Enjoying Your Blended Family

"You want a taco?"    Okay, so that's just one approach to asking your bonus kid to hangout with you (and a pretty good one we might add), but there are a lot of fun ways we can be intentional on dating our stepkids.   We share three ways you can present some really cool opportunities to hangout with your stepkids and build that relationship over having fun together.   Although this can be a chall...

How do we still stay present with our stepkids when we're being rejected by them?   The step-parent and stepkid relationship isn't always an easy relationship, there can be a lot of outside influences and a lot of hurt feelings on both sides. But as a step-parent there are certain things we can do to help make growing that relationship easier.   We share four things we can do as step-parents that...

It's not wrestling, it's a mystery date!!!   Detective Scarlett (without a badge) and non-detective Randall describe what mystery dates are and how you can use them to pour fun into your blended family.    This is a fun way to build your relationships, called a FunFamOp (well, Randall tries to get that one to stick with little success).   These mystery dates are great to do as a family, couples, f...

There is no perfect marriage, and no perfect family! (Whew, that should be a relief for us all, right?)   Then why do we chase after it so hard sometimes? We can try to make everyone else fit into the version of love or family we think it should be. The great news is we can be free from this, and it can bring us a lot more peace and happiness.   Dr. Alyson Nerenberg joins us in this episode to she...

Who says a library has to be boring???   What if we said you could experience a pretty awesome date night at the library and it's free, would you be intrigued? The library offers so many cool things besides just books.   We give you the ins and outs to what a library can offer, and how you can use this to have a lot of family fun. Free fun family date nights!!! Who's in?   EPISODE RESOURCES:   HOW...

A priceless gift you could give your kids.   Some have said "What would you say to your younger self if you could?" Although we can't do that, we could write down the things we have learned in life and wisdom we could share, and pass that along to our kids.   Andy McQuitty joins us in this episode and shares how 5 journals to his 5 kids, written for a span of 25 years, has made a great impact on t...

"When our bodies get rubbed, it feels good." A quote by Scarlett that we should put on a T-shirt, lol.   If you've never had a professional massage then you are missing out. Why not bring that relaxation and atmosphere to your house?   This is something you and your spouse can use to spice up the bedroom or just have a relaxing evening. We share ways to make this easy, so your hands don't cramp an...

Don't worry about it??? (A lot easier said than done sometimes, right?)   We've all dealt with anxiety on some level before, and it can definitely be seen in a blended family. Many of our blending challenges can cause worry or anxiety in us and in our kids.   But how do we know if it's real or if we could use some help overcoming this?    Dr. Tracey Marks joins us in this episode to help us identi...

It is said that if you feed them, they will come!    I don't know who said it, but it sounds pretty legit, lol.   We're bringing back an oldie but a goodie! This episode, we talk about how you can add food and have a fun date with your spouse, all while having a little competitive fun in the process. This is a cheap idea that can spice up your relationships.    EPISODE RESOURCES:   E.N.J.O.Y. THE...

Do you know what the different desire styles for sex are? Or what is your style?   Dan Purcell from GET YOUR MARRIAGE ON, joins us in this episode to share the 3 reasons why we don't initiate sex more in our marriage, along with many ways we can make initiating sex more fun and enjoyable.   When you're able to communicate your desires with each other, it allows you to have a stronger marriage with...

Do you know what overlanding is?   We didn't until we found this amazing couple, Necota and Sonya Staples, who now run STAPLES INTENTS. They explain about the outdoors, what overlanding is and how it saved their marriage.   They were on the brink of divorce, until they got some valuable information that they needed to start saying "YES" more to each other. From them taking that challenge, they wen...

Do you ever feel tired, stressed, worn out, or lonely?   Life and all our responsibilities can have a way of draining us. But we don't have to let that be our story, there is a better way.   Dominic Done shares some staggering statistics about how lonely and burnout most people are feeling right now. The main cause isn't what we might think, it all comes down to the health of our soul.    The worl...

