The best lessons for marriage can sometimes come from resources unrelated to the topic. For example, Adam Grant wrote an intriguing book called Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. This book is intended for a business audience, but I also believe there are crossover elements for intimate relationships. His theories detail 3 categories of […]

The birth of a child is often a celebrated event. However, this event is followed by an adjustment period for all members of the family, but most especially the new mother. It is common for her to experience a large range of emotions such as happiness, joy, feeling overwhelmed, or even sadness. Feelings of sadness […]

The Truth behind the Highlight Reel Often times we use social media as a highlight reel. So, we post the happy pictures where things in life seem to be going smoothly. We often believe the lie that the people and experiences we post are as truly happy and care-free as we curated them to look. Before […]

Happy Holidays, friends! Last month, I wrote a blog on how to survive your first Thanksgiving as a married couple If this is also your first Christmas as a married couple, it must be such an exciting time! This time of year is already so full of magic, companionship, and love. If you live in […]

Part 2:  Thriving vs. Surviving the Empty Nest The tough part of becoming an empty nester is over!  You have already taken a ride on that not so fun emotional roller coaster after launching your child out of the nest and into the world.  Now that you are learning how to deal with the hole […]

It is no secret that most people nowadays need more exercise. Turn on the TV or pick up a magazine and you will see dozens of ads, interviews, and articles talking about obesity, diabetes, the latest diet crazes, and ways to work out in a short time. It is also not a secret that many […]

Going through a separation or divorce is emotional for both adults and children. Children frequently do not understand the reason or meaning behind a divorce, thus creating confusion, anger, and stress.  Oftentimes, children will internalize the blame for problems that led to the divorce. Their left with unjustified feelings of shame, guilt, and self blame.  […]

What’s really happening in the brains of new parents? When my husband and I found out we were pregnant, we were showered with encouragement.  The “Congratulations!” were mixed with comments like “Your life is over”, or “Everything will change” (in some creepy horror movie narrators voice) leaving me feeling a little apprehensive about the baby […]

When I first started this blog post I had a pretty straightforward idea of what it would look like. I was going to describe adoption as something that comes from a deep love and that parents who adopt love their children fiercely. I was going to find some empirical data to back up my hypothesis. […]