Tag Archives: coping

Coping with Holidays without Your Spouse

Losing your spouse is an incredibly traumatic event, which can be even more painful when holidays or other special dates come around. It is not unusual to dread such occasions or to find yourself filled with emotion and sometimes even anger at being left alone. Grief can do some harsh things to people and can make even simple tasks seem overwhelming. There are a few things you can do to help you get through the most difficult moments. Let yourself grieve. It’s okay to cry or to talk about things that are painful. You don’t have to keep it all … Continue reading →

Recommended Books for Single Parents

Being a single parent comes with unique challenges. I know when I went through my divorce I had far more questions than I did answers. Sure, I would talk to friends and family but I discovered some great books. What I liked about these books was that in addition to helping me through a difficult divorce, they also helped me learn who I was as a single parent. The result was growing stronger and wiser, while being a better parent. For me, I look for books that are what I call “reader friendly”. There is nothing worse than picking up … Continue reading →

Discovering A New Angle…

I’m not exactly sure when the perspective shift happened to me. But for parents of special needs children, it needs to happen, and hopefully it does before too much time is wasted. I’m talking about the change in viewpoint that brings us to a happier, healthier mindset in dealing with children who have challenges. The reality is that we can’t wish away or hope away the disability. And we certainly don’t want to delude ourselves and live in denial. “It is what it is.” Prior to getting to the point of acceptance, there’s a lot of pain and turmoil. There’s … Continue reading →

Three Ways to Cope with Stress When Pregnant

It was funny, when I was pregnant because on more than one occasion my husband would state categorically (and very emphatically): “The pregnant woman wins. No contest.” It would be nice, if that were always true. That philosophy would mean that stress at work, stress at home and stress of life would evaporate for that nine months and just make your life easier. Of course, reality sets in and all the nice thoughts in the world will not make the stress of living day to day life go away, nor will it alleviate other sources of stress – including other … Continue reading →

When Your Baby Won’t Stop Crying

It is frustrating to listen to your baby cry for hours on end. And yet, many parents experience this type of high need baby. Try these strategies for coping with your new bundle of joy to make life more bearable: 1. Wear baby in a sling (or similar carrier). Wearing a newborn in a sling helps “recreate” the womb and eases the transition between inside mommy’s tummy to the outside world. If your baby is very fussy, a sling helps by allowing you to do other things while carrying the baby. Another benefit is that you can offer baby the … Continue reading →

The Great Pacifier Debate

I was recently shocked to find that the AAP was encouraging the use of pacifiers while baby sleeps. It seems that the use of a pacifier while baby is sleeping helps reduce the risk of SIDS. Interestingly, they readily admit that there are some negatives to using a pacifier. Still, according to the AAP, the fact that the use of a pacifier lowers the risk of SIDS, outweighs the other possible negative effects of pacifier use. I may be bold, but I’m not so sure I agree with the AAP. I have tended to disagree on many of their positions … Continue reading →

Embracing Sleep Deprivation

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My husband and I still laugh at the things we did when our first daughter was born; all in the name of sleep deprivation. I woke up one morning to find my husband’s razor and after-shave in the refrigerator while his lunch was sitting on the bathroom sink! Likewise, I did things like put meat out to thaw, then put something in the crock pot–only to tell my husband that I couldn’t find any meat in the freezer so it must be that we need to go shopping! There is no other way to say it: we were loopy! Like … Continue reading →

If I had known: What I would’ve asked for before having twins!

My friends are great! For every baby I’ve had, they’ve thrown me a shower! I almost wonder if they just like playing baby shower games. Regardless of their motives, I benefit from their generosity! So when we found out we were expecting not our 4th baby, but our 4th and 5th babies, my friends went into overdrive! They were only too thrilled to be planning a baby shower for the twins. Being the very efficient women that they are, they naturally wanted me to sign up for a registry to avoid gift duplication. (Is that really a problem with twins?) … Continue reading →

It’s Been One of Those Days!

It has just been one of THOSE DAYS! As a mom or dad I’m sure you can relate. The morning started out all right. I got my son off to school and breakfast for my girls. Then I decided to get some writing done and settled down at the computer while my girls were playing upstairs. Then my four-year old came to me crying, holding a soaking wet dress-up dress, and informed me that my two-year old had put it in the toilet. So I dashed upstairs to find Kelsey giving her teddy bear a bath in the toilet. The … Continue reading →

When did We stop being We?

Couples face different types of challenges throughout their marriage. Parenthood is an interesting challenge for husbands and wives. One of the more difficult aspects of that challenge can happen to your husband and you don’t even realize it. Don’t Forget Him When a new baby comes, all of us (husbands included), focus a great deal of their energy on all the changes happening to Mom. Now, as a mom and wife myself, I’m not saying that’s wrong. But there is a trend that happens a lot during those first several months and if you don’t catch it – it will … Continue reading →