“No one talks about how hard it is to take care of your kids, work a full-time job, and take care of an ailing parent, all while trying to keep yourself healthy.” This was posted by a Facebook friend who’s living out the challenges of the ‘Sandwich Generation.’ While neither me nor Penny are in this situation, we’re seeing a growing number of people in our lives who are simultaneously caring for elderly parents and dependent children, oftentimes under the same roof. There’s a real possibility one or both of us will become part of this group of adults since 71% are ages 40 to 59 and 64% are women. This very real possibility inspired us to dig a little deeper into the challenges and complexities of the sandwich generation, so we enlisted an arsenal of experts in the field to provide direction, advice, resources, and hope to help ease the burden on adult children who are presently stuck in the middle of this life, and to help prepare those of us who may be presented with this decision in the future.

it's essential to recognize black women who have been pioneers, activists, innovators, inventors and powerhouses throughout the course of history. These women have positively influenced our world - many have been “firsts,” and they’ve all paved the way for black girls and women globally. When we say this is our short list, we mean it. There’s an abundance of female black excellence that’s been imprinted on the soul of our nation and rightfully cemented in our history books.

In 45 states the coldest month is January, but in the Northern Hemisphere February tends to be the coldest month of the year. If you feel like your winter wardrobe is redundant or drab and you want to add a few more comfy, feel-good items to get you through the seven remaining weeks of winter check out these HOT deals that will be kind to your wallet, warm you up and freshen up your overall style.