Month: January 2026

Real Housewives of Potomac Season 10 Episode 13 Fashion

There was a lot of celebrating to be done even before the girls left for Colorado on last night’s episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac. Between Monique Samuels’ book launch party and Ashley Darby’s birthday with her family we got a lot of fab ‘fits even before their travels began. And thankfully, as always, these ladies are popping out in the prettiest style no matter the location.

Best in Blonde,

Amanda

Stacey Rusch’s Red Maxi Dress

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Ashley Darby’s Peach Short Sleeve Sweater

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Stacey Rusch’s Yellow Strapless Top and Skirt

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Ashley Darby’s Zebra Print Maxi Dress

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Ashley Darby’s White Strapless Floral Dress

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Gizelle Bryant’s Yellow Off The Shoulder Knit Mini Dress

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Keiarna Stewart’s Black Printed Halter Top and Pants

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Ashley Darby’s Blue Halter Top and Shorts Set

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Ashley Darby’s White Halter Bodysuit

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Keiarna Stewart’s Black Gold Embellished Confessional

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Gizelle Bryant’s Rose Lace Off The Shoulder Confessional

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Ashley Darby’s Tweed Fringe Confessional Jacket

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Gizelle Bryant’s Red Cutout Bandage One Shoulder Confessional

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Angel Massie’s Mint Off The Shoulder Confessional Dress

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Stacey Rusch’s Black Rhinestone Cutout Confessional

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Keiarna Stewart’s Black Flower Appliquè Confessional Look

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Keiarna Stewart’s Purple Baroque Confessional Look

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Wendy Osefo’s Red Collared Confessional Look

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Gizelle Bryant’s Scalloped Sequin Confessional Look

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Gizelle Bryant’s Pearl Embellished Confessional Look

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Originally posted at: Real Housewives of Potomac Season 10 Episode 13 Fashion

When I wrote about checking off my travel bucket list, I got some push-back from Sixty and Me readers who thought I must be rich if I could visit places as far flung as Kenya and the Galapagos. They said it made them sad because they could only dream about what they can see outside their apartment window.

I’ve been thinking about that, and I’m back to say: I am far from rich. That means I had to figure out ways to see the world on a budget.

Here are some ideas that I have tried and others that people I know have used. Maybe one of them will work for you.

Prioritize Travel

This is, perhaps, the most important part of the plan.

Now that my kids are grown and off the family dole, my budget is geared toward travel. My husband and I live a very frugal life. Our house is teeny tiny. I buy my clothes at thrift stores (including online at ThredUp). We rarely eat out.

We often stay in Airbnb apartments so we have access to a kitchen to save on food costs. And, when we buy plane tickets, we travel in economy, even when the flight is 15 hours long!

Take Advantage of Points and Miles

I admit, the whole points and miles thing can be overwhelming. I could probably make my miles stretch much further than I do, but I want to go where I want to go when I want to go there. That can mean using 50,000 miles for an economy ticket rather than 10,000 miles for a first class lie-flat seat (as the points and miles gurus claim to be able to do).

Still, using a rewards credit card and putting all – literally all – of my expenses on that card has gotten me some pretty good deals on flights and hotel rooms. Plus, I have committed to one carrier – Delta right now – and I have that airline’s credit card. That gets me additional freebies like access to the lounge and seat upgrades that otherwise would be way out of my budget.

Try Pet Sitting

I have friends who have lived all over the world for free doing this.

They get a place to stay – and often a car to drive and sometimes even a paycheck! – in return for providing loving care to the homeowners’ animals. In one case, it was an elderly dog who needed little more than a few short walks and many long pets each day. Another time, it was a whole menagerie, from cats in the house to goats in the garden.

You can find opportunities to pet sit around the world at sites like Petsitter.com and TrustedHouseSitters.com.

Take the Slow Boat to Europe

I tried this for the first time in 2025. And I’m a convert!

Cruise lines call them “repositioning” cruises. They happen at the beginning and end of each season. Ships get moved from Europe to Florida, from Australia to L. A., from Alaska to Mexico.

