Do you have grandchildren? If you do you are not alone. You are part of 70 million Americans whose grandchildren light up their life.
For me – putting my arms around my grandchildren takes me back to the best moments of my life – bringing up my son
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And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
The world is changing – and for the better when you are a 64 years old woman (Or older)!
Watching the new President of France, Emmanuel Macron give his victory speech last night his words resonated and so did his boyish young face, but then he is only 39 years old, making him the youngest man ever to be elected president in France.
At the end of the speech he was joined by his wife, a pretty, elegant woman, who at one moment gently kissed his hand. Her name is Brigitte Trogneux and she is 64 years old – no, this is not a typo or faked news, she really is 64 old.
Can you imagine this happening in our country? I don’t think so. Our puritan ancestors who are still hanging around could not handle it. But then the French are different, especially when it comes to personal relationships – they take life in stride instead of fighting it.
As a woman of a certain age myself I have high hopes for the First Lady of France to change the dynamics about older woman; of letting the world see that there is no cut off age of what a woman can do including having a much younger man love her.
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I don’t only share her age but also her name – Brigitte – but that is where the similarities stop. Unfortunately for me I am not as lucky as she is to have a handsome and much younger husband. But as we say in German – was nicht ist kann noch werden– You don’t speak German? Well this is what it means – What is not can still be……..
VIVE LA FRANCE!
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And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Birthdays come and go but we are still here – yes, it’s my birthday today and no, I don’t really need another one – but I can’t stop them from happening – so the only thing to do is to look on the bright side of things and celebrate yet another year that has passed and look forward to the year ahead.
For as long as I can remember I have bought myself a new dress for my birthday. After all it is a special occasion and I wanted to mark the moment. I know people who take the day off work, but I rather went to work wearing my new dress that day. But this year I did something different – I bought a pair shoes – not any shoes – Red Shoes – and the effect is amazing. They make me feel very feminine, very sexy and daring – and that is the attitude I need for another year to come.
Maybe red shoes are not your thing, but I am sharing this with you to remind you to treat yourself with whatever makes you feel good and special. Another birthday needs to be celebrated with a gift you give yourself!
Happy Birthday to everybody who is also born on May 6!
And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Most of the time I am happy with my wardrobe
– I think I have enough clothes
– I think I am following fashion trends
But all this changes when I go and stroll through a clothing store like Zara, or any other store for that matter and see the latest arrivals. Suddenly I remember my 4 year old raincoat – wow – what a difference! The one I am looking at seems to be from another planet – and it makes me wonder – am I really so ignorant about what is in or out. And look at all those uneven hemlines on blouses, knit top, and dresses. The ones hanging in my wardrobe are all straight – and what are all these new fabrics clothes are made of?
A real eye-opener – but it doesn’t make me throw out everything I have, yet it makes me realize that my raincoat needs replacing and adding a few new tops will give a fresh touch to my wardrobe. 
So if you are not sure that your closet needs a little update take a walk through your favorite boutique or department store, the new arrivals for the season will answer all your questions.
And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
This arrived in my email inbox today – it came from Disrupt Aging – Real possibilities from AARP – maybe you haven’t seen it – so I don’t want you to miss it!
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Surprise! It is definitely not over…
If the male sex drive is supposed to disappear with old age, how do you explain Mick Jagger? At 73, he not only has a ballerina girlfriend 40 years his junior, but he also got her pregnant, becoming a daddy this past December for the eighth time.
You don’t have to be a rich rock star to stay sexually active as you grow older. “It’s a myth that libido disappears as soon as men hit the midcentury mark,” says Abraham Morgentaler, M.D., author of The Truth About Men and Sex. But what’s the secret?
We tracked down a panel of men over 60 with libidos that won’t quit and asked for their tips on keeping it sexy past prime time.
“I don’t think about sex all the time,” says Stan, 68, of Miami. “I stick to Wednesdays. On hump day, I do some humping. That’s enough for me.”
Healthy men, we’re told, think about sex every seven seconds. That breaks down to 8,000 sexy thoughts for every 16 waking hours. But the truth, according to a 2011 Ohio State University study, is less exhausting. College men actually think about sex, at most, 19 times a day. If in half a century, you whittle that down to once a week, you’re doing fine.
“Time of day really is a thing as you get older,” says Franklin, 62, of Eau Claire, Wis. “You could hit me up with a hot, kinky three-way with nubile twins late in the evening and I would be all, ‘Can we get a little sleep and do this first thing tomorrow?’ ”
If “first thing tomorrow” sounds like a better game plan for sex, you’re not alone. A 2015 study by sex-toy company Lovehoney found that the “optimum time for passion” for a guy, regardless of his age, is 7:54 a.m. If she prefers evenings, remind her that sex lowers stress levels, which makes it a perfect beginning for the workday. Also, she may think she prefers sex at night, but according to some studies, women are at peak estrogen levels between 6 and 9 a.m., and estrogen increases sexual desire.
“You want a reason to stay excited?” says Jonathon, 87, a happily widowed man living in the Villages, the largest gated retirement community in America. “You need to move to Florida. End of story.”
