Joan’s Boomer Blog

I was a teenager in the 1960’s and still love listening to the music of the 1960’s. Petula Clark, Herman’s Hermits, Gary Lewis and the Playboys and the Dave Clark Five were some of my favorites back then. I even got to see Gary Lewis and the Playboys in person, wearing my white go go boots, of course!

The late 60’s were a good time to be a teen in a small town. We spent our weekends at the skating rink where they had a dance with a live band from 10pm to midnight. We cruised the strip when gas was still 25 cents a gallon and cigarettes were 25 cents a pack. Smoking was about the worst thing you could do to “rebel” and be cool.

There were a lot of good things about the 1960’s. Back then, we thought there was nothing much to do but looking back on it now, it seems like the last time when kids were allowed to be naive and innocent as they grew up.  Most mothers still stayed home with the kids, my mom made most of my clothes and I actually loved them! No name brands, no expensive toys like iPods and cell phones. We put a dime in our shoe every time we went out so we could always call home for Dad to come and pick us up if we got into trouble.

If you’re feeling nostalgic, you should check out the 1960’s hits on YouTube. Listening to that music takes me right back to those years, which seem to get better and better the older I get.

I loved this video, which covers music from 1965 to 1969, the exact years I was in high school. It shows random images from those years, like album covers, to go along with it.

Enjoy! YouTube also has music videos from other eras too so it’s easy to find your favorite.

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These days everyone is concerned with online privacy. Has someone put negative comments or reviews online about you, your company or your brand? Reputation Managers can help you create a positive online presence or help you remove negative comments from search engines.

When people do a search for your company or brand, what do they find? Has some dissatisfied customer, a disgruntled ex-employee or even a business competitor put unfavorable and unfair comments about you and your business out there for anyone to see? Is it even possible to get these removed from the web and help create a more positive reputation for you?

Yes, it is possible by using Reputation Managers to help you.

Changing negative comments on the Internet is not an instant process. It can take from one to six months to get that positive image up higher in the search engines and get rid of the negative but it can be done. Reputation Managers are there with you every step of the way.

Take control of your online presence by getting a free evaluation from Reputation Managers. See for yourself how they can help you create a positive online presence for yourself, your company or your brand.

The author was compensated for this posting.

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How can green smoothies help prevent glaucoma and eye disease like macular degeneration?

As we age, we become susceptible to eye problems like glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts and other eye diseases. However, it is possible to help prevent or reduce the effects of eye disease and vision problems by consuming an eye health foods in our daily diet.

For instance, the National Eye Institute has found that taking zinc and high doses of antioxidants, such as those found in fruits and veggies, can reduce your chances of getting macular degeneration by as much as 25%. Antioxidants such as Lutein and zeaxanthin are vital to continuing eye health and you can get these from eye health foods.

Rather than taking supplements, which may be synthetic and not real food at all, the best way to get enough antioxidants in your diet is to eat at least 9 servings of veggies for eye nutrition. To make sure you get the most out of these veggies, eating them raw, blended into a green smoothie, provides eye health nutrition that your body can easily absorb and make use of. In a green smoothie recipe, it isn’t hard to get these eye health foods daily.

My husband and I started drinking green smoothies about a month ago. I had to take a break for 2 weeks when I visited family, but have been back on the green smoothie diet for nearly a week. My husband has glaucoma in his family and suffers from high eye pressure and I was told on my last eye exam that I had the beginnings of cataracts, plus I’ve had various floaties and flashes in my eyes, which happens as we age and the fluid in our eyes becomes hardened.

When we started drinking green smoothies, I was especially interested in recipes with eye health foods and eye health nutrition so perhaps we can keep these eye conditions from worsening.

