"What's mine is mine and what's yours is ours." This is a popular phrase that many married women say when (playfully) explaining how they wish money would be divided in their marriage. When I got married five years ago, my husband and I made a brave decision in regards to money in our marriage. We decided that: "What is mine is mine, what is his is his and what is ours … [Read more...]
Stop the Madness! 3 Ways that Facebook is Ruining Marriages
Every couple of months one of my married friends has a complete "breakdown" on Facebook and airs their marriage's "dirty laundry" for all of Facebook to see. The "dirty laundry" ranges from accusations of cheating, to calling out past mates or accusations of not being loving. But, the one thing that all of them have in common is that in their moment of weakness … [Read more...]
How to Keep the Peace When Flying with Kids
What's more terrifying than a 3 day vacation alone with your mother-in-law? I will tell you what....an airplane + three kids+ mommy - hubby = disaster. A couple of months ago I decided to take a plane ride with my three kids (two of them under the age of 3) without my husband, in one of the busiest airports in the country, Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. You see, I was … [Read more...]
Bad Parents! Please Come and Get Your Kids!
It seems that in every song, sung by an adolescent singer, I hear lyrics about sex, love, hustling, and a host of other things that are not appropriate for their age group. However, what officially sent me "over the edge" was when I happened to come across a pint size (13 year old) rapper whose lyrics can't be repeated in this article. But to give you a glimpse in the … [Read more...]
Mean Girls Better Leave My Daughter Alone
Raising a daughter is hard, especially when you know that one day they'll have to deal with the "mean girls" at school. Unlike the movies it doesn't just happen in high school, now it has moved down to elementary school--even invading my daughter's Pre-K class! If you know anything about girls, you know that instead of being blatantly rude there are several ways to be "mean" … [Read more...]
When I WANT to Be Superwoman-4 Jobs I Must Do as a Wife!
A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about three jobs that my husband HAS to do in our marriage. While these jobs may seem small, he is required to do them in rain, sleet, snow, natural disaster and quite possibly even when the world ia ending. While none of the jobs are "serious," they help make my life easier. And for that, I appreciate that he does them without much … [Read more...]
Should You Run Your Marriage Like a Business
Read this scenario: Jack meets Jill at a party. They fall in love. And within a year, they're married in front of all their closest family and friends. Six months into the marriage, Jill finds out that Jack isn't the man she married--he's mean, selfish and can barely keep a job. She goes to file for divorce but finds out she's pregnant. They decide to work it out because … [Read more...]
4 Ways To Get Along With Your Child’s Teacher This School Year
With Labor Day behind us, most students are already in school. Not only is the the first week of school stressful to the students, but it is also stressful to the parents who send their kids into the school building to a new teacher, a new curriculum and new students. There's always the classic worries for our kids such as bullying, drugs and other bad influences. But … [Read more...]
Can A Single Woman Do Too Much Before Marriage?
As a woman, who graduated college in four years (despite being a parent), purchased her first home by age 23, and who was the first person in her immediate family to go to college, I can say I'm "driven". I've been that way since I was old enough to see my mom struggle with her independence after she divorced my dad. I had a yearning to make sure that I never had to rely on … [Read more...]
What Happens When Wives Go On Strike: The Experiment That Went Wrong!
As a mother of 3 and wife to 1, I do it all. I wash (and fold) multiple loads of laundry every day, I wipe snotty noses all day long, I referee fights, I pay bills, I negotiate contracts, I register the kids to school, I coordinate multiple doctor's appointments and I even act as a consultant when a family disagreement comes about. I literally do it all--and many times … [Read more...]
Is Disciplining a Boy A Mother’s Job or Father’s Job?
"One day you're going to have to give him to me!" These are the words that my husband shouted as he stormed off after having an argument about disciplining our 12 year old son. You see for years I had "babied" our son as my husband worked long shifts at his job to provide for our family. I did everything a doting mother would do. I wiped his tears when he cried, I … [Read more...]
How to Get Your School Shopping Done Without Going Broke
Our family of five is full of three "little people" who every Fall happen to send us to the poorhouse based on their needs for school. Each year the school supply list gets longer, the uniform policy seems to get more expensive, and our household budget seems to shrink. We especially seem to feel the tightness when it comes to Back to School Shopping. My preteen wants the … [Read more...]
Does Your Spouse Need a “Permission Slip to Go Out (Without You)?
Permission Slip (n)"”a slip given out to a child when a parent's permission is needed to attend an event. The event is usually promised to be lots of fun"”mainly because you get to leave your regular settings and enjoy other people's company. Before I got married, I enjoyed the fact that I was able to come and go as I pleased. If I wanted to stay out to 4am I could"” no one … [Read more...]
So You Want Me To Be a Stripper, Cook, Banker and Model?
In marriages today us women are held to a standard that most men can't even think about obtaining nevertheless maintaining. You see women are supposed to move in the bedroom like a stripper, look like a model, cook like Betty Crocker, be a great mom like Claire Huxtable and manage money like Bill Gates. Where did I get these expectations you may ask? Of course, I got these … [Read more...]
I Need a Second Honeymoon that Looks Like This
It's been 1825 days since I married my college sweetheart. We had a beautiful wedding with a picturesque setting on a lake house with all of our family and friends and then went on a glorious honeymoon on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. For seven days, we left all of our problems in the states and wined and dined just like newlyweds should do. When we finally returned to … [Read more...]