Her Nashville
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Preschool, Freeschool
“Where is your daughter going to preschool?”
I’ve gotten this question hundreds of times, from pediatricians, friends, acquaintances, department store sales people, and even strangers at the drugstore. Each time, I answer with a certain degree of blushing and stammering.
“Uh, well, Punky’s not in preschool. She’s staying home with me until kindergarten.”
Strong Connections
The 2000 “Status of Women” report said it all: Tennessee ranked 49th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia when it came to women’s health, education, economic level and political participation. Published by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the study found that services existed, but women weren’t using them — a phenomenon attributed to geography, language barriers and economics. The report caught the attention of many local groups, including the Junior League of Nashville and the Nashville Academy of Medicine Alliance.
Green Goddess
Well, hello, bride to be. Chances are that the very second that you’re perusing this page, your mind is racing with endless to-do’s and a cacophony of opinions on everything from flowers and cake to the getaway car.
Well, sweet thing, chill for just a minute. Close your eyes and picture this: Front row of the church … a perfect trinity of Mother of the Bride (MOB), Mother of the Groom (MOG) and dear ol’ Mother Earth (ME) looking serenely, proudly and lovingly upon your brand new union blossoming before their very eyes.
Naked (But Not Ashamed): An Introduction
I remember when I was 16, I came into the kitchen one morning for breakfast. I wasn’t greeted with my mother’s usual, “Good morning,” but rather by a look of shock mixed with a slight hint of amusement.
“Shellie, where did you get that?” she asked, trying to hold back her laughter.
Melissa, 40
When I found out that my mother had Alzheimer’s, a friend gave me a book. There was a quote in it that said, “To tell you about how Alzheimer’s Disease has affected my mother, I’ll have to tell you who she was before Alzheimer’s.” I think that is what a big part of this journey has been about: finding out who my mother was and is, and also who I was and am becoming because of it. It’s kind of ironic that I am transitioning into being a caregiver for a woman who spent her entire life being that for so many other people.
Nancy, 52
Is it wrong to no longer want to be referred to as a breast cancer survivor? I’m not sure what the official gestation period is, but in November, I’ll be cancer-free for eight years. For me, it just seems like it’s time to put that title to rest. It’s not that I’m not grateful. I’m a writer, and yet I can’t quite find the words to describe how it feels to overcome stage III breast cancer.
Princess Ivori, 38
I think my love story should be a book, a movie, a mini-series. Ever since August when it was announced over the air (I’m a 92Q radio personality) that I was pregnant and engaged, people have been asking me to explain it all. I never know where to start. How do you explain 24 years in a few minutes? The short version is that at 37, my first (everything) is going to be my third husband and the father of my third child.
Rachel, 28
In life, there are good days and bad days. I’m at a place now where most are good, and that’s great. I remember the last time I had a relapse, and I’m proud to say it was last year. I say “proud” because when you’re battling an eating disorder, every moment counts and you have to learn to celebrate every triumph. Anyway, for some reason, chocolate cake is my “trigger.” Every time I eat it, I have to fight the urge to throw up.
What's Your Dream?
If you could do ANYTHING in the world, what would that be? What have you always wanted to do but never have, couldn't afford, didn't have time for? Her Muse, aka Melissa Varallo, is making local women's dreams come true. Though we won't likely be flying people to Everest to climb, Her Muse is touching lives closer to home. Share your dreams with us. Email your name, contact info and your dream you'd like to see come true to muse@hernashville.com OR you can simply post it
We're Plotting Something Special for Laurel's Flower Bed!
Well, we're about to blanket Laurel's flower bed with full coverage of its progress. We're in the first steps of Laurel's small plot becoming a bed of paradise.
According to Him
In the “advice on men” category, we decided to go straight to the source. Each month, a different “expert” (translated: a plain-old, local, everyday, run-of-the-mill guy) will respond to reader questions. This is not intended to replace your girlfriend’s/mother’s/any-other-female’s advice, but is merely a point of reference from the male species.
Q: I have put on 10 pounds in the last three months, and my boyfriend doesn’t seem attracted to me. Is it because he thinks I’m fat?
Simply Lavish
When asked why she thinks she was voted one of HerNashville’s most “women-friendly” businesses, Lavish Events owner Tara Stouder-Milam hesitates momentarily before wisely surmising,
“The majority of my clients are women, and I do whatever I can to make them feel at ease and to make their dreams come true.”
After speaking with this savvy entrepreneur, it’s easy to see why dreams are coming true both Tara’s life and in the lives of those she touches.
“People in Nashville love to get married.”
Retro(Active)
Retropolitan owner Amy Heimermann makes interior space fresh, fun and personal.
AmyHeimermann has a gift; a talent for making a house a home. While her eye for design is unquestionably superb, her gift, really, is getting inside the heads of her clients and helping them define their own styles.
Clothing the Masses ... One Style at a Time
Probably every woman who has walked into a fancy, high-priced clothing store has felt, at least briefly, the urge to check her self-esteem at the door. The impeccably dressed salespeople, the meticulously arranged displays, and even the lighting and music often create an intimidating atmosphere. All but the most confident fashionistas may yearn to escape to the anonymity of familiar department stores and mall retailers.
But how can a woman cultivate her own personal style with a wardrobe full of mass-marketed, widely available clothing?
My Best
Figuring out what works for me ... that’s what I do best.
Starting at an early age, I proved a frustration for responsible adults, including my teachers and parents. During my primary school years, I could have easily acquired a vast sum of money had I charged a dollar for every time a teacher told me —
or worse, my mother — that I did not work up to my potential.
Bringin' the Boom-Boom Back
East Nashville’s Hooprama has no sign over its door, but students filled nearly every class in August. Owner (and aptly-named) Sunny Becks teaches the hula hooping classes, and for her, few activities contribute to the development of the whole person like hooping.
Crowning Her Best
What does it mean to be the best? And, who is qualified to determine that? What features must be present to deem something so? Is it a quality thing? A popularity thing? What is it about something — a person, product, business — that makes people say things like, “Oh, that was the best movie!” or “That was the best meal.”? The word “best” is used casually every day, but in every usage, it’s a form of validation ... a stamp of approval ... that someone thinks something is primo, exquisite ... the best!
To Market, To Market
From bargain to posh, London markets have it all.
Shopping in London is tops! But once you’re through with Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus and Harrod’s, turn your sights to the many markets coloring the streets of typically gray London.
Bra-vo!
"Look, Mom!” my 4-year-old son howled, racing around Target’s lingerie department with a padded bra slung over his tiny shoulders. “I made a booby backpack!”
“Keep it down, pal,” I said. “We’re just getting started. Let’s try to be cool here.”
He high-fived a pair of granny panties and did a little scissor kick in the air, nearly taking out the adjacent rack of bikini briefs.
Happy Hypermiling
Well she got her daddy’s car
And she cruised through the hamburger stand now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man now
And with the radio blasting
Goes cruising just as fast as she can now
And she’ll have fun fun fun
’til her daddy takes the T-bird away
(fun fun fun ’til her daddy takes the T-bird away)