It’s a one-way ticket that, in my case, cost about the same as the one-way economy seat flight across the Pond. For that low price, we got 15 days on the ship, three meals a day, nightly live entertainment and stops in 8 European ports before we hit the open seas on our way back to the U.S.

You can read more about my repositioning cruise experience.

Talk Your Way to a Free Week in Spain or Germany

This has been on my to-do list ever since a friend told me about it 10 years ago. I haven’t gotten to it yet because I am waiting for a time when my daughter and I can do it together. We think 2026 will be our year. Fingers crossed!

We will apply at Pueblo Ingles, the organization a friend has used several times. It recruits native English speakers to spend a week engaging in “talkathons” with the German and Spanish participants who are there to learn to speak our language. In return, the volunteers get free room and board for the week.

Here’s how the organization explains it:

“In each week-long program, a group of 15-25 volunteers (from Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, USA, etc.) “populate” one of our beautiful hotel resorts and provide conversation in English, through a diverse daily schedule. Germans/Spaniards adults are there to practice and improve their English in a natural way.

Our volunteers do not have to teach English in a traditional format; they just have to bring a positive attitude, a passion for conversation and an interest in learning about people from different countries and cultures.”

That’s it. Couldn’t be easier.

You have to get yourself to a nearby major city (Madrid, Valencia, Munich or Frankfurt); the organization will transport you from there and the rest of the week is free for the English-speaking volunteers.

There are other organizations that offer similar opportunities across Europe. Let your fingers do the Googling to find one that offers stays in the country you want to visit.

Become a Travel Writer

Yes. I know it’s not for everyone. But it is one reason I have been able to do at least some travel at a reduced price. I pay a little in cash and the rest in trade. Akin to someone who does the dishes in return for a meal, I write about the places I have visited, hotels where I have stayed and things that I have done.

I am the editor and part owner of SheBuysTravel, a website that helps women travelers know where to go and what to buy for their adventures. A story that appears on SheBuysTravel and is syndicated to our partner sites has the potential to reach more than 100 million readers. That is draw enough for many destinations to consider it worth their while to host me or one of my 200 writers.

How Will You Make Your Dreams Come True?

Ultimately, it’s about what’s important to you and finding the wherewithal to make it happen. Like so many Sixty and Me writers, I’m here to encourage you to go after the life you want, whether that means making new friends, learning new skills, or exploring new countries. Where there’s a will, there is a way, regardless of your budget!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How have you made your dreams come true, even on a budget? Share with us in the comment section below!

Aging gracefully isn’t about pretending we’re still 40. It’s about meeting reality with clarity, strength, and self-respect.

Yet many of us carry one habit into later life without ever re-examining it, even as everything else changes.

Alcohol.

It rarely announces itself as a problem.

Instead, it blends into routine: a glass to unwind, to socialise, to reward ourselves for getting through the day.

But as we age, alcohol quietly interferes with the very foundations we rely on most: health, peace, independence, and purpose.

Here are seven essential rules for aging gracefully… and the uncomfortable truth about how alcohol works against each one.

Rule 1: Financial Independence Is Dignity

Aging well means retaining choice: where we live, how we spend our time, who we rely on. Alcohol quietly erodes financial independence in ways that often go unnoticed:

• regular spending that adds up over decades.
• impulsive purchases made when tired or foggy.
• health costs linked to sleep problems, anxiety, inflammation, or chronic illness.
• reduced motivation or confidence to plan long term.

As we age, clarity becomes a financial asset.

Alcohol dulls that clarity.

Many people are surprised how much easier budgeting, planning, and decision-making feel when alcohol is removed from the equation.

Rule 2: Your Health Is Your Real Job

Nothing matters more than how your body feels as you age. Alcohol directly interferes with:

• sleep quality
• joint and muscle recovery
• balance and coordination
• bone density
• mood regulation.

What once felt manageable in our 40s often becomes punishing in our 60s and 70s.

Alcohol doesn’t cause aging. But it accelerates it, especially in women.

