Four Ways to Improve Your Love Life

It’s February and love is in the air! But let’s face it: sometimes, cupid’s arrow stings. As passions cool, love may feel distant or prickly even when it’s laying next to us in bed every night. Ah, animosity, resentment, and regret don’t make warm bedfellows. It may feel impossible right now, but what if I…

Bridging the Generational Gap at the Holidays

Over the next few months, millions of families across America will gather for the holidays.  Everyone is wondering who will host and what will be on our menu.  Respectfully, I’d like to suggest another important question: how can I bridge the gap that exists between the generations that will gather around my table this year?…

Managing People Pleasing, Self-Criticism and Comparison

Madonna – we all know her: A wildly successful musician. When I was younger, I remember reading a quote, originally from a 1991 Vanity Fair piece on her life, and it’s stuck with me ever since: “And all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy. I’m always struggling with…

Routines Versus Rituals

Are routines and rituals both needed for a healthy family environment? As human beings we all begin and end things each and every day.  Mealtime, chores, work, school, and many more activities.  One of the most important endings of a day is mealtime and putting our kids to bed.  Both are a time to reconnect…

Summer’s Coming: It’s Time to Enjoy it!

In the book of Ecclesiastes, it is written, “I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13) The Bible is telling us – Enjoy!! With…

Loving Your Kids in Their Language

Valentine’s day; think about what that day means to you. For some, it’s flowers, chocolate and a romantic date night. For others, its new valentine’s pajamas for your kids, buying cards and treats for their classrooms, and making heart shaped food. For some, you experience both of these on February 14th. Valentine’s Day is a…

New Cycle for a New Year: Watch Your T.E.M.P.O.

Emotional cycles are the interactive elements in our relationships with family members, friends, and co-workers. Negative cycles start when we become triggered by a someone’s troubling tone of voice, facial expression, or remarks. Immediately, we will feel an emotion that often prompts us to get angry or anxious. We may feel a bodily sensation due…

Gratitude: Motivation & Practice

Hope for Humility & The Good Life As we gear up for a season with seemingly endless opportunities to receive gifts, I contend that one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is developing a more robust practice of gratitude. Even though we like to believe that we do things altruistically for others most…

I See You, I Hear You

Children want to be seen and heard.  They long for connection with their parent or caretaker. They want to know they are important, loved, and valued.  What does it mean to “be seen and heard”?  It means to be known and for someone to know you and take interest in and validate the things that…