Where's the Lemonade?

Most marriage difficulties center around one fact, that men and women are totally different. There are emotional, mental and physical differences. We can have happier marriages if we make an effort to understand the differences. We are definitely stereotyping and generalizing, so deal with it.  Women tend to be more personal than men. Women typically have a deeper interest in people and feelings,...

Ok, so here we are again in the summertime!! It is a beautiful time of year. Kids are home, enjoying a nice break from school. It's time for them to relax and chill. But what happens when their chillin involves hours and hours of screen time each day? How much is too much? Do we as parents ban screen time completely? Or limit it? Do we keep them super busy with other things? Let's dive in and see...

Darren & Paige are in Portugal for a week away from work and kids, but not podcasting. In this week's episode. Find out what they learned not to do when they travel. Some of it from personal experience. Some of it by watching other tourists standing out. :) Second Half of Portugal Sintra and Cascais- Wear great walking shoes. Dress in layers. Rain, no rain, rain, hot, rain. Lots of hills to cl...

This week Darren & Paige are in Portugal. Why Portugal? You have to listen to find out. They talk about some of the travel tips they have learned over the last eleven years of traveling together, including what not to pack and how to tip your waiter. Why Portugal? Resort in Praia Del-Rei Porto Coimbra Travel tips  It might be cheaper to travel from a different airport. SFO was about half as mu...

Darren and Paige decided to tackle, "should you blend these two families?" It can be a colossal mistake to blend families too quickly. (says the couple who combined very quickly) There are some essential things to know before agreeing. (Do you like camping, do you want a dog, or do you want more kids??) The need for companionship can drive you too quickly.  Let's talk some sobering statistics. In...

Is there a magic secret to a happy marriage? If we are told to do A, B, and C to make our marriage work would we do it? Do we do it? Or is it different for every single couple? Darren and Paige were curious about the tips that couples would give on how to keep a lasting marriage happy. They asked a lot of their friends and family that have been married for decades to see if there was some advice o...

Darren and Paige had a different podcast subject planned for today. However, after Mother's Day came around, we saw a lot of feelings around this day and thought we would do another episode on this topic. This day is hard for many; how can we make it better???? Mother's Day is supposed to be an amazing day!!! Right? So here is another Mother's Day in the books. How was it for all of you? Were your...

This week, Darren and Paige discuss tips and tricks to help with a problematic co-parenting situation. This is hard stuff!! You are divorced for a reason, and now you still have to make many decisions together around the children. Let's dive in! It's not always rosy after a divorce. In fact it rarely is... So you've made the decision to divorce. Sad. Now you have to co-parent with the person that...

This week Darren and Paige talk about how to maintain perspective when things don't go they way you planned or want. They will talk about the some challenges and disappointment over the past few weeks. How do you maintain perspective?? Happy, Sad, Happy  Darren and Paige had a lot of big plans for April! Graduation, Brazil, Graduation. Lots of wonderful things. Darren blew it! After over two years...

This week Darren & Paige explore selfishness in Marriage with a quiz. Are you selfish in your marriage? Is your marriage about you or about your spouse?  Are you selfish???  We are all selfish, right? Especially before marriage. We only have ourselves to think about. What do I want to eat? What do I want to spend my money on? What music or show do I watch? After marriage, those I's have to bec...

On today's episode Darren & Paige talk about their excursion into watching Korean Dramas. Ok just one K-Daram "Crash Landing On You", but they are considering watching another one. K drama!!!! Darren and I just finished a K drama, Crash Landing on You Paige was very hesitant, don’t want to read my tv We had been told by so many people, of all ages and likes, to watch this show What is a k dram...

Sometimes in our very busy lives we lose that connection and spark and just get set in the doldrums and monotony of just going through the motions of life. Darren and Paige are somewhat there. They have been through a lot in the last 6 months and need to reconnect in a way that Darren isn't Paige's caretaker. So, how do we start the reconnection process: You can start by intentionally spending tim...

