Book Review: The Beginner’s Guide to Chick Night
The Beginner’s Guide to Chick Night is a quick read that I think the women in the Silver and Grace community will really enjoy. The author, Colleen Kleven, shares lessons she’s learned about the importance of female friendships and self-care with a light and humorous writing style.
Chick Night is defined as “any evening that creates the opportunity to bond with other Chicks for the purpose of mutual self-discovery.” This guidebook explains the 10 simple rules for Chick Nights and how to make these wonderful evenings happen.
My favorite three rules are:
1. All Chick Nights Must Involve Chocolate.
“Chocolate serves as a reminder that you deserve to be treated.”
2. The Confidentiality Clause.
“Being able to actually say what you are thinking is an extremely liberating experience. . . . You can speak from your heart, completely uncensored.”
3. Never Pass Up a Chance to Have Fun.
“Remember, anything that makes you laugh is fun—no matter how silly or ridiculous or undignified it seems.”
Like the idea of Chick Nights so far? The other rules are just as easy to follow. As I read on, I kept thinking how Kleven is encouraging readers to create a group in the off line world that mirrors our online Silver and Grace community.
Beyond the joy of sharing time with close friends, Kleven reminds us how important bonding with other women is throughout our lives. She also makes an important point about how many women “lose themselves” as they take on multiple roles in society today — wife, mother, grandmother, employee, employer, volunteer and/or business owner. This book will help all women examine that concept in their own lives, and how they can rediscover their authentic selves by sharing experiences with a caring circle of girlfriends.
Kleven mixes how-to advice with personal stories from her own life, from other women in her Chick Night group, as well as close family friends. These different voices all add to the richness of this book.
You can download a free chapter at MyChickNight.com.
Linda Abbit is an official Silver & Grace Book Reviewer. Linda’s experience as a family caregiver led to her to start her business, TenderLovingEldercare.com. When not working, she loves dancing, yoga, reading and going to the theater.
Products for Women by Women
The Beginner’s Guide to Chick Night has the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as an excellent book for women. It is available through Amazon.
The Beginner’s Guide to Chick Night
You might also enjoy
The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship
I Love You and I’m Leaving You Anyway: A Memoir
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
A bit more on community …
Darn Near 50: Do you have a community?
Until recently, I was never a part of a community. Nor did I feel any desire to be.
- I am not a church goer
- I do not belong to any charitable organizations
- I am not a member of a sorority
- I do not belong to club or group
Of course, now I belong to the Silver & Grace community and I cannot imagine my life without it. But, I still didn’t fully get the importance of community until my dad’s accident.
He is at home, paralyzed from the neck down and bed ridden. My mother has a team of support workers, but she is the primary care giver. To say it is exhausting for her is an understatement. But she is not isolated, because over their lifetime my parents have been involved in communities, both social and professional.
The 10th Line Ladies is a perfect example. My mother implemented a much loved tradition of inviting all the women on her country road over for an annual meal. These ladies took care of the house and cats when my parents were stuck in Spain where the accident occurred. These ladies have driven my mother to hospital visits when she was too tired or too scared to cope.
An even longer standing community was started sixty years ago, when my grandfather brought the property my parents now live at. He encouraged his gang from Port Credit to buy properties on the same stretch of country road. He and my grandmother created a weekend community of fun and frivolity. The children of that original gang, my mother’s peers, are showing up on her doorstep with food and very important hugs. Their adult children, my peers, are coming along too to help out.
I am not saying that we should belong to a community just in case we experience hardship. But in times of hardship, that is when the incredible support of a community is glaringly evident.
I have a community of women at my government job. We cry and laugh together. We have pooled our resources and sent women on spa weekends when we knew they were at their wits end. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, these women have joined the greater Silver & Grace community. And although the Silver & Grace community is wide spread and global, I experience the same crying and laughing together, and the same caring gestures.
I may not have been part of a community in the past, but I sure am now.I may not have had any desire for community in the past, but I sure do now.
I can’t imagine not belonging to a community.
My theory is, this is part of me becoming darn near 50. After years of struggling to have a connection with myself, now that I do, I crave the connection with others.
And I belong to a pretty awesome community chock full of connection.
Be part of my book Darn Near 50!
Your valuable feedback will be used indirectly in the content of the book, or directly as quotes. Before the book is published, I will contact contributors to verify if they want to be anonymous, or if their real names can be used.
