Have you ever experienced mornings that are perfect for comedy shows, but not so much for reality? These chaotic, sometimes even humorous mornings, may consist of walking the dogs, making breakfast, packing lunches, getting dressed, packing sports gear, and somehow managing to drop kids off at school on time. Mornings like these are already exhausting, but what finally tips the scale are unexpected incidences like spilling hot coffee on your white blouse or getting pulled over for speeding.…
Do you know of a family member or a close friend who suffers from addiction? How has their family reacted? Have they been open about their struggles with the mental illness or have they kept them hidden in the dark? I understand these can be emotional questions to answer because I have family members who struggle with alcoholism. Most people, when they hear the word addiction, automatically think of the social and behavioral problems. However, the root problem of addiction is…
This week, I heard a viral recording of a hilarious high school answering machine. The options for the parents to choose in the recording were ridiculous. Some of the options included were, “To make excuses as to why your child did not do his homework, press 2” and “To request another teacher for the third time this year, press 8.” The teachers of the school unanimously voted for this message because they were just fed up with the parents’ demands.…
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…
In a candid moment around the dinner table discussing personality traits, my kids told me I can be angry. I protested but they had a point and I had no excuse. You see, whether you have one child or five, whether you work in the home or out, we all can get frustrated and angry at one point or another. Anger has a way of sneaking up on us. Somehow small moments of frustration can quickly escalate into anger. Getting to…
I came to a jarring realization two days ago–a positive aspect of my DNA has become a negative. And I am struggling with life. I have always loved to ponder about people and life. I have written about this before and I believe we must ponder (give consideration to, pray about) to love others well (our husband, children, friends). But pondering people and situations with optimism, reflection, and hope has turned to struggling with pessimism, panic, and despair. How did…
There are some things Mark and I learned along the way in parenting that we spent way too much time learning, so don’t make the same mistakes! Good habits take time to form. Here are 8 Habits to Break as a Family—work on them with yours. Trust me, you will be thankful you didn’t waste your time or opportunities! Bickering This one is tough. It is something that can be a big distraction for the family! With our big family,…
