Ann Dunwoody Becomes First Female Four-Star General
There seems to be a lot of glass ceilings being brought down right now. In this case, Army officials say the promotion of Ann Dunwoody, 55, to become the first four-star general in the history of the U.S. Army is breaking the "brass ceiling." Ann is a 33 year veteran of the Army and her husband is a 26 year veteran of the Air Force. Ann joined in her senior year in college in 1975 and remembers being amazed that they were paying her $500 per month and sending her to airborne school (learning how to jump out of planes). At the time, Ann admits she thought she was only getting into the Army for two years, but now says she knew the first time she put on the uniform that it was all she ever wanted to do.
Sometimes we made food choices thinking we're doing something good for ourselves, or at least picking the less of two food evils. It may be surprising to some that some standard and popular lunchtime fare is really a pound-packing health bomb.
For example, I don't think a reasonable person would say that a Triple Whopper from Burger King is a healthy lunch, but who would expect that the fat equivalent is like like eating 10 slices of Papa John's cheese pizza! Or how about a Hardee's 2/3-lb Monster Thickburger? The saturated fat in this heart attack between two buns is the same as eating 43 strips of Oscar Mayer bacon. Or how about the Wild Buffalo Chicken Strip Basket at The Dairy Queen; that contains the same amount of sodium as 14 large orders of McDonald's French fries. Whoa! So before you place your next lunch order, be sure to read the nutrition sheet to see what you're really consuming. To read a more complete list of food items, click here.
CNN posted an article on couples who are married, but don't sleep together. Why would a married couple not sleep together? Try this one. "We were lying in bed spooning when he had an elbow spasm and punched me in the jaw," says Barbara, a 55-year-old graphic designer from Lansing, Michigan, who asked that her last name not be used. A 2001 survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that 12 percent of married Americans slept alone; in 2005 that number had jumped to 23 percent. In March, the Sleep Council of England found that 1 in 4 people regularly retreats to a spare room or sofa to get a good night's sleep. Other reasons include snoring and leg jerking or a heavy twitcher.
Some experts aren't so sure sleeping separately is a good idea. "My feeling is that sleeping together is a very, very important part of being integrated with each other," says clinical psychologist and marriage counselor William F. Harley Jr. Others think this is the new way of marriage, citing that when they're better rested, they are a better spouse and parent.
What do you think? Is sleeping in separate beds or rooms bad for marriage? Do you do this?
Renewing your vows is a tradition of reminder and putting the spotlight back on your commitment to each other. For some couples that may have lost their ways, renewing your vows may help refocus your marriage and get it back on track. Dawn O. Braithwaite, professor of communication studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has researched couples who opt to renew their vows. She says "I would not advise anyone to do this out of desperation and say, 'I'm going to save my marriage. This is like the icing on the cake." But even if it is a last resort, Susan Heitler, a Denver-based clinical psychologist and author of "The Power of Two" says a renewal of vows can be a fresh start for those who are still very much in love, but who cannot seem to get the hang of married life. This article from ABC News highlights celebrities who are doing it and suggests that if a few of them find success for their rocky marriages, then it could become a more popular trend. Have you ever renewed your vows?
A Wall Street Journal editor, Neal Templin discusses the process of selling his home and how it put a strain on his marriage. They argued about how much to spend fixing up the house and how quickly they should drop the price when their home wouldn't sell. Neal's wife Clarissa wanted to hold out for a higher price while Neal wanted to get the price down as quickly as possible and get the house sold immediately. In addition, Clarissa wanted to do much more remodeling and prepping than Neal did. They compromised and wound up spending $2,000 on granite countertops and a new sink in the kitchen, plus paint for the bathrooms. Then more money was spent: on plants, a mantle, light fixtures and more. Eventually they sold the house, but not after a lot of compromising and negotiating with each other.
Have you and your spouse argued over your housing situation recently? What did you argue about and was their a resolution?
Best Life magazine author Hugh O'Neill has written an article giving numerous tips on how to be the perfect husband. Do these tips work? Apparently for O'Neill they do, considering he proclaims to be the world's best husband. I actually think it's pretty cool that he makes this claim. Why not be prideful in being a great spouse? Anyway, here are some of his tips: 1. Kill the words "never" and "always." O'Neill explains that they're gas on fire words. 2. Save and focus your "husband" attention at pivotal times throughout the day. For example, when you come home from work and meet up with your spouse, that's a good time to focus your energy on being a good husband. 3. Laugh at your wife's attempts at humor. O'Neill says it's a sign of respect.