Ready?
- What are your thoughts on belonging to a community?
- Do you? Have you always? Is this relatively new?
- What do you get from belonging to a community?
You can provide your thoughts
- right here in the comment section
- email me directly at eliza@silverandgrace.com
- by using this convenient form
A little bit more on this
I invite you to watch this video honouring the Silver & Grace Community.
Book Review: Searching for Sassy
Searching for Sassy is the true story of a psychic who learned to use her own gift to find the right relationship while working in helping others answer their love life question. She used Tarot cards for most part. I am learning to read Tarot cards , so this prompted me to read on and learn what I could, or relate to what she had to say.
In the author’s, Alyson Mead’s, life it was a win /win tool to have this knowledge and in reading the book I have had a lesson or two unfold based on the theme each chapter, covering a month and astrological sign for that month. The book starts with July/Leo and ends with the twelfth chapter titled June/Cancer. If you are reading the book with no knowledge of Tarot and understand astrology a little, the story will still lure you.
Her own journey to find Mr. Right kept my interest and the final epilogue clears up any question as to how it all turned out for her.
The final paragraph in the epilogue let’s you know why you should read Searching for Sassy. It says
“Our fascination with other worlds, with spirits and messages from the other side, isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. Feed a psychic, or better yet, develop you own intuition. Someday, it may help you make decisions, cope with difficulty and yes, even manifest a new relationship.”
Please read and enjoy Searching for Sassy by Alyson Mead.
Kathy Weber is a very active member of the Silver & Grace community and one of our official Book Reviewers. She is 64 years old, retired and loves to read informative, self help, nonfiction books. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother and now enjoys her free time to do what makes her happy. Reading is one of them.
Products for Women
Searching for Sassy has the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as an excellent book for women. It is available through Amazon.
Searching For Sassy: An L.A. Phone Psychic’s Tales of Life, Lust & Love
You might also enjoy
The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship
I Love You and I’m Leaving You Anyway: A Memoir
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Darn Near 50: Do you still want sex?
I have read a lot of articles, and heard lots of comments from other women, that when you are going through perimenopause and menopause you have no desire for sex. Something about your hormones being all out of whack.
I think I am there.
Only it is really weird, because intellectually I do want sex. I like sex, a lot! And quite often I will be the one to initiate. “Hey Marc!” wink wink … and off we fly to the bedroom (or wherever). But once we get there, my body refuses to play along. My mind is still there, but ain’t nothing happening down below.
I wonder, though, how much is hormone related and how much is more state of mind. I find I am either
- too tired, or
- too wired
I work 30 hours a week at my government job and 20 or more hours at Silver & Grace. I have a household to co-run, and I do try to squeeze in some exercise. If we go to bed after 9 p.m., sex just isn’t going to work. Heck, if we go to bed after 8 p.m., sex likely isn’t going to work. I am simply too tired.
Okay, well, a solution is to take a sex break during the day. Except I am too wired. My mind is whirling at 100 miles per hour, and I cannot shut it off. I try to think about the kissing and such stuff, but my brain is writing my next article, or designing my next mentoring module.
When we decide that we are going to take time to enjoy a sexual romp, and allow time for my mind to shut down, my body works just fine. Really really fine.
So, is it hormones?
Or is it the fact that I am a very busy, super creative, darn near fifty year old?
I honestly don’t know.
Be part of my book Darn Near 50!
Your valuable feedback will be used indirectly in the content of the book, or directly as quotes. Before the book is published, I will contact contributors to verify if they want to be anonymous, or if their real names can be used.
Ready?
- What are your experiences with aging and your desire for sex?
- Do you think lack of desire is hormone related, current state of affairs related, or a bit of both?
- Is it important to deliberately take time for intimacy? Do you make that time?
You can provide your thoughts
- right here in the comment section
- email me directly at eliza@silverandgrace.com
- by using this convenient form
Book Review: When All That’s Left of Me is Love
I adore books, so when I was asked to become a “book reviewer”, I jumped at the chance. But I have a dirty little secret..I especially adore books that have a happy ending. Naturally, when I opened up the envelope holding my new book to review, I thought “OMG….this is a book about a woman dying. This does not have a happy ending!” Well, I was right and I was wrong. This book is the personal journey of the last year of a woman’s life, written by her daughter. What it doesn’t focus on is dying. Instead, the author shares how she took a vow, when learning of her mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis, “living while dying”, and writes what her family did to live this vow.
