Month: November 2023

Introducing Protect My Shoes x Big Blonde Hair: “Pump Rules”

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving, we are all so thankful for your support of Big Blonde Hair over the past 13 years! This Black Friday I’m so excited to announce that I’ve partnered with Protect my Shoes to design a Bravoleb-worthy product that is a must have this holiday season. Introducing “Pump Rules“, inspired by Bravolebs and a staple print in fashion, leopard, these stylishly luxurious shoe stuffers make this the perfect piece to gift or get.

If you’re not yet familiar with Protect My Shoes, they are aptly name shoe stuffers filled with organic cotton that prevent your shoes from wrinkling, creasing and stretching in addition to absorbing moisture. They’re perfect for shoe storage or travel. Priced at only $15 and wrapped in statement-making ombrè packaging, these are your answer to the perfect holiday present or addition to your own collection.

Founder and CEO of the brand Olivia Hollaus is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, mom of two boys and self-proclaimed shoe addict. After years of stuffing her shoes with tissue paper she created a chic solution with Protect My Shoes stuffers that are both eco-friendly and stylish. 

We are all so excited about this collaboration and are so excited for you to be a part of it. Happy shopping and don’t forget, like isn’t all shoes and champagne, but it should be.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Plus, enjoy free shipping on US orders through TUESDAY!

Originally posted at: Introducing Protect My Shoes x Big Blonde Hair: “Pump Rules”

I hear myself using some of the same words over and over. Words like nice, cool, wow, and pretty. Maybe the guy is nice, but there’s a plethora of words that may better describe him. Maybe he’s good-natured, pleasant, friendly, hospitable, cordial, amiable, kind or winsome. And alternatively, the dress may be pretty, but it may also be colorful, darling, fetching, attractive, lovely or glamorous.

As I was debating whether my vocabulary was dwindling, I ran across research that shows our vocabularies are shrinking across all levels of educational attainment, with the largest declines among those with a Bachelor’s or graduate degree.

Although verbal fluency typically declines with age, there are other variables impacting this downward trend. Our dependence on digital communication leads the list, with what some believe is the dumbing down of communication. When we text, words are filled in for us. As we write emails, Google anticipates what we want to say. The use of emojis also prevents us from using additional words to describe how we feel.

In addition, we are absorbing information through phones, tablets and computers and spending less time hearing each other speak. Verbal communication is what enables us to maintain or expand our vocabulary.

I found this all unsettling and set out on a quest to find the best ways to build a vocabulary and – here’s the trick – use those words in everyday conversations. At the same time, I wanted it to be fun and easy. Reading the dictionary was out. Here’s what I found to keep our vocabularies robust.

Dictionary.com App and Website

This handy tool is awesome, or should I say invaluable? The app and website are both a dictionary and a thesaurus. The app is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices and offers word-of-the-day (complete with an audio pronunciation), synonym of the day, and word games. It’s also a handy tool for looking up words that are unfamiliar to you.

Today’s word of the day is refulgent (adjective; ri-fuhl-juhnt), meaning shining brightly; radiant; gleaming. In a sentence: Crystal chandeliers and gilded walls made the opera house a refulgent setting for the ball. To learn a word, it’s amusing to attempt to use the word throughout the day. This is sometimes a challenge and can be comical.

Crossword Puzzles

My grandmother was a pro at crosswords and her vocabulary was impressive. My husband is a close second and can spend hours with his pencil, scratching away. I’ve never been skilled at crossword puzzles and found them frustrating because I would abide by the rule of not looking up the answers in the back. In the spirit of improving vocabulary, I hereby declare that such cheating is acceptable and is a great way to improve vocabulary, spelling and memory.

Several years ago, I dug out my old crossword puzzle books (some dated 1999) and gave them a try. NY Times Mondays still give me a workout, with my husband periodically encouraging me to challenge myself with Tuesday puzzles.

For those new to the world of crosswords, the NYTimes crosswords increase in difficulty throughout the week, with the easiest puzzle on Monday and the most difficult on Saturday. The larger Sunday puzzle is typically as difficult as a Thursday puzzle.

I have a new appreciation of these puzzles that have existed since 1913 (they were called word-cross and published in the New York World), and they are an optimal way to expand our vocabularies.