There's no doubt that technology plays a huge part in our lives. If you're a young married couple, you might find that it plays an even bigger role in your life considering the Facebook profile you must keep up with, the websites you read daily, the podcasts you listen to and so on. This column from Connected Internet offers four items to look out for when you're married. 1. Don't spend all day blogging. 2. If you must blog, make some money doing it. 3. Don't make any major tech purchases without first consulting your partner. 4. If you have made a purchase, wait a while before you even consider your next one. Each one of these points is given more thought and explanation that you can read here. What's your bad technology habit and how has it affected your relationship?
Rachel Shukert was in a marriage rut. She typed in, "my husband" "addicted" "video games" "HELP" into the search engine and found salvation amongst hundreds of results. She read many bits of advice, but nothing that seemed to work. Then, her husband brought home a new video game, Rock Band, and asked if she would play with him. She did and she like it, and she was good. If your husband plays video games, you should definitely read this first-person story from Slate, click here. We've said it on numerous occasions, it's important to (a) respect your partner's hobbies and interests, and (b) participate if and when possible if it's something you enjoy as well. Rock on!
We came across this article fromWomen's Health magazine and thought it was pathetic. A husband who's been faithfully married for 23 years discusses how he's ashamed to admit that he's been faithful to his wife and that he's not actively looking elsewhere when he's around his friends. Really? What kind of friends does he hang out with? The entire article tries to walk a tightrope on how he's the regular cool guy in the bar who makes comments about cute women and how he still really loves his wife--yet he's ashamed to admit it. I wonder if his wife is ashamed?
Dr. Scott Haltzman has recently appeared on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet to discuss the topic of infidelity in marriage. Dr. Haltzman did a great job as did some of the other experts who appeared on the show. If you missed the show, not to worry. Click here to view the video. Unfortunately, this website's video player doesn't allow you to fast forward or let us post the video here, but at least it's up and you can view it. If you like what you hear from Dr. Haltzman, be sure to visit his page to get more advice (click here).
Not for the guys, for the women. We're talking about friends of the wife. The Daily News has a columnist who credits two friends for saving her marriage. When we think of a group of women holding each other up, we often think of the women from Sex and the City. Sure, women have tons of friends when they're single, but married women have tremendous friends too. You can read the article in The Daily News (click here). We're curious if friends have stepped in and helped save your marriage? Was it a group of friends or just one special one? Let us know.
Click on over to the Nordstrom website and you'll see that Clinique is now selling makeup for men. Nope, we're not making this up. They are marketing it to cover up dark circles under the eyes and to hide shaving nicks. They also say that it's water and sweat resistant. I guess New England Patriot fans won't have to worry about their makeup running. Anywho, this is probably going a little too metro, what do you think? Would you be concerned if your husband told you he's decided to wear makeup? Speaking of metro. Have you read our article on wives wanting their husbands to be more metro. It's an oldie but goodie. Click here to read it. To view the makeup, click here.
What do Women (and Men) Experience After an Abortion?
Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court. NPR's Talk of the Nation program did a story without political chatter to hear what men and women had to say post-abortion--either directly for women or through the relationship for men. This show took a refreshing and often overlooked angle on the emotional experiences after the fact. You're probably thinking, I missed that show, so why are you telling us? Well, the NPR website is fully equipped and has the show in its entirety ready to be listened to. Click here.
"In The Secrets of Happily Married Women," Dr. Haltzman tells us stories from real women who are happy in their relationships. These women know how to get more out of their partners by doing less, by not trying so hard to make men perfect, not dragging them to couples therapy, not expecting them to think or behave like a woman. These are women from Dr. Haltzman's clinical practice and culled from thousands of contributors to his website DrScott@HappilyMarriedWomen.com. They have learned to understand how men really work and tap into men's powerful hard-wired desire to please women and 'be a better man.'
If you'd like to hear more, stay tuned for a podcast with me and Dr. Haltzman. If you'd like to purchase the book now, click here!