The key to staying healthy with green smoothies is to vary your intake of fruits and veggies. The nutrients you are looking for are zinc, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin and omega 3 fatty acids. If you are seeking veggies which are eye health foods, here are a list of veggies to include in your smoothies which contain valuable nutrients for preventing cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration:

• Beta carotene foods: cherries, carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, cantaloupe, apricots
• Vitamin C foods: bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, oranges, strawberries, kiwis and brocoli
• Vitamin E foods: wheat germ, almonds, avocados, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, peanut butter
• Zinc foods: chick peas, oysters, ostrich (a very lean meat), turkey, pumpkin seeds
• Lutein-Zeaxanthin foods: spinach, Swiss chard, corn, watercress and persimmons contain both.
• Omega-3 fats: wild salmon, sardines, Atlantic mackerel and omega-3-fortified eggs. If you’re making a green smoothie, you can add 1 tsp of flax seed oil or add flax meal to your smoothie.

If you want to prevent cataracts, studies have shown that foods rich in riboflavin also help:

• Riboflavin foods: skim milk and low-fat, eggs, mushrooms and almonds
• Niacin foods: chicken and turkey breast, wild salmon, kidney beans and natural peanut butter

To make a green smoothie with eye health foods, here’s one sample recipe:

1 cup water
One whole carrot, peeled if not organic
1/2 cup strawberries
1 dozen almonds
1 tsp flax seed oil
1/2 cup chick peas, canned
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup kefir or yogurt - (Learn to make Kefir at home and save money!)

Blend all of these ingredients on high in your Vitamix. for 30 seconds.

If you prefer your smoothie a little sweeter, add a few drops of stevia or organic agave nector or throw in more berries.

To make up your own green smoothie recipes to benefit your eyes, just choose a different eye health food group and vary your smoothie each day. The precise measurements aren’t that important. You can adjust your smoothie recipe to your personal taste.

Can green smoothies cure eye problems such as cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration? If you suffer from these conditions, it’s important to follow the advice of your doctor. However, proper eye health nutrition and eye health foods, especially if you begin consuming them early, can go a long way to help preventing or controlling these health issues.

Read more about green smoothies and get some free recipes from Vitamix.

Click on the banner below and receive free shipping on your Vitamix - a $25 value.

Vitamix for Green Smoothies

More tips to prevent eye diseases:

Always wear sunglasses and a visor or hat to protect your eyes from sunlight.

If you smoke, quit.

If you’re overweight, lose some of that weight. (Green smoothies can help!)

National Eye Institute Information on Eye Diseases, their prevention and treatments.

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Many acne sufferers are familiar with Acutane, a drug made by drug manufacturer Hoffman La Roche to treat severe acne. It has been found, however, that Acutane has also been prescribed for cases of mild acne, where the benefits do not outweigh the possible side effects of the drug.

What are the possible side effects of Acutane?

Side effects of Acutane can include:

• birth defects
• depression
• miscarriages
• weak skin
• Alopecia
• suicidal tendencies
• back pain
• joint pain
• pink eye
• dry mucus membranes
• dryness of the eye
• vision problems
• ringing in the ear
• psychosis
• liver damage
• anaphylaxis
• erectile dysfunction
• aggressive behavior
• bone loss
• heart attack
• stroke
• seizures
• lowered white blood cell count
• inflammatory bowel disease
• allergic vasculitis

If you were prescribed Acutane for either severe or mild acne by your doctor or if you became pregnant while using the drug, you should have been informed of these possible side effects. Acutane also appears in these other drugs:

• Amnesteem
• Claravis
• Decutan
• Istane
• Sotret
• Ratane
• Raccutane
• the generic Isotretinoin.

If you are suffering from any of these side effects and believe your symptoms are related to taking the drug, there is help. Simply submit your information at accutane lawsuit and receive a free case evaluation.

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They Can’t Tax Voluntary Simplicity - Yet!

What is Voluntary Simplicity and How Can it Help You Avoid the Coming Economic Crisis?

Voluntary simplicity has a different meaning to each person who practices it. In a nutshell, voluntary simplicity goes against the commercial culture of America which equates material possessions with happiness and fulfillment. Advocates find fulfillment in saving money, downsizing, living simply and finding ways to do for themselves.