Two Good Books

I perused through the vocabulary builder books and discovered two that are worthy of purchase.Barron’s 1100 Words You Need to Know offers daily 15-minute learning sessions that focus on six words. On the fifth day of each week, it’s a review of the words for the week. The book also offers online quizzes plus scoring to test your progress. Some words you’ll know, others may be new. I love this book, and apparently, I’m not alone. It’s been a best seller for four decades and earns 4 1/2 stars on Amazon.

The second book is 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary. This portable paperback contains exercises and self-tests and is organized around themes. For example, Words About Your Feelings or Verbs Give You Power. This also earns 4 1/2 stars on Amazon. The font is pretty tiny, so your reading glasses and an ultra-sharp pencil will be required.

Alexa’s Magoosh Vocabulary Builder

Amazon Echo devices are hands-free speakers and clocks that you control with your voice. Echo connects to the Alexa voice service to play music, ask questions, check the weather, and more. If you have an Echo, there are Alexa Skills you can access. For example, you can tell her (yes, she feels alive): “Alexa, play Jeopardy” or “Alexa, open Vocabulary Builder.”

Once enabled, the Magoosh Vocabulary Builder plays a five-question game with you. She gives you a word and then asks you to name the synonym out of a list of possibilities. All of the words have been handpicked by experts who prepare students for the various college entrance exams. It’s a fun way to study more advanced vocabulary.

Google Images

There’s a phenomenon referred to as losing one’s nouns and I’m guessing all of us want to avoid saying “hand me that thing.” There are some nouns we don’t use all that often, but we ought to remember them. 

Google Images is a valuable resource to build our noun vocabulary. Search parts of a table, parts of a house, or parts of most nouns and then click on images. Up comes an illustration or photo with labels indicating the various parts (nouns).

So, you knock your knee on the apron of the table, not the thingy underneath the table. Or, the fascia fell off the house, not the thingamajig below the gutter.

Word Games

Word games are another fantastic way to expand your vocabulary and get your brain working. A study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that doing word puzzles improves attention, memory, executive function, and information processing. There are so many choices when it comes to word puzzles, some easier than others.

Sixty and Me offers over 30 word games to challenge your mind and expand your vocabulary in the process.

Reading

As Walt Disney once said, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” Reading certainly teaches us facts and entertains us with stories, but reading also exposes us to around 90,000 words in the average adult fiction book. While most words are familiar to us, reading keeps our vocabulary fresh.

The wonderful advantage of stumbling across an unfamiliar word while reading is that you get context with the word used in a sentence. And, if using an eReader like the Kindle, you can easily look up the meaning of the word.

Aren’t these awesome ways to stay sharp and build your vocabulary? Actually, they’re entertaining, effective, interesting, pleasant and engrossing ways to learn. 

Additional read “WHERE DID THAT WORD GO?” THE TIP-OF-THE-TONGUE PHENOMENON.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you finding that your vocabulary is shrinking? What are some ways you’re trying to expand your vocabulary? What new words did you learn today?

I can’t think of any other physical activity in life which regularly pairs teenagers with the elderly other than driving. Every day, on superhighways and rural roads alike, cohorts of every age demographic follow, pass, and turn, without regard to who is behind the wheel of the vehicle ahead, behind or to the side.

The Origin of My Fears

I am a happy, healthy, fit, 71-year-old retiree, who has gladly left behind a one-hour commute each way into the city of Philadelphia. I now live in a semi-rural area, where, one might suppose, driving would not be an issue – but it is!

The years spent listening to endless audio books behind the wheel and always feeling like my life was wasting away, have not relinquished their hold on me. Another enduring event occurred a few years ago when my husband was a patient in a city hospital. Daily trips down a long, narrow, numbered street off Route I-95 with its bicyclists, darting street-crossers, and the “stop-sign-oblivious” vehicles at every corner inflated my driving anxieties.

I tell my friends and family that I do not fear illness as my eventual cause of death. I fear a giant black SUV or luxury 4×4 truck crashing into the back of my little, white, energy-efficient Subaru Impreza.

