Wellness & Aging

We moved into a new house recently, our forever home. We picked the house because it’s walking distance to the beach and our particular street is a hidden little enclave where the houses are very private because they’re surrounded by natural vegetation. But in the Florida heat and humidity, that spells B-U-G-S! I can’t even walk the dog without getting a ton of mosquito bites, but I hate those chemically-forward bug sprays so I made …

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become obsessed with being healthy and fit. Or maybe I should say, I’ve become obsessed with reading about being healthy and fit. Yeah, I’m that girl that lays in my bed drinking my morning coffee while watching other people work out on Instagram.  I’ve long read about how to determine my biological age, but was never willing to spring for the price tag to get it done. So this past …

Death is birth in reverse. That’s what the hospice nurse kept telling me every time I questioned a new behavior of my mom. Every time I found myself in the baby aisle at Target buying diapers, sippy cups, and picture books, I realized just how right she was when I was a caregiver for my elderly mother. Caring for an elderly parent is hard, especially if you’re planning on taking care of elderly parents at …

It’s taken me a long time to write this post. I generally write about happy things – mainly my happy places. But writing is therapy for me. So as difficult as this is, my mother’s story needs to be told. So many people are looking for help with aging parents and I was quite suddenly, thrown into this mix. Often, when I’m writing a blog post, I talk into a recorder and tell a story …

I recently read an article in Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Journal, “Nurtured for Generations,” about the legacies of grandmothers who cooked, and the home chefs – and the family food culture – they spawned. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, as I grew up in one of these families, and recently lost my mother who held so many recipes, cooking tips, and family food memories. I fear that so many of those treasures are …

Mo dog Bella was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and that began my fierce search to extend her life as long as I could. I started with a search for easy homemade dog food recipes and came up with my own concoction. The vet had given her three months to live, but she lived three years! I like to think it was my homemade dog food that helped give her more days with us. Bella was a …