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Single Parenting Makes You Tough

Today has been one of those days. I woke up this morning and felt like I had a head full of mud, coherent thought escapes me. This is not good. When you are the only parent responsible for your children and your brain feels muddled, who picks up the slack? Sadly, no one. As they say, the show must go on and this is true for single parents everywhere. No matter how you feel, there are things that have to be done, little people are depending on you. I think that being a single mother has made me tougher, given … Continue reading →

Staying Focused when you are Up Against a Deadline

While not all of us have to contend with deadlines in our home businesses, many of us do. Managing to stay organized and focused, and prioritize tasks when faced with a tight or unexpected deadline can take some getting used to. There are ways to keep on track, however, and learn to stay focused when an impending deadline looms. Deadlines have been a way of life for me for most of my work career. I imagine that I cut my teeth on deadlines by writing for my high school newspaper although I admit that I have gotten better with staying … Continue reading →

Single Parent Dating—Don’t Take Things Personally

As parents, many of us are in touch with our emotions; we’ve developed empathy and understanding and have learned how to think more about other people and less about ourselves. This is a good thing! It means we are maturing and growing in our ability to be both a great parent and a great human being. However, when it comes to dating as a single parent, our empathy and well-developed emotional side can get in the way. We might be expecting too much, or taking things the other “dates” say or do too personally. I think it can be tough … Continue reading →

When Your Kids go to the “Other House” for the Holidays

For the first couple years after my divorce–the holidays were definitely hard for me! I realize that there was really nothing unique or original about my situation, but that did not make it any less painful or difficult to adjust to. I agreed that I would have my kids on Christmas Eve and then they would spend Christmas Day with their father. That first long, lonely Christmas day was horrible! But, over the years, I have adjusted and have found new ways to celebrate the holidays, and keep my mood up all the while… Sharing our kids can be tough … Continue reading →

Spread Sheets for Single Parent Record-Keeping

I don’t know about you, but with three kids, as well as myself to look after (and three cats)—keeping track of information and records can be a difficult part of the single parent’s job. Whether it is dental appointments, booster shots, or even when everyone had the chicken pox—having all of this information at my finger tips can be tough. A few years ago, I decided to take the spread sheets that I love so much in my home business—and use them to organize some of my family information too. This makes the records easy for me to keep track … Continue reading →

Re-visit Co-parenting Assumptions

Once you and your child’s other parent get a “system” worked out to deal with custody and parenting responsibilities, it can be quite normal to settle into a state of complacency. After all, it may have taken a lot of grief and negotiations to get to a sane and stable place. However, it is important to periodically revisit and restate what is going on and make sure that everyone is still on the same page. When I think of “assumptions,” I am thinking of the agreements we come to with the other parent, or things that evolve and seem to … Continue reading →

Health Insurance and the Single Parent

I can just hear the groans now as I use those two words: Health Insurance. What issue is more controversial, more stressful, and more overwhelming for ANY family, if not health insurance? For single parents, getting adequate health insurance coverage for our kids and our families can be an incredible challenge and one of our big focuses as we look for adequate work and benefit packages… Years ago, when I was negotiating my divorce settlement, I remember health insurance was a big topic. My ex-husband and I spent some time and detail figuring out what was going to be fair … Continue reading →

What Do You Think “Family Friendly” Means?

I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that I think that most of our society is NOT family-friendly. Over the years, there have been times and places where I felt comfortable as a family—but overall, many places and situations were not particularly friendly or welcoming to a single mom with three kids in tow. Granted, my children are older now and we don’t do a lot out in public all together as a clan, and they are well-behaved enough to eat at any restaurant or attend events—but it wasn’t so long ago that I was still struggling … Continue reading →

Single Parents: Looking Ahead to a New Year

Can you believe it is already two-thousand-seven? Kids are growing so fast and life seems to be passing so quickly. It is times like this when I stop and reflect upon the blessings I have in my life but also the things I want to get accomplished in the New Year. You are a single parent, in the trenches, putting your kids first and probably battling exhaustion. It is so important to take a moment to pat yourself on the back and give applause to all your hard work. Single parenting is hard work and you are forced to rely … Continue reading →

Never Too Old To Help a Friend

I recently read an article about a sweet 82 year old woman here in Utah who has dedicated her life to serving those around her. For years she has volunteered her time at the hospital lifting people’s spirits. Her goal is simply to make all of the patients smile. Even at the ripe old age of 82 she is committed to this work. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives and is doing just that. People often ask her when she is going to retire. Her reply is always, “When I can’t crawl anymore.” If only we could … Continue reading →