When energy drops, alcohol is often blamed last, yet removing it is one of the fastest ways to feel stronger, clearer, and more capable again.

Rule 3: Create Your Own Joy

Graceful aging requires emotional independence.

Alcohol offers fast relief, but it weakens our ability to generate joy naturally. Over time, many people notice:

• low-grade anxiety
• emotional flatness
• restlessness when not drinking
• reduced pleasure in everyday moments.

When alcohol is removed, joy often returns quietly, through better mornings, deeper conversations, and genuine calm.

True contentment doesn’t come from numbing discomfort.

It comes from learning how to meet life fully present.

Rule 4: Aging Is Not an Excuse to Become Helpless

Capability is magnetic, at any age.

Alcohol subtly undermines capability by:

• lowering confidence
• reducing physical strength and balance
• impairing memory and focus
• increasing reliance on routines that shrink life rather than expand it.

Graceful aging is about staying engaged and capable, not surrendering to decline early.

Many people rediscover confidence simply by removing the habit that quietly convinced them they were “past it.”

Rule 5: Let Go of the Past

Aging asks us to release old identities, including old coping mechanisms.

Alcohol is deeply tied to nostalgia: who we were, how we socialised, how we once relaxed. But clinging to old habits keeps us anchored to the past.

Letting go doesn’t mean losing joy. It means making room for a new chapter, one with clearer thinking, better health, and renewed self-trust.

Rule 6: Protect Your Peace

Peace becomes precious as we age.

Alcohol often masquerades as stress relief, yet it:

• disrupts sleep
• increases irritability
• heightens anxiety
• reduces emotional resilience

Many people discover that peace isn’t something they need to “find.” It’s something they need to stop disturbing.

Removing alcohol is often the single biggest upgrade to emotional stability.

Rule 7: Keep Learning, Stay Curious

Learning keeps the brain young.

Alcohol reduces neuroplasticity, memory, and motivation, particularly in later life.

When alcohol is removed, many people experience:

• sharper focus
• renewed curiosity
• confidence trying new things
• a sense of forward momentum.

Stagnation feels like aging.

Growth feels alive.

If Alcohol Is Holding You Back, What Can You Do?

You don’t need labels.

You don’t need to “hit rock bottom.”

You simply need tools.

Here are 7 practical tips to help you quit, or take a serious break, from drinking:

7 Tips to Quit Drinking (Without Overwhelm)

1. Start with a Reset, Not “Forever”

Commit to a short break, five or seven days.

Clarity comes quickly, and confidence grows from there.

2. Expect Sleep to Improve (After a Few Nights)

The first few nights may feel restless. Then sleep deepens dramatically. This alone motivates many people to continue.

3. Change the Evening Ritual

Alcohol is often about habit, not craving.

Replace the ritual: a special drink, a walk, music, or a new wind-down routine.

4. Remove Decision Fatigue

Decide in advance that you’re not drinking, so you’re not negotiating with yourself at 6pm.

5. Get Support (Not Willpower)

Quitting is far easier when you’re not doing it alone. Community matters, especially in midlife.

6. Focus on What You’re Gaining

Better sleep. Clear mornings. Calm emotions. Self-respect.

Write these down and revisit them often.

7. Be Curious, Not Critical

If you slip, get curious instead of judgmental.

Awareness is progress.

A Gentle Invitation: The 5-Day Reset

If this article has stirred curiosity rather than resistance, our 5-Day Reset may be a helpful next step.

It’s not about labels or lifelong promises. It’s simply five alcohol-free days with:

• daily guidance
• practical tools
• gentle structure
• and a supportive community

Many people describe it as the clearest they’ve felt in years, and the beginning of aging with confidence rather than compromise.

Because aging gracefully isn’t about doing more.

It’s about removing what quietly makes everything harder.

Click here for more info

Click here to join our FREE Sober Reset Facebook Group

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you worry that you drank too much during the Holidays? What do you think about a pause from alcohol? How about doing Dry January? Do you feel ready for a New Year Reset?

January has a certain vibe.

