Date Your Mate – For Free!
Part 1 We’ve all heard it – if you want a better marriage, make time for you and your mate. Have a date night – once a week. Or at least monthly. Go. Do it. Date. There are lots of good reasons. Psychologists are telling you to do it. Counselors, pastors, wise family members...
5 Ways to Stop the Fight Before It Starts
Our last chat was about strategies to win that marital spat if things weren’t going your way. But is there really a winner when spouses argue? The best fight you can have with your mate is the one that doesn’t get started. Here are 5 ways to change the course of a discussion that’s headed...
5 Ways to Put Some PUNCH in Your Easter Brunch
If you are gathering around the table with family and friends for that special after-services meal, you may be wondering what you can do to add a little pizazz to it. Here are five fun ways to Put Some Punch in Your Easter Brunch! 1. Eggs in a basket. Add some bacon or sausage, a...
10 Bathroom Habits That Can Harm Your Marriage
Do we live in Michigan or Rhode Island? Will we home school or send our kids to public or private school? Will we buy a house or rent a condo? Those are all big issues in marriage that could spark heated discussion if spouses have differing opinions. But when a decision is made, there’s a...
Child Custody: 5 FAQs Answered
Child custody battles are often the most difficult part of divorce proceedings. Property can be divided or sold, debts can be assigned to one party or the other, but how custody/visitation plans are structured is much more complex. As mothers and fathers contemplate divorce or (if not married to each other) paternity actions, they often...
The ME in Mediation – a New Perspective
Just when I thought I knew all there was to know about mediation, I learned something new. I know that mediation, the process of resolving legal issues with the assistance of someone trained to help warring parties find creative solutions, is often better for divorcing spouses than having a trial. I have served as a...
How to AFFAIR-PROOF Your Marriage
In my Family Law practice, I see the results of extramarital affairs on a regular basis. A wife stunned that her husband and best friend had been meeting behind her back. A husband sent reeling when his wife leaves him for his brother. A spouse having midnight chats with an ex-flame on Facebook. Suspicions confirmed...
Smile-Power in Marriage
Who are you saving your smile for? A disgruntled coworker? A parent you cut off in the drop-off lane? We use smiles in a deliberate way because we know their power. An upward twist of the lips can stop a griping employee in his tracks or ease the tension in a chaotic situation. ...
75 One-Size-Fits-All Christmas Stocking Stuffers
WELCOME TO DAY 2 OF THE STOCKING STUFFER EXTRAVAGANZA! (If you missed Day 1 – Stocking Stuffers for $5 or less – click here.) I call the following ideas for stocking stuffers “one-size-fits-all” because they are gender neutral. If sizes are really involved, you may want to pick the appropriate one for your mate! Here...
A Christmas Carol – 5 Ghosts of Christmas Past
Some people collect stamps. Some people collect art. My husband and me? We collect movie versions of A Christmas Carol. You knew there was more than one, right? We have them in black and white, technicolor, animated, satired, new, old, musical – we’re always on the lookout for one we haven’t seen before. Just in...