In a study last year at the University of Siena in Italy, researchers discovered that regular exposure to bright light can significantly raise testosterone levels and lead to greater sexual energy and enthusiasm in men with low or nonexistent sexual desire. If moving to a retirement community in Florida isn’t in the cards for you, just make sure you’re getting enough sun.
“I spent most of my 20s and 30s at the gym,” says Stan, of Miami. “Now that I’m almost 70, it doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t care if I have a flabby gut. Not caring makes me less self-conscious when I’m naked with a special someone. Actually, being a little out of shape makes me feel sexier.”
That feeling’s not all in his head. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published a new study in February suggesting that men who exercise moderately or lightly have significantly higher libidos than guys who work out enough to get washboard abs.
If you’re worried about your sex drive slowing down with age, it might be time to get off the treadmill.
Don’t get hung up on erections, advises Larry, 64, of San Francisco. “Boning is dessert,” he says. “The main course is everything else. All the tongues and fingers and stuff that young, insecure people call foreplay. That’s not foreplay; that’s f—ing sex, man. If it makes her howl, that’s f—ing sex.”
In a new study on female sexuality by Chapman University, Indiana University and the Kinsey Institute, women who “orgasmed more frequently” claimed it wasn’t a rock-hard erection that kept them satisfied; it was things like kissing, oral sex and manual genital stimulation.
Eric Spitznagel writes for magazines such as Playboy, Vanity Fair and the New York Times Magazine. The author of seven books, including his latest, Old Records Never Die, he is currently cowriting Jeff Tweedy’s memoir.
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And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Maybe it’s time to make one – listen to our video!
And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Since my grandchildren have arrived, I don’t only color eggs, but I have also become the Easter Bunny. I color the eggs and hide the eggs. Of course Remy 6, and Cosette 2 really believe there is an Easter Bunny, and this year he came to a place outside the city where trees and hedges provided enough places to hide the brightly colored eggs and the chocolate bunnies that never fail to go with them.
When the children arrived and I opened the door Remy said excitedly:
“Moma there is an egg under the bush outside the house!”
Looking surprised I said: “Really – I think the Easter Bunny wanted to be sure that you don’t go to the wrong house”
“Can I take it?” he asked. When he had picked it up and showed it to me a memory of a moment long ago, in a park far away flooded over me.
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I was 5 years old. The war was over but food was still very scarce. My mother and I had come to visit my grandparents for Easter who lived in Frankfurt. On Easter Sunday, all dressed for the occasion, my mother told me that this year we going to the nearby park to find out if the Easter Bunny had hidden any eggs there. It was a warm sunny day and the tall trees standing close together provided shade and subdued the bright April sun. A few minutes after we got to the park, my mother said,
“Muschi, why don’t you look if the Easter Bunny left something here?”
I looked behind a few trees and bushes – then there it was – a beautiful red egg hidden under some leaves. I picked it up and run to my mother, “Give it to me I will hold it for you,” she said. I did and continued to run between the trees in search for more, and I found another egg! Again it was red, and handing to my mother I continued to search. I found many eggs that day, so many that after a while I said,
“Why don’t we all eat an egg now?” She looked at my grandfather and grandmother and replied,
“I think we will wait, but you have one now!”
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Many years later, during another Easter celebration my mother asked me, “Do you remember the Easter when you found all those eggs in the park?”
“Yes, I found a lot of eggs that day.”
“How many eggs do you think you found?”
“I don’t know how many, but I remember there were a lot and they were all red.”
“Yes, you are right red was the color, but” – and she hesitated a moment before continuing – “the truth is we had only one egg! But to make you think that there were many, I had agreed beforehand with Opa (that’s how I called my grandfather) that when you gave me the egg I would hand it back to him and he would hide it again and again, making you think that there were many eggs – but there was just one.”
I listened to her carefully but knowing the truth now didn’t change the truth for me – as I remember it, and always will – I had found many, many red eggs that day!
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HAPPY EASTER – AND MAY YOU FIND MANY EGGS OF MANY COLORS
And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
This is from the pages of AARP – you might have seen it – but if not I don’t want you to miss it –
I think the shoe fits some of us?
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And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Source: Photo of the Week – CHOICES
As much as we worship the sun, the sun is not our best friend – especially not while we get older and our eyes get more sensitive – luckily sunglasses come to the rescue. But more than a protection they have become an important fashion accessories and therefore, change with fashion trends, which means buying a new pair often – like every summer. However, beware of cheap ones. The twelve-dollar version, or the ones sold by street vendors don’t look as good as a pair that costs thirty dollars or more, or is a designer’s latest model. Cheap glasses lack refinement, styling and finish, and they don’t stand up to daily wear and tear. The lenses scratch so easily that you soon think you’ve had them for years.
Clean your sunglasses often. They should be shiny and sparkling – dull lenses detract from their appeal. And to get the best shine make a paste from talcum powder (baby powder) and water. Rub the glasses – not just the lenses also the frames – with this paste, rinse and polish – and voila – like new.
And in the event you wear prescription glasses, you might consider getting transition glasses, also called photochromic lenses which become sunglasses when in the sun. A few years ago my optometrist suggested it and it works very well – besides it gives me an excuse to bring my glasses up-to-date more often.
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And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Ready to Live Longer 