Dear Abby had it easy when it came to giving advice. She counseled strangers. From afar. She didn’t see or hear their fury, angst, and excuses when they disagreed with what she had to say. Countless times over the years Tony Bear has shared his giving advice protocol with me. “When people ask for my […]
Cheerleading: One of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Marriage
“Why do you think you and Dad are still together?” Sandwich Child asked me that question last year. For her marriage and family psychology course at Wagner College, she was required to interview both parents. After I told her my theory about love and respect, which I blogged about here, I explained how important it […]
A Prince of a Guy: A Love Story
Some gal wrote a book claiming every girl longs to be swept off her feet, rescued, a bride. Not me. There’s a picture of me when I was small, at a toy ironing board, in a dress-up wedding gown. Mom must’ve made me do it, probably tickled me at the last minute to get me to […]
Christmas, My Way (Aka: Mothers and Daughters-in-law: The Most Conflicted Relationship of All)
For the longest time, I wanted Christmas my way, in my house. Early on in my marriage, I imagined the fulfillment of this desire would require a death—namely, my mother-in-law’s. I certainly didn’t want that, and thankfully, I didn’t get that. Not for the longest time. “Hurry, hurry! Coats and mittens. Zip, zip. Snap, snap!” Out the door, down […]
9 Gift-Giving Tips to Help You Bring Joy to Your World
Are you ready for some Christmas? Either way, you came to the right place. Today you get a bunch of gift-giving tips to make the holiday elf inside of you Happy, not Grumpy. Because grumpy holidays are not fun holidays. Trust me, I speak from experience. Don’t believe me? Click here. Oh, oh, oh, and […]