It can be bitter sweet!   Summer is coming to an end and our kids are starting to go back to school.   Right in this transition, there are a lot of things we can still do to have fun and build our relationships through laughter. We share 10 Things You Can Do As A Family for some end of summer fun.   Even though summer is ending, we don't have to let the fun end too. These are some great ideas to k...

Who doesn't love a good story? Why not pass on your family's stories to your kids?   As a parent, we can help foster the imagination in our kids and create adventure and excitement, even without leaving our own backyards.   Author Alison McGregor shares how we can do that, and how she was greatly influenced through her mom's stories about when she was a kid traveling the world. This has inspired h...

Happy 100th Birthday!!!!   We are celebrating our 100th episode with a list of our top 3 favorite Fun Friday episodes. The catch is that Randall doesn't know Scarletts and Scarlett doesn't know Randalls.   So join us as we reveal them to everyone (and each other) and why they are so special to us. This is a fun episode for all of our BFam community. EPISODE RESOURCES:   HOW TO ENJOY YOUR BLENDED F...

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away!!!!! (Did you sing the Star Wars theme?)    Okay, we didn't take it back that far, but we decided what could be more special on our 99th Episode, but to tell our story and how we got here in a fuller version.   We share snippets of our story throughout episodes and social media, but not all in one setting.   Our heart is that parts of our story will relate...

Just around the river bend ~ a quote from Pocahontas (or song, lol)   Okay, you may not feel like Pocahontas, but you can have a blast with this one. With it being summer and hot, water fun is always a great way to splash around with your family.   We share how you can use canoes and a few other things to have fun and get some great teamwork action happening. There are so many different ways to ad...

Celebrating the Marriage God Made For You   God wants you and your spouse to have a great marriage! However, this world has a great way of trying to pull the two of you apart, problem after problem, difference after difference.    What does it look like to do marriage the way God intended, so we can avoid a lot of these problems and differences?   Pastor Scott LaPierre joins us in this episode and...

"When I look at the stars, I feel like myself" (come on Switchfoot fans!)   When was the last time you took notice of the stars in the sky? Isn't it crazy how many times we don't?   We give 3 ways you can use so you can add stargazing with your family. Your kids will love this at any age, and it makes for great bonding times. You don't even have to leave your house or spend money if you don't want...

Do you ever feel overloaded and stressed out in your blended family?   It can be a very hard thing to control your schedule and so "No" to other people, so that you can say "Yes" to things that line up better for your family.   Tonia Choi joins us in this episode and shares how she discovered this "Ah-Ha" moment in her life and what she did to learn how to control her schedule with things that ali...

"The theater, the theater. What happened to the theater?" Any ideas where that's from?   This is another idea that we don't always remember, but can be a lot of fun for the whole family. It's a great way to expose your kids to new things in life, and there are so many other ways to plan this instead of just a big Broadway show.   We share 5 ideas to add the theater to your family fun. Some ways ar...

7 Practical Strategies To Blending Your Family   You will walk away from this episode with so much hope, encouragement, and great advice to add to your blended family, no matter where you're at on your blended journey.   Pastor Korey Grice shares these seven practical strategies that God gives us to use in our blended family, so that we can see more love and connection together. He breaks them dow...

"Why aren't we as romantic as we used to be?"    Have you or your spouse ever said or felt that? It's easy in a marriage to hit the autopilot in your relationship and let spending quality time with each other get put on the back burner.    What if we didn't have to? What if it could be easier?   Tyler from CRATED WITH LOVE joins us in this episode, and shares how having fun and playing games keeps...

One of the greatest challenges with being a parent in a blended family is trying to raise our children to be successful in life.   Margot Bisnow joins us in this episode to help define what success is and shares with us 10 rules that can help us be the support our kids need to achieve their dreams.   She has had her own career successes along with being an author, but has raised 2 sons that are fo...

"Baby You're A Firework" (you know that song?)   Holidays can come and go, but don't miss the opportunity to create some special memories with your blended family.   We walk through 3 areas that can help spice up your July 4th and make it one everyone remembers.   When we do new things together, those are the ones that we all bond over and remember. Let these ideas spark new fireworks for you, and...