by Gayla | Feb 13, 2013 | Balance, Blog, feelings, love, stepfamily marriage
Have you made plans for Valentine’s Day yet? If not, please do. As a stepcouple, you deserve a night out to celebrate your marriage and enjoy time as a couple.Stepfamily life includes too much time trying to cope with the everyday strain of kid issues, or...
by Gayla | Jan 30, 2013 | attitude, Balance, Blog, conflict, Grace, stepfamily relationships, Uncategorized
It’s easy to think we must be perfect in our stepfamily interactions and make huge steps every day to strengthen our relationships. But that isn’t true. Small steps on a regular basis can result in huge dividends with your stepfamily. Here are ten easy...
by Gayla | Dec 18, 2012 | Balance, Blog, stepfamily holiday tips, stepparenting choices, successful stepparenting
Have you purchased our holiday e-book yet? Here’s a portion from Chapter 2 that I wrote: “It’s easy to create narcissistic children who feel entitled to receive every gift they ask for when we give them too much. It’s an unhealthy practice and,...
by Gayla | Aug 15, 2012 | attitude, Balance, Blog, expectations, Prayer, stepparenting choices
Our youngest son started middle school last week as a 6th grader and has had some intimidating moments at his new school. He started off in the wrong classroom for homeroom but didn’t discover it until the teacher called roll. He left to go to the correct...
by Gayla | Aug 9, 2012 | Balance, Blog, boundaries, love, stepfamily relationships
My stepson moved from Conway, AR to Austin, TX this past week. After graduating from college, he opted to explore the big-city scene of Austin as a single person. He spent a few days at our house during the transition. The weeks prior to the move, we were in contact...
by Gayla | Feb 28, 2012 | attitude, Balance, Blog, character, feelings, love
If you watched any portion of the Academy Awards Sunday night, you must have noticed the number of women who looked unusually thin. And the media makes it worse by talking about how good these women look! I love this post by Christina Katz and am re-posting it with...
by Gayla | Nov 29, 2011 | Balance, Blog, peace, stepfamily holiday tips, stepfamily relationships, successful stepparenting, take care of yourself
Our family leaves on an extended holiday trip in just over 2 weeks and I keep wondering how I’m going to get everything done. So, here are a few tips I’ve created to help myself maintain balance during this busy time of year...
by Gayla | Aug 31, 2011 | Balance, Blog, Finances
With three kids in college, our family is learning how to live on a budget again. It’s not easy, but it isn’t the first time finances have been tight at our house. Most stepfamilies will encounter periods of financial distress. The complexity of:...
by Gayla | Aug 25, 2011 | attitude, Balance, Blog, Change, stepparenting choices
As another school year gets underway, many stepfamilies are adjusting to new routines. Stepchildren may be adjusting to different expectations at Mom and Dad’s house with homework and after-school activities. Stepparents may be forced to alter everyday patterns...
by Gayla | Mar 4, 2011 | attitude, Balance, Blog, character, feelings, forgiveness, stepparenting choices, take care of yourself
What’s stressing you today? Have the little things of life become big things because you’re having trouble letting go? Is your stepchild relationship experiencing a small leak that’s about to lead to a blowout?How we react to what happens around...
by Gayla | Jan 19, 2011 | Balance, Blog, boundaries, take care of yourself, Waiting
Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” Francis Chan I’ve always admired Tony Dungy. As head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, he was the first African American coach to...
by Gayla | Jan 11, 2011 | Balance, Blog, Guilt, peace
Five inches of snow fell in Central Arkansas yesterday. We rarely get to experience the fluffy white stuff so our town always enjoys a break from the routine when snow appears. You could find kids on every corner making snowmen, sledding down the biggest hill in town,...