Positive Parenting Might be your Style

Parents today have a plethora of parenting styles to choose from. Have you figured out what your parenting style is yet? If not, then perhaps Positive Parenting might be your style. Positive Parenting is a style that is intended to lessen stress and form healthier relationships between parents and their children. It is not an authoritarian parenting style. Other phrases that have been used to describe Positive Parenting include: positive discipline, gentle guidance, or loving guidance. Physical punishment, such as spanking, is absolutely not a part of Positive Parenting. It isn’t about “teaching your child a lesson”. Instead, this parenting … Continue reading

If You’re Grumpy and You Know It…Read a Book!

Logan has been pretty grumpy lately. I’m not really sure why, and frankly I’m not even sure if he knows why most of the time, but I’ve been a little concerned about it for a while. I noticed the change about a month or two ago and started looking for solutions to the problem. We talked about it often and most of the time I got very little response out of him. I knew something was bothering him, but he couldn’t seem to vocalize what it was. Instead he would hit, kick, scream, and throw things. I was at a … Continue reading

Connecting With Your Toddler

It has been said that a toddler who feels a strong connection with his or her parents is more likely to be happy. Fortunately for parents, there are many ways that you can strengthen the connection that you have with your toddler. Even better, there are not likely to be any adverse effects from nurturing that connection as frequently as you can. Perhaps the essence of building a connection with your toddler can be summed up in two easy to remember words, time and attention. If you are anything like me, you may feel that time and attention are two … Continue reading

Sleeping in Separate Beds: You’re Not Alone

Our culture believes that couples who sleep in separate beds are either experiencing or inviting problems in their marriage. Because I’m a light sleeper, I’m a firm believer that couples should be free to sleep separately if necessary. Jon and I almost always sleep together, but if one of us is restless we move to another bed, to keep that person from being woken up. I know that sleeping in the same bed improves intimacy. Once kids are part of the equation alone time between couples is scarce, and time in bed together, even if it’s just the process of … Continue reading

Better Left Unsaid

After a difficult divorce it is probably no secret that you aren’t the most fond of your ex. Unfortunately, you are left dealing with them because you get the joy of co-parenting your children together, which isn’t always an easy task when there are ill feelings on both sides. But, like it or not these children came into the world because of both of you. Because of this it is important to never say anything negative about their other parent. They are one half of each of you. Every time you say something negative about their father you are teaching … Continue reading

A Simple Thank You

It’s amazing the effect that those two little words can have on people. It is important to show your appreciation when someone has gone out of their way to do something nice for you. Those two words can make all the difference in your relationship. When you are in a co-parenting relationship, you are often asked to compromise and work together. This isn’t always easy, and it is often inconvenient, but you do it for the sake of your children. Can you imagine what a simple “thank you” would do here? When you forget to thank your ex for working … Continue reading

Building a Platform through a Website or Blog

In my last couple of blogs I have been talking about building a platform as a writer. It is the first step toward marketing anything you wish to sell. It is also what can bring in more readers and subscribers. In today’s blog we are going to be looking at how you build a platform through a website or blog. Social media is one of the best ways to do this but next in line is your personal blog or website. Ideally, you should purchase your own domain name. You will have to first check and see if someone already … Continue reading

How Prepared Are You?

Brush fires are common here in Utah. Our climate is particularly dry and the heat has definitely hit early this year. The number of fires is astounding. Most are kept under control, but what happens when you find your home is threatened by these deadly flames? Many people have been evacuated from their homes tonight as another such fire has come dangerously close to their homes. Whenever I hear of natural disasters such as these I am reminded just how unprepared I really am for them. What do you take with you when you have only moments to clear your … Continue reading

Put Aside Your Pride

As a new single parent the most overwhelming thing is finances. How are you going to support this family? Many of us were stay at home moms or only worked part time. To go from that to be solely responsible for your children is like night and day. It helps if you ex is good about paying child support but unfortunately, for many reasons, many ex’s aren’t always current on their support so you can’t really count on it. The first thing you need to do is figure out what you have and what you can do. If you have … Continue reading

Preschool Primer Part 1 – Is Your Child Ready?

Recently, it dawned on me that at some point in the future Dylan will not be spending all of his days at home with me. Preschool is a topic that I have not yet given much thought, so it is time for me to learn what it is all about. Today I decided to start at the beginning, with the question of determining when a child is ready to begin preschool. Dylan will be two and a half years old this month. That is the age at which many preschools begin accepting children into their programs. For some reason, I … Continue reading