Many who embrace voluntary simplicity live debt free, clip coupons, cook from scratch, live closer to nature and try their hand at pass times like gardening and sewing or raising their own chickens.

Maybe this isn’t you but each of us can simplify our lives and focus on saving money, rather than making money. They can’t tax you for saving $20 with grocery store coupons but that is $20 you still have in your pocket.

Is Economic Disaster and Double Dip Recession Coming?

Life as we’ve all gotten used to it may soon end. For the past 20 years, the economy has been booming mostly, real estate prices shot up, the stock market was going great guns. Then it all fell apart. My 82 year old mother recently told me when she hears the term “new normal” in relation to the high unemployment, volitile stock market and near depression-like economy, she can’t help but think that the years of the booming economy were the abnormal years.

Most of the years of my mother’s life, she knew depression, war, pinching pennies. I grew up learning thrift and tried to teach my kids the same thing, but young people really have no clue about living through a real depression.

Are you worried about what the looming economic crisis will mean for you? Are you worried about the huge tax hike coming in 2011 to pay for the exploding national debt and President Obama’s health care plan. Perhaps you have one of those “Cadillac” insurance plans, where your companies’ contribution will now be taxed as income. Dick Morris says America is facing the same financial disaster that is now occurring in Greece.

President Obama campaigned on the promise of tax cuts for those earning less than $250,000 (really all Congress would have to do is keep President Bush’s tax cuts in place - which saved our family $2,000 in taxes each year.) Yet, on June 22, 2011, House Majority Leader, Rep Steny Hoyer, acknowledged that it would be difficult to reduce long-term deficits without breaking President Obama’s pledge to protect families earning less than $250,000 a year. (See New York Times article)

My husband wants to retire. He has a military pension and a good job, which already puts us in a tax above $88,000. Anyone earning over $88,000 will be taxed to pay for the health care of those who cannot afford it. I am trying to earn extra income to supplement our retirement but unfortunately, the more I make, the more taxes we will pay.

So what is our plan? How will we protect ourselves from economic collapse? I’ve decided that I can limit my hours of working on my multiple streams of income (which is pretty much on autopilot now) and focus on pinching pennies.

• I search coupon websites and grocery ads for the best deals, buying only what we need and what is on sale.
• I rejoined our organic food co-op to get fresh organic produce for our green smoothies.
• I planted tomato plants in pots for the first time since we moved to Texas. We are currently buying land where we can grow a bigger garden.
• I dusted off my dehydrater so I can preserve food and not waste anything.
• I bought a sprouter to I can grow fresh sprouts for our smoothies. You can grow tons of sprouts for pennies, providing fresh greens for your diet.
• I am making my own kefir with kefir starter instead of buying sugar-laden and expensive yogurt.
• My husband and I are putting major purchases on hold and going on a spending fast, after reading Jeff Yeager’s Guide to Cheapskate Living (a great book with lots of voluntary simplicity tips and advice)
• We’re buying an RV to put on the land and if we need to live in it for a year or two to save money, we can do that.

We are in the process of purchasing 5 acres of land where we can have a huge garden, raise chickens and build an energy efficient house with wind and solar power. (President Obama admitted that his cap and trade bill will cause electricity prices to skyrocket and trying to break our dependence on oil could cause gas prices to go to $7 a gallon.)

All is not gloom and doom, whether the nation experiences economic disaster or not. What each person must do is be ready to live in the worst of conditions and become more self-sufficient. Try saving, not spending money. Try saving instead of increasing your income. Give voluntary simplicity a try and you will have the satisfaction of knowing you can face whatever happens.

One thing our government officials have not considered is what will happen when more and more people are willing to earn less, do more for themselves and pay less taxes? They’ve made it the sensible solution but how will the government machine survive once they’ve destroyed our economy?

Resources:

Making your own kefir is easier than you think.

Sprouting seeds at Home

Raising Chickens in Your own back yard.

Check out the many coupons and money saving articles on this blog as well.