From buying a calendar to record events and memories, to celebrating happy hour, to trying new things, and even buying a recliner, Linda demonstrates how it is possible to take a devastating diagnosis and turn it into a valuable, meaningful way of life. It explores what helped her become more at peace with the journey and its final outcome, in the hopes that other families might embrace both their attitude and the practical applications that made this a way of life. Love in action, to coin a phrase.
Linda’s story is a gift of love…to her mother, to her family and to us. It demonstrates how to have ‘no regrets’ and it shows us all what we can do to ease both ourselves and our loved ones when the time comes….as it comes to all of us eventually.
So…the happy ending? Knowing that when everything has been stripped away, you can have a profound journey of love and hope. Knowing that there are things that can be done to make the journey easier. Witnessing a daughter’s love for her mother. I will tuck this book away until I need it…….because I, too, want to practise ” living while dying”.
Jill Graves is a Silver & Grace Book Reviewer. Jilly-Bean is Eliza’s go to gal when she needs reassurance that men, children, bosses, co-workers, and pets are all insane; whereas, Eliza is clearly not. Every woman needs a friend like that.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sponsoring this review.
Products For Women By Women
When All That’s Left of Me is Love has the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as an excellent book for women. It is available on Amazon.
When All That’s Left of Me Is Love
You might also enjoy
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Book Review: Invisible Bars – Why Women Won’t Leave
In Invisible Bars, Lisa Oliver wrote about what she experienced first hand, not just once, but twice. This book was her personal attempt to try and help society understand the complex issues surrounding domestic abuse.
In the 77 pages of this book Lisa writes about the abuse she and her children suffered and offers valuable information on what steps to take and how to get help should this be happening in your own home or to someone close to you and how you can help if you suspect abuse of a neighbor or casual acquaintance.
Lisa’s book supports my views about the subject of abuse. It was a familiar story to me, having suffered an abusive childhood and then an abusive relationship. Thankfully I was strong enough to be able to get myself out of the situation. I just knew he would end up killing me. And that is what Lisa’s real fears were also. It took a little more strength for Lisa to break herself and her children away from her relationship. I was at an economical disadvantage at that time which may have helped in my decision to leave. That and having blind courage with two children under 2 to keep safe.
There are many factors that come into play when you talk about abuse and how it is handled. I don’t feel we can fault anyone for not getting out unless we know what their entire circumstances are. There is still a stigma of shame attached to domestic abuse and so little understanding for the victims.
Lisa tries to help us understand the abuser’s patterns and gives resources for us to turn to. She also gives warning signs that the person you are dating might be abusive which may or may not be an eye opener for someone in the rosy eyed stage of a relationship!
One of the last things Lisa wrote in her book reached out to me:
“…. if I get depressed about what I am trying to do I think again of the woman in my dreams, isolated and alone hoping someone “out there” will care. I was that woman once and while I know that I am now in a safe environment there are literally thousands of women in our society getting beaten TODAY and I wrestle with my own demons and keep on writing.”
Keep on writing Lisa. Women and children need your voice.
Definitely not an uplifting read but I would recommend Invisible Bars; Why women won’t leave, to anyone who knows or suspects of an abusive situation involving women and/or children.
Mary Becker is a very active member of the Silver & Grace community and one of our official Book Reviewers. When she is not reading, she is busy handcrafting beautiful tea cozies and scarves.
Products for Women
Invisible Bars has the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as an excellent resource for women. It is available through Amazon.
Invisible Bars: Why Women Won’t Leave
You might also enjoy
The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self
Finding Your Best Inside: How to Persevere and Become the Person You Are Meant to Be
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Darn Near 50: Are girlfriends important to you?
Women were not always important to me. Sure, in high school I hung out with a small gaggle of girls. One of them is still in my life darn near thirty-five years later, and I cherish that friendship. But I was always in awe of women who started off as a gaggle in their teens and are still a gaggle decades later.
Actually, to be quite honest, I never understood it.
Individual women have come and gone in my life, and I honour what they brought to me in that friendship. Some, like my high school friend, have endured the test of time. But note the emphasis on individual women. I never belonged to a community of women, nor had a desire to.
