Three Suggestions to Figure Out Family Visits During the Holidays
Reader Question: Both my husband and I love visiting family during the holidays. Each year we are invited to both families but they live in separate states about a three-hour drive from our home. Our relationship with both families is good and we don’t want to let either one down by not coming

posted 9:19:03am Dec. 12, 2013 | read full post »

Will You Rate Your Marriage and See Where You Stand?
It's not uncommon for couples to come to therapy and a therapist to ask, "On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your marriage?" Even couples who don't come to therapy will occasionally think about this. What is interesting is whether or not the couple agrees on the rating. When one spous

posted 8:10:36am Dec. 11, 2013 | read full post »

10 Holiday Tips for Blended Families
Bob and Rose are a blended family now. They are asking for ways to make the holidays better in terms of that blending. Here are 10 tips: Examine your expectations and  let go of any  "Brady Bunch" fantasies. Most disappointments come from unrealistic expectations. Continue "old" holiday trad

posted 8:26:08am Dec. 10, 2013 | read full post »

Dealing With Drinking Relatives During the Holidays
We will be traveling to our relatives in another state for several family gatherings during Christmas. Two of my siblings are problem drinkers and I am not sure how to handle this with my family. We do not drink so my children are not used to seeing family members act up while under the influence. I

posted 8:03:35am Dec. 09, 2013 | read full post »

Stressed? Ways to Avoid that Scrooge Feeling!
Even though I love the holidays, I also dread them because of the stress involved. I feel on-edge, my children are out of sorts and my husband and I seem to fight about family and activities to attend. I don’t want to feel like Scrooge this holiday season. Are there ways to minimize the stress and

posted 6:42:20am Dec. 06, 2013 | read full post »