Months Archives - Better Than Blended

May 14, 2018 | (5) May, Marriage, Prayer | 0 |

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...

Loving the Mother and Wife God Gave Me

May 14, 2018 | (5) May, Marriage, Prayer | 0 |

My first experience with love was with my mother. Mom was such a loving and self-sacrificing...

A New Perspective For Mother’s Day: Having a Mary Attitude

May 7, 2018 | (5) May, Death and Loss, Divorce, Family, Marriage, Months | 1 |

Mother’s Day can look completely different in blended families; maybe even a little awkward at times. It’s so easy to allow our thoughts to start drifting and the next thing we know we are comparing our Mother’s Day to someone else’s Mother’s Day. Before long we are feeling defeated and just plain different. We might even feel like it’s not fair

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.

Comforted to Comfort: How To Parent Well, After The Loss of A Spouse

Apr 19, 2018 | (4) April, Death and Loss, Family | 0 |

When my first wife died, I was determined to get through it in such a way that I would be able to also help my two children through it. My son was 3 ½ and my daughter was 1 ½ at the time. I knew it was the start of a lifelong journey of learning what to do with our grief.

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.

Stepkids Are Not Accidents

Apr 11, 2018 | (4) April, Co-Parenting, Custody, Divorce, Family, Husbands, Marriage, Ours Baby, Step Children, StepDad, Stepmom, Wives | 0 |

When I first joined the family, my stepdaughter shared with me that she was “an accident.” As a believer, I am acutely aware that our words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). I realized that she must have overheard an adult conversation, and it hurt to know that these words were spoken over her.

Open My Eyes: How To See Beyond the Pain

Apr 4, 2018 | (3) March, Death and Loss, Divorce, Family, Prayer | 0 |

2 Kings 6:17 “ Then Elisha prayed and said, O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the...

Does “Justice for All” Really Apply During A Custody Battle?

Mar 28, 2018 | (3) March, Co-Parenting, Custody, Divorce | 0 |

Going to court is an experience I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. In hopes to find a resolution, we are...

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?

When A Change In Custody Feels Like Betrayal

Mar 22, 2018 | (3) March, Uncategorized | 0 |

My husband’s custody battle started in the winter of 2015 with what we thought was an empty threat and ended the Monday after Mother’s Day of that same year with that threat becoming a reality. For our entire dating relationship and the first year of our marriage, we were far beyond wounded… it would be more accurate to say we were on and off of life support. We were hurt, angry, and betrayed… by one of the kids. And that was what made it all so much worse.

Prayer and Support in the Season of Court

Mar 21, 2018 | (3) March, Custody, Marriage, Prayer | 0 |

Court and custody, what a challenging experience for any blended family. It is one of the heaviest things we can walk through. To share custody and decisions with someone who often disagrees with you and is difficult to get along with and to have to do this during and after a custody battle is humbling.

What is 50/50 Anyway?

Mar 16, 2018 | (3) March, Co-Parenting, Custody, Family, Husbands, Marriage, Wives | 1 |

After the girls’ father and I split, time with my girls diminished greatly. However, while it was less quantity of time, with my new perspective on life, I made it much more quality time.

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: