Buy of The Month – Little Rooster Alarm Clock 

Not a morning person? Little Rooster is a vibrating alarm clock – or, rather, an alarm clock vibrator – that wakes you up with something to smile about! This is a magic gadget that offers you a ‘snorgasm’ – with 27 silent settings and three intense ‘turbo’ ones! It is shaped so that, while you sleep, you can forget it is there, as it curves comfortably around your pubic mound, with the vibrating part resting against your clitoris and labia. (The ecstasy is all external.) And it stays in place even if you toss and turn at night. The makers are so confident it can bring you some morning glory that they offer a 30-day money back guarantee!

I’ve been seeing my boyfriend for six months but we’ve only just recently started having sex. But he keeps asking me to do things I’m not comfortable doing; he’s asked me to dress up and wants me to do positions that hurt. He’s only really interested in satisfying himself and pays little attention to my needs. I’m beginning to feel used and taken advantage of and no longer want to have go near him physically, although I still love him. What can I do?

How is your boyfriend treating you outside of your sex life? Hearing about his bedroom etiquette, I doubt he’ll be scoring highly on the Boyfriend of the Year scales. The question you need to answer is a tough one (and one that may need a fair amount of soul searching): Just exactly why are you with someone who clearly doesn’t respect you as a woman? You say you love him but precisely which qualities are you referring to? That he’s a selfish lover? That he pressures you into having painful sex? That with his lack of consideration, it seems you could be replaced with a blow up doll? From what you say, your relationship sounds both physically and emotionally abusive. Whilst I do not know many details, what I’m convinced of, is that you’re not loving the person you should be. Yourself. And that’s precisely where you need to focus your attention. When you decide you’re worthy of being treated decently, I’d bet my last dollar you’ll meet someone who will. I’ve counselled so many women just like you who, for various reasons from when they were small, end up in relationships where they ‘love too much’ in the present. As much as I appreciate how hard it is to walk away from a dodgy relationship, it will be worth the short-term headache. Good sex, like a decent relationship is made up of fun, respect and compromise. Remember these are your right. Believe this and you’ll see how you’ll become attracted to a different sort of man. The decent kind.

Hi Simone,

I listen to you on Loveline and want to ask about what to do! For the last few months, I have been having a lot of one-night stands. Although I’m always careful, I confess that I’m not finding them very fulfilling. At times I’ve found myself feeling quite used. I’m not deliberately going out of my way to have one-night stands, in fact, I’d like a relationship, but I also love sex and so in the meantime, well, I think I might as well. I suppose in a way I’m ‘shopping around’ but while at times fun, I suspect it’s not the best way to start a relationship.  How can I get out of this cycle?

I don’t get the whole one-night stand thing. If a man doesn’t know how you take your coffee in the morning, how can he really know what turns you on? Rubbish sex is more frustrating than no sex at all, don’t you think? Sex also loses its shine when it fails to live up to unrealistic demands. Too many of us have been in a similar situation to yours. Using sex to be close with somebody. That ‘body’ for a short moment, gives you hope that your Facebook status is about to change. But post climax, the harsh reality is often that you’re left with a bigger emotional hangover than you had the night before. You don’t feel good about what you’ve done and to make matters worse, usually, the ‘body’ you’ve just slept with isn’t someone you’d like to date anyway.

So how do you get out of this cycle? I think you’ve done a lot of the hard work already. You’ve realized you don’t feel good about what you’re doing. Instead of more ‘shopping’, try doing what a single pal of mine does. To get her head round sometimes feeling lonely in bed, she chooses to share the space with a special friend. He’s called Stevie. He has batteries; and when he’s excited he buzzes. You see, with Stevie, you decide when, where and how often you have sex and you feel good about yourself afterwards. Stevie doesn’t make you feel used. In fact, he’s the perfect gentleman. He lets you come first! As for being single: Do what smug marrieds and couples complain they don’t get enough of. Spend some quality time with yourself. Hang out with your friends; start a new hobby; even go for therapy and find out how you tick. If your life is full, and the better you know yourself deep down, the chances are, not only will you be happier and less likely to sleep with some ‘body’ because you feel lonely, you’re far more likely to spot a perfect catch when he comes along. Good luck!

Just recently we’ve seen Reese Witherspoon sitting next to her ex, Ryan Philippe at their son’s soccer game. Then there was Charlie Sheen, seen walking and smiling alongside his ex, Denise Richards. Many celebrity exes are on friendly terms, seemingly integrating their past into their present lives with ease.

So Why Are Celebrities Friends With Their Exes?

Celebrities are bound by certain rules. Even when children aren’t involved, many will feel ‘forced’ to remain friends with exes. Hollywood is a small town. They run into each other at public events; many share the same management; and will even be up for the same movies (think Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake in Bad Teacher – and if you’ve seen that film it’s probably a decision they both regret). Then there’s the rather huge issue of the paparazzi capturing their every move.

For the sake of their public image, celebrities need to be seen to be pleasant with each other. It makes good (business) sense. But what about non-celebrities…should you really be friends with an ex? Or is it better to leave the past where it belongs?

