By Ashley McIlwain If you’ve ever been in a room with parents and their children, there will likely emerge some parenting themes. They are those lessons that parents are constantly trying to instill in the impressionable minds of their little people. In an attempt to mold their children into productive human beings that can co-exist
By Ricinda Perry In closely observing people who have had success, including my recently turned-four year old (she can out-negotiate her parents any day and twice on Sunday … and we are both attorneys), I have seen a close correlation between one’s attitude and their level of success. As an attorney, we are trained to
By Ashley McIlwain Life has a way of keeping us on the go. We feverishly check items off of our to do list only to find ourselves adding even more to the end of it. Our calendars are full, our lives chaotic, and our emotional and physical tanks down to fumes. Sadly it’s our marriage
By Ricinda Perry “Would you edify me please?” These words have resonated and continued to replay in my mind over and over. It wasn’t long ago that my husband and I went on a trip to North Carolina. While the setting was warm and inviting during our stay, the couple we were visiting had no
By Ashley McIlwain You’ve been waiting for this moment. A break away from work, responsibilities, and the kids. It’s just you and your spouse … finally. It’s more of a rare occasion than you’d like to admit, but here you are. But now what? There’s a moment of panic as the awkward silence takes over.
By Ricinda Perry When that unexpected compliment comes along, it can change your whole day. That is what happened to me a couple of times this week. At a random moment when I was focused on a number of other things, including a personal rock concert starring my three year old daughter in the middle
By Ashley McIlwain My sister, her daughter, and husband came to stay with us over Labor Day weekend. Together, we laughed, played, and made memories along the way. It was so much fun being together. One of the best parts though was having my 3 and ½ year old niece there. Seeing the world through
By Ricinda Perry Smooshed together like a yummy quesadilla. Have you every felt like things are a little messy at home? I’ve been feeling like my church, family and work life are all mixing up together. As I was working on dinner, I suddenly realized we were functioning like a smooshed up yummy quesadilla with
By Ricinda Perry We have all been there … challenges with our in-laws. While reading this article, keep in mind that when you married your spouse, his or her family became your family. When we were dating, we liked to show the good side of our family and the good side of our spouse to
By Ashley McIlwain There’s just something special about summertime. It energizes and invigorates. It excites, and it awakens. It warms the body and the soul. Its sunshine seems to penetrate every part of our being with its golden glow. Yup, there’s just something special about summertime. If you feel the same way about summer as
