Teenagers Get All the Cool Stuff

Okay, I admit I am in love with the Neutrogena Wave. Found at almost any grocery or drug store, it will literally change your life. No kidding. It's like a sonic toothbrush but for your face. And, while it also reminds me of this paint grinding device I purchased to help gnaw off the peeling trim at my 1929 bungalow, you cannot beat this device for effective, gentle exfoliation. The little handheld vibrator, yes I said vibrator, is topped with a disposable exfoliating pad that both treats and washes your face. The pads come in a variety of types, like gentle exfoliating and acne control. And, you can also purchase pads with more cosmeceutical ingredients for anti-aging, as Neutrogena has another sonic facial device that's marketed to people like us, adults. That device is pricier, and the pads are interchangeable so don't bother. Buy the wave. You'll be happy with the way it brightens your complexion and allows whatever moisturizer you're using to better penetrate the skin. I glow after using it, and it lasts for a few days.

A Helpful Site

http://www.agemoreslowly.com/

I have no idea if this site is helpful or not, but I figure I have to start compiling some resouces, as I undertake this endeavor. As many of you know, I am a nurse with a two bachelor's degrees. And, in most BSN programs, they really push you to continue your education. Research is a significant part of a majority of undergraduate nursing programs these days. As such, I know the value of peer reviewed journals; however, I have to admit that I gleen much of my anti-aging advice from magazines. I was a writer long before I was a nurse, and I know from publishing that most journalists strive include sources that actually know something about the topics at hand. If you are writing about anti-aging in consumer magazines, you better be consulting dermatologists in New York and Los Angeles; the areas that most people look to for the "firsts" in beauty. This site is not from something I read in Allure, In Style or the like, but rather from an internet search. The proprietor of this site is a PhD in Molecular Biology, and she strives to know what really works and what is hype in the world of anti-aging. It's not a glamourous site, but it has some interesting information.

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Me and My Belly

Some women get the belly as they age. Me, well, I have always had the belly. The belly has been hanging around on and off since I was about eight. Back then, it made me feel awkward and obvious. And, while I still feel its the most obvious thing about me after my red lipstick and blue eyes, I no longer feel awkward about it. That is until tonight when I was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store. As I tumbled into the counter with my arms full of necessities and impulse purchases, the clerk remarked that it must have been hard for me to carry all that in my "condition." Condition? Was she referring to the fact that I have Graves Disease? Gosh, my eyes haven't been bulging in over a year, and my neck is slim. She couldn't possibly know I have Graves Disease. Hmm...was she referring to the fact that I obviously had forgotten to take a shopping cart with me, as I loaded up my arms and any other extremity with a hinging joint? No, no that couldn't be it. She didn't give a second look, as I pulled a bag of tortillas out from under a carton of sour cream; both of which were tucked in the crook of my neck. With the flush of confusion and the thought that I had heard her wrong, I trailed her eyes down to where she was focused on my belly. At that moment, she started talking about when she was pregnant, and the realization illuminated me like a spotlight. Before I could correct her, she was deep into some explanation of how she knew she was pregnant with a girl because her daughter kicked her all the time. "No son would do that to his mother," she said. It seemed rude to tell her the truth, so I smiled and chimmed in at the appropriate spots. I said things like, "yeah" and "wow." In my mind, however, I was already dialing my best friend to ask her if I looked pregnant. Well, I'd ask her after I was again able to speak a full sentence. It's hard to actually form a word when your bottom jaw is busy scraping the ground next to your self-esteem.

What's this all about?

Simply put, this blog is about aging, as a woman. I think men have their own special feelings about growing older, which I will not address here. Not that I do not care about the plight of the aging male, far from it, as one resides in my household; however, as I inch my way toward forty, I only have energy to be concerned with myself and my sisters. There seems to be so much more to aging for women, and being one myself, it's natural that it's my main concern. I am sure that this "journey," as popular media characterizes it, is not going to be easy, and I want to be part of making it better...for myself and for others.

As a nurse, I can see that some women do it right. And others, well, they either succumb altogether and look as if the life has been literally sucked out of them, or they fight it tooth and nail and emerge with not much more than their teeth or fingernails with which to identify their former selves. I want to be somewhere in the middle. I don't want to go lightly into old age, but I also don't want to end up with a silly putty nose and a buoy for my boobs. How about you? How do you want to handle your aging?