Here Are My Tips To Help You Decide Whether And How To Stay Friends With An Ex.

1. Ask yourself why you want to be friends. Whether or not you stay friends with an ex really depends on key factors in the relationship, like how serious the relationship was, and the reason for the split (for example, if a third party was involved or if the relationship simply ran its course). Bare this in mind when you ask yourself why you want to be friends? If it’s an attempt to hold on to a love lost, then it’s best not to delude yourself thinking that being ‘friends’ will make the break easier: it won’t. Don’t be ‘friends’ simply to ease the pain of the breakup. It will only prolong it.

2. If you decide to be friends, take ‘Time Out’ to give each other space to end the old relationship and start a new one – as friends. This will usually be anywhere from 3 months to a year, depending on the depth and length of your relationship.

3. If children are involved, like in Reese and Charlie’s splits, then of course you need to make a big effort. The prefect examples are Bruce Willis and Demi Moore who serve as great role models of staying friends with an ex. They put aside their differences in order to come together and provide solid parenting.

4. And if you’re still in love with them, then, no matter what you think, you are not ready to be friends yet. You might never be.  And that’s ok. Make sure you’re honest with yourself about this, so you can leave the relationship in the past in order to move forward in your life.

5. Whatever you decide, try and see the relationship for what it was. Remember the good in it, or at least what you’ve learned about yourself from it. My take is that if you can end love well, you’ll be able to do begin new love well too!

Hi Simone, 

I’ve heard callers on Loveline talk about their younger guys! I’m in my mid 30s and my boyfriend is seven years younger than me (lucky me!). Our sex life is great, but I’ve heard that women reach their sexual peak around my age so I’m worried that in a year or two I’m going to be past it. Is there anything I could do to prolong my peak?

Once a week, eat three cloves of garlic, mixed with horny goats weed from China… I’m sure I’ve read that somewhere. Like most other claims about prolonging your sexual peak, I haven’t seen any convincing evidence that any of them actually work. So I remain sceptical about this kind of thing and anything like it.

The idea of men and women having different peaks arose after Alfred Kinsey, the renowned sexologist, discovered that women in their 30’s had more orgasms than they did at any other time in their lives. Beneath the attention grabbing statistics, there are many factors – other than the physiological – that will have contributed to his findings. One of them is as simple as a woman feeling more confident and content as a thirty something. This may or may not be the case for you. But my point is, your sexuality is unique. It’s made up of physical, emotional and environmental factors. What’s going on for you both personally and in your relationship can change from day to day and week to week. For example, whatever your age, if you suffer some kind of loss or stress, the frequency of how often you want sex will change (and most likely be reduced). Alternatively, if you are having a good run of things, your sex drive could be as rampant as it was in your early 20s.

Of course it’s true that levels of testosterone (dubbed the desire hormone) in women drops as we age. But, testosterone alone doesn’t account for your sex drive. It’s simply one part of the mix. You could always get your levels checked, but no amount of testosterone will make you like (and want to be physically close to) your boyfriend if you’re arguing. The point is, sex isn’t about reaching a mythical peak at age 31 ¾ before everything goes downhill from there for the rest of your life.  Ask any 70 year old who enjoys their sex life (and many do, believe me). So in answer to your question: Are you on your way down or your way up on the (fictitious) chart? Who cares! The only sex rule you need to be following is the one that it sounds like you know already – enjoy it!

Hello Simone!

I’ve been single for a while and I’m missing sex! I don’t want to go out and pick up strange men in bars just for sex, so am thinking about buying a vibrator, but I’m really embarrassed by the thought of using one! Can you reassure me it’s totally normal? And just what do I do with it?! PS Love hearing you on Loveline! 

More women should be like you. In control of their own sex lives. So firstly well done you! Now let’s get you started. First, you’re completely normal in your hesitancy: Choosing your first vibrator can be daunting! The sex market is flooded with them. The single biggest advice as a beginner is to go for something small (ish) in size. When it comes to sex, ladies (like men) shouldn’t be worried about size! In fact, large vibrators can be intimidating. Take a look online at a reputable and well established sex shop, like Eve’s Garden, so you can take your time browsing and educating yourself, without feeling self-conscious.

A lot of women starting out think that a vibrator is just inserted into the vagina. It isn’t. Simply for the reason that most of the nerve endings are outside of your vagina and not in it. That’s not to say you can’t use the vibrator like a dildo and insert it during your solo play. Get the timing right and this can be very pleasurable. The usual technique for using a vibrator is incredibly simple and effective. Rest it against the lips of the vagina, close to the clitoris, varying the speed and movements to your taste until you orgasm.

It’s for this very reason that I strongly recommend you don’t use a vibrator every time you masturbate. Just like Charlotte, who in Sex and The City locked herself away for days with her first ‘Rabbit’, you can all too easily get addicted to a vibrator’s charms. Enjoy it and the pleasure it brings you. But pace yourself. This way, when the real thing comes along, you won’t be disappointed his penis hasn’t got batteries and speed control!