When you close your eyes and imagine what a thriving family looks like, what do you see? A quality home environment filled with encouragement and harmony? Husband and Wife on the same page and enjoying their relationship? Children laughing and enjoying one another and excelling in their development? Wonderful and meaningful holidays and vacations? Whatever vision you hold of what a thriving family looks like, do you see that in your family? Building a healthy [...]
When you close your eyes and imagine what a thriving family looks like, what do you see? A quality home environment filled with encouragement and harmony? Husband and Wife on the same page and enjoying their relationship? Children laughing and enjoying one another and excelling in their development? Wonderful and meaningful holidays and vacations? Whatever vision you hold of what a thriving family looks like, do you see that in your family? Building a healthy [...]
Is your family characterized by having an attitude of gratitude? When creating family identity do you cultivate and teach gratitude? Among the many reasons we love the Holiday Season, Thanksgiving to Christmas, is that it provided us a wonderful opportunity to build our family identity through family traditions that encouraged Trevor and Alex’s hearts towards internalizing the virtue of gratitude. Family Identity Through Family Traditions Cultivating family identity is an anchor for you and your [...]
Each November, as Americans, we have the unique privilege to exercise our American Liberty by voting and honoring our veterans. How often do we take both for granted, let alone explain the importance to our children? Yet both are fundamental to the founding and longevity of our republic. Without either “V” our country would not exist. Learn, Instruct and Vote Voting is at the heart of our democracy. In 1776, 13 elected state representatives, under [...]
In 1997 we bought an Acura TL, just prior to having our first child. Today, Trevor drives that car at College with over 245,000 miles on the odometer. How did that car last so long? We made sure to use the right fuel, we were diligent with regular oil changes and maintenance, and took good care of the exterior and interior. Sure, there were times when we used the wrong fuel, missed oil changes, and [...]
Core family values should be at the heart of your parenting. It helps you to define the “WHY’ of your parenting and establishes a character foundation that every member of the family should be familiar with. Whether you have toddlers or teens, it’s never too late to define and establish your Core Family Values (CFV). Where to begin Brainstorming and creating a list– Begin by compiling a broad list of values you want to define [...]
The most successful investments involve stewarding your time, talents and treasure to achieve the highest possible gain over and above the amount you initially invested. Over the years, we have made some good and poor investments. But, by far, the greatest investment we have ever made was investing in our family. Stewarding our time, talents, and treasure by investing in our family has paid off more than we even imagined. And it still continues to [...]
Blah. Blah blah. Blah. Blah, blah, blah! This is the sound or noise that children, spouses, and friends hear when we try to communicate during times of conflict. Meaningful conversations and effective communication never occurs when people are angry, frustrated, exhausted, feeling defensive or mentally preoccupied. You cannot teach a child the principles of self-control while they are having a “level 10” meltdown in the grocery store. Nor can you discuss marital issues (parenting, finances, [...]
Last Sunday was Grandparents Day and it reminded us how special our relationship was with our own grandparents... and we miss them dearly! In that same reflection, we are so thankful that our boys have a special love and appreciation for their grandparents - our Mom and Dad. Studies from Oxford University and Boston College show that the Grandparent and Grandchild relationship can significantly add to the overall well being of the child and grandparent. [...]
Back to school has always been very similar to the start of a new year for our family. It marks the start of a new school year with renewed expectations and resolutions not only for our boys, but also for us as parents. For the kids, it’s a great time to get them refocused on their schedules, routines and revisit some lessons that were learned or challenges faced in the previous school year. For mom [...]