How I Cope

My distaste for driving plays out in taking “the long way” to the city, if I must go. This involves avoiding I-95, and going through the interminable suburban ring-neighborhoods of Philadelphia. My fears also transfer to my husband when he is driving on freeways, especially the New Jersey Turnpike approaching New York City.

I endure those rides with eyes shut tight. However, he’s not such a “big shot” himself, because it is me who must drive across bridges when we travel to New Jersey, because of his new fear.

The Seminal Moment

We are all familiar with stories of taking the keys away from mom or dad. I was in the same situation myself, just a few years ago. No one is asking for my car keys. But there was one life changing event, which has made me re-examine my driving, I’m happy to say!

To get to our home, one must get in the left lane of a highway to access the country road adjacent to our development. One evening at dusk, I was driving home from a restaurant, and literally went about 25 feet past the road as I was making the left turn. Befuddled as to where that country road went, I stopped, and fell prey to the oncoming cars, turning just in time. Something had to be done.

What Do the Experts Say?

Most of the emphasis on senior drivers is with the elderly and the infirmed. Those with too many crashes, near misses and dents on their vehicles will certainly need to endure “the talk” with their families.

However, anyone over the age of 65 should do some reflection. Most of my friends in this age range would heartily agree that they don’t like to drive at night or drive fast on a highway.

The National Institute on Aging lists many declining physical abilities which can contribute to impaired driving: stiff joints and muscles, which make it hard to turn the head; decreased peripheral vision which affects reading road signs; impaired hearing, preventing reaction to horns and sirens; slower reaction time; and possible cognitive decline.

Help Is on the Way

To save my marriage, and to change my behavior, I enrolled in the AARP Smart Driver Course. For a fee of $26.95 for AARP members, one can enroll in an on-line course which results in a helpful reduction in the yearly auto insurance premium. There is only one catch – the course is 8 hours long, and there is no way to speed up the slides. All have a timer at the bottom of the screen, so you can’t press “return” until the allotted time has passed.

At first, I thought I would not be able to endure the slow pace of the content. But I soon found that there was valuable information that was new to me in the areas of safe driving strategies, physical issues related to driving, reduction of distraction, and new technology in later model cars, such as lane departure, collision warnings, and blind spot alerts.

I think “being forced” to stay with the content because of the timer makes the information stick. I’m sure a venerable institution such as AARP created this course with the help of neuroscientists.

Although I completed the course many months ago, I feel incredibly more confident in my driving. I am not embarrassed to take the “long way” to avoid highways, as it was one of the suggestions. I pull over to set up a podcast on a long drive, rather than toggle between my phone and the road. And, I keep eating and drinking to a minimum, and give tractor trailers double the distance I used to give, when I pass.

Suggestions to Senior Drivers

The NHTSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, offers several suggestions to senior drivers, which align well with the AARP Smart Driver course. It is important to stay physically active, as driving requires a lot of movement and highly functioning sensory input. If you have a newer car, take time to learn how to use the unfamiliar technology.

Avoid busy traffic times and poor weather when traveling. Always give yourself more time than you need. Avoid the distractions of talking, eating and listening to the radio or internet when driving in challenging conditions.

This organization also offers a Self-Assessment, if one is not sure there is an issue that needs addressing. The American Occupation Therapy Association offers in-person assessments by driving habilitation specialists for those with more significant impairments.

I can’t say that the Black SUVs and 4x4s don’t scare me anymore, but I’m less likely to be impacted if I’m minding my own business in the right-hand lane, without a cup of tea in my hand during daytime hours!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you a driver? Have you noticed any difficulties or fears creeping in lately? What are you doing about them? Would you consider taking a refreshing course?

Refinery 29, the lifestyle site for young women, recently ran a story with the headline, “Girl Trends Are Everywhere. What the Hell is Going On?”

As a regular reader (I like to keep up with trends – you should see my new, chocolate brown “half-moon” manicure!), the site helps keep me current, and I especially laud its efforts at diversity and inclusivity. So, as someone who was once a girl and still occasionally thinks of herself as one, I found it intriguing.

The idea is that women – or anyone who identifies with “girl” and all that word entails – no longer need to mute their femininity and sense of fun. It’s okay to talk about and openly engage in “girl stuff” like style and beauty, to celebrate Barbie, go on “hot girl walks” and trade “girl dinner” tips.