Madeline and Paige were talking the other day about different parenting styles. Some are too lax; they just want to be their kid's friends. Some are too strict, hovering, helicopter parents. Some are too serious; where is the fun?  I said to Madeline in that conversation, “You can have it all! You can have fun while also being strict and having rules.” She then said, “You should do a podcast about...

In this episode, Darren talks to three of his kids about what it is like to have two households as teenagers? What it is like now that they are adults? and What advise they have for other kids that navigate two households? Video: https://youtu.be/MIBHpAjpTYc Blog:  What’s Hard Logistics and coordination are complexes between two houses. Rules are different. How do you manage that? Food can be very...

How to be happy when my spouse is doing something fun without me???? “Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening.”  Paige recently went on a girl’s trip. She has been doing it for 18 years. Darren wasn't always excited about it. Why?  Darren goes out to dinner with co-worker...

Whether we want to admit it or not, we have certain expectations for each other in our marriage. Darren and I recently talked with a marriage counselor and realized that we needed to be more explicit about our expectations. This can be scary. I asked Darren what his expectations were for me?? What would he say??? Darren then asked me what my expectations were for him. Started a great conversation....

Why we started Wanted to help and be a voice of “we’ve been there” for blended families Wanted to show others that even when life is extremely challenging throwing lemons at you, not going according to your lifeplan at all, you can still be happy - that there is Lemonade somehow, somewhere Why we stopped Pandemic, life was boring Felt like we had nothing left to say about blended families, that we...

What is an overly communicative spouse? Evaluate the current communication situation between your spouse and their ex. If you are not happy with what is going on then you need to set some boundaries. The ex calls to emotionally attach to your spouse Calls to fix something at the house Runs out of gas. Comes into the house without permission Setting Boundaries Play the long Game People avoid settin...

Why Kindness is important in a Marriage Keeps you together The biggest predictor of satisfaction and stability in a Marriage Kindness makes each partner feel understood, cared for, and validated. Couples that treat each other with kindness even when they argue stick together. You can throw spears at your partner or explain why you are upset. Paige comes home to a new carpet in the house and boxes...

Does your ex-spouse communicate with you? Or is it just silence when you try to co-parent. Listen to Darren and Paige talk about techniques to open the communications channels and improve co-parenting. What people do Blame Game Quiet treatment Push-pull You cannot make me Solo decision maker Withholding or punishing Trash talker Ex won't communicate Document your communication Be Civil Do not post...

In this episode, Darren and Paige look at a 30-day relationship challenge calendar. Find out what they think works and what doesn't work. We used the calendar from the website www.endlessblissblog.com . Lemonade Moment of the Week Eating outside in our little downtown Folsom, CA reminds us that we have a great town and had fun people watching. Links * http://www.endlessblissblog.com ★ Support this...

  In this episode we revisit traditions. We start questioning some of the traditions we stuck with when we first blended after one of our kids mentioned how busy Christmas is and how it would be nice if it was a bit slower.  Why Traditions are important: They give us a foundation to build our lives on They give us a sense of roots and belonging We asked the kids what they thought The Younger kids...

  Have you ever wondered why Valentine's Day is so stressful? We can tell you why. Expectations vs Reality. Listen to the latest "Where's the Lemonade?" to hear how Darren & Paige handle or don't handle this curious holiday so well. And Yes that is Paige throwing away flowers that Darren got her for Valentine's Day. :) Valentine's Day Most wanted gifts for women (Big loving gestures, some love...

Disneyland Dad Syndrome is real and affects blended families every day. It is so prevalent that there is a legal definition for it. So how do you become a Disneyland Dad? How do you deal with a Disneyland Dad? Darren & Paige give their insight into this problem in Blended Families. What is a Disneyland Dad Legal Definition Only having fun when you are with the kids No rules, responsibilities,...

  We recently had facebook and google give us reminders of where we were 2 years ago today. What came up is the inception of our podcast. On a trip to Panama for a "getaway" of time "alone together", we dreamt up a crazy idea of podcasting our experiences of blending a large family. In today's episode, we went back and listened to our first episode, and wrote down what we thought. Our Thoughts fro...