Learn more about Living Simply

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Remodeling Your Bathroom Increases Value, Function for Boomers

Not only does remodeling your home’s bathrooms increase the value of the property, but, for baby boomers, a bathroom remodel can increase functionality as well. Wouldn’t you love to have a beautiful, luxurious bathroom that would fit your needs as you get older?

Large, tiled showers and Walk In Tubs For Elderly offer safety and convenience as we get older and they are available in a a great variety of colors to fit your bathroom remodel. It’s easy to add a grab bar for safety as well.

Besides getting walk in Replacement Bathtubs a whirlpool or soaker tub is wonderful for those with arthritis or sore joints. Today’s new materials make cleaning easier too.

Boise Bathroom Remodeling offers a unique feature on which allows you to “build your own bathroom.” Computer generated images add different features like walk in tubs or showers, and allow you to see different styles and colors in tile or whether or not you have grab bars, soap dishes or shower caddy. Want to test colors in the bathroom, or trims like wainscot or a chair rail? Using this web page, you can literally design your own bathroom remodel and get a sense of what it will look like when you’re finished.

If you’re considering a bathroom remodel, check into the features you can add to keep living in your home as you get older. You’ll end up with the luxurious, beautiful bathroom of your dreams.

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My Favorite Reading Among the Boomer Blogs

As a baby boomer myself and the owner of Tips For Your Boomer Years, I love a good boomer blog. I subscribed to Google alerts for “baby boomer” and get a listing of half dozen or so boomer blogs every week. Some are a wealth of great information on retirement, senior discounts, senior and boomer issues and more.

Here are some of my favorite among the popular boomer blogs:

Baby Boomer Insights by Marilynn Mobley. Lots of great articles of interest to boomers - aging, retirement, finding new careers and more.

Baby Boomer.com has a cute feature. You can click on the year you were born and find out what happened. When I was born in 1950, Hopalong Cassidy and antihistamines were newly popular, the movie All About Eve came out and Joseph McCarthy warned of communist infiltration of the State Department - plus there were more great tidbits. One article I liked was “Call us ‘Girls’ or ‘Women over 40′ (or 50), Just Don’t Call Us Seniors!

Boomer Living.com I used to have a blog called Easy Boomer Living and was threatened with a lawsuit by Boomer Living for stealing their name so I had to change my blog to Tips for Boomer Years. However, this boomer blog does have good info on careers, finances, travel, health and more for boomers.

Retrovision TV isn’t a blog in the strictest sense but a listing of classic TV and movies from the 1930’s forward. If you click on an episode listed, you can watch the episode, find links to others in the series, and then comment on it in blog form. If you love classic movies and TV, you have to check out Retrovision.

Time Goes By - Boomer blog with various authors. There are also links on the site to an extensive list of other boomer and elder issue blogs that you might want to explore.

A wonderful boomer blog recommended to me recently by a friend is MyBoomer2Boomer. On this blog boomer entrepreneurs support each other, telling you about boomer friendly businesses, job hunting info and more.

When you start searching boomer blogs, it’s terrific to see how many of us have turned to blogging as a creative expression. It’s great to see boomers and seniors embracing technology and offering up their thoughts, knowledge and experiences to benefit others.

Do you have a favorite boomer blog? If so, send me a link. I’d love to check it out.

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Take Me Back to the Fabulous Fifties

Fabulous Fifties

I grew up in the 1950’s and vividly remember the “fabulous fifties” - drive-in movies, blackjack gum and riding my bike downtown to get a cherry coke for a nickle. A friend sent me this video montage, Take Me Back to the Fifties, and it really did take me back to my childhood.

When we used to go to the dime store, where things really cost a dime, and agonize over which penny candy to get with our allowance, which was, I think a dime. Back when Ricky Nelson was my first crush and I couldn’t wait for Ozzie and Harriet to come on each week.

Visit Old Forty-Fives.com and find montages of growing up in the 1960’s and 70’s, plus Growing up in the Fifties, What we Drove in the 50’s and 60’s, Old Westerns, Do you Remember These, When Life Was Black and White and others that are well worth a trip down memory lane.

