Gotta Love Family Podcast

On my daily worksheet, I have 'smile' in the section titled Care for Self. Yup, I must remind myself to check in and see if I've made the effort to smile during some of my busy and often chaotic days.  Recently, I had a conversation with my friend, Livia. She has an alarm set on her phone that reminds her to smile. Whew, I am not so weird. The truth is, we need prompts to remind us to do the thing...

Once a month, I talk with my friend Joy Petty. I LOVE these calls. They are interesting and resource-filled. Sometimes I share something that helps her, and she does the same for me. We both go away elevated. On one of our recent calls, the subject of how I have been feeling about writing came up. The reason it happened was that Joy said a recent article was just what she needed. She was going to...

I have shared some wonderful Learning Pay Days. But I don't want you to get the idea that Learning Play always requires a lot of thought or special activities. Sometimes you just get together, play, and learn. It doesn't always require fabulous, well-researched information. There are times when we want to kick back and rest while remaining consistent in our efforts to bond, enjoy, and learn. Then,...

A few Sundays ago, my husband tuned in to a show my mom likes to watch, Music and the Spoken Word. The episode he pulled up for her was from Jan. 12, 2025. It was an interesting and thought-provoking 30 minutes, and Don and I had a conversation about it. We had experienced what was shared. Our experiences weren't as dramatic as the one shared in the program, but they were powerful for us, nonethel...

One day in 2011, I found the most amazing book at the library!!! I happened across it accidentally. It was about Leonardo Da Vinci and the amazing visions he had. But that wasn't all. The book showed how, in time, all his inventive ideas were created by other people and who those people were. Oh my gosh, I wanted to share this with my grands. Join me as I share what we learned about and the Super-...

Recently, while rereading an article I had written in 2011,  I read a note I received from a mom who wondered how I had stopped being a yeller. Here's what she asked: "I wanted to thank you again for a great class. I wondered if you could tell me more about the yelling you used to do. I grew up in that type of household, and swore I would never be like that… but guess what, I do? I'd love to hear...

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced 'learning play' in an article called Learning Play - Cows. It tells how valuable immersive learning is for all ages and helps you begin by learning about cows. Join me today as I share what we did to immerse ourselves in the world of the circus and the tremendous fun we had learning all about clowns, circus food, how to walk a tightrope, and how to juggle. I am...

This week, as I walked with my friends Livia and Alysia, the conversation turned to their teens and the issues surrounding accomplishing things at home. At one point, Livia mentioned the need for successful systems. I told them how interesting the conversation was because I was working on my article for today, and it was about creating systems that work. Life can be so serendipitous. : ) When I be...

When I first began writing and publishing articles, it was in 2010. My grands, the ones I still live with, were all under five . As their grandma, I wanted to find ways to play and connect. I'm not a board game person! Tea parties and dress up are not on my list of fun things! The truth is, I like learning. I always have. I thought a lot about how I could 'play' with my grands and make it work for...

Your love of learning and growing is a legacy you leave for your children. But how can you find the time to read, study, or write while raising a family? It can be a challenge, but I know it can be done becuase I am doing it now, amid the chaos of a four-generation home, caregiving, and a busy life. This is something we can all do. Join me as I share an example of the importance of giving your chi...

I've written many articles on the importance of making sure the story we tell ourselves is helpful to our sense of well-being, relationships, and happiness. How we perceive something matters. Last week I shared one of two experiences that cemented what I have learned in over a decade and a half of taking control of how I 'see' what is happening in my life. Today I share the second. As with the fir...

I've written many articles on the importance of making sure the story we tell ourselves is helpful to our sense of well-being, healthy relationships, and happiness. How we perceive something matters. Recently, I had two experiences that cemented what I have learned in over a decade and a half of taking control of how I 'see' what is happening in my life, both in the past and present. I'm sharing o...