Until I reached my mid forties. Then all of sudden I craved women in my life. In fact, Silver & Grace sprang forth from this craving. I figured if I desperately wanted to belong to a community, then other women did too. So, I set out to create one!
As I approach darn near 50, I cannot imagine life without female friends. I absolutely need to share and explore and cry and laugh with them. They keep me grounded, and I like to think I provide the same for them. By the way, the photograph shows me and two of my special gals.
Maybe its because the longer you live, the more you experience, and the more you need to be part of a group that understands those experiences.
Or maybe its because I have discovered that women my age are a whole heck of a lot of fun!
Be part of my book Darn Near 50!
Your valuable feedback will be used indirectly in the content of the book, or directly as quotes. Before the book is published, I will contact contributors to verify if they want to be anonymous, or if their real names can be used.
Ready?
- How important are female friends to you?
- Have they always been, or did this become more important later in life?
- What benefits do you get from being part of a community of women?
- Is there a unique power that comes from being part of a group? If so, what is that communal power capable of?
You can provide your thoughts
- right here in the comment section
- email me directly at eliza@silverandgrace.com
- by using this convenient form
Book Review: Thanksgiving Tales
Dear American Readers,
Here I am reading this book about Thanksgiving in early spring. But it has kept my interest. I thought I would wait to read it closer to the holiday, but curiosity got me. I am happy that it did; the read was much fun.
Thanksgiving Tales is full of true and varied situations all around one single American day. I think it helps one think beyond his own experiences and sometimes mundane rituals.
I am sure that if you like to celebrate Thanksgiving, you will love the book. It is unique because it is many short stories in one volume. I like the fact that they re short because you can read it just a few one or at a time when time allows.
The author Brian D.Jaffe, makes it appealing by saying,” there is really nothing to dislike about this holiday-no expects a greeting card or gift, and everything to love about it…..”
So in closing American readers, you must put this on your reading list to enforce in your heart the blessing that we have at the best of all family traditions, Thanksgiving.
Giving thanks,
Kathy Dav-web
Kathy Weber is a very active member of the Silver & Grace community and one of our official Book Reviewers. She is 64 years old, retired and loves to read informative, self help, nonfiction books. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother and now enjoys her free time to do what makes her happy. Reading is one of them.
Silver & Grace Approved Products
Thanksgiving Tales has the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as an excellent book for women. It is available through Amazon.
Thanksgiving Tales: True Stories of the Holiday in America
You might also enjoy
Going Gray, Looking Great!: The Modern Woman’s Guide to Unfading Glory
The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams
Discover Your Psychic Type: Developing and Using Your Natural Intuition
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Let’s Get Naked for Valentine’s Day
Not that kind of naked. Okay, maybe that kind, too. But Valentine month is also a perfect excuse to get emotionally naked with everyone you love. Most of us have a number of comfortable, pleasant relationships that suit us but do nothing to deeply nurture us. Emotional transparency is the key to upgrading those relationships to the level of juicy, juicy joy!
The fact is: you are a tribal creature by nature of your humanness, and the more deeply you can connect with your fellow humans, the more you’ll thrive. Our society doesn’t foster transparency—quite the opposite. We’re taught from a very early age to put our “best face forward” and to hide or deny any traits we fear will make us less attractive to others. We’re taught that our success in life depends upon the image we project and manage to uphold. How often have you been told “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression?” or “image is everything”? My friend who works in sales for a large publishing company likes to quip, “Anybody who says you can’t judge a book by its cover never tried to sell one.” The cover is all we judge by! And all of us want us our covers to be the shiniest, most impressive covers we can manage to project.
But where does that really leave us in terms of self-love and genuine connection with our fellow human creatures? Hiding and denying genuine aspects of your precious self creates an energetic declaration that those pieces of you are unlovable. Having too many of these unlovable bits will prevent you energetically from being able to receive love. People can only truly love you to the precise extent that you’re loving yourself, and to the extent you’re willing to hold your complete, authentic self up to be loved. Ergo, more transparency equals more love.
A happy bonus is that your own transparency will invite others to be more transparent themselves when they’re around you. We think hiding our “negative” traits will make us more likable, when the opposite is actually true! Since we all share a longing, deep down, for the freedom to live life as our most uncensored, real selves, most of us are irresistibly drawn to transparent people! They give us permission to let our own guards down, which feels really, really good.