It’s the month where we’re all supposed to emerge from the holiday fog as a brand-new person with a perfect meal plan that will carry us through to the end of the year, a fresh set of workout clothes, and the kind of motivation that apparently never dips… even when your knees pop and crack like Rice Krispies when you stand up.

And then, because we’re human, life happens. The plan gets too strict. The “perfect” routine collapses. We eat past comfortable. We feel gross. We tell ourselves we’ll do better tomorrow.

If this sounds familiar, here’s the reframe I want you to consider:

Most eating struggles aren’t a discipline problem. They’re an autopilot problem.

No one really teaches us how to eat. We learn patterns. We learn habits. And after decades of repeating them, those habits start running the show, especially in the moments that feel small and “not worth thinking about.”

The Bill Gates Quote That Explains Why Your January Plan Keeps Failing

There’s a Bill Gates quote I love because it’s annoyingly true:

People overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a year.

That’s exactly what happens with New Year’s resolutions, especially around food.

We expect a dramatic overnight shift:

“No more sugar.”

“No more snacking at night.”

“I’m going to be consistent forever now.”

“I’m going to stop overeating.”

But if you’ve been eating a certain way for 40, 50, 60 years… your brain isn’t going to wake up on January 1st and calmly say, “Yes, of course. New operating system installed.”

Change is possible. It’s just slower and more skill-based than most “New Year, New You” messaging wants to admit.

“Eat With Intention” Isn’t a Personality Trait. It’s a Practice.

When I say “eat with intention,” some women immediately think “mindfulness.”

And I’ll be honest: IMO, mindfulness has a terrible PR problem.

A lot of women hear “mindful eating” and picture something like:

• eating one raisin for 20 minutes.
• sitting in silence.
• being calm and enlightened at all times.

No. That’s not what I mean.

What I mean is: paying attention long enough to make a choice you actually feel
good about.

Because autopilot eating is sneaky. It doesn’t announce itself. It just happens.

You’re not “making a decision.” You’re doing what you always do.

And then afterward, you’re frustrated because you weren’t even hungry… but you ate anyway.

The Two Most Common Autopilot Windows (You Probably Have One)

In my work with midlife women, autopilot eating tends to show up in two predictable time slots:

1) The 3:00–3:30 “Witching Hour”

You’re not starving. You’re just… not okay. Maybe you’re bored. Maybe you’re tired. Maybe your brain wants a reward. It’s too early for dinner, but something feels off. So you grab “a little something” that turns into more than you planned.

2) The After-Dinner Snack Trance

Dinner is done. The kitchen is cleaned. You finally sit down. The day is quiet. You’re on the couch watching TV, and suddenly you’re eating popcorn, or ice cream, or cookies, almost like it’s part of the evening routine.

And here’s the part that matters:

This isn’t because there’s something wrong with you. It’s because your brain
learned a pattern.

Food became a way to shift your emotional state: comfort, relief, reward, distraction, decompression.

That’s not a character flaw. It’s a habit loop.

Why “I Don’t Want to Think About Food” Is Usually Misunderstood

Many women tell me, “I’m constantly thinking about food. I just want to stop.”

What they usually mean is: “I want to stop the mental gymnastics.”

The constant back-and-forth of:

• Can I eat this?
• Should I eat that?
• I already ate too much.
• I’ll be good tomorrow.
• I messed up again.

But here’s the inconvenient truth:

If you want to be a healthy eater, you will have to think about food, just differently.

You don’t have to obsess. But you do have to be intentional. I have never, not once, accidentally eaten a vegetable. I have never, not once, accidentally drank water.

Those choices don’t happen by accident. They happen because somewhere in the day, you decide, “That’s the kind of person I’m being today.”

That’s intention.

The Smallest Skill That Creates the Biggest Shift

If you struggle with overeating, especially at night, this one skill can change everything:

Interrupt autopilot with one simple question.

Here’s what I teach (and what I still use myself):

Am I Hungry?

If you’re hungry, eat. I never want my clients walking around hungry and pretending that’s “willpower.” Hunger isn’t the enemy. It’s information.

