I was helping my then-boyfriend (now husband) unpack his belongings at his new house. Fully self-aware, I knew I'd be triggered to find anything from his past relationship. Even his ex's handwriting on some of the boxes was enough to trigger me.I chose to help with an innocuous enough selection of boxes marked as movies for the living room. I started unpacking and sorting between adult movies ... Read the Post
New on the Blog
Black Friday Specials for Stepmoms
I had a thoughtful blended family article prepared to publish this week, but I thought it might get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday weekend (at least for my American friends!). Instead, I wanted to take the guesswork out of Black Friday shopping for you!Here are a few of the BEST Black Friday specials for stepmoms!FREE Setting Boundaries for Stepmoms Made Easy ... Read the Post
Tips for Setting a Holiday Custody Schedule
Every stepmom I know heaves a giant sigh of relief when the holiday custody schedule is agreed upon each year. It can be a spot of contention, and reaching an agreement brings so much relief to all involved. In our family, it's often when I can really let my hair down, enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, and crank the holiday music up loud.It's not usually as simple as determining who will have the kids ... Read the Post
The Stepmom’s Guide to Holiday Gifts
Three years ago, my stepdaughter's mom's family lived with us during the holidays. You might remember that I'm a little crazy for Christmas... so I put up a Christmas tree in nearly every room of the house. One of the trees was designated for their Christmas presents, and one for ours.As more presents were wrapped, I began to notice just how many more presents they had purchased for my ... Read the Post
So you don’t have your stepkids December 25th…
Blended family holidays amplify the already-complicated dynamics stepmoms navigate everyday. You're thrilled to have the kids in your home on your custodial time, but the house feels eerily quiet when they're at their other home and the holiday commotion slows down.These feelings of longing for normalcy are compounded when we look around and everyone else is celebrating their holidays without ... Read the Post