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5 Tips for a Happy and Successful Marriage

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I got married at 18. My then boyfriend and I were dating for a few months when we found out we were pregnant with our first child. A month later, we were engaged and a month after that, we were married. Our life’s path suddenly changed and we were embracing it, together, forever. The odds weren’t necessarily in our favor. 50% of all marriages end in divorce and the median duration of first marriages that end is about 8 years. Whats worse is teenage marriages are two to three times more likely to end in divorce than marriages between people…

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Love Grows Best in Little Houses Just Like This

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I remember walking into our house for the first time almost nine years ago. We had only Brody at the time, who wasn’t even a year old yet. We had been actively house hunting with our realtor for almost six months, writing up multiple offers and getting beat out by cash offers that were tens of thousands of dollars over asking price. It was so frustrating, but our realtor was determined to find us a great home to raise a family in. Something our realtor often told us was that we would just know when we walked into what was…

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In Family Fun

Gifting Time, Not Toys, This Holiday Season

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Lately, I’ve been finding myself stuck in the same scene as Cindy Lou Who in the movie, The Grinch. The one where she starts singing, “Where Are You, Christmas?” I usually love this time of year. Christmas is so much more fun after you have kids of your own. I love seeing the way their faces light up when they see us pull out the Christmas tree. Or when we spend time driving around while looking at all of the lights. But nothing beats Christmas morning! Being gathered around the tree, still in our PJs, watching the joy and excitement…

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In Family Fun

Easy and Spooky Snacks to Make for Halloween

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I have always loved the idea of serving fun and festive food on Halloween before the kids go trick or treating. But every year, I settle for ordering a quick pizza because we are rushing to get costumes on and kids out of the door as soon as the sun goes down. This year, my kids helped put together a Fall Bucket List. One of the activities on our list was to have a Hocus Pocus movie night. My daughter has been asking about it all month! Because I can never do anything half-assed, I put together a great spread…

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Importance of Family Communication and How to Improve It

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With five kids, people are often surprised that my kids get along so well with each other. I’m extremely grateful that they often act more like good friends instead of sibling rivals. Since having kids, I have read A LOT of marriage and parenting books. A few years ago, I hit a wall, admitted I had no idea what I was doing (because I had never had kids before), and began learning new and effective ways to parent young children. There was always one common theme I read about; improve our communication with one another. From then on, I made…

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In Family Fun

30 Fun Fall Activities to Put on Your Bucket List

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On the off chance that you’re going to label me as basic, I’m just going to go ahead and say it. I LOVE fall! I love the crisp, chilly morning air, the leaves changing colors, and all things pumpkin spice. My kids can’t wait to go to all of the fall festivals and they know that this season also brings trick or treating and Thanksgiving. There are also so many fun, fall activities to do with your family. Where do you start? With help from my kids, we have compiled a list of our favorite seasonal things to do. I…

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Raising 5 Wonderful Kids in a Judgmental World

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Whenever we go out in public, we get some weird looks. I remember asking my husband when we first started dating, how many kids he wanted. At the time, he told me two. I was worried it would be a deal breaker when I told him I wanted four. Our inside joke is that after a little negotiating, we compromised on having six (hopefully). Sometime after having my third kid, I had this feeling I couldn’t shake that four kids wasn’t all we were meant to have. Then, after having our fourth child, I knew for certain that I wanted…

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Welcoming a Baby into the World During a Pandemic

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We welcomed our fifth baby in January of 2021. We delivered at the same hospital as our other four and with the same doctor as the previous two kids. I thought I knew what to expect. After all, I could basically do this with my eyes closed. Or so we thought. Like a lot of people, COVID threw us a few curveballs. 1/10, I do not recommend having a baby during COVID. Although, our baby was the highlight of a rather weird and stressful year, the experience turned out to be a little depressing. Here’s why. The Hospital Was Tense…

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The Most Important Lessons My Second Child Taught Me

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Last week my daughter, Mackenzie, turned six. She wasn’t my first kid. But she was the one that made me a “girl mom” and she is also leads the pack of our not-so-small girl gang with her three little sisters. Just like most birthdays, that day had me reminiscing over the last few years, wondering where the time went. It is so crazy looking back on her baby pictures and then looking at her now. I had no idea that such a beautiful, smart, and loving kid with a big, kind heart would come out of that little, bald baby.…

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The Best Survival Guide to Family Road Trips

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I remember my very first road trip after becoming a mom. My son wasn’t even a week old yet and we were preparing for a 7 hour road trip to Durango for my sister’s wedding. I guess that’s one of the downfalls to living so far away from family; we are guaranteed at least one long road trip a year so we can spend time together. I had no idea what to expect, or even what to pack. So I literally packed everything and then regretted loading and unloading so much stuff. Things have changed since then. We now have…

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