If You’re Not Hungry, Ask: Why Am I Here?

That’s it. No shame. No drama. Just curiosity.

Sometimes the answer is:

• I’m tired.
• I’m stressed.
• I’m procrastinating.
• I want comfort.
• I want a treat because the day was a lot.
• I’m avoiding going to bed.
• I’m mad.
• I’m lonely.
• I’m bored.

Then you get to decide what you want to do next, on purpose.

And if you still want to eat (because yes, sometimes you will), add this third question:

What Habit Do I Want to Feed?

Because the more you follow a habit, the stronger it gets.

If you automatically snack after dinner every night, you’re reinforcing that loop, whether you mean to or not.

But if you pause and choose, even one night a week, you’re building a new loop: I can interrupt autopilot. I can choose.

That’s a skill. And skills can be learned at any age.

Midlife Bodies Don’t “Just Handle It” Like They Used To

Another reason this matters more now than it did at 35: your body gives clearer feedback in midlife.

When you eat past comfortable at night, it often shows up as:

• poor sleep,
• waking up feeling puffy or heavy,
• low energy the next day,
• more cravings and irritability (because sleep and blood sugar are connected),
• less motivation to move your body.

So the “small” habit of nighttime overeating isn’t small. It creates a ripple effect.

And when you begin to change it, the ripple runs the other direction:

• you sleep better,
• you feel better,
• you have more energy,
• you stop beating yourself up,
• you feel more confident because you’re keeping promises to yourself.

Weight loss might be part of your goal, and that’s fine. But many women realize what they really want is this: to feel like they’re not at war with themselves anymore.

If You’re Waiting to Magically “Outgrow” This… Don’t

A lot of women look back at their younger selves and think, “I never expected I’d still be dealing with this in my 50s or 60s.”

But habits don’t evaporate with age. They either strengthen or they change, based on what you practice.

You’re not going to wake up one day and suddenly:

• never crave sugar again,
• stop wanting comfort at night,
• become effortlessly consistent with exercise,
• stop using food to decompress.

Those aren’t personality traits. They’re learned patterns.

The good news is that learned patterns can be updated, slowly, intentionally, without drama.

Join Me Live: “How to Stop Overeating Without Going on a Diet”

If you’re ready to stop treating overeating like a willpower issue and start treating it like a skill you can build, I’d love to have you in my free live workshop:

How to Stop Overeating Without Going on a Diet

January 13 at 2:00 pm Eastern

Free | 60 minutes | Live

Sign Up Here

And if you can’t make it live (or you’re not sure yet), I also have a free guide you’ll love:

“82 Reasons You Overeat That Have Nothing to Do with Food.”

Because once you understand the real reasons, you can stop fighting yourself, and start changing what actually drives the habit.

Either way, let this be the year you stop trying to “be perfect”… and start building the skills that make change stick.

Let’s Talk:

What are your night eating habits? Do they serve a healthier lifestyle or do they drag you down? Have you considered changing those habits – slowly, but consistently, with intention?

When I was younger, I thought adulthood was a finite destination. A glamorous point on the map where I’d have a fully stocked, organized spice rack, a working knowledge of how to prevent breakouts, and the ability to make small talk at parties without sweating through my shirt.

I’d know how to be married. How to parent. How to make chicken that wasn’t dry. I’d say wise things like, “It’s just a phase,” and “Invest in yourself,” and actually mean them.

Turns out, adulting is less of a destination and more of a road trip with bad directions, a questionable playlist, and at least three bathroom stops you didn’t plan on.

It’s one of the reasons my friend and I started our podcast, We Didn’t Know What We Didn’t Know – Life Laughed. Each episode is basically a friendly therapist’s couch – with more laughter and very few pearls of advice. We unpack everything from raising children to surviving menopause to taking care of aging family members, with your sense of humor (mostly) intact.

Marriage: The Great Negotiation

When I got married, I assumed we’d be a finely tuned machine. I would intuitively know how to plan inexpensive trips, assemble IKEA furniture, and understand why someone would voluntarily watch football on television.

