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Learning to Blog Again

Do you have that one thing on your To-Do list that always seems to slip to “tomorrow”?  Blogging has become that thing for me.  I think about it a lot.  I make notes about topics I want to discuss.  I even edit pictures that I plan to incorporate into upcoming posts.  And then the procrastination sets in.  I’ve even thought about giving it up altogether.  I mean, this blog started as a hobby.  It…

Don’t look now the holidays are HERE!

One moment we’re celebrating the arrival of cooler temperatures and pumpkin spice lattes, and before you can even wipe the whipped cream from your lips the store décor has changed to peppermint stripes and inflatable Santas proudly announcing that you have 5 weekends left to shop for Christmas. Ack!

To be honest, Christmas shopping is the last thing on this momma’s mind right now. We are…

Are you Kind to the Girl in the Mirror?

Visualize for a moment… you’re walking past a full length mirror and suddenly you stop and notice something.  What do you see?  Is there one part of your body to which your attention automatically goes?  Now listen.  What is the voice in your head saying?

This is the area I probably struggle with the most.  My head-voice is not kind.  In fact, if I spoke to anyone else on the planet the way I…

-Guest Post by Dan Burges

In the post divorce / blended family world, transition days are an event.  While each day brings with it a unique level of chaos, the twice a week transition day is always a momentous endeavor in our home.

It’s used to be a simple backpack and out the door. But as the kids age, it’s cheer uniforms, football gear, homework, school projects, “daddy I have to wear this…

Why I Want to be a Mean Mom

Do you ever feel like you’re too nice?  Are there days when the kids seem to walk all over you?  Do you wish you could set firm boundaries?  Me too!  That’s why I’m determined to work toward becoming a Mean Mom.

Okay, obviously I don’t really want to be mean, but some lessons in tough love certainly wouldn’t hurt.  I even made a list of some areas that need attention in our home.  Perhaps some…

All’s Fair in Love & Chores

CHORES!  There are as many different ways to tackle this subject as there are ways for kids to avoid doing them.  Chore battles are not unique to blended families, but they can become a battleground of “your kid – my kid” if you don’t handle with care.  Unless you live in Cinderella’s home, I’d like to believe that no step-parent is purposely trying to distribute chores unevenly.  However, in…

Every journey begins with a single step, but you’ll never finish if you don’t start.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re making great progress toward a specific goal other areas of your life start falling into place as well? I believe it’s because of the discipline and strength of character it takes to follow through.  The first step is always the most difficult.  After that, you just keep…

Finding a Reason to Celebrate

Yesterday was our 6th wedding anniversary.  Are blended family years counted the same as dog years?  That would make this number 42.  Sometimes it feels like it’s aged me that much.  This year has been a rough one.

In fact, I wasn’t planning to celebrate or even observe this anniversary.  I wanted to postpone it until I felt a little more like our heads were above water.  But then I thought to…

How to Really, Really Love your Blended Family

I am frequently guilty of negative self talk.  Do you do it too?  I don’t know when or why it started, but I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have brain chatter filled with messages of not being good enough, smart enough, pretty enough.  I have a hunch the real payoff in this behavior is that I am constantly preparing myself for rejection. (every behavior has a payoff)  If I’ve already said…

You Are Not Alone

I will never leave you or forsake you. -Hebrews 13:5

Today is day 7 of a new devotional called “Hope for the Weary Mom” and just when I was starting to feel like the authors were speaking more to new mothers than to a seasoned mother of 5, today’s message jumped off the page and smacked me upside the head.

Why?  Because some days, in the midst of the craziness and constant activity of our blended…

10 Life Lessons Learned while Rafting

Have you ever been rafting? What an amazing adventure! I went last weekend for the first time, along with my husband and two of our children. We all loved it, and afterward I couldn’t help but reflect on the important lessons we learned…

Listen to your guide.

The water was high so only guided raft trips were offered on what is usually a river filled with tubes (the Guadalupe in New Braunfels,…

Fixer-Upper: Heart and Home

Miracles are happening in Grapevine, Texas!

Miracle #1     We bought a house!

Miracle #2     We moved without anyone in the family killing each other.

Yes indeed, God is in control. If I didn’t believe that before, this move was truly evidence that He cares about every detail of our lives. Here’s why…

Just before we closed on the house, my husband lost his job. We thought right then that the…

a Battle Plan to Fight for your Family

I have been neglecting my blogging duties. Well, not entirely. I have kept up my monthly contribution to the Good Enough Mother site. If you haven’t been there be sure to check it out! Apparently I need to have deadlines in order to force myself to put thoughts to paper (or computer screen). However, this blog has been sorely lacking.

To be honest, “neglecting” isn’t the correct word; “avoiding”…

Daddy’s Home

My family loves to go to the movies. Problem is, we rarely agree on our entertainment choices. Yesterday was no different as my husband and I attempted to find a good one in which to treat our 4 boys as a Christmas outing. We nearly gave up as we argued our way through the ticket line, finally reluctantly choosing “Daddy’s Home” and angrily forking over $65 for tickets.

The price of movie tickets…

In Search of Balance

This blog has taken a bit of a detour, as has my life, over the past few months. My quest to become a fitness competitor just might have bordered on a teeny-weeny bit obsessive. The quest is not over, but I am taking a few weeks to work on an important part of this journey… balance.

Related: NPC Bikini – There Will be Tears

Becoming a competitor takes a lot of focus and dedication, but so does…

Chasing NPC Bikini: Build More Booty

Contest prep is over. Now what?

If you’ve been following my journey you may be wondering… when was the contest?

Well, I did not actually compete. Not yet.

Remember, 10 years ago I lost 65 lbs. Even after all this time, I still have some extra skin to deal with.

This prep was just the first step in discovering what that skin would look like once we burned through the fat.  All firm and tight?

We…