Women under-insured.
Whether a woman works outside the home or not, to be properly protected, the following types of insurance should be considered. 1) – Health insurance. If you are working and your company offers it, sign up. If you are self-employed, work part-time, or work at home, health insurance is important. Sickness can be expensive, for your care, and for the care of those you look after if you can’t. 2) – Life insurance. If you are working and use your income for family expenses, you need life insurance. If you are a single mom, you need life insurance. If you are a stay at home...
Read MoreSUMMER BEAUTY TIPS:
A Big Hello to You All, this is my first article for ‘Island Woman’, thank you Trish for the invite! In light of the beautiful sunny days ahead, I thought I would offer you some SUMMER BEAUTY TIPS. I’m sure by now you all know how important sunscreen is, but on a lighter side . . . . . I would like to offer some tips on how to look your best on a hot sunny day. Sun can really strip colored treated hair, protect your investment with a pretty hat. A hat will do double duty, protecting your hair color as well as your beautiful face. Sun hats are “oh so pretty” and...
Read MoreGreta
It was my thirteenth birthday party. The pizzeria was full. Kids occupied every table. The noise was overwhelming I saw Greta right away. She stands out from any background because of her waist-length silver hair. There is more to it, though. She has a way of drawing attention when she wants to, without saying a word. She smiled at me, and I made my way to the table where she was dishing out pizza. If she had wanted the room to be quiet, it would have been quiet, but I knew she was enjoying the cacaphony. Maybe that’s why Greta became our nanny. Kids can be depended on to produce plenty of...
Read MoreGood news from Ottawa
Government invests $286,000 to helpthree women-owned or -led companies in Victoria and surrounding area grow and export VICTORIA, BC, May 13, 2019 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada is advancing women’s economic empowerment with the first ever Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, a $2-billion investment that seeks to double the number of women-owned businesses by 2025. Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, joined local women entrepreneurs and business leaders to celebrate women’s entrepreneurship...
Read MoreWhy oh why?
”Why in the world does she keep having children?”‘ This thought raged through my mind as I watched a TV Program. A small eight- year- old boy, wheelchair bound, kept alive with medication and a profound love of life, was being interviewed. He suffered from a DNA transmitted disease resulting in little muscle control, pain, various other related conditions and a built in life expectancy of less than twelve years, usually much less. His lovely mind was not affected. He was home-schooled and had a gift for poetry and literature far beyond his years. His devoted parents had...
Read MoreMessy Churches
A program to create messy churches? As a member of the Alter Guild with St. Michaels and All Saints church in Chemainus I shook my head when I first heard of the Messy Church program. Messy churches? isn’t that what groups like Alter Guild work to prevent? This certainly seemed odd/confusing to me. This confusion was clarified whilst having coffee one morning with Jane Hird-Rutter who kindly wrote the article below for Island Woman. I am sure that many of you will be equally surprised upon reading the article below. Trish Summerhayes. Owner/Publisher Island Woman...
Read MoreFood Trends
‘Where are we going? What am I doing in this hand basket?’ It’s looking pretty bleak out there, and many of us are asking ourselves what we can do about it. Well it so happens that changing the way we eat can have a profound effect on the planet. Much of our food is dominated by meat products and processed foods, which require lots of energy to produce, process and package. Worldwide, livestock is the cause of 15% of the climate crisis and it is also responsible for vast areas of deforestation. The Globe and Mail recently reported that 58% of food produced in Canada is wasted or lost...
Read MoreNews for homebuyers
The recent federal budget included Housing AffordabilityMeasures that may be applicable to your situation, now or in the future. There are three key measures intended to help: an incentive for first-time homebuyers, an increase in the amount of RRSP funds first-time buyers can access for a down-payment, and allowing divorced individuals to use their RRSP funds under the Home Buyers Plan. Let’s take a closer look at each: FIRST-TIME HOME BUYER INCENTIVE (available Fall 2019) This new measure is basically a shared equity program designed to reduce mortgage payments for first-time buyers...
