Search Results for: blog holidays and family schedules

Negotiating Family Holiday Visits

Many of us look forward to the holiday season because there are many opportunities to spend time with family. Of course, when families make plans to gather there is the potential for conflict. Whether there is a history of tension between certain family members or not, planning a gathering for a group can bring out both the best and the worst in people. Here are a few tips for handling holiday scheduling headaches if they do arise. Many holiday conflicts occur before the date of the actual family gathering, as family units have to make scheduling decisions about which relatives … Continue reading →

Every child deserves a family – The *right* family.

I grew up in a wonderful family, and I had the most normal childhood imaginable. My parents are still married to this day; there was no abuse, alcoholism, drug use, or neglect going on in my home; and we always had everything we needed, and most of what we wanted. I have always believed that family is the most important thing. The members of your family are the only people who will always be there for you. You should always be able to count on them, and you should always be able to go back home if you need to. … Continue reading →

Alternating Holidays

For those of us who are single parents by separation or divorce, or share custody and parenting with another parent in some way, holiday traditions and holiday time can mean custody negotiations and turning to our parenting agreements to see whose turn it is. There are so many different ways that two-household families “do” holidays–from sharing them to alternating years, holidays, etc. How we handle holidays and how we establish traditions when we have to share can be one of the big challenges of single parenthood. In my world, holidays used to be much more regulated when my children were … Continue reading →

How to Have Peace During the Holidays

With just a few days left until Christmas, many of you are probably stressed out. But you don’t have to be. This year I have not gotten too much into the Christmas spirit because of my situation trying to get back into my house. (Yes, I’m still waiting on the gas inspector). I have been doing so much running back and forth and waiting for this one and that one, I feel like Scrooge. As I write this blog, I have two guys at my house installing new windows. It’s very noisy and they are going to be here for … Continue reading →

Holiday Visitors and the Single Parent Family

Visiting is a HUGE part of what the holiday season is all about—whether it is traveling over the river and through the woods for an old-fashioned family meal, or a cocktail party for coworkers and colleagues, most of us are called up to step up our social lives from mid-November until January 1st. For a single parent family, hosting parties, putting up holiday visitors, and even coordinating childcare for other social outings during this busy season can be a real challenge! Many of you know that I have three children and they all have very different temperaments. When they were … Continue reading →

Coping With Holiday and Vacation Illnesses

When my kids were younger, it seemed we never had a vacation or holiday without at least one of them getting sick. There were fevers on camping trips and cross-country drives, colds over Christmas and Easter break, and just about any time we planned a “get-away” someone got sick. Often several someones got sick. What is it about holidays and vacations that seem to set the stage for family illnesses? There always seemed to be two parts to dealing with the holiday and vacation illnesses—one was the attempt to prevent them, and the other was how to cope and take … Continue reading →

Are You Taking Full Advantage of Freedom and Flexibility?

One of the chief “pluses” people who run their own home businesses claim is the ability to have flexibility and freedom in their work–freedom to set their own schedules, spend time with family and children, and work in an environment that feels comfortable and inspiring. Now that you are running your own home business (or seriously contemplating getting one started), are you taking full advantage of all that potential for freedom and flexibility? It can be tough to “un-train” ourselves after years and years of working more traditional jobs. Jobs where we had fixed hours, or fixed responsibilities or had … Continue reading →

Home For The Holidays: A Family Tradition That Helps Our Troops

What’s your family’s favorite holiday tradition? I told you about some of ours in a previous blog, and I also provided some ideas in case you were looking to add a few new ones to your holiday repitoie. For many families a favorite holiday tradition is simply slowing down long enough to bake up a batch of cookies. It can be especially fun and productive when you allow your kids take the reigns in the decorating department. You may be surprised at how much children can learn participating in a simple task such as baking cookies. For instance, think about … Continue reading →

Holidays and Family Schedules

Wow! There is so much to do, not only to get ready for various holidays, but also the various events throughout the holiday season. There are informal get-togethers with friends and colleagues, community events, school plays, pageants, and more! It can be enough to run even the most organized family ragged, trying to squeeze everything in. That’s why planning is essential. Writing everything down, complete with dates and times, will help you get a much better grasp of the situation. You’ll be able to easily see where conflicts in scheduling may arise, in advance, so you can plan and rearrange … Continue reading →

Tips for Dealing with Stepfamily Holiday Stress

When holidays become nightmares instead of joyous occasions, it’s time to do something different. It takes effort and everyone has to be willing to compromise. Now, some people might stop me there and say, “You don’t know my ex or her (his) parents!” No, I don’t know them, but I know what I had to deal with in the past, and it wasn’t pretty. Even if your ex and his or her family are difficult, you can find ways to make things go more smoothly. I hope some of these tips will prove helpful. Put the Kids First If all … Continue reading →