Where are all of the Baby Boomer Men?

Since I’ve been networking on line, this baby boomer diva has searched long and hard (excuse the pun) to find where the baby boomer men hang out. Not that I’m looking because I have a man---thank you very much---and he’s a fine baby boomer man!

I’m just curious if baby boomer men network on line like women do. Is there a site exclusively for them? I see scatterings of men here and there who kind of blend in with the rest of the crowd but I can’t say that I’ve seen them in clusters.

Why aren’t they getting together and talking about their so-called male menopause? Why aren’t they exchanging information and advice on the best sports cars to buy; the best exercises to keep them vigorous in the bedroom; or gathering business tips? Could it be that baby boomer men are several steps behind us baby boomer women when it networking on the almighty internet? God forbid!

The internet is probably the best place for baby boomer men to find out what’s going on with their wives and menopause. If they’ve ever been caught in the midst of a hot flash tantrum, there’s a woman somewhere who is more than willing to offer advice. Surely, we’re all out here talking about the symptoms and how our men just don’t quite understand it all.

Listen up guys, why don’t you come to the internet table and join us for some engaging discussions. We guarantee you’ll learn a thing or two!

Baby Boomer Celebrity will Judge my Mother's Day Contest

I was on the phone talking to my husband when my other line beeped in. When I clicked over the voice on the other end said, "Hi Bev. This is Dwight Hicks. I'm sorry I'm just now getting back to you. I just saw your email." Well, I have to tell you I didn't remember off hand who Dwight Hicks was so I put him on hold and clicked back over to my husband. I told him about this man on the other line and I would see what he wanted and call "my man" back.

When I clicked back over to Dwight I had to ask him to refresh my memory because it was obvious I didn't remember. I joked and said, "When you talk to as many people as I do in a day it's hard to remember them all!" Then he said, "Remember, you wanted to interview me. I'm played for the 49ers."

Then it hit me like a ton of brick!!! I was talking with two-time super bowl champion Dwight Hicks! Oh, my God! I do remember putting in an interview request with his agent more than a month ago but when I didn't hear back I just assumed it wasn't going to happen. He was so gracious and so easy to talk to. I set up the interview and then realized I needed another judge for the Mother's Day contest. So what did i do? I just asked him point blank: "Would you consider being a judge for my Mother's Day Contest?"

He said, "Yes, sure!"

OK now here's where I wanted to scream on the telephone but I maintained my composure and told him the details and then he offered to donate an autographed photo of himself to one of the winners. OK...that's good.

So yesterday I got a two-for-one with Dwight Hicks. This is just one more example of how God really works because just the day before I was asking my husband where I was going to find another judge since Nikki Giovanni couldn't do it (because of the shooting investigation).

Will YOUR ESSAY be the one Dwight likes the best? You won't know if you don't enter. Entry deadline is May 9. Send entries to: babyboomervalentine@gmail.com

Mother's Day Contest Update

What a difference 24 hours makes! Since announcing the contest, I've had several sponsors offer to donate a prize. So now it gets interesting because you know what they say: The better the prizes...the better the competition.

First Place: $50 Cash, Bath & Body Works Spa Pkg (Tracy Ehman), Never be Sick Again by Raymond Francis ; 30 minute Radio Interview on Heal Yourself Talk Radio with Rebecca White; :30 promotional ad on Beverly Mahone’s podcast “Whatever!” for your business or product; ***This is a great opportunity for self-promotion***
“Delayed but not Denied” Gospel CD by Jennifer Evans (www.jenniferevans7.com)

Second: My Little Taste of Italy Gift Basket (www.mylittletasteofitaly.com), Bella Bath & Body Bar and Neways Products offered by Tracy Lewis; autographed copy of Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age by Beverly Mahone (www.thebabyboomerdiva.com) & “Chill 2 This” Inspirational Jazz CD from Michael Houston. www.myspace.com/houstown

Third: Gano Excel Coffee Gift Basket donated by Tally Green, Mothers are Forever book by Criswell Freeman donated by www.EdenFlorist.com--our motto is "Make Someone Smile Today, Send Flowers!" (Heidi Richards, owner); Blockbuster Gift Card

Fourth: Twenty minute coaching session with Doris Helge, author of Joy on the Job (www.joyonthejob.info); autographed copy of “Delayed but not Denied” Gospel CD from Jennifer Evans (www.jenniferevans7.com); God can Handle Mothers by Carlene Ward donated by: Eden Florist - http://www.EdenFlorist.com - our motto is "Make Someone Smile Today, Send Flowers!" (Heidi Richards, owner)

Fifth: One hour of free Virtual Assistant Services plus 20 percent off on all products thru May 15 from www.KeyBusinessPartners.com and Teresa Morrow; Back to the Table with my Country Kitchen cookbook by Betty Lynch (www.bettylynch.biz).

Contest open to men and women because we know there were some hard-headed little boys growing up too!

See previous blog entry for contest details.

Mothers Day Contest

"Mama said there would be days like this!"

If you had a mama like I did, she spent most of her life trying to warn you against certain things and certain people. But if you were a young person like me, you didn't listen very well. My mama used to say "If you lie down with dogs, you're bound to get up with fleas!" My ex husband proved her point! My Big Mama (grandmother) used to say "Hard heads make soft behinds!"

In 800 words or LESS, write an essay about one warning in particular your mother gave you when you were younger but you failed to heed her advice and found out later that she was RIGHT all along. For example, she may have told you not to date a certain person but you did anyway and after a while you realized it was a mistake and you could hear your mother saying "I told you so!" Tell your story. It can be humorous or very serious. How you tell it will be more important than what the actual warning was.

First place winner will receive $50
Second place will receive an autographed copy of my book “Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age” PLUS a My trademark Hot Flash Survival Kit.
Third Place: The book “God Can Handle it for Mothers" by Carlene Ward (compliments of Heidi Richards)
Fourth Place: “Mothers are Forever” by Criswell Freeman (compliments of Heidi Richards
Fifth place will receive a gift card

I WILL NOT BE A JUDGE. I'm not going to announce the judges just yet pending confirmation.

Entry deadline is May 9th. Winners will be announced on Mother's Day. All entries should be sent to: babyboomervalentine@gmail.com with mother's day contest noted on the subject line.

There will be a special surprise for all entrants and it's open to EVERYONE.

Erectile Dysfunction v. Urinary Incontinence

OK...I need some answers here. Why is it that television ads for erectile dysfunction in older men seem to carry a more attractive and sexy tone while older women ads focus on the problems with wetting our pants at inconvenient moments?

I was on my way to bed when I saw an ad for erectile dysfunction. The older couple looked happy as they were getting ready for a rendezvous. Then what happens. The doorbell rings and company arrives. But never fear! The deep sexy voice of the male announcer tells us that little pill taken by the baby boomer hunk will last up to 36 hours. I don’t know about any other woman but I may not be in the mood in 36 hours so he may have wasted a pill.

Now on the flip side, during one of my favorite soap operas I saw an ad with a woman who looked a little frazzled because she had an "accident" in public and didn't want anyone to know. So day diapers to the rescue for her future. The next time she stepped out of her house she was as happy as a clam and no one had a clue it was because she felt so comfortable with her new thick diaper pads.

There's nothing sexy about having to take a pill to get an erection---and the promotion is that it lasts for hours. And it's even worse to tell the world to be on the lookout because I may have pee peed in my pants if I laugh hysterically.

"This has been a "meno moment" brought to you by the baby boomer drama queen."

OK…I’m off my soap box.

A Mother's Heartbreak

You can't be human and not feel some sense of the loss at Virginia Tech. Even though I don't know anyone there (except for Nikki Giovanni who reviewed the manuscript for my book), I have thought about the fact that I could've been the mother of any one of those students. I would imagine many, if not all, of the moms are baby boomer women like me; women who have worked hard to get their children to a point of becoming self sufficient and prepared to take on the world.

As a mom, I can relate to the pain the mothers of the victims must be feeling. I can identify with the array of emotions that must be taking a toll on them mentally, physically and spiritually. I send my daughter off to school everyday not thinking for one minute that she could become the victim of a shooter's rampage.

Sadly, we live in a time where the morals and values I grew up on have disappeared and we are now having to face the reality that some people don't value much of anything anymore---including life.

The "New" Face of Menopause

On Friday, my hubby and I did a photo shoot for the NY Times. A freelance photographer named Derrick was hired by the Times to shoot some pictures of us for an article one of their writers is doing on the humorous side of menopause. It’s my understanding that several women were interviewed for the article so it’ll be interesting to see how much is written about what I had to say.

Nate had to leave work early in order to be a part of the photo shoot. Since he’s a “behind the scenes” kind of guy, I can’t say he was thrilled to be participating but I know he did it because of his love for me and he is always willing to give a 100% effort to support what I’m doing.

OK…so what is it that I’m going? Well, I’m trying to get my name out there to the masses. I would like every woman who’s at least 35 years old to purchase a copy of my book Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age. It really is a good book and I’m not just saying that because I wrote it. If someone else had written the book in the same style in which I wrote it, I would still say it was a fantastic book! I’ve had many women I don’t know personally tell me how much they’ve enjoyed reading it---both black and white women. I was actually concerned about that because some of my former white colleagues said they don’t generally read books written by black authors because they feel the book isn’t targeted for them. Well, my book proves that menopause doesn’t discriminate. It is an equal opportunity annoyer!

Another thing is, I want to represent the "new" face of menopause. Just because a woman goes through the change doesn't mean she has to crawl under a rock and hide. Far from it! She should be struttin' her stuff---proudly like a peacock---and embracing the new journey with grace and dignity.

I have to tell you I am still in awe of how the NY Times writer found me out of ALL of the authors who have written books about menopause and other related baby boomer issues. Finding me was like finding a needle in a haystack because I have no name recognition. This is how I know I am a living testimony of how good God really is. This time last year I lost my job over this book.....I struggled to get it published.....was trying to plan my wedding and was dealing with some teenage daughter drama. I ended up with NO publisher and NO book distributor. But what I do have is a promise from God and He always keeps His Word. I just love how He takes ordinary people and creates extraordinary circumstances.

The NY Times article is scheduled to come out on Thursday, April 19. I hope you'll pick up a copy and tell me what you think.