The 10 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make
Parenting is the toughest job in the world – and also the most important. Unfortunately, the doctor didn’t send any of us home with a manual when we left the hospital with our infant. Most moms rely on friends and family for their best parenting advice – although none of those people are usually trained, […]
5 Secret Ingredients for Successful Parenting
Are you giving everything you have to be a successful parent? Do you feel like you have tried everything but your kids still misbehave and you are a completely stressed out parent? Effective parenting is like baking – if one key ingredient is left out, the cookies are not going to come out right. You […]
4 Big Keys to Drastically Improving Your Child’s Behavior
Do you have an unruly or sad child? Is your child hyperactive and/or defiant? Are time outs, discipline and shouting matches not working? I have done hundreds of hours of research on discipline and behavior with children. I have put to test every tip I read to practice on my own children. It all boils down […]
When Your Child Won’t Play Sports
Is your child not wanting to play sports? Is she the weakest player on the team? Are you ready to quit your sports team because your child is unhappy? Are you using negative reinforcement to try and get your child to “perform”? Hayden’s Story In the summer of 2009 my daughter Conley joined the YMCA […]
What To Do If Your Child Is a ‘B’ or ‘C’ Student
If I could change one thing about our world, it would be to completely re-vamp our education system, how we teach children, what we teach children and how we measure success in school. Our education system focuses on academics: math, science, English and history. This is great for the 15% of kids who are academically […]
Where Has the Handshake Gone?
Years ago, my husband and I were living in Germany so he could finish school. I was 6 months pregnant, and we had to drive 2 hours away to a little town called Ohlsbach to secure a place to live when my husband’s semester started back. We found this elderly couple who was renting their […]
Do Kids or Marriage Come First? 19 Date Night Ideas
Before I had children I always heard the phrase “children come first”. Then I started reading books on marriage and the common lesson repeated over and over was “marriage comes first”. So which one is it? The kids or you? As selfish as this might sound, you and the well-being of your marriage must be […]
Mortgage Calculator – What House You Really Can Afford To Buy
I cringe when I read inspirational or financial books that encourage people to strive to buy their “dream home.” What kind of message does that send? That people can only be as happy as the size of the home they live in? That they are better parents for providing a bigger home for their children? […]
Mortgage Calculator – How To Avoid Foreclosure and Live Stress-Free
Well, we have all seen what happens when we live beyond our means: millions of Americans lose their home and cause the biggest economic disaster since the Great Depression. Have we learned anything here – or will a million more families buy a home this year that they really can’t afford? If you follow my advice, […]
Traveling With Kids – How to Keep Your Sanity!
I’m not going to lie to you. Traveling with kids can be torture – especially if you are traveling overseas. Since my parents live 6 hours by car and my in-laws live in Germany (24 hours via planes, trains and automobiles) I have done my share of traveling with small children. I am lobbying for […]
Inviting People From Around the World To Our Home For Thanksgiving
Usually our Thanksgiving consists of us driving 3 1/2 hours to North Dallas to join my grandparents, parents, cousins, aunt, uncle and all 400 kids for brunch. This year, we decided to stay home and have a Thanksgiving like no other. We invited 5 students from different countries around the world who had never experienced […]
Our Big Fat German Baptism
So you think a Greek wedding is big and fat? Wait until you try a German Baptism. My son Bodie was Baptised in my husband’s hometown church in Wurmlingen, Germany on August 22nd. Here is a breakdown of the 14-hour event: 9am: We met 15 of our German relatives at the church 10am-11am: Baptism was […]