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New Traditions

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One thing that really seemed to change when I got divorced were our family traditions. Suddenly, they seemed a little empty when it was just the two of us. It became almost easier just to forget about all of our old traditions rather than remind my daughter that her father wasn’t there to share them. For us, the first holidays that came up after the divorce were the summer ones, July 4th, and because we live in Utah, July 24th. Parades, barbeques and fireworks were something we did as a family. That first year we ate sandwiches and watched the … Continue reading →

Maintain Family Traditions

Family traditions are important but many times when children hit their teenage years, they are sometimes stopped. I think there are two main reasons for this. One being that parents assume the teens are “too old” for those activities. Another reason being that our teens don’t act interested or they even come right out and say they aren’t interested, so we just go with it. First of all you can never be too old for family traditions. These are special activities that are unique to your family. They give teens a sense of security and our children need that no … Continue reading →

Celebrating Valentine’s Day with Your Teens

Valentine’s Day is just a few days away. I am already thinking of fun ways to celebrate it with my family. My husband isn’t the only benefactor when it comes to this holiday of “love.” My children are as well. While I express love to my children on a daily basis (most of the time), I appreciate the opportunity to set aside a day where a concentrated effort is made to show how much I love them. Despite my children being teens, they still enjoy it. If you haven’t been able to come up with ideas on how to make … Continue reading →

Should Children and Teens Be Forced to Attend Church?

If you are a church-going family, the odds are high that at some point you may deal with having a child who is no longer interested in attending. This can especially become a challenge when children reach their teenage years. So how do you handle that? Should you force your child or teen to go to church? Well there are two sides of logic when it comes to this issue. There is the side that believes forcing a teen to attend church will only turn them off more. Forcing an issue can sometimes make them more resistant. There is the … Continue reading →

Ringing in the New Year…With or Without My Children

It is one of my most favorite times of the year, New Year’s Eve. My family has always had a tradition of spending it together. We splurge on food items like lobster, shrimp or steak. I stock up on plenty of Welch’s Sparkling Grape Juice. And I always buy a new game for us to play. Most years we also watch a “Three Stooges” marathon. Some years we toast the New Year in while sitting in our hot tub. Other years my eyes are barely open as the clock strikes midnight. But the point is that we are always together. … Continue reading →

Too Old for an Easter Egg Hunt?

I love the holidays. What makes them even more special to me is having children to celebrate them with. Every holiday whether it is Christmas or the 4th of July, tends to take on a new light when there are children involved. One of the traditions we have had since my children were wee, was the annual Easter egg hunt held by family members. To my shock, this year we were told that the egg hunt was officially off. Since my oldest son was going to be an adult in a year and my nephew was turning 16 soon, family … Continue reading →

Valentine’s Day Carnations

Jessie came home from school with an order form for carnations to be delivered to the students on Valentine’s Day. I love this idea. The children can give flowers to their friends or family can send flowers to the children. I couldn’t wait to share the carnation news with all the grandparents. The grandparents were completely on board and just as excited as I was. Grammy and PaPa each gave Jessie one flower and a lovely note. Grandma decided that because Jessie is three then the toddler should have three flowers. She made that decision for Grandpa too. My parents … Continue reading →

The Protector / Securing Personality Type

The “Protector/Securing” personality type, or the ISFJ personality type, describes a person who is an Introvert (I), who perceives the world through Sensing (S), who uses how they are Feeling (F) about the people and circumstances in a situation to base a decision upon, and who views the world from the viewpoint of Judgement (J). If you are an introvert, it means that you are more comfortable focusing on your own inner thoughts and ideas than you are with interacting with a room full of people, especially if those people are strangers, or people whom you do not know very … Continue reading →

There’s a Lesson in Here Somewhere

Christmas isn’t over quite yet… at least in our home. Tuesday we celebrate the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day (formerly known as the “Feast of the Wise Men’’) or the 12th day of Christmas. Or, in the words of my preschooler: “A day for more presents.” For those of you unfamiliar with the holiday, January 6th basically foretells the visit by the Three Wise Men, who followed a star in the night to bring gifts to the infant Jesus. The Epiphany is a major holiday in Latin America, but in recent years it has been increasingly embraced by … Continue reading →

Santa and Science: What Happened to Just Plain Magic?

When your kids ask how Santa Claus is able to visit every house in the entire universe in a single night, how do you respond? My young daughter could careless how Santa is able to fly around the world courtesy of aerodynamic reindeer, sort gifts, slide down chimneys, snack on cookies and deposit coal in some kids’ stockings, and still get home before the sun rises. All she cares about is that Santa delivers. Period. However, when she does get savvy enough to start inquiring about how the big guy is able to cover 200 million square miles visiting hundreds … Continue reading →