Years ago, before marrying Mark, I visited an older friend who had a great relationship with her husband. Since I hoped to get married myself one day, I asked her advice on how to have a great marriage. I waited expectantly for her to utter what I was sure would be some deep and profound words of wisdom. She smiled at me and said, “Assume the best.” “Assume the best?” I thought. “Why is that such a big deal?” Little…
The New Year is almost here. Hello and goodbye to the present and the past. I’m ready for 2018 and willing to move on from 2017. As moms, the passage of time is both exciting and a little bittersweet, too. On one end of the time spectrum for moms, it’s thrilling to see our babies take their first steps; but on the other end of the spectrum, it is oh so sad when we drop off our child at college…
Every year during the Christmas season my husband and I watch a particular movie together. If a year went by without doing it it would feel like a loss. It's the small moments involving loved ones that makes this time of year so special. Are you a bucket list family? Add even more joy to your holiday season by making Christmas memories with these 12 simple ideas for family fun from our Family Christmas Bucket List.…
Mark and I are no strangers to conflict. We are both passionate and that fact shows up often in our communication style. While I’m always up for a debate, constant conflict in marriage can put an unwelcome strain on a marriage. Lasting conflict in marriage is a dangerous path that no couple should go down. To avoid this path, Mark and I acknowledge our trigger points when they show up. Doing this helps us know to slow down and find ways…
My husband, Mark, often describes himself as a porcupine because as he says, “he can get a little prickly.” The reality is we all have porcupine moments in our relationships and especially in marriage. Acknowledging that you can be difficult and identifying what triggers the prickly spouse within is the path to a more harmonious marriage! Acknowledge that you might be a porcupine… Porcupines have sharp quills on its back, sides, and tail, but its belly is tender and vulnerable.…
If there was ever a time moms could use some really good life hacks—it’s the Christmas season! {Tweet This} Short of having your own work crew of eager elves, these Christmas life hacks are the next best thing! So here are 8 Christmas Life Hacks that I love. 1. Wrap as you go. There’s not much worse than exhaustedly wrapping gifts into the wee hours of Christmas morning. Every time you buy a gift or at least every few days, grab your tape and…
A few months ago, I got a raise of sorts. My fourth child graduated from college and got a job. I have just one child left on my payroll! So I got a raise, and he got a gift — a college degree debt-free. There are many things that go into the training up of a child, and one of them is education. Many parents are putting that education at risk because they aren’t planning for it. When you hold…