Enjoying Your Blended Family

Is looking at Christmas lights a tradition for your family every year? If it's not then it could be a really fun way to hang-out with your family. If it is your thing already, we also share some cool ways you can add to the fun and make it an adventure. A few ways we share in this episode: Solo adventures with certain family members As a family outing Scavenger hunt style Special Light Shows We al...

It's easy to focus on all the problems we see, and most of us don't take time to reflect on the good we've done.   Being able to take time and reflect on some of your wins in your family is very powerful at building encouragement and hope. This is a step we don't always take as parents enough. We can often see it as being modest or not being prideful, but celebrating our victories is always a good...

We have some extra-special guests with us on this episode (you've gotta listen to get the reference)!   Join us as we hear from the creators of Take Me With You (previously known as Travel Date Nights) .    Garrett and Mandi have set out to help families create those lasting memories together by seeing the world through traveling (and you don't even have to leave your house to do it).   Travel cre...

Some quote Edison saying, "I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb." (and I would say he was pretty successful!)   It's easy to be hard on ourselves when we mess up parenting, or even to admit that we have messed up in certain areas. But when we can look at our failed parenting moments as learning opportunities and ways we can become better...

There's power in dating your spouse!   Unfortunately,  this can be the first thing that gets put to the side. Life gets busy, spending quality time with our spouse falls further apart. Then our marriage can start struggling.   But what if it could be easier to plan and make happen?    Jamee shares how Date Crates was created to help couples make date nights fun, easy, and exciting.   All the way f...

'Tis the season to be merry.    But what happens when your kids are with their other parents and not with you during the holidays? Maybe you have them only for part of the time and wished you had more time with them.    This can have a way of sucking the merry right out of the holidays and give you a "Blue Christmas" as Elvis would sing.   This can be challenging in a blended family, but there are...

We are talking about intimacy and the "S" word in this episode.    It's so important as a married couple to make sure you make this a priority in your marriage. When you do, you stay better connected with each other. When you're better connected, you are better parents for your kids.   And besides, it's just a fun thing married couples get to do. Why not have as much healthy fun with it as you can...

Mo Money, Mo Problems! (ok, sorry for the Biggie reference) Money can be another factor that can suck the joy out of the holidays. The holidays can have a way of turning our lives into a money pit. This is the second part in our Enjoying the Holidays episodes. Instead of turning the whole next year into a financial recovery period, there are other ways to keep the joy of the holidays without money...

We are entering into the holiday season. This is the first episode out of three that we are focusing on keeping our joy throughout the holidays.   It is so easy to let the busyness of the holidays and the stress steal our joy. We talk about real expectations in this episode.   It's easy to have high expectations or even false expectations for our blended family moving into the holidays. If we can...

Backyard games that can be played in the front yard, side yard, or any yard, it just sounds more appropriate to call them backyard games.   We talk about 9 outside games that you can use over the holidays with your family that will create some fun and laughs. Use these to pull everyone off the couch and get them out of their rooms so you can grow your relationships over having fun together.   If y...

"We're redistributing all the gifts this year!" (just kidding, seriously)    The holidays can be a time of a lot of blended family drama, that's why we had to make a part 2. We answer 3 more popular blended family questions that can cause a lot of drama around the holidays.   This gives you more ideas on ways to make your holidays go a lot smoother in your family. If you haven't listened to part 1...

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike, I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like" (can you guess the band this song lyric came from?)   That's right, we are taking an old school thing and bringing it back with a few twists and turns (ha, ha, bike humor). Here are some fun ideas you can use to create cool opportunities for your family to have fun together. We share a fe...

Surely nobody has any holiday drama at their house, right?!?   We know all too well that's not true in a blended family. Sometimes it seems like we have more than our fair share of holiday drama.   In this episode, we answer 3 typical holiday drama questions that we get from blended families. We share what we have learned over the years and provide a few different approaches that you can use in yo...

"FORE!!!"   Okay, even if you're not a fan of golf, there are so many things you can do with golf balls to create some really fun opportunities with your family.   We give you some out-of-the-box ideas all the way from going out, to staying at home and creating something really cool. These ideas are sure to get the guys' attention in your family and you kids wanting more.   EPISODE RESOURCES:   HO...

"All we need is love, love. Love is all we need." (any Beatles Fans?)   There can be a lot of blended family drama, and most of the time, leading with love can be the last thing on our minds. Anger, frustration, tears and all kinds of other emotions like to jump out first.   Jesus shows us a different way we can handle situations that will give us greater results in our family. We walk through sev...

What's Halloween without a little theme?   We share 4 things that can spice up your Halloween, or give you an alternative to the holiday. This can give your blended family a lot of fun and can create a really cool and special night for everyone.   There is also a breakdown of what this can look like, where you can either run with the idea or get your creative wheel spinning. We top it off with som...

It's time to break the chains!!!   There are all kinds of addictions that can eat away at your marriage and your entire blended family. This doesn't have to be your story anymore. There are ways to overcome these addictions, break those chains, and see your family restored.   Mike and Shannon, from Addictive Marriage, join us in this episode as they share their story of overcoming addiction and th...

"I'm not good with that romance stuff."    Don't worry, Josie's got you covered and she makes it easy.    Josie, from Romance Enhanced, joins us on this Fun Friday to share how she turned a passion into a great benefit for you and your loved one. She is taking date nights and making them fun and easy for you.   All the way from a romantic date in a box that comes to your door, to planning that per...

When your family is organized, it brings more peace to everyone.   Being organized in a blended family can be a big challenge, though. There are so many different dynamics, relationships, co-parenting, involvements, and just life in general. So what if organizing all this with everyone could be made easy?   Dr. James and Ginger Dellaripa from The Family Core shows you how their new app is a game-c...

Do you start from the outside or the inside first?   Puzzles can really bring a blended family together in a fun way. You may know the old school traditional ways of putting together a puzzle, but we share more ways you can take this idea and spice it up for some added fun.   All these ideas that are shared can really allow your family to create some awesome memories. So, it's time to get "puzzled...

Get revitalized, reconnected, and more intimate!   E.J. and Tarah Kerwin from Relationship Renovation join us in this episode. It will leave you walking away with more knowledge, tools, and resources to make your relationship with your spouse and kids feeling refreshed.   Learn the power of a "code word" and how you can recognize triggers in your life so they don't trip you up anymore, along with...

Do you remember your first date with your spouse or with your blended family?   Depending on how long you've been together, this could be a challenge. Recalling those memories are a powerful way in your relationship to stir up those first loving emotions you had.   We give ideas on how you can remake that first date you had with your spouse and the first date you had with the kids. EPISODE RESOURC...

Staying away from the Big D (and we don't mean Dallas)!   Most blended families have experienced divorce before. So how can we make sure that it won't happen again to us?    Dr. Kim Kimberling from Awesome Marriage joins us in this episode, and shares some valuable information on how you can keep your marriage growing stronger together instead of growing apart. You'll find out how to keep your mar...

Are you challenging me???   It's not a serious challenge, but one that will add some fun to your marriage. We share some fun date ideas that you and your spouse can have from this simple challenge, and it doesn't even cost you any money.   Are you up for the challenge? EPISODE RESOURCES:   HOW TO ENJOY YOUR BLENDED FAMILY : 5 Dates To Discover Fun In Your Step-Family, by the end of these 5 dates y...

What does God say about divorce and remarriage?    Many are quick to throw the Bible at people, many are hurting and desperate to know where they stand with God, and some just honestly don't know.   Am I living in sin, can I ever love again, does God hate me??? There can be so many questions if you have ever gone through the devastation of a divorce or are remarried.   In this episode, we share wh...