Whether you have kids or not, in any household, what you DO have is an abundance of jobs that need to be done regularly. Someone’s got to be the janitor who sweeps up, the family banker, pet feeder, entertainment coordinator, grocery shopper.... the list goes on and on. And if you are parents, someone must spearhead the parenting division by planning daycare, school lunches, parent-teacher conferences, sporting events, and summer camps.

Wow, there's a TON to track and complete! Marriage conflict seems inevitable when you say it out loud.

Estimated reading: 4 minutes

When my kids were still in the baby zone, I left them and my husband for four glorious days in New York City with a couple of close girlfriends. I was worried that I would miss the family, but instead, I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of freedom. Shortly after returning, I met with Jennifer of Heartmanity and cried my heart out, mourning the fact that that sense of freedom had come and gone so quickly. It felt like a whole year to wait until I could do something like that again. But I discovered something else instead.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

I say it all the time: Thank God for my girlfriends.

I feel fortunate to be able to laugh with my husband; we confide in each other, we have fun, and we mostly communicate well. Of course, it’s not always fun, but I’m not sure that living with anyone is ever fun all the time. I’ll admit I’m not always pleasant in the mornings, especially pre-coffee.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

I write regularly for a women’s business website, and I often have the opportunity to interview career women who are really making a difference in their workplaces and their communities. In these interviews, we often discuss how they got where they are, what kinds of things factored into their success, and how they find work-life balance. One factor that almost always comes up is mentors, and the importance of women helping other women. How do you find a mentor? And what is the difference between coaching and mentoring? 

After 10 years of marriage, life together can feel pretty predictable. We know the other person’s patterns and how they will probably react to certain situations. And, like the Clint Eastwood film, this predictability can often lead to what I call “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” in our relationship. Here's my marriage advice to handle the boredom and the bumps.

I have a fear, and I don’t believe there is a medical term for it yet, although I’m sure it also exists among other childrearing folks. It’s the fear of placing my kids in public situations, such as restaurants, weddings, airplanes, and holiday parties, even if they say they are the “kid-friendly” kind.

How often do you actually stop what you’re doing and look someone in the eye when they’re talking to you, truly listening to every word? I’m betting, if you’re anything like me, with very little free time and little kids running around your house, that it’s not very often. Here are some common scenarios for me:

My first grader is tugging at my jeans and telling a story while I’m chopping some vegetables and asking the other one to get off the dining room table. I can barely hear what the story was even about. “Oh, that sounds cool,” I say pretending I caught it all.

Why is it so difficult for people to ask for help? Is it because we associate asking for help with vulnerability, with being weak, with not being enough?

I have a girlfriend who’s a total selfless giver. She’ll watch my children so that I can get some exercise, be the first to drop off a home-cooked meal if I’m laid up, and is always there to listen to my drawn-out complaints about this and that. But when it comes time to reciprocate, she often refuses the help. Even after she recently had surgery, and her friends wanted to pitch in, she was squeamish about being on the other end of the [...]