10 New Year’s Resolutions for Couples (without using the word ‘weight’)
No matter how many challenges you are looking at or how many you conquered in the past year, 2019 is going to be a great year. It is a decision we can make right now. We can’t control everything in our lives, but we can control our choices. Let’s choose a fun way to improve...
Marriage, Ladies’ Home Journal, and the Simple Things That Matter
In January, Ladies’ Home Journal Magazine (LHJ) asked what little things “you and your spouse do for each other” that make the marriage special. My husband and I had fun putting together our list to send in, reminding each other of little things the other had done that made us smile. When we heard back...
Marriage: Troubled Waters or Sea Glass?
Have you ever experienced troubled waters in your marriage? Periods of time when you felt it was broken? Or had events occur that caused so much damage it seemed like the marriage was beyond repair? If you have been married any length of time, odds are good you’ve experienced some hurts, challenges, or obstacles to...
The Garden of Marriage
The seasons of marriage are like having a garden with someone you love. There are distinct stages to get to, get to do, get through, and enjoy, too. Each one serves a purpose and contributes to the strengthening, longevity, and hearty success of the end result. Here are the stages of The Garden of Marriage:...
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...
7 Ways to Get Back the Childhood Magic of the Holiday Season
Think back to the last stress-free holiday season you enjoyed. Remember a time when the most stressful season event was trying not to peek at wrapped Christmas presents when your parents weren’t home? Many of us have to go back to our childhood years to find a time that was more simple pleasures than commercialism. Grab your...
20 Things You Should Not Say to Your Spouse (Part 1)
Words are powerful tools that can be used to lift our mates up and celebrate our unions. They can also be vicious weapons more cutting than the sharpest saber. Used thoughtlessly they can create unintended conflict. To help avoid some of that conflict, I’ve put together a collection of statements that should not be uttered...
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...