Step-maid wistfully wishing she were step-mom instead.

Step-mom or Step-MAID? How to Stop Feeling “Locked Out, Looking In”

I recently received an email from a concerned stepmom expressing frustrations with her living situation and asking how to address them. The letter reflected challenges I’ve heard from many stepmoms over the years, in one form or another.

Her first concern was that she felt like an outsider, or like hired help, rather than feeling like part of a cohesive family unit. This is actually two separate problems, and here’s the crux of it:

You need to feel like a wife, before you’ll start feeling like a mother.

Valentine’s Day is for Kids, Too

Busy Moms and Dads can easily downplay Valentine’s Day or ignore it outright by thinking it’s just “for them” and ignores the needs of their children. Wrong! Valentine’s Day is for kids too, but probably not the way you assume.

A good couple’s relationship is the foundation for a successful, happy family.

Making Valentine’s Day #1

Valentines Day is a symbolic reminder of taking care of your relationship. What does that mean? Romance often takes a back seat to demands of family life such as children’s schedules, schooling, doctor’s appointments and so on. But every couple needs time alone and time to reacquaint. The home “fires” must keep burning!

Practical Remarried Couples Unity Tips

Remarriage can be the best time of your life. You have to wonder whether the bliss can last in the face of intrusive exes, stepchildren acting-out, and a confused spouse. You probably had a sketchy vision of what your marriage would look like, only to find out that the reality of simultaneously starting a marriage and forming a stepfamily is much more complex than you ever imagined.

The glue that binds the family together is the couple, without which there naturally wouldn’t be a family. A healthy, close, loving couple relationship determines the wellness and success of not only the marriage, but of the whole family. The following 5 tips will help you plan, develop, and implement a blue print for an even deeper connection with your spouse.

Tips for Nurturing the Couple’s Relationship

I wonder if you remember when you met your significant other—your feelings, hopes, and wishes as your relationship evolved. You made arrangements for the children, setting aside adult time together. Then, you got married. The adult time turned into a fantasy and a remote memory.

A strong couple creates a strong and stable family. It is a win-win situation for all involved. Here are some tips to help restore the spark and improve the intimacy between the two of you…