Search Results for: blog we are entitled to do some things alone

Navigating Alone Time

How well do you do on your own without your spouse?  I certainly don’t need Jonathan to look after me, and I could support myself without him, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  What I mean is: if there are times that your spouse is away from home from an extended period of time, how do you feel about it? I’ve never liked living alone.  If I wasn’t married, I would prefer having a roommate to living by myself.  I spent the summer before I got married living on my own, and it was unpleasant.  So when Jon goes … Continue reading →

I Choose Happiness

Life is hard, and sometimes very unfair. The life we dreamed of as a little girl, a husband, a family and a white picket fence has not materialized. Instead we are working long hours, taking care of our children alone, and that white picket fence? We are just happy to have a place to sleep at night. Life is not fair, but it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. I believe that happiness is a choice. Every day when I wake up, I make the choice to be happy. The car is making a funny noise? Thank goodness … Continue reading →

Rules for Visitors

Dear Pregnancy Blogger, What is an acceptable time frame for receiving visitors after you have your baby? I don’t think I’ll be ready right away, but I don’t want to offend anyone. Sincerely, Almost Due Confession: I completely made that question up for the sake of this blog, but I am convinced it is something that crosses every pregnant woman’s mind. Women who are not on their first pregnancy will probably already know the answer, because they remember how they felt with their first baby and they know how things go when it comes to visitors. The answer is… The … Continue reading →

Single Parent, But Never Alone

There are times when you are going to feel very much alone in being a single parent. There are going to be those days when you feel that nobody understands, not even the ones that you are closest to and that know your situation. On those days, in those moments you must remember this: I may be a single parent, but I am never alone. There is someone that is by my side every moment of the day. Even when I am sleeping, I am protected. There may be moments that something happens that is very discouraging. I may wonder … Continue reading →

RS/EQ