By Stephanie Tracey The dining room. Many homes have one, but it is not often used for dining. Usually it ends up as place to drop things to temporarily get them out of the way … backpacks, magazines, school papers, the coat that I’ll need quickly because “I’m going out again in an hour, and
By Ashley McIlwain Personally I’m a fan of Valentine’s Day. Not because I love the commercial craziness of it with all of the overpriced flowers and candy, oversized cards, and overcrowded restaurants. No, what I love is that it gets people thinking about the ones they love and how to express that love. It’s a
By Ashley McIlwain This is a special message to our non-married readers … Heartbreak is devastating, which is probably why people avoid it like the plague. We would pretty much rather endure anything aside from a heartbreak, which explains why so many of us stay in unhealthy, unsatisfying, demoralizing relationships that we know aren’t what
By Ashley McIlwain Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us. Feel free to let out a romantic sigh, frustrated grunt, or any other noise that corresponds with your outlook on this pink-painted, love-dovey day of chocolate and candy. The thing is, regardless of how you feel about Valentine’s Day, it’s a great excuse to show some
By Ashley McIlwain I’m going to get very honest and candid with you. I struggle with major feelings of inadequacy. Spanning from my work to my friendships to my marriage, I constantly battle the feeling that I fall so short of what I should be. That I’m a complete failure and will never measure up.
By Carol McIlwain Ahhhh……..Valentine’s Day. A day devoted to the one you love, usually involving chocolate. What started out as a simple gesture has morphed into an event of gigantic proportions: lavish cards, expensive gifts, and destination celebrations. Now, don’t get me wrong. Those are all great ways to celebrate, but not always practical. A
By Steve McIlwain Hubs here. First of all, this is not about babies. It’s more about “What About Bob?” A new year has arrived. With it comes the hopes and dreams of a new you; a healthier lifestyle, better relationships, kick bad habits, learn something new. New Year’s resolutions abound in countless forms and styles,
By Ashley McIlwain I was watching one of the popular New Year’s Eve shows while awaiting midnight, and something struck me as interesting. The network was telling its viewers to weigh in on what they wanted more of in 2013. Hands down the leading choice was to spend more time with family. That tells me
By Ashley McIlwain It’s not enough to just get your checklist together and completed for “how to have a great marriage.” Anyone can do that. Anyone can come up with a list of to-dos and check them off one by one. If you really want to improve your marriage … to make it the best
By Coleen York There seems to be a rumor going around that it’s not okay to be not okay. That it’s not okay to need help, to feel to the extreme, or to even not know what to do. Somewhere along the line we have believed that in order to be worth the approval and
