Blending Archives - Better Than Blended

For blended families, summer may mean more than just summer vacation… bring on the summer custody schedule! For our family, this schedule switches from every other weekend to every other week. Though there is great value in...

Debunking the Myths around Summer Visitation

Jul 16, 2018 | Blending, Co-Parenting, Family, Family Traditions, Husbands, Marriage, Prayer, Step Children, StepDad, Stepmom, Uncategorized, Wives | 0 |

My stepdaughter spent 42 days with us every summer, usually broken into two chunks. That’s a lot of time with the sweet girl we only saw four days a month during the school year! I don’t know about you ladies, but I was a bit...

Stay-At-Home-Step-Mom’s Summer Survival Guide

Jul 9, 2018 | (7) July, Blending, Co-Parenting, Custody, Family, Family Traditions, Step Children, StepDad, Stepmom | 0 |

For me, SAHM (Stay-At-Home-Mom) life was the DREAM!! I love kids, love organizing, love...

The Ultimate Guide to Parenting a Blended Family – Straight from a Father’s Heart

Jun 20, 2018 | (6) June, Blending, Family, Father's Day, Ours Baby, Step Children | 0 |

Expectation vs. Reality. I write A LOT about this!! I had always imagined what it would be like to...

Blessings, Not Baggage: How Stepmoms Really Feel About Marrying a Man with Kids

Jun 11, 2018 | (6) June, Blending, Co-Parenting, Family, Husbands, Marriage, Step Children, Stepmom, Wives | 0 |

Years ago, amidst one of many uphill battles in our stepfamily life, my husband apologized for all...

Mother’s Day Martyrdom

May 30, 2018 | (5) May, Blending, Co-Parenting, Family, Family Traditions, Step Children, Stepmom | 0 |

This year I celebrated my first Mother’s Day as a “real mom” – you know, the kind of mom...

Be Kind to Yourself: Gift to A Stepmom

May 23, 2018 | (5) May, Blending, Blog, Family, Mother's Day, Prayer, Step Children, Stepmom | 0 |

The journey of blended motherhood can be completely overwhelming and utterly beautiful. Somehow...

When “Mom” Becomes a Dirty Word

May 18, 2018 | (5) May, Blending, Family, Step Children, Stepmom | 0 |

I have wanted to be a mom since before I can remember. Seriously. Mothering has been so ingrained...

What’s a Stepmom to Do with Mother’s Day?

May 9, 2018 | Blending, Custody, Divorce, Family, Family Traditions, Husbands, Marriage, Step Children, StepDad, Stepmom, Wives | 0 |

I’m not sure where I stand on the Mother’s Day holiday. Some years it passes by without incident...

A Unified Marriage: Things I Never Learned In Marriage Counseling

Apr 30, 2018 | (4) April, Blending, Co-Parenting, Marriage | 0 |

When parenting and marriage get hard, the days seem extra long. It’s easy to get stuck feeling like those hard moments or days are all the time or every day. We have learned it is important to keep things in perspective. It is important to not let our emotions paint the perspective. I have a hard time showing love to my spouse when we get stuck in this hard cycle of unending days of trial.

Making Her House My Home: How To

Apr 23, 2018 | (4) April, Blending, Custody, Divorce, Family, Step Children, Stepmom | 0 |

In my teenage years and through college, I had a pretty clear vision for what my first home was going to be. I was imagining a small apartment or a little townhouse, something in a big bustling city with very little square footage. What I was not expecting was a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house partially attached to a restaurant in a part of Pennsylvania that I had never visited let alone wanted to live in. Oh, and to make matters worse, it was the house my husband shared with his ex-wife and their children. Talk about an interesting start to marriage and my new family.

Loving the “Un-Loveable” Through Divorce and Custody

Apr 13, 2018 | (4) April, Blending, Custody, Divorce, Step Children, Stepmom | 0 |

My first experience as a mom was when I became a step-mom!

When I married my husband, I became a step-mother to three children. During that time in our lives, custody was a scary subject. Both sides of the divorce were still living in chaos, trying to pursue healing, and create a new normal. It definitely took a toll on the kids. The greatest heartbreak, in my opinion, was the 2 1/2-year-old that was stuck in the middle. She had no idea what it was like to have both parents living under the same roof and, to her, chaos was a normal part of life.

Can You Really Love Everybody The Same?

Apr 2, 2018 | Blending, Family, Husbands, Marriage, Step Children, Stepmom | 0 |

What is love? No, I’m not referring to the song by Haddaway from the 90s. I’m talking about...

Be Faithful Where You Are

Mar 26, 2018 | (3) March, Blending, Custody, Family, Marriage | 0 |

What challenge are you facing that has your heart crippled with fear? Is it a child custody battle? A failing marriage? A disrespectful teenager? What challenge are you facing right now that you can let God work through you?

Can We Have A Custody Re-do?

Mar 14, 2018 | (3) March, Blending, Co-Parenting, Custody, Divorce, Marriage, Prayer, Step Children, Stepmom, Wives | 0 |

As of today, we are coming up on three years of custody stuff, and I finally feel like I’m allowing myself to begin the healing process. Oh, if only I could do it over again with what I am learning now, things would be much different. If you find yourself along for a similar ride, let me give you a few helpful ways to cope with a custody battle, that I learned after the fact: