The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Happy Mother's Day

Daughters are about the best thing that a mom can get. I was lucky and got two of them.

I love celebrating Mothers' Day with my daughters and grandchildren. I like having the special day to remember how fortunate I am to have them and all the memories that we've made along the way. 

It seemed like no time at all that it took my daughters to grow up and leave home. Now, it's happening to my grandchildren. My oldest turned 18 and is headed to college. The twins are 15 and are amazingly tall. They'll be in college, too, before we know it. 

So, I'm thankful today for my daughters and grandchildren. They're strong new generations, making a way for themselves in a challenging world.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Facts and figures for Mother’s Day 2019

While the number of people celebrating Mother’s Day is about the same as the 86 percent celebrating last year, those celebrating are expected to spend more at an average $196 compared with $180 in 2018. Consumers ages 35-44 are likely to spend the most at an average $248, up from $224, and men are likely to spend more than women at $237 compared with $158.

Newer models of gift-giving including special outings and gift cards are growing, in addition to more traditional gifts including flowers, greeting cards, and jewelry. Increased spending on jewelry represents 31 percent of the expected increase over last year.

Many of those celebrating cited finding something unique, 44 percent, as the most important factor when picking out a Mother’s Day gift, followed by one that creates a special memory, 39 percent.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Best wishes on May Day

I love May. When I was a kid, we used to make construction paper baskets, fill them with flowers, and put them on people’s door steps on May Day. It was so much fun to make them and receive them.

In addition, my birthday is May 4. So, I love it when spring comes and the flowers, bushes, and trees start blooming. When I was young and growing up on an apple ranch, I used to imagine that the apple trees blossomed just for my birthday. I’d run through the orchard and climb a tree, sitting there enjoying the wonderful fragrance and beauty of the acres of the blossoming trees.

When I was growing up, I only saw a May pole ceremony done a couple of times. The maypole and the decorating of it has roots in the ancient Pagan festival celebrating the beginning of the summer season.

May 1 is International Workers’ Day. Why isn’t it celebrated in the United States?

What should adults and kids do for Earth Day 2019?

Today is the 49^th anniversary of Earth Day. What are things we can do to help the earth?

Top 10 tips for adults.

They include using less pesticides, buying organic food, and using non-toxic cleaners.

Environmental organizations that help the earth.

You’ll find links to groups such as the Environmental Working Group, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Washington Toxics Council.

Earth Day books.

“The Great Bear Sea: Exploring the Marine Life of a Pacific Paradise,” “Earth (Elemental Journey, #1),” and “No Place Like Earth” top the list.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to you and your loved ones if Easter is a day you celebrate.

Seventy percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians, and 49 percent of Americans say they plan to attend church on Easter Sunday.

My wish for today is peace and harmony in the world. With the rise of right-wing hate groups, even in the United States, we all need to keep on working for equality and justice, both economic and social. We need to have hope that we can help bring about change and a better life for all.

So, on Easter Sunday, I wish everyone love, peace, and joy. May you, despite discouraging daily news, be able to experience some joy every day.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Baby boomers begin April with reflections and suggestions

April is a great month. It starts with spring and April Fools’ Day, moves to National Beer Day, World Health Day, and National Empanada Day, rushes to Tax Day, then Earth Day, and ends with Easter and Arbor Day.

Baby boomers are in a reflective mood as April begins:

Tom Sightings at Sightings Over Sixty tells us that even though he's married, there are times when he go places by himself. The store, the coffee shop, the library, the movies. Now in “If You're Alone ...,” he offers some advice for people who are wondering about going out by themselves. And the advice – or the "rules" – come from an unlikely source,

This week, Jennifer Koshak of Unfold and Begin asks a simple question. Simple, but sometimes difficult to think about. And yet this one question can help you plan your life and set your goals. What do you want your epitaph to say? Think about it, it just might change your direction.

What do we hold on to that was never ours to carry? In a short article, Carol Cassara at A Healing Spirit invites us to stop and reflect about the reasons that hard things happen.

Baby boomers also offer suggestions:

Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster.com spent an afternoon at the Festival of Tea in Pasadena, California, and participated in an authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony. She learned a few things about Matcha and Pu-erh teas and now has a better understanding of how to drink them.

It’s the little annoyances of everyday life that at times consume our time, energy, and patience. Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting experienced one of these issues recently. A problem with Baer’s iPhone resulted in misdiagnoses and the suggestion to spend hundreds of dollars in lieu of repair. Read about her efforts to resolve the problem in “I-Phone I-Repair.”

On my blog, my guest blogger Sean M. Cleary, attorney, writes about the dangers of drowning during spring and summer fun.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs #591. Click on the links above to read the articles. And, be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from their readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Having fun on April Fools’ Day?

Do you enjoy pulling jokes on April Fools’ Day? I’m a fairly serious person, but I’ve pulled a few good jokes or two.

While April Fools’ Day jokes are fun, they can sometimes be in poor taste or hurt someone. For example, don’t threaten anyone, pull the fire alarm at work, or replace the water in the water cooler with alcohol. See my article “Top 10 Tips for April Fools’ Day Jokes” for what to avoid.

What are some of the most famous April Fools’ Day of all time? Spaghetti grows on trees, how to convert a black-and-white television to color instantly, fake volcanic smoke from Mount Edgecumbe in Alaska, and a fake iceberg towed in to Sydney Harbour are among them. See “The Top 100 April Fools’ Day Hoaxes of All Time” for more information on these and other top jokes.

I hope you enjoy the day of jokes. I was surprised to return from a seven-day cruise in the Caribbean to find that the cherry blossoms are blooming. It must mean that spring is finally here.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

How will you be spending your $40 for Saint Patrick’s Day? That’s the average amount that people are spending on today’s holiday.

I’m a quarter Irish, so I’m thinking today about the marvelous trip my daughter and I had several years ago visiting Ireland. We were able to meet with modern-day members of the Baylee family, now spelled Bailey. It was a thrilling experience. They live in Kilkishen, County Clare.

We learned about them because the Anglican church, no longer in use, was being converted to a community center. The community was reaching out to descendants in the United States for support. I received an email from a woman who had researched her family tree. We had a common ancestor, Henry Baylee. She’d visited Kilkishen and put us in touch with the Bailey family.

The photo is of Laura Baylee Slingsby, my paternal grandmother.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day and sláinte.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Celebrating, traveling, and shopping on Saint Patrick’s Day 2019

In 1991, the U.S. Congress designated March as Irish-American Heritage Month.

Saint Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, and Saint Patrick’s Day was originally a religious holiday to honor him. It has evolved into a celebration of being Irish and Ireland. On March 17, 1762, New York City hosted the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade. Irish soldiers serving in the English military were featured. President Harry Truman attending the parade in 1948, and it has become an annual event.

Spending

Consumers plan to spend an average of $40 for Saint Patrick’s Day this year, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. Unlike other holidays where consumer spending has grown, the average amount consumers spend has stayed the same even as the nation recovered from the Great Recession.

Today is International Women's Day

International Women's Day, March 8, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

International Women's Day has occurred for more than a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Prior to this the Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s suffragettes, America’s suffragists, and other groups campaigned for women’s equality.

This year’s theme is Balance for Better. The IWD website explains the theme this way: