http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/life/ en ramogo@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-08-13T04:34:00-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/not-milk/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/not-milk/#When:04:34:00Z Milk builds strong bones, muscles, and teeth. We know this because the white-mustachioed celebrities have been telling us so for years. Yet new studies don’t support – and may even contradict – this seeming truism. The dry corn flakes are sticking to the roof of health writer Rachael Moeller Gorman’s mouth.  It all started hundreds of thousands of years ago. Back when modern humans first walked the African savannah, the only milk available came from human mothers (wild cattle were tough to catch and even tougher to milk). No adult drank milk until about 10,000 years ago with the advent of farming and animal domestication, and many people nowadays grow intolerant of lactose - a milk sugar - as they age. These people become bloated and gassy whenever they eat dairy, because the body produces less and less of the enzyme that breaks down the sugar. Our bodies don’t expect us to suckle past the first few years of life.  life 2008-08-13T04:34:00-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/big-o/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/big-o/#When:17:42:01Z Sex and the Single Mom - you all loved the first story. Wait till you sink your teeth into this one! The first touch was electrifying; the first kiss pulsating. The anticipation of our first time together was more than I could bear. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the night it finally happened would be a totally anti-climatic, non-climaxing event. Big O is what we’ll call him. The courtship began when my pre-schooler was a toddler and my soon-to-be third grader was halfway through kindergarten winter. The strapping young Latino (31 at the time) reeked of sexuality – all muscles, tattoos, shaved head and machismo – and I was a goner from the start.  life 2008-07-07T17:42:01-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/the-stranger-than-fiction-playdate/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/the-stranger-than-fiction-playdate/#When:05:38:00Z Editor’s Note: the following story was pulled from the site last week following numerous inflammatory comments. In the interest of allowing a discussion to build around the topic, we have decided to re-post the story with the author’s name withheld. Please feel free to comment - we look forward to an open and constructive dialogue thanks to our courageous writer and passionate readers. - Robin Hauck, Editor in Chief Recently my five year old daughter invited two friends from preschool over for a play date. It was the type of playdate one tries to avoid for as long as possible. I didn’t know the boys or the parents… They were from different towns and it seemed complicated. I’m a fan of the run across the street get together.  But after weeks of alternately endearing and maddening pleading, I caved and called for a morning play date. Their moms dropped them off and we arranged to meet at their gymnastics class at noon. I promised lunch before gymnastics.  life 2008-07-02T05:38:00-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/yes-even-you-can-be-a-philanthropist/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/yes-even-you-can-be-a-philanthropist/#When:10:20:01Z Kathy Lemay and her organization Raising Change are out to prove that you don’t have to be rich, fancy or the owner of a fur coat to be a philanthropist. Rebecca Dorr speaks with the fundraising dynamo about her humanist approach to social change and connecting people over issues they really care about in order to make the world a better place. Who ever said that philanthropy was for rich, old, white guys? Sure, enormous checks written by men like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are meaningful, but they give the impression that you have to be a corporate icon to make a difference in the world. And for nonprofit fundraisers seeking much-needed cash, the thought of one or two huge payloads make it hard to think outside the box. life 2008-06-18T10:20:01-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/sex-and-the-single-mom/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/sex-and-the-single-mom/#When:15:13:00Z So what is a newly single woman to do after fourteen years with aforementioned creature and two littles under the age of nine?  I’ll tell you what she won’t do - settle… in bed, that is. Ah, the joys of motherhood. Or rather, the joys of sex… Lately, I cannot tell the difference, I’ve found they actually can co-exist quite harmoniously much to most of my friends’ surprise. But then again, I have never been one who was ever not in the mood. Though married to a happily asexual man for over ten years, I was never the one to sheepishly mutter under my breath, “not in the mood tonight, darling,” as he so poetically did each and every time I asked. life 2008-06-06T15:13:00-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/in-full-force-reflections-of-a-makeover-candidate/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/in-full-force-reflections-of-a-makeover-candidate/#When:17:18:00Z Kim Herter was happy with her life - her career, her family, her home and her looks all seemed to be ok. Then she won a Total Makeover from the marketing events company In Full Force - and found out what it’s like for life to go from good to great. Here’s her story. On May 1, 2008, the marketing and events company In Full Force staged a fabulous night of socializing, shopping and sipping west of Boston, to benefit the local charity Strong Women Strong Girls. Hosted by Matt Seigel and Billy Costa from Kiss 108 and life coach and radio host Mel Robbins, and held at the beautiful Bentley dealership in Wayland, MA, the night featured a top to bottom makeover won by the woman who sent in the most deserving story. Enter Kim Herter, “so naturally beautiful… just needing a little “pick-me-up.” says In Full Force’s Shannon Emerson. “After speaking with her I knew that with her vibrant personality and willingness to turn herself completely over to expert hands she was the one.” life 2008-06-04T17:18:00-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/blue-heron/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/blue-heron/#When:15:18:00Z The Great Blue Heron is one of nature’s most elegant and statuesque creatures. Just west of Boston, along a main road yet indifferent to earthbound idolizers, a community of herons is growing in the sky. Bruce Hauck explains how when it come to the herons, things are looking up.  "The statuesque form and elegant plumage of the Great Blue Heron make this one of nature’s finest achievements. It is not surprising that its Asian relatives have figured prominently in Chinese and Japanese art for centuries. While the sight of the Great Blue Heron in motionless contemplation of a potential meal or sailing majestically across a vast salt marsh is always a rare treat, the species is presently becoming more common in New England.” (MA Audubon Society). life 2008-05-27T15:18:00-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/goodness-in-a-garden/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/goodness-in-a-garden/#When:02:59:00Z Feed your stomach and your soul by planting your own veggies this summer. Our science and nutrition expert Rachael Moeller Gorman basks in the sunshine of her very own backyard produce section.  My house sits on 0.08 acres of land. My backyard lies 20 feet from a double yellow line. My son is an infant and I work part-time. Yet the food-loving farmer within is calling me to the dirt, despite the barriers: I want to garden. I believe that gardening can save your life (and maybe everyone else’s, too).  life 2008-05-20T02:59:00-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/detours-and-onramps/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/detours-and-onramps/#When:14:43:00Z Join Misstropolis at Detours and OnRamps, an all day event focused on the unique challenges of working moms. Sponsored by our partners MomCorps and Ladies Who Launch, and hosted by Bentley College’s Women’s Leadership Institute, the day promises to be both instructive and inspirational. Spending time with smart, hard working women always is. Misstropolis members get a special discount, click here to read more. Over the last year, Misstropolis has heard from countless women that anything geared toward achieving (ok, attempting!) a work/life balance is atop their personal “Don’t Miss” list. We have been working hard to establish relationships with companies like MomCorps and Ladies Who Launch and sponsor events like the In Full Force event and the Mom Corps networking breakfast in order to respond to that feedback. We are proud to be supporting another phenomenal event, Detours & OnRamps, for women who are currently working or women who are considering going back to work. Be there at Bentley College this Thursday, May 15. life 2008-05-12T14:43:00-05:00 http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/singular-sensation/ http://www.misstropolis.com/index.php/arts/singular-sensation/#When:18:13:00Z Being a single mom is most definitely not a bowl of cherries. And dating while being a mom can be the pits, or really juicy. This week, share your stories of dating as a single mom and we will publish them on the site. The mom who writes the best story will win a 15% discount card good for one year at Dress Newbury St. & runner up will win a Dress tote bag! Send submissions to robin@misstropolis.com Whoever made up that ridiculous saying about Life Being a Bowl of Cherries has never tried to make a page on Match.com with a seven year old looking over their shoulder. Life is most definitely not a bowl of cherries for mothers, whether you fall in the single, separated, exasperated, grateful, or head over heels in love with your husband category. But it is especially challenging for single moms.  life 2008-05-05T18:13:00-05:00