This is part of a series on getting kids to bed at night and keeping them in their rooms. To read the first part of the article, please click here. Allison is a licensed therapist and mom. Here is how she and husband Derrick get their kids to bed in a reasonable amount of time each…
Being Beautiful
Have you ever got a case of the ugly or the fat? Times in your life when no matter how many outfits you try on or which angle you look at yourself in the mirror you just do not feel pretty. My husband knows to steer clear of the bedroom when these days hit…
Plan an “Epic Summer Challenge” with your kids + 2 other ideas for a GREAT summer!
Summer can be a challenging time for moms who not only have to juggle the regular tasks: housework, errands, cooking…but the kids being home all day, too! It can be difficult to maintain your summer coolness as a mom of school aged children. But to help you out, here are my 3 cheap tricks…
Counseling can help with that! Would I benefit from seeing a therapist? What can I expect?
Feeling more irritable than usual? Feeling overwhelmed with life? Relationships a bit of a mess? Are you just not feeling like you? Good news! Counseling can help with that. What can a counselor do for you? Create Understanding Provide a safe space for your voice to be heard Simplify the Complicated Facilitate Personal Development How…
Uncertainty
“Spread love everywhere you go, let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” Mother Teresa The whispers of grey in my curls are a soft reminder of approaching middle age. Being 38 years old I am well aware 40 is around the corner. I do not know quite what to think…
How to Cultivate a Heart of Gratitude in Your Kids- Plus! 5 Best Free Printable Thank You Notes for Kids!
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is good for the soul. But I admit my children have never written a thank-you note. I know, I know (Diana’s article on Making Handwritten Notes a Priority is shaking it’s head at me.) In my defense I did not enjoy writing thank-you notes as a child and I wanted…
Oh no what did they just say?!? 3 simple ways to be a better listener (and not miss anything!)
Becoming a better listener takes a lot of effort, practice, and patience. But one of the best gifts we can give a friend is taking the time to truly listen to them. Some of us are born with the gift of listening ears. Others need a little practice to develop the skill of listening. So,…
When did we stop having fun?!? 8 easy ways to add fun back into your marriage
I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about what Married Couples Won’t Tell You. It looked a marriage from a stockbroker’s perspective. Needless to say, marriage was rated as a poor investment. Oh, of course I disagree. I love being married. It is one my favorites. There are a lot of words to…
What I learned about parenting from potty training three kids
I despised potty training. None of my children were “easy” to potty train. I tried stickers, bribes, making a big deal out of buying underwear, putting the kids on the toilet every hour, having them run naked all day outside, and still it took an average of 9 months to potty train each child. My…
Practice Happy. Be Happy.
A few weeks ago during family dinner I announced that due to the increasing number of complaints about my cooking, the family could only say what they liked about the meal and keep their dislikes to themselves. I was really hoping this would be a great family lesson in happiness and gratitude. But, then my…