Separate Vacations

This summer, my husband and I are taking a couple of separate vacations. In twenty years I can count the times on one hand that we've done this. But as I write this, he's hiking in Yosemite National Park with a friend. I opted out because of having too many other commitments and needing a quiet weekend at home. While he's gone, my teen daughter and I are having some special time together.

Next month, I'm going to visit my best friend in another state and he'll be home with Ashley. I feel like this is good to do once in a while for all our relationships. It's nice to miss each other sometimes. And it's nice to have quality time with your kids in your own way.

Do you and your someone special ever take vacations apart? How do you manage child care arrangements, juggling schedules, planning ahead, etc. when one of you is gone?

And if you're a single parent, do you ever vacation without your kids? What arrangements are needed to do so? What benefits or detriments do find in vacationing separately? Maybe we'll all get some new ideas in how to manage things or avoid issues when we're gone!

Doggy Personalities

At my house we're looking for a new dog. As some of you know, we had to put our sweet little chihuahua, Kisses, pictured above, down a couple months ago due to a liver disease. Broke our hearts. But now we're ready for a new dog. Probably a puppy.

I've never been a pet person. I didn't have many pets growing up. But I'm the mother of Ashley, the pet princess, who would love a pet of every kind if we'd only let her. So who am I to deny the way God made her? So we have had pets. Lots of them, but not too many at one time, thank you.

Today, we'll go look at our first potential new family member. We have two places to go see them. Both are chihuahua puppies. She really would prefer a big dog, but I say only a small dog in the house while she lives with me.

All these boundaries have much to do with our personalities. What about you? Do you have pets? What kinds? What boundaries do you draw with your pets? Can they get on the furniture? Can they eat people food? Drink from the toilet? Are they outside pets? How much do the kids take care of them? Let's talk pets!

Respect Your Kids

What? You may be thinking I got that backwards. After all, aren't kids supposed to respect their parents? Well, sure. But think about it. We usually teach core values by modeling them to our kids. If we want them to be honest, we don't steal or lie, right? Should it be any different with respect?

I hate it when I hear parents berating their children. I don't mean disciplining them. I mean talking to them in a tone that screams, "You're so stupid!" or "You're hopeless!" You know the tone I mean. As a matter of fact, I've heard it coming from my own mouth! I'm a parent of a teen now and sometimes I even hear that tone coming from her when she talks to me. Ouch. I know she learned that somewhere and I'm not willing to say where right here in public!

So let's make an effort to speak respectfully to our kids starting today. If we all did it, maybe more kids would learn respect and we could change the world! Or at the very least you'd have a happier home life with your kids.

Lighten Up!

When's the last time you had a good laugh with your kids? Sometimes I become such a serious parent that I forget the joy of the job. When I lighten up a bit and laugh when I might have frowned or yelled, it's unbelievable how much better I feel. It's like a weight comes off the whole family and we can enjoy each other again. So try it. Feel like letting someone have it? Surprise them and laugh. Then watch relief spread over their face and enjoy the moment.