He, meanwhile, thought I’d always want to go camping instead of… anything else.

We were young and optimistic, which is a nice way of saying we were clueless and too broke to hire movers. Over time, we learned that love isn’t about finishing each other’s sentences. It’s about learning when to leave the room before finishing the sentence.

We didn’t know that the strongest marriages aren’t built on perfect communication – they’re built on patience, forgiveness, and the quiet understanding that cleaning the house unprompted is one of the sexiest moves a spouse can make.

Teaching: Lessons I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know

I taught for many years before I had children of my own. In those early days, I thought I had it all figured out. Classroom management? Check. Creative bulletin boards? Double check. A schedule that allowed me to drink my coffee while it was still hot? (Okay, that one never happened.)

But I also worked for a principal who was in her late 50s and had never had children herself. We were both committed, passionate educators, but in hindsight, I can say it: we were missing something.

Parent-teacher conferences often felt like trying to speak a foreign language. I could talk about grades, behavior, and potential – but my empathy wasn’t quite “there.” I didn’t fully grasp what it meant to send your heart walking around outside your body every day and then hand that heart over to a classroom teacher.

It wasn’t that I didn’t care. I cared deeply. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. Years later, after having my own children, I saw those same conferences differently. I understood the parent who teared up over a behavior issue. I understood the one who was worried their child had no friends.

We actually unpacked this on an episode of Life Laughed – how life experience changes your lens, and how many times we look back on our younger selves and think, “Wow, I really didn’t get it back then.” Teaching taught me that humility is as important as any curriculum.

Parenting: Master of None, Sleeper of Less

Nothing revealed how little I knew quite like becoming a mother. I read the books, sure, but none of them had chapters titled “What to Do When Your Toddler Only Answers in Dinosaur Roars” or “How to Pretend You Love T-Ball for the Third Season in a Row.”

I thought I’d be the mom who made healthy lunches and volunteered in the classroom. Some days, I was. Other days, I considered it a win that everyone was wearing pants and our shoes matched.

We didn’t know that parenting wasn’t about perfection – it was about showing up, over and over, even when you were exhausted, unsure, or slightly sticky from some unidentified child-related substance.

(We did a podcast episode on this topic too, and I still don’t know how we survived middle school math or teenage angst.)

Work: Grading Papers and Faking Confidence

As a teacher, now with my own two boys, I assumed that one day I’d feel like a “real adult”– one who never had to Google how to unjam the copier or figure out if swallowing a small bit of crayon was actually a medical emergency.

When I started out, I looked at veteran teachers with admiration and envy. They were calm, confident, and carried tote bags with laminated passes. Meanwhile, I was eating string cheese in my car and wondering if anyone would notice that I had worn the same pants three days in a row.

Eventually, I realized the truth: everyone was faking it a little. Confidence, like those well-thought-out seating charts, is fluid.

Aging: The Art of Laughing While Forgetting Why You Walked into the Room

Now, in this season of life, I still don’t know a lot of things.

I don’t know how to keep busy without overdoing it. I don’t know where I set my glasses. I don’t know why I keep saving all of the boxes. All. The. Boxes.

But I do know this: Not knowing everything is no longer terrifying. It’s liberating.

The people I admire most aren’t the ones with flawless skin and 10-year plans. They’re the ones who can laugh at themselves, hold space for the unknown, and admit when they need help opening a jar. (Stupid arthritis.)

We didn’t know what we didn’t know. And that’s okay. Because somewhere between the mess and the magic, we figured out what really matters: love, laughter, and the grace to keep learning and admit our mistakes.

If this all sounds a little too familiar, come join me on the podcast Life Laughed. We’re still figuring things out – and laughing our way through it – one honest conversation at a time.

Let’s Talk About It:

What’s something you didn’t realize you didn’t know until life taught you the hard (or funny) way? Was there a moment when your perspective completely changed after becoming a parent, caregiver, or simply getting older? Do you find not having everything figured out more stressful, or more freeing, at this stage of life? Why?