Dare to love the most difficult person in your life this Valentine’s month. We all have them–a person in our lives that we struggle to love. Maybe, it is only a season with a difficult toddler, teen, spouse or co-worker. In Al-Anon we say that living with an addict/alcoholic is too much for most of…
Family
Top 10 Tips for Emotionally Sober Holidays
Emotionally Sober denotes the awareness of our emotions as they happen and the ability to choose our responses with maturity and clarity. How do you do this during the busy holiday season? If you are like most families, you run from one holiday party to another. You grab your phone to shop Amazon in between events…
Mother’s Milestone: When Your Baby Turns 13
This is a momentous Mother’s Day, yet another Mother’s Milestone. I am the proud Mom of 2005 model brand new teenager. Although he sometimes gets frustrated with my slowness to absorb his new young “man-ness”, this marvelous change enhances us both. You may have to check back with me in a few years, but I…
How to Imperfectly Parent Your Teen
I am about to be a proud Mother of a new teenager. How do I parent a teen? Hmmm? Here is a little word of caution. Do not read on, if you are embarrassed by buggers, the mention of underwear and kissing. Just move on to the other parenting blogs with better tips and less boy…
The Importance of Windshield Time With Your Teen
The whirling blur that pops in after school grabs a snack and runs out again claims to be my son. How do you get a little private time with the busy teen? Even the classic “windshield time” in the car, now fights the onslaught of portable devices. With the advance of our personal devices, (cell…
Stop Beating Yourself Up–Parent Better with Stress Management Tools
I recently contracted an awful head cold from a water park excursion in Texas. Playing, splashing and sliding at the park proved a great time for the family, but getting on a plane the next day sealed the fate of my sinuses. Frustrated, I thought “Go ahead start beating yourself up for knowing better than…
Finding the Courage to Encourage Your Teenager
If one more person says to me “well that is just how teenage boys behave,” I will hurl. Whose teenage boys? In what country? In what decade? It reminds me of all the wise tales women shared with me during my first pregnancy. Everyone wanted to tell me about having a baby–especially the gory, awful birth gone…
How to Save Your Relationship with Your Teenager
Why am I spending the precious $100 on something as frivolous as breakfast at the Village Inn on Sunday morning? Answer: to save a life–mainly my life and my teenager’s life. Between closing a business, moving and starting to blog my budget is stretched tight. $100 a month is huge for me–a lot of cash…
Are Teens Really Stupid? Parenting Teenagers Guide
My almost teen said to me the other day, “Why do people not like teenagers?’ That broke my heart! Why do people not like teenagers I thought to myself? Not so long ago a teenager brought the perfect child into the world to save us all. I also thought why are we letting science say…
Five Little Tricks For The Best Gingerbread House Decorating
Run, run, run, running down the side of the gingerbread house! Icing that runs, candy that smears, cookies that break, squeeze the fun out of gingerbread house decorating. Cracked gingerbread cookies still taste yummy but lose the effect. Confronting sticky gingerbread dough to non-hardening frosting frustrates even a seasoned baker. 5 Tips to Produce a…
