Tag Archives: appreciation

When Did You Start Appreciating Your Parents?

Think about your answer as you read this blog, especially if you are currently an under appreciated parent of a teenager. According to a new survey, children don’t start to appreciate their parents until they reach the age of 22. Hmm… my daughter is 4… 22 minus 4 equals… a long, long time. A British research firm recently surveyed 5,000 families and found that it is uncommon for children under the age of 22 to appreciate all the hard work their parents do for them. What’s more, survey respondents noted that of everyone in the family teens are among the … Continue reading →

How to Get Your Marriage in Better Shape

You’ve heard the old adage ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ but how about,’a compliment a day keeps divorce away.’ Okay, maybe that’s a tad simplistic but the general principle, of making a habit each day of complimenting your spouse for something they have done or for some quality you love about them, is sound. E.g. I might say to Mick,‘I really appreciate the way you support me and come to events where I’m singing even though sometimes it’s boring.’ At the supermarket the other day a woman packing the bag jokingly said to me, ‘That’s for Muscles … Continue reading →

What Would You Say?

In yesterday’s article, I asked how your weekend was and then told you about mine. I’m going to ask you to think about that question again. How was your weekend? Jade left a comment about what she and her beau did over the weekend. She said leaf peeping and movies, but also something else I thought was very important: “…and generally just enjoyed being together.” I wonder if she made sure to thank her man? I’m asking because yesterday I explained how Wayne did something that salvaged both my mood and the weekend. When I kissed him goodbye yesterday morning, … Continue reading →

Appreciating the Little Things

After a long day for both of us yesterday, my husband came home, and we talked about what happened in each of our lives while we were apart. He shared a story about how he excitedly told a co-worker about a new purchase that we recently made. This purchase was something that we wanted, not needed. And although we got a good deal on it and researched the purchase for more than a year, it was extravagant by our standards. The co-worker sort of looked at him a little bit funny, and he came to realize that this great new … Continue reading →

How to Solve the Problem of Who Does What

Yesterday one of our family members gave a rundown of what was happening in her household and looked for answers what to do. Unfortunately I don’t have any magic answers to her problem. But this is what I would do in that situation. First make a list (yes I’m big on list making) of all the jobs that need doing. Then gather the family together and tell them calmly and honestly how you’re feeling about what is currently happening, or not happening as the case may be. Explain you cannot be expected to do everything and neither should anyone else … Continue reading →

16 Reasons Why

Do you remember when you first fell in love how you couldn’t stop thinking, dreaming, and talking about the other person? Do you still feel the same way? Have you ever stopped to analyze why you love your spouse or that certain special person in your life? What is it that drew you to that particular person over another? Initially it may be their physical appearance that attracts you. But if the relationship is to be more than simple chemistry, there needs to be more than that. I admit initially I was drawn by Mick’s brown eyes. But obviously there … Continue reading →

Thank Your Kids Now and Again

As parents and role models, we want our children to learn how to say “thank you” and “please” and use other modes of good manners. Many of us also want to foster a sense of appreciation and gratitude in our children and help them learn how to let people know that they are thankful for help and such. In the process of doing all this, it is important that we parents remember that we can model appreciation and let our children know that we are grateful for the things they do by remembering to tell them “thank you” now and … Continue reading →

Can You Ever Say “Thank You” Enough?

It has been a while since I have talked about the importance of saying “Thank You” in our home businesses. In fact, while it may seem incredibly obvious, often a simple “thank you” is nice but it is not enough. The more opportunities we find to thank our customers and clients, the more we may be able to inspire loyalty and a solid working relationship. Of course it IS important to say “thank you” after a meeting or a sale, but it is also important to find other ways to say “thank you” to someone for being a customer or … Continue reading →

Why Working Parents Can Feel Fortunate Too

I have noticed how often parents who stay at home refer to themselves as “lucky” or “fortunate” to be able to do that—stay home and not have to work outside the home. I have to admit, however, that many of the working parents I know and have known feel fortunate to be able to work too. It just seems to be less socially acceptable for us to confess that we feel like lucky parents and people to be able to work and be parents too. I thought it might be time to tell the other side of the story. There … Continue reading →

Fight Stress with Appreciation

Stress can seem like a normal state for a single parent—we often chat here about ways to decompress and try to manage time constraints and stress, but I have discovered that one of the best stress-busters is appreciation. Allowing myself to feel thankful, blessed, grateful—however you would describe it—seems to drive the stress away. Call it counting your blessings, or maybe it is something as simple as appreciating a particularly sunny and beautiful day—for some reason, it seems to me that stress and tension and appreciation just cannot live in the same body. You may not be able to completely … Continue reading →