Life was simpler in the fabulous fifties - at least for kids. We lived on a farm in Oregon and we could disappear in the morning, going down to the creek near our house, up on the mountain behind our house or take a bike ride downtown. We showed up for lunch, then took off again and my mom never once thought someone would kidnap us. Party lines and one telephone meant we couldn’t talk long to our friends - we’d ride our bikes to visit them instead.

Nobody had much money, our mom made our clothes and canned our food and everybody we knew lived pretty much like us. Nobody’s mom worked and none of my friends parents were divorced. Nobody seemed to worry what kind of education we got and all our free time was “unscheduled.” I know my parents worried a lot about “making ends meet” but living on a farm, we always had good healthy food to eat and healthy air to breathe.

I’d be the first to admit I love my computer with the Internet, connecting with old friends via Facebook, having my cellphone (now with text messaging because all our kids use it!), being able to DVR my favorite TV shows. Still, when I look at my young grandchildren, I feel sorry that they will never know the carefree freedom we had, learning to use their imaginations because that’s the only toys have, being on the run outdoors all day without anyone worrying about them.

I watch the grandchildren glued to videos, unable to go out their front door without supervision, going from activity to activity with no time to just lay out in the grass and watch the cloud shapes take form. I guess that’s why, when either of my 3 year old granddaughters comes to spend time with me, we always sit in the big swing out back and look at the trees and the birds and talk about things.

Just as my own parents were my link to the past which included World War II, the depression and life in the 30’s and 40’s, I guess I’ll be that link for my grandchildren to a simpler time to grow up-life in the Fifties.

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Joan’s Boomer Blog - Internet Radio Oldies

Oldies radio shows are disappearing from the airwaves but you can still find Internet radio oldies stations and listen free. Here two new online oldies radio stations I’ve recently discovered.

Alan’s Golden Oldies.

Alan Price is an experienced radio DJ and started his oldies website in 2005. His site streams oldies 24 hours a day and Alan also broadcasts live from 1 to 5 pm weekdays, bringing the audience classic tunes from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

One thing I like about Alan’s choice of oldies is that there are many you don’t hear anywhere else these days.

Other oldies tidbits you can hear on Alan’s Golden Oldies include:

• Audio from old movie trailers at 330pm Monday through Friday
• Old radio shows like The Adventures of Superman, Amos and Andy or Gunsmoke.
• Promos from stars he’s interviewed over the years like Andy Williams
• Enjoy oldies on your cellphone or PDA

You can also visit Alan’s website to make a special oldies request and view his guest book. Alan’s guestbook includes photos of celebrities from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s with their autographs written to him. See Fabion, Dick Clark and Dick and Dee to name just a few.

I like to tune in to Alan’s Golden Oldies while I’m working. It makes terrific background music for writing a boomer blog!

Another new-to-me Internet radio oldies show is Beyond 50’s Radio, where host Daniel Davis offers interviews on topics of interest to baby boomers, plus a free Beyond 50’s newsletter which keeps you posted on upcoming programs of interest.

If you go to the website you can also listen to past episodes through the archives. Programs include diabetes and accelerated aging, Warren Buffet’s Successful Management Techniques, Map and Plan your Volunteer Vacation and other topics of interest to baby boomers.

More Links to Internet Radio Oldies

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Crystal Singing Bowl

Seeking Inner Peace? Try a Crystal Singing Bowl

The beautiful Crystal Singing Bowl is used for many spiritual traditions, meditation, relaxation, well being and religious practices. Singing bowls are a type of bell, and the sides and rim vibrate to produce a haunting, lovely sound.

How do you use a crystal singing bowl?

A singing bowl produces its melodious sound by rubbing a wooden, plastic, or leather wrapped mallet around the rim of the bowl.

Many baby boomers are seeking fulfillment, inner peace and happiness in their senior years. The crystal singing bowl can be a powerful aid in meditation and relaxation, as well as being a beautiful addition to your home.

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