Blended Family Breakthrough

Planning the holiday budget might be something you're hoping to avoid!  It's no fun having to put a limit on your giving …right?! But here's the toughest thing about blended family holiday budgeting — it's not really about the money at all.  It's about the emotions. Most step-couples are dealing with dynamics that can pull them apart when they're negotiating how to sp...

Blended Family Life can be a great "classroom" for our kids (and for adults) when we consider some of the positive qualities that develop.  We experience unique challenges that can shape character traits in everyone that may go unnoticed. Being aware of the positive qualities being built into all our blended family members changes the way we show up in the middle of our difficulties.  Ch...

The holiday season for blended families isn't always the joy-filled experience many of us hope for.  We want all the challenges to be set aside — just for a few weeks — so that we can all relax and have some fun.   But the reality is that negotiating schedules with an Ex and having a kid that copping an attitude isn't anyone's idea of fun. Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions...

It can be frustrating when your kids don't seem to notice the great qualities in your spouse.  You can't force them to like their step-parent, but you can help them discover all those great qualities for themselves! Early in our blended family journey, we discovered a strategy that has helped build a deep and lasting bond between Annika (Kim's Daughter) and Mike.   And in this episo...

One of the most challenging seasons we experienced in our stepfamily journey was when my daughter suddenly turned against our family.  And it was heartbreaking to learn that her change of heart toward our home was influenced by some exaggerations and lies that she heard from my Ex. The reality is that you can't change your Ex (even though you might really want to!)  You don't have contro...

Toxic Exes can impact lots of things…and it could be that nothing is more worrisome than how they impact our kids. The good news is that you can counteract the negative influence of that Toxic Ex with some simple tools.  You can guide your kids through their difficult emotions — and you don't have to be a child psychologist to do that well! We'll walk you through the basics of what Dr. J...

Have you ever been forced to choose between two things you love? Kids in blended families seem to be stuck in that position a lot — specifically when it comes to "choosing" between Mom or Dad.  Even though they may not talk about it, many kids feel this way when they're moving between two homes. It's so common that there's a name for it — Parental Allegiance Discover the d...

Recently, we were asked to talk about getting over past hurts and triggers.  This can be a challenging issue for blended family couples. It's natural for us to view new relationships through the lens of our experiences with previous partners.  Even though we may have left our past behind and we're moving on, sometimes circumstances in our current relationship can remind us of a negative...

Eventually, step-couples feel stuck because their parenting-styles seem to be so different.  Their differences often lead to conflict — but what if there's more to the story?   In this episode, we'll explore what parenting-styles really are — and what most couples really mean when they are feeling frustrated that their styles are just too different.  Then we'll offer practical insig...

In this debut episode, we'll share a little of our story, describe what this podcast is all about and give you a challenge that's sure to get you thinking... Full episode show notes available here:  https://support.mikeandkimcoaching.com/001 Click Here to take the updated Blended Family Breakthrough Quiz!

Do you ever feel like blended family life is overwhelming or just too complicated?  We know that feeling too!  Listen in as we share a framework that will help make the complex dynamics much simpler. And don't miss out on downloading our free 5-Focus Framework Cheat Sheet…just click the link below. Full episode show notes available here:  https://support.mikeandkimcoaching.com/002 Click Here...

Does it ever feel impossible to juggle all the relational priorities of blended family life?  We all know that maintaining personal health is a must…spending time alone as a couple will keep us connected…oh, and what about the quality time we should be having as a family? The problem is, there never seems to be enough time to balance it all.  Our suggestion is to STOP trying to balance it all!  In...