Read MoreFighting Cold and Flu
Vitamins and Other Supplements to Strengthen Your Immune System When we’re not feeling well, getting enough sleep, drinking enough fluids, and getting plenty of rest is what we need to get better. But what about our diet? How can we change what we eat to get better? And, can what we eat help prevent us from getting sick? In this post I’m joined by University of British Columbia student Alyssa Chai to share what the scientific literature has to say about what supplements to strengthen and maintain a healthy immune system. Fighting Cold and Flu with Supplements Vitamin C Vitamin C...
Read MoreMother and Healer
We build bridges every day, between opposing sides of the same thing. One of my goals as a Healer, is to build bridges between alternative and conventional medicine, so people can benefit from both. These days I’m building a different bridge, one between being a Healer and being a Mother. I believe that as a Mother, I’m inherently a Healer. Every Mother is. The cough syrup company, Robitussin, capitalized on this with their Dr. Mom commercials in the 1990’s. Dr. Mom knows best, right? My experiences recently with conventional medicine would say otherwise. My oldest daughter is in a...
Read MoreHome Visits for Optimum Health
Why get a home visit? Have you ever finished getting a massage and felt so “floaty” you wondered how you are going to get yourself home? Have you just had surgery and been given instructions to increase activity for healing and not known where to begin? Do you have an knee, leg, hip or back injury that makes it difficult to get to clinics for therapies? Have you experienced a stroke that makes it difficult to get around? Do you have a chronic condition like diabetes or M.S. – or are you on dialysis and find you are short on energy? How Reflexology home visits help... A home...
Read More60 years of Chic
Renowned Canadian designer Joseph Ribkoff’s signature has been gracing labels of iconic women’s fashion, ever since he started his business in 1957. “I went into business when I was just 21,” laughs Joseph Ribkoff. “I must have had horseshoes around me, because I did everything right.” Don’t let his humility and casual attire fool you. The man’s understanding of what women want would put Nick Marshall (played by Mel Gibson in the movie “What Women Want”) to shame. “It all began with Marilyn,” says Ribkoff. “Is there anything more to say? Marilyn...
Read MoreOn the Horizon
Her heart swelled with gratitude as she watched the sun glint on the great expanse of blue, rolling ocean. The sand shushed beneath her toes as small pebbles rolled and bounced in the drag of the waves. With a deep breath, Ashley swept her arms above her head and took a long delicious stretch, savouring the fragrant Maui breeze. Life of late had been slammed with meetings, stressful phone calls from Corporate Suits and clients needing her attention now, now, now! When she started her small Interior Design company, she had not dared to dream that within 5 years she would have staff and be...
Read MoreRiding the All-Night Train
When my husband and I moved from Ontario to this our lovely island home in the dead of winter 2004, we came by train. Crazy, some would call it. It was on January 6th that we began our sojourn to the West. That train ride was actually three nights through the frozen North Country of Canada. Not exactly tourist season. But it was breathtakingly beautiful. The days are shorter in winter and the nights start early. We had lovely bunks. We kept the window blinds open and for much of it we lay side-by-side in the lower bunk with our heads against the outside wall looking up and out the large...
Read MoreWar of The Words
Perhaps it’s the plague of one’s former profession, or one’s devotion to a lifetime of reading, but yesterday’s front page headline in our local paper was a blow to much I hold dear. “Word removal worries” it stated in big bold letters. The accompanying story featured a local teacher and her class of 10-11 year-olds learning that one of the most revered dictionaries in the English language had removed words of our natural world to make room for those of technology and ‘newspeak’ in its school dictionary. This happened a few years ago and was protested at the time by...
Read MoreTips for Tax Retirement Income
When it comes to tax planning, it’s the little things that really add up. Here are 5 ways in which you can save big at tax time: Have a plan – it is very important that you know where your income is coming from today, tomorrow and many years down the road. At each stage of your retirement, your primary income source may change. Having more than just a vague idea of where this money is going to come from helps make better decisions now. Create income from multiple sources – the saying “don’t have all your eggs in one basket” rings true when it comes to taxation too. Some income...
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