Table of Contents
THE STAYING SANE SERIES
Staying Sane When Youre Dieting
Staying Sane When Youre Quitting Smoking
Staying Sane When Your Family Comes to Visit
Staying Sane When Youre Buying or Selling Your Home
Staying Sane When Youre Planning Your Wedding
To everyone who was kind enough to share their stories with us.
I dedicate this book to my mother, Evelyn Jean Fazio.
Evelyn
About the Staying Sane Series
The Staying Sane series is a collection of funny, irreverent, lighthearted, yet sassy, advice-laden books that are all dedicated to finding the silver lining in the annoying, frustrating, or trying situations we all encounter every single day.
The Staying Sane series shows you how to look for, and find, the humor and enlightenment in nearly every situationyou only need to be open to seeing it. Lets face it: We all experience difficult or trying times in our lives, and thats precisely why weve developed the Staying Sane series.
We want you to know that weve been through all kinds of demented things ourselves (Oh, have we ever!), and we and our contributors plan to focus each volume on a specific topic to help you cope with some of the most trying, most typicaland least sanesituations all of us face at one point or another as we try to get through life.
Unlike any other books, the Staying Sane series intention is to shed light on, and bring laughter to people who are caught up in, a web of frustration and petty annoyances, and provide help, advice, and answers in every situation, while letting them know they are not the only ones who have suffered through these same trying, irritating episodes or situations. Since laughter is truly the best medicine, the Staying Sane series will help you get through whatever comes up with as few dents and bruises as possible, and hopefully with your family relationships and friendships still intact when all is said (or not) and done (or not!).
If youre like us, just hearing about other peoples problems usually makes our own seem trivial by comparison, making us realize that things arent really so bad. Whats more, by reading about the scores of other people whove had the same or worse experiences, we are able to find a more realistic perspective and regain our sense of proportionall because weve been able to step back and see that things really could be much worse. And besides, misery loves company, doesnt it!
Staying sane isnt as hard as you think. Keeping it together when all hell breaks loose is just part of lifesomething we have to do every single day if were living on Planet Earth. But keep one thing in mind: there is always someone else out there who is also on the edge of losing it. We all lead complicated lives, but it doesnt mean we cant laugh at our problemsit can really help make them seem smaller and less overwhelming.
So, when things really seem to be getting out of hand and you just dont think you can take it anymore, pick up a copy of one of the Staying Sane titles. It may be just what you need to keep from going off the deep end. Well be right there with you, helping you cope!
Let Us Know
We would be delighted to hear your reactions to the stories in this and all the other Staying Sane books. Please let us know which stories you liked best and how they related to your life.
We also would be very pleased if youd send us your stories for upcoming volumes of the Staying Sane series. Is there a topic youd like to see us cover? If so, let us know what it is youre looking for. Well do our best to get a book into the works for you! Please write to us in care of our publisher.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Pam and Evelyn
About Staying Sane When Youre Going Through Menopause
What is it about the change that is such a challenge? Is it the mood swings? The unreliable body thermostat that seems to be set only on hot and humid? Is it the weight gain, the hair falling out where you want to keep it (but growing where youd rather it didnt)? Whatever it is about this time of life that is driving you crazy, we have the cure. Its laughter!
As always, its a big help to know that other women have gone through the same kinds of experiences, and that theyve learned how to copejust as you will, too. Women have gone through this transition for a long time. It can be a wonderful time of growth and a relief from all those worries about wearing white pants and having to pack all those extra items when youre traveling!
Menopause is manageable, one way or the other, and the stories youll find in Staying Sane When Youre Going Through Menopause will shed new light on an old story, helping you find the humor in the situation, and giving you a lot of heartfelt and often hilarious advice for surviving this new phase of your life.
Just think of all the fun youll have when you read how one of our contributors nearly strip teased in her classroom, or when another threw all her husbands clothes out the upstairs bedroom window because he pushed her buttons one time too many! Theres even a birds-eye view of what it looks like to those around you. Youre in for a lot of laughs, and we hope you enjoy the ride!
When Youre Living Through the Change!
Menopause Survival: Hers and His
Barbara Hastie (with Ken)
Menopause 101
Cheryl Rilly
The Anticurse
Wanda Lauerman
Who Moved My Menopause?
Carole A. Daley
I Was an X-Rated Hot Flasher
Marilyn Hilton
Keeping Cool in Hot Flash Season
Christina Britton Conroy
Conquering Brain Fog
Annie Pyraeus
A Hairy Experience
Josette Meuniere
Meno-Hair
Julie Eichler
Surprise! Early Menopause
Sally Durso
Youre Getting OldDeal with It!
Virginia A. McMorrow
Menopause Remission
Ginny Chandoha
Sanity Quiz
Youve noticed the changes. At first it was the missed periods, then the hot flashes. But then your emotions were bouncing up and down like a laser on speed. You dont want to admit it, but youre almost ready to admit yourself... to the mental hospital, that is.
Do you
a. take yourself to the nearest loony bin
b. chalk it up to another day at the menopausal circus
c. book yourself a tropical vacation somewhere beastly hot so you wont be the only one sweating
d. have faith that it cant get any worse than it is
If youve answered yes to any one of these items, especially A, then youll benefit from everything our contributors have to sayhold on to your hat!
Menopause Survival: Hers and His (or... It Pays to Have a Plan)
Barbara Hastie (with Ken)
SO, WHATS A GIRL (and a guy) to do? Take the following scenario: A competent professional and otherwise very together forty-something woman wakes up in the middle of a cold winters night, boiling hot, and her pjs are absolutely soaking wet.
Shes in good overall health. She doesnt at all feel like she has a fever, and when she went to bed she felt completely normal. No flulike symptoms. No other ailments seem to be afflicting her. Just now, though, she seems to be experiencing the beginning stages of what appears to be either spontaneous human combustion or a house fire somewhere on the premises.