To honor Love-Month, try being more transparent with the people in your life. If you’re blessed to have a significant other, do frequent check-ups to see how transparent you’re being with your beloved. To a large degree, the success of our intimate relationships depends upon our level of transparency with one another, as well as the degree to which we’re matched in our capability and determination for transparency. We all want to be seen, fully, by our partners and loved for who we are. But it’s not up to our partners to make that happen. It’s up to us to show up as our most transparent selves, and only when we’re able to do that will we be capable of truly exchanging love.
Transparency . . . it’s not just for negligees anymore!
Unconditional love expert Lisa McCourt is a dynamic speaker, seminar leader and author whose 34 books have sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide. Her new book, Juicy Joy – 7 Simple Steps to Your Glorious, Gutsy Self, teaches people to embrace “radical authenticity” to fully experience unbridled joy in life. Lisa lives in South Florida with her two children. For a free Juicy Joy audio program, visit www.LisaMcCourt.com.
Silver & Grace Approved Books
Looking for books on becoming the best possible you? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
Ugly as Sin: The Truth About How We Look and Finding Freedom From Self-Hatred
How to Save Your Own Life: 15 Inspiring Lessons Including: Finding Blessings in Disguise, Coping with Life’s Greatest Challanges, and Discovering Happiness at Any Age
For other Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Embracing the fun, sexy, intelligent and real you
Getting emotionally naked can be a scary proposition. But I know from personal experience, when you take down the protective walls a whole new joyful world is revealed. Let’s work together to gently bring down that wall and allow positive energy and a whole lot of fun to flood into your life. To find out more about my intuitive mentoring options check out Eliza’s Mentoring.
Coping With Your Child Leaving Home
Whether they are heading off to university or moving in with a partner, when a child leaves home you can feel an immense sense of loss. This is a perfectly natural feeling; however it is important to remember that this will not last forever and that there are things you can do to ensure your life is enriched for the long term. If you are struggling to come to terms with a child leaving home, the following suggestions have been put together in order to help you cope during this difficult time.
Surround yourself with Friends
Friends of a similar age will most likely have gone through, or are currently going through exactly the same thing, so discussing how you feel with those also in this situation will help enormously. As a group, you can offer words of encouragement to each other as well as a shoulder to cry on for those days when one of you is feeling a little low.
Take up a Hobby
Between getting the kids off to school on time, preparing endless meals and driving out in the middle of the night to collect them from some party or another, the chances are you have had little time to do something just for you. This is the perfect time to embrace a hobby, so whether you have always fancied giving yoga a try, are keen to excel in the world of arts and crafts, or you have always been interested in learning more about horoscopes, tarot card reading or numerology, now is the time to make a few enquiries and see what is going on in your local area.
Book a Holiday
Although you may not feel like going anywhere right now, in a few months’ time you will be much more relaxed knowing that your child has settled into their new place, so having a holiday to look forward to will be a welcome experience. Whether it is a week in the sun with your friends or a city break with your husband, take advantage of the many great deals and jet off for a few days of pure relaxation.
Remember you are Always a Mum
Above anything else, it is important that you remember no matter how old your child is they will always need your love and guidance. It is easy to feel redundant at this time in life, but what you may find is that in the coming months your relationship changes as you discover a friendship as two adults that you had never realised before. Arguments over dirty washing can be replaced by a chat over a coffee or a day at the shops; your child moving away from home does not mean that your role as a mother is over, it has simply evolved.
Embrace a new and exciting lifestyle whilst establishing a different but equally important relationship with your child after they have moved out through these tried and tested suggestions.
Sophie understands that many mothers feel lost after their child leaves home and encourages women to take positives from this period of time through taking up a hobby or learning a bit more about various subjects of interest such as horoscopes.
Silver & Grace Approved Books
Looking for books on reinvesting in yourself? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval. They are available on Amazon.
The Velveteen Principles (Limited Holiday Edition): A Guide to Becoming Real, Hidden Wisdom from a Children’s Classic
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
The Hardline Self Help Handbook: What Are You Willing to Do to Get What You Really Want?
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Embracing the fun, sexy, intelligent and real you
Being an Empty Nester is an excellent time to reinvest in yourself. Sometimes this is easier said than done, and a guiding hand transitioning to a new phase of life helps. Let’s talk about how my intuitive mentoring can help you make this transition faster and easier. Check out Eliza’s Mentoring.