I have learned from lived experience that simple systems are usually the solution to difficult problems in time and life management. This was not an easy lesson to learn. In fact, understanding what a system looked like took some time. Join me as I help you understand what a simple system looks like and how it can be life-changing in your life and family.

When I was sixty-two, I emailed a very successful, well-known woman and asked her to help me with something in my business. It was as intimidating to me as writing the queen. She responded, shocked that I would think enough of her to ask. Imagine! We shared our hopes, dreams, struggles, and some of our fears. Here's what I discovered: She is me, and I am her. We are more alike than we are differen...

In 2011, I took a class on body language  because I had begun speaking from stage and knew it would be helpful. Then, the company offered a class taught by one of their trainers, Amy Walker, on how body language can assist you in understanding your kids and avoiding conflict. I loved the class and gained much from it. Since I was working with families and children, I asked Amy if she would write a...

My husband was watching the show The Irrational. It's about a behavioral science professor who solves tough police cases. I was in the kitchen and could hear it. The main character had an appendix surgery. He tried to rise from his bed a few times because there was a case he wanted to get going on. His sister had to nag at him to remain in bed and heal. At one point the professor spoke with a prie...

I received this email from a friend: "I recently watched the podcast Follow Him with Hank Smith and John Bytheway…. Their guest presenter…was Dr. Matt Townsend, who is a therapist. Many of the things he was saying reminded me of you and what you have shared about being present and communicating." I wasn't familiar with Dr. Townsend or the podcast, but I took the time to listen because I love Susan...

This is my birthday article. : ) I turn seventy-five today, February 9th. This article was suggested by a dear friend and is, frankly, very vulnerable. I have pondered whether to publish it or not, whether it would be of value to anyone. However, it's my birthday, and I can do what I want, right; even if it may be somewhat risky. 😊 Today I am sharing my story about death, how it impacted me as a...

In 2012, because of an experience, I decided to be more open to receiving help from others. Trust me when I say my progress has been slow! I've always prided myself on my independence, ingenuity, and ability to do whatever needs to be done. I have always felt confident in "doing it myself." However, it's a challenge to do everything by yourself, all the time, and you miss out on the other side of...

My friend Livia read a book about Neal A. Maxwell. In the book, they used the phrase 'peaceful intensity' to describe how he managed his busy life. It's a way of being that can be cultivated. It involves how we perceive what is happening in the moment. Maxwell said you can be busy but still function from a place of peace. As Livia and I talked I wondered, "How can those two words even go together?...

This week's article was written by an online friend of mine, Laura Pearson , who shared it with me via email. When I read her article, I realized that my daughter Jodie has incorporated many of these tips into her home and family life. They've been useful to my grands. Although they are all teens now, they have been using tools like these since they were in grade school. These tips will assist par...

I've thought about how I want this year to feel, what I want to accomplish, and how I want to be. I read and reread my daily commitments (affirmations). I pondered what changes I should make. Was there anything I needed to add? The last two years have been challenging, as I have aged.  It has been stretching and I've had to work to keep a positive attitude about building my life while fulfilling m...

In 2011 I wrote a three-part series of articles about a principle that helps families manage better. I must confess it's a principle I still work on because it isn't easy to keep. I know the stories and the principle are worth repeating because principles never change and when lived, they impact us for good. I'm compiling the three-part series into one article. That will keep it simple for you. LO...

Parenting is a place to learn to grow as a person. Seriously. : ) Even now, when I'm caregiving, rather than parenting, I experience examples of this type of growth. It always takes me off guard because I would like to think that in almost 75 years, I had gotten this growth thing handled. Silly, because learning and personal growth are a lifetime endeavor. Today I am being vulnerable and sharing o...

Recently, I read an entry from Feb. 2023 that contained information I thought would be useful to some of you. It isn't new. I've written on , the power of story,  the importance of perspective, and the value of controlling our thoughts often. But when you attach powerful ideas to an event, they become more relatable and easier to institute into one's life. In February 2023, I was taking an Emotion...