The trend is occurring in music, Hollywood, the literary world and especially online, where even The New York Times explained to us recently “Why ‘Girls’ Rule the Internet.”

As a woman over 70 who attended the 1977 National Women’s Conference, challenged her first employer for equal pay, dutifully wore sneakers with her suits while storming the halls of capitalism in the 1980s and later published as a feminist scholar, I don’t scoff at girl culture.

As the same woman who owns 35 pairs of boots and a raft of false eyelashes, how could I?

From Twiggy to Megan Thee Stallion

Hearing and reading about girl culture at my age brings back memories of my girlfriends and I copying the mod makeup of Twiggy, launching jeans as a fashion staple of choice and jump-starting a second-wave feminist revolution whose principles remain front and center 50 years after the launching of NOW and Ms. Magazine.

This new iteration takes all that is feminine, powerful, snarky, raunchy, ironic, sexy, sweet, funny and pink (think “Hot Girl Summer” by Megan Thee Stallion), and wraps it up into one giant, Ulta-exclusive bento beauty box, daring anyone to complain.

Of course, the debate always goes deeper – from arguments about what “girl power” hides and protects in a patriarchal structure to the reinforcement of stereotypes (or is it turning them on their heads?) and the potential dangers of unfettered nostalgia and infantilizing women.

Not to dismiss any of that – I was a feminist scholar after all – but I, myself, am drawn to girl culture for its promise of bonding and camaraderie, especially as toxic masculinity has become even more sharply defined in global power structures.

Where Older Girls Come In

And that may be where us older “girls” come in.

Imagine a time when girls weren’t allowed to wear pants to school, a time before the birth control pill, when women couldn’t get a credit card in their name and career choices were often limited to nursing, flight attendant or teacher.

That’s my generation. I’m that woman, but I’m also the woman who threw off those bowlines, pioneering the mini skirt, choosing whether to get married and/or have children (often separate decisions), routinely living with romantic partners before or instead of marriage and embracing successful careers, including in law, media, medicine and tech.

One way we made it through the transition from our mothers’ world to the very different one for women today is through girl culture. As “girls” who shared the cultural touchstones of Twiggy, short skirts, long hair and the first taste of sexual lives and health we could actually control, we helped each other get here.

Now that we’re no longer seen as girls, and often not seen at all, according to so many older women, the new “girl” culture may be a path to again sharing our love of things female and feeling good in the process.

Girlie Women Have More Fun

Oppressed and marginalized groups often engage in subversive activities, so if you see older women out walking together, don’t assume that exercising is all they’re doing. They could be engaging in “hot girl walks,” which, as defined on TikTok, are generally four-mile treks in which participants only think or discuss three things – what they’re grateful for, their goals and how to achieve them, and how hot they are. My perfect manicure and I can embrace this concept.

Older women are indeed hot. Just ask the contestants on The Golden Bachelor, which is a ratings goldmine and has women showing support for each other’s humor and grace in the never-ending debate over cosmetic enhancements vs. “natural” aging. (I think the show also involved a man, Gerry Turner somebody, but I’m not sure.)

Many older women care about style, staying fit and healthy, and being seen, even if it’s only by each other.

The truth is, after all we’ve accomplished, our embattled minority status has given way to something more mainstream. It’s nothing short of joyful to see girls rule the internet and take over everything that trends. We did it in our own way in our girl days, so there’s no need to stop now, right?

Data analytics show that females of a certain age respond to the words “older women” in web copy, so perhaps you’ve been seeing that term more these days. I know I chafe at being called “lady,” though “elder” might be okay.

But since “girls” are in, I vote for “older girls” as the preferred term when talking about what’s en vogue for those of us who find meaning in things like the 50^th anniversary of Fear of Flying as well as Barbie’s entrée into senior status – because we were there when they launched the first time around.

If you would like to read the mentioned article on Refinery 29, please click here: Girl Trends Are Everywhere. What The Hell Is Going On?

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you noticed the “girl” trend these days? Does it relate to anything in your past? Can older women still be “girls” in a fun and empowering way? How do you celebrate girls and women in different stages of life?