A Few Good Pregnancy Books

I have always been into reading, but during pregnancy I was even more so. Especially during my first pregnancy – you know, before I had a little one to take care of and had more time available for reading. I read a lot of things, and like many pregnant women, I spent a lot of time reading about pregnancy and childbirth. There are a lot of books on pregnancy and childbirth out there to choose from. If you have a lot of time on your hands, feel free to explore any and all of them. If time is at a … Continue reading

The Early Years: How Much Do They Really Understand?

The age of your child at the time of your divorce has a profound impact on the way they respond to the changes in their life. Don’t expect them to understand everything that is going on, but be aware, they may know more than you think. Here is a guide to gauge how much your child comprehends the split during the early years and how to ease that transition on them. From birth to 18 months children can feel the tension in the home, but don’t understand the reasoning behind it. They may begin to show some signs of separation … Continue reading

When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief

When someone passes away and goes home to heaven, it is difficult for adults. Can you imagine how it feels to a child who understands “why” even less than an adult does? Children deal with loss a bit differently than an adult does. It is necessary to help them through the grieving process as much as possible. When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief by Marge Heegard is an amazing book where children are presented with a situation or a statement regarding their loss. On each page a statement is made similar to, “this is … Continue reading

Ricky Martin Comes Out

Today, Ricky Martin announced what many had suspected for years – he is homosexual. Martin came into the spotlight as a teen when he joined Menudo, a boys band that replaced members when they turned 16, their voice changed, they grew facial hair, or grew too tall – whatever came first. Martin made a comeback in the early ‘90s with the hit “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” but even then, many question his sexuality, despite a 14 year on-again/off-again relationship with TV host Rebecca de Alba. He avoided the topic, choosing instead to talk about his music rather than his personal … Continue reading

Online Romance Scams

This afternoon Wayne surprised me and came home from work early. Thank goodness I had just woken up from my nap. He’d tease me mercilessly if he found me conked out on the couch. (He thinks that’s what I do all day as it is, which I do sometimes, but not always. But he’d never believe me if he actually caught me in the act.) At any rate, he’d had CPE (Continuing Professional Education) training for half the day. Instead of going in to the office for only a few hours, he opted to skip the drive and come home … Continue reading

How Couples Communicate

Communication is a very important part of a relationship. As many past articles will tell you, it is important for partners to share their feelings with one another. Being clear on your expectations and being open with one another is a key element in relationship survival. How a couple communicates is not near as important as the fact that some communication takes place. There are many different ways that a couple can communicate. In most relationship both verbal and nonverbal communication takes place. The most common way to communicate is verbally through words. Couples express their emotions and ideas through … Continue reading

Homeschooling Week in Review May 12, 2007 – May 18, 2007

This past week on the families.com homeschooling blog, I touched on several interesting topics beginning with some of the reasons I am glad I homeschool. A difficult morning prompted me to write about thoughts of putting the kids back in school. I also gave my top curriculum pick for several subjects and compiled a list of things homeschoolers can do over the summer. Here is the families.com homeschooling week in review May 12, 2007 – May 18, 2007. 12 May 2007 Reasons I am Glad I Homeschool: Unnecessary Competition by Andrea Hermitt is a post about traditionally schooled children taking … Continue reading

Reading With Your Older Preschooler

Before long, your older preschool child (4-5 years old) will be beginning kindergarten. Most kindergarten curriculums are full of reading enrichment and literature. It is very important to continue to read to your child at this age. At this stage, children begin to pay more attention to word form and develop phonological awareness. They can identify if words rhyme or do not rhyme. They can conclude if two words begin the same or differently. Older preschool children are also ready for more reading comprehension. They can make predictions about what will happen next in a story and recall what has … Continue reading

Avoiding Interruptions and Completing Discussions

I have been thinking and writing about communication lately–particularly as it relates to parenting and interacting with our children. One of the problems with having discussions and communicating effectively in the family setting can be all the interruptions! This can make it tough to come to resolutions, pay full attention to the problems and issues at hand, and actually complete important discussions with our children. Here are some tips for making communication a priority and NOT giving in to all those potential interruptions: While some interruptions can come from the environment or other people–such as the ringing telephone, a knock … Continue reading

Coping with an Unfaithful Spouse

This is a difficult topic at the best of times. While the soap opera genre makes its bones on selling infidelity and dishonesty. No one likes to think it could happen to them. No one wants to imagine the scenario where it could or it did happen. More than one divorce can cite infidelity as the crisis point that the relationship never recovered from. Yet, a marriage may survive infidelity and a spouse may be able to cope when they have learned that their spouse was unfaithful. The very thought that your spouse has been unfaithful is enough to leave … Continue reading