Think you could afford the cost of the 364 items in the holiday song " The 12 Days of Christmas"? Not unless you have $78,100 dollars to spend. Research conducted by PNC Wealth Management says the prices are up 4 percent from last year. "What's really surprising is that our index follows overall Consumer Price Index trends," Rebekah McCahan, a PNC senior vice president, says in a news release. "To think that the cost of a partridge in a pear tree would mirror what's going on at Target, for example, is pretty interesting." Here is a breakdown of the list:
Partridge, $15 Pear Tree, $150 Two Turtle Doves, $40 Three French Hens, $45 Four Calling Birds (canaries), $600 Five Gold Rings, $395 Six Geese a-Laying, $360 Seven Swans a-Swimming, $4,200 Eight Maids a-Milking, $47 Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance), $4,759 10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,285 11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,213 12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,398
With all the China toy recalls that have happened, from products having lead in them to date-raped drugs, one mom decided that she'd had enough and made a quest to boycott products made from China. Eve Tahmincioglu, an MSNBC contributing writer began checking the labeling on all goods she purchased. She was shocked at how few options she had when boycotting China manufactured products. Tahmincioglu retells a story of how proud she was when she found a Yahtzee game that was made in the USA. When she brought it home, her husband looked at the package and read out loud: “Made in USA with dice made in China.” This wasn't the breaking point. She continued her quest and spoke with various efforts about what she was doing to see if they had any tips. In the end, she had to concede that it just wasn't going to happen.
Okay, I realize this is a car commercial, but it touches on a painful truth in today's society. Obviously not everyone, but many people out there have forgotten that commitment isn't just a thing of convenience, but a vow through good times and bad. This commercial puts it in your face. Kudos.
An article by Men's Health, asks the question if a wandering eye means infidelity is around the corner? Their answer was no. But they did offer rules of catching a peek. Their first rule is to admit when they're taking a look. They do mention, however, that men shouldn't overdo any compliment about another woman. Their second rule takes a look at the glancers history. Is this how he picked you up? If so, then maybe it's something you should worry about. Their final blurb says that sometimes, men just take a glance at the action in their environment and are not necessarily checking out a particular woman. Unfortunately this advice goes sour in the closing paragraph when the author says, "And a woman who tries to squelch that right with paranoid accusations might actually provoke her man to follow up one of those glances with action."
Okay, a little slack since the audience of Men's Health isn't directly targeting married couples. But if you're on a date whether single or married and the man you're with does what this author suggests, that guy has serious character issues. These stereotypes are tired and guys should be given more credit.
According to 2006 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 3.8 million married couples who don’t reside under the same roof. This article from Self and featured on MSNBC, profiles a couple who have been married for 14 years, but not in the same home--ever. We interviewed a couple a while back where the wife Julie Harrington lives in California and her husband Ahmed Mohammed lives in the United Arab Emirates. You can read their article here. What do you think? Would you ever live separately from your spouse?
Saying that, Roland S. Martin of CNN wrote a column the other day stating that this country has declared everything from drugs, violence, HIV/AIDS, and guns a national priority. He wonders why marriage has not made that list. He was struck with this thought after watching "Why Did I Get Married?" Here's a little bit from his column:
I strongly believe that for too many of us, we've accepted the notion that marriage will be perfect; that we won't endure trials and tribulations. But that isn't true. In fact, where is that ever true than in someone's fantasy life? What's amazing to me is that when faced with difficulty on the job, so many of us will buckle down and work harder to prove ourselves worthy to keep that job. But at home, we'd rather leave, even if that means putting our kids through a divorce.
There seems to be a lot of glass ceilings being brought down right now. In this case, Army officials say the promotion of Ann Dunwoody, 55, to become the first four-star general in the history of the U.S. Army is breaking the "brass ceiling." Ann is a 33 year veteran of the Army and her husband is a 26 year veteran of the Air Force. Ann joined in her senior year in college in 1975 and remembers being amazed that they were paying her $500 per month and sending her to airborne school (learning how to jump out of planes). At the time, Ann admits she thought she was only getting into the Army for two years, but now says she knew the first time she put on the uniform that it was all she ever wanted to do.
-775845.jpg)
