Considering Your Spouse’s Point of View

The difference between knowing and really knowing, or feeling, something is amazing. I’m the first person to tell others that a key to any relationship, but especially a marriage, is trying to think from the other person’s point of view. It’s absolutely essential in a marriage, because we are spending the rest of our lives living with this person. The more we try to understand how our spouse thinks, the better off we’ll be. I know this, and yet it’s so hard for me to act on it. For example: once in a while my husband has to work the … Continue reading

What Lessons Did I Teach

What has divorce taught our children about love? I worry about what my divorce has taught Hailey about love and marriage. Unfortunately, most of the people she knows have been divorced, at least once. What does this teach our kids? When I was growing up all of my friends parents were married, my grandparents, aunts and uncles, were all married, to their original spouses. The only divorced person I knew was my mother. It’s the opposite for Hailey, she knows hardly anyone with an intact family. There are a few here and there but it seems they are the exception … Continue reading

Losing Your Identity

Have you ever heard someone speak against marriage because they didn’t want to “lose their identity?” I have to say that I think this is a valid concern for anyone considering a walk down the aisle. I totally believe in the biblical concept that the “two shall become one.” I think your lives must become so intertwined that it is no longer only about you. Now you have to consider someone else’s thoughts and feelings before making decisions. Two become one in making financial decisions, raising the children, and so on. But that doesn’t mean you should lose your identity. … Continue reading

Finding Your Identity in Your Marriage

I never thought much about my life growing up. At times in my adult life when I’ve considered getting married, having kids, I didn’t have anything but my own thoughts at that time to rely on. It’s strange because I’m an obsessive planner for short-term details, but I can’t think of any point in my life when I’ve had a vision for the future. As a kid I always had dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up: veterinarian, zoologist, reporter for National Geographic Magazine, but those were always just fleeting childhood whimsies. I never pictured myself … Continue reading

Things You Just Get Over With Another Baby

I just added baby number 3 to my bunch. It’s been a whirlwind the past 3 1/2 months as we all get used to this new bundle, and as I, the mama, get used to having three kids!! It seems like so many people to raise. And, to some it is, but to other Moms, my little trio of children probably doesn’t seem like any trouble at all. I love this picture of my three little ones. It’s perfection in my mind. It’s real motherhood. It was 10 am and we were all still in PJs and baby brother was … Continue reading

Kids Need More Than Child Support

Why is it that some people seem to think their financial responsibility to their children ends as soon as they sign the child support check? I always laugh at people, men and women, I’m not choosing sides, who say, I give him/her child support, what more do they want? Has anyone ever really thought about what it costs to raise a child alone? Just getting a two bedroom apartment instead of a one bedroom is at least $200 more a month, and that is just the beginning of the additional expenses. I know in my situation every time something came … Continue reading

One Record May Contain More Than You Think

When you are doing your genealogy research, you want to make sure that you get the most information that you possibly can out of each different resource that you search. Sometimes it is hard to know exactly what information you can get from any given resource. Also, you may not be aware that certain records even exist for your ancestors. For example, you would think to look for military records for your grandfather because you have heard stories of his heroic deeds during World War II. However, you may not have thought to check for draft registration cards for his … Continue reading

Are You A Freelance Writer? Have You Tried Blogging?

Whether you are new to freelance writing or you are looking to expand your skill set, I would like to recommend that you give blogging a try. You may be wondering whether there is a place for your unique voice in a group blog or collection of blogs. I know that I was asking myself that very question when I started out. The answer to that question does, of course, depend upon the individual and also upon what blogs are looking for writers and what kind of writers they are looking for. Nonetheless, I would like to encourage you to … Continue reading

I Want To Get New Grandparents For My Kid

So we are not spending any part of the holiday season with my in laws. Not by our choice but theirs and so we are going to try to do things to keep the kids busy every weekend so hopefully they won’t really notice too much. The reality is they don’t spend time with them any other time of the year so the Christmas season should not be much of a change for them. Before my in laws had a biological grandchild they would pick up our kids and take them to look at Christmas lights and have dinner. That … Continue reading

Patience In All Things

Perhaps this might be a blog post for our pregnancy blog, but I feel it is appropriate here too. I am very pregnant awaiting our third child. This has been a difficult pregnancy for me. I was extremely sick in the first trimester, more so than with my other two pregnancies. And, I’ve been extremely swollen this time around. In the past, I delivered a few days earlier than my due date, and this time around, I had my heart set on that. Well, here it is, 2 days away from my due date and no baby yet. With one … Continue reading