Years ago I learned a simple tool that has improved all my relationships. This tool is about looking for the cues that others are giving us – and using those times to connect. They are called Bids For Connection, a Gottman term. I will outline what bids are, ways to respond, and how to simplify … Read more
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We all make assumptions and judgments of others – but did you know there is a bias we have in our judgements? This bias shows up in all of our relationships and it can create an opposition and divide in places we actually want empathy and compassion. In this episode we explore the Fundamental Attribution … Read more
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I’ve been thinking a lot about the time in my life where everything seemed to suck. Parenting was depleting all my resources, I felt in over my head on a daily basis. My marriage was bookended with resentment on both sides, I knew we were both so lost and angry. I felt restless and unproductive … Read more
I wrote this post when Conor and I were celebrating 14 years together. And if you were a fly on the wall for those 14 years, there were times where it looked like we probably wouldn’t stick together. As we went on a little anniversary road trip we started a conversation about what we think … Read more
One question I get so often is “how to get my husband to get rid of all his crap?” I don’t have a magical formula to convince him to give up the ill-fitting company leather jacket from twenty years ago, or the questionable ‘comedy’ VHS from the 1990s – but I do have seven tips … Read more
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Want to live life with more purpose? 5 years ago we stumbled upon our first ‘life on purpose’ conversation and since then we spend time each New Year to talk about how the year went and what we want in the year to come. I asked Conor if we could have some of this conversation … Read more
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When Simple Saturday readers email me, a common problem they share with me is that they are wanting to simplify their home but their spouse is less excited about it. I have some thoughts on this I hope will help those struggling with this . . . . SEVEN TIPS FOR WHEN YOUR SPOUSE … Read more
Thanks for joining me for another Simple Saturday. In this episode, I’m talking about how we approach birthdays on purpose, the time my husband and I forgot our anniversary (we were camping), how to be mindful about what’s happening in your heart and mind and strategies to implement when you want to go buy all … Read more
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A few years into blogging and someone I really respect gave me a brochure to a writers conference they thought I’d be interested. If you ask Conor, I’m still talking about that event. Not only ‘who’ considered me a writer, but that someone considered me a writer, period. It was a game changer for me. … Read more
Alternate Title: Go On Road Trips, They Said! It’s Fun, They Said! I thought I should check in with the ‘lists‘ we made of how we wanted to parent our kids. We set some clear ideas on things we wanted to do from the mundane to the epic. We wrote out qualities we wanted our kids … Read more