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Fabulous@50 Blog

By Dianna Bowes on 2/14/2012 5:52 PM
If you’ve been paying attention at all, you’ve noticed that too many advertisers still labor under the impression that it’s a waste of their time to try for baby boomers’ business. They think we’re too old, too set in our ways. Oh how wrong they’ve been! Now, it looks like some are getting the message, as two writers explain for BoomerCafé. First, Kate Forgach points out how plenty of Super Bowl commercials this year will target US. My father created the first “mute” button back in the 1960s by rewiring our television. Woe unto the child in our home who didn’t cut the sound during commercials. Dad might have made an exception, however, for Super Bowl ads. That’s the one show each year where marketing agencies really push the creative edge and, lately, seem to be targeting the desirable Baby Boomer demographic. Us! It’s a wise move, considering that we control 75 percent ($7 trillion) of the total American households’ net worth. Even during the recession, we have accounted for a dramatic 40 percent of total...
By Dianna Bowes on 2/13/2012 10:38 AM
Can you still call a bachelorette party a special gals night out when the "gals" are of Baby Boomer age? You bet you can! Whether this is your first, third or sixth wedding (no judgement), there's no reason to forgo a fun time with your friends. What does change with time is the desire to wear a tiara with veil and get blasted to the max (see "Bridesmaids"). This begs the question how best to celebrate without acting like a gaggle of giggling pre-pubescent girls. Here are a few thoughts applicable to our status in life that won't wring all the fun out of the occasion. Oh, and I've included a few money-saving ideas, some of which are based on my thrice-married experience. 1. Vegas, Baby! You know your secrets will stay in Las Vegas, right? While you and your gal pals don't have to go the route of the boys in "Hangover," the town that never sleeps is mighty tempting for a destination event. Plane fair and accommodations are usually cheap and there's nothing that says you have to blow a pile of money to have fun. Atlantic City makes for a good alternative, should you live on the East Coast....
By Dianna Bowes on 2/9/2012 1:44 PM
Remember finger painting? A clean sheet of paper and paint squishing between your fingers. Swirling bold colours, smooth flowing texture and your amazing natural ability as a human being to create. You probably didn’t think too much about how good your picture needed to be or whether you had any talent. You just had fun and got wrapped up in the process – the process of creating. When you were done, you were likely pretty satisfied with the result. It didn’t really matter anyway because you knew there was always another opportunity to get your hands dirty again. Just like finger painting, your life is an ongoing creative project. It’s bold, colourful, tactile, sensual and yes, sometimes a little messy. And like finger painting, there is always another opportunity to get a new sheet of paper and begin to create – or recreate – again. Creativity is a Critical Element...
By Dianna Bowes on 2/9/2012 1:05 PM
Break free from the moldI hope I am an original, this was something I struggled with for many years. I really did not know who I was until I hit my mid-forties. Holy Cow, that took a long time. People would say “just be yourself”. I would pretend to get it, but I didn’t, what the heck did that mean? For me, it was always, what do others want me to be.  How can I fit in, how can I be invisible so I won’t be noticed. Well, that is another story for another day. Self Esteem For those of you lucky to have great self-esteem, you will think this is odd, but I know many of you out there understand? Am I right? As a woman who was born in the late 50’s, being yourself, original, unique to the world, was not something that was embraced. Being different is still challenging, teenagers...
By Dianna Bowes on 11/28/2011 12:00 AM
- Emergency Medical Coverage a Must More Than Ever for Canadian Snowbirds-

The cool crisp weather of autumn heralds the inevitable coming of the Canadian winter and, for many of us, it is also a reminder that it is time to begin planning that extended winter getaway.

Canadian snowbirdsThis year, more than ever, a key component of that winter escape is insurance coverage for medical emergencies to help ensure that an extended break in the sun doesn’t turn into a financial catastrophe. Provincial government and employee health insurance plans don’t always cover all medical emergency costs incurred abroad.

In 2009, Canadians made 18 million overnight trips to the U.S., staying an average of eight nights.  This accounted for nearly 70% of all overnight trips by Canadians outside the country. In particular, snowbirds (defined by insurers...
By Dianna Bowes on 11/10/2011 12:00 AM
shiny objectMany of you were at the Fabulous@50 Experience on November 5th, I hope you had fun, I did. This event for baby boomer women, consumes my time, all year round, almost like planning a wedding. So if I were to count them, I would say I have planned 5 weddings now, oops I am off topic….I am a little ADD. Now is that bad? I guess it depends on how you choose to look at it. Strengths vs Weaknesses If you have ever been in a conversation with me you will notice I am easily distracted, probably the reason Wayne Lee has never hypnotized me, I don't stay in any place for long, especially in my head long enough to be hypnotized. One of my best qualities, but also the one I have struggled...
By Dianna Bowes on 10/22/2011 12:00 AM
What do you know about your thyroid, millions of women suffer from thyroid issues. This article will give you some insignt into the cause and risks of thyroid disease.
By Dianna Bowes on 10/19/2011 12:00 AM
If you’re like me, the onset of winter means a less active social life. This winter will be different, though. I’ve decided to embrace the cold and snow and use it as an opportunity to spend time in-doors with the special people in my life.
By Dianna Bowes on 10/8/2011 12:00 AM
Steve Jobs influenced baby boomersIn all my articles and on my website, I refer to the fabulous@50 demographic as “baby boomers”. But what are baby boomers? Where have our values and beliefs come from? In Ontario, one influential attempt to define the boom came from David Foot, author of Boom, Bust and Echo: Profiting from the Demographic Shift in the 21st Century, published in 1997 and 2000. He defines a Canadian boomer as someone born from 1947 to 1966, the years that more than 400,000 babies were born. In my last blog post I talked about baby boomers retiring, we are getting ready to go on to the next opportunity or experience. We may have worked for many years and are ready to retire from that profession, but ready to move on to another. Maybe it...
By Dianna Bowes on 9/11/2011 12:00 AM
Most baby boomers are looking forward to retirement. They have worked for many years and are now wanting to reap the benefits of their hard work. But really what is retirement? Wikipedia says: Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely.

Recent Comments

Re: Are you an original? Break Free From the Mold.
Love it ladies, thanks for your comments. I hope that my blogs reach some of your hearts. If you are interested in joining the Edmonton meetup. go go meetup.com and search Fabulous@50...

See you soon.

Dianna
Re: Are you an original? Break Free From the Mold.
Thank you for speaking into my heart this morning. I have always been "the original" one - the one that never stayed with the status quo. Visionaries are like that. It is only recently that I can truly say that I am gifted and talented and YES Different than the woman who must please each person and put herself last. I still do please people and still do put myself last, but I do it because I want to- not because it is expected of me.
How do I become a part of the tribe you are running with?
Re: Are you an original? Break Free From the Mold.
Hi Diana. Belated congratulations on being awarded the WMCA Women of Distinction award! I just want to say hello and let you know I am thinking happy thoughts for you. I traveled in from Cold Lake for your first Fabulous @ 50 at the Lions Centre with my hand painted silk scarves. All the best!
Re: Are you an original? Break Free From the Mold.
My grandmother used to say "If you never looked in a mirror you would never know you were getting older". I have now lived long enough to know she was right. In her honor I am going out today to buy a perfectly fitted red bra, and I'm going to live, every day, at the age I feel when I don't look in the mirror.
Love your blog, thought provoking as always.
Cheers,
Lorraine