is long from being told.  Thankfully the dividends of our hard work are paid in tiny portions every day.

Oh God, not my wine!

Today is BLOG ACTION DAY and the topic is one close to my heart, Climate Change.  Always an advocate for recycling and cutting down my personal and family's waste, this seemed like a natural subject for me to expound on.  When researching the subject, I was astounded by the many ways that climate change is effecting our planet and lives.

We all joke about "global warming," especially when the Chicagoland area has been experiencing one of it's coolest years in years. (There was barely a summer and fall has quickly given way to winter-like temperatures.  Where's the warming part of global warming?)  But long-term, there will be drastic changes to the world as we know it if we don't take action soon.

Even if you don't care about saving the polar bears and grey whales, climate change will change your life and mine in ways you never imagined.  Good God, light dry WINES in California and France -- like one of my  favorites, Pinot Noir -- will no longer be the same due to the warmer temperatures effect on the grapes.  GUACAMOLE, NUTS, and FRENCH FRIES will all be harder to grow/produce due to the higher temperatures. BASEBALL won't have ash bats anymore thanks to a combination of killer beetles and higher temps.  Ski VACATIONS, snorkeling and visiting remote island outposts will also be things of the past.  This is serious people!

What can each of us do to help?  Plenty. Walk or ride your bike more and drive less; cut down on long-distance travel (Can you handle your business with a conference call instead of a face-to-face meeting?); consume less and be more efficient (that includes our appliances too); eat local whenever possible; switch out a few lightbulb in your home to compact flourescents; save a tree and use less paper. 

This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of what we can each do to help save the planet for our children and grandchildren.  Or if not for them, then for wine-lovers like me!

Toast to a New Beginning

Thanks for joining me on my journey to celebrate the middle portion of our lives. The kids are older, opening a window to more time to spend on ourselves. But if you're anything like me, you may have forgotten what a hobby or an interest is. The past 10-20 years have been dedicated to the others around you. But it's time to turn some of the focus back on ourselves and our own health and well being.

What I'd like to do with Hot Flashes 4 Cool Chicks is to create a fun, no-holds-barred dialogue about what this stage of our lives is really like and how we can make it better. I encourage all who read this to throw in your two cents (or more) -- we're all in this together, you know. (Sorry, the Disney influence is still rather strong in my brain. . .I just had visions of Troy Bolton and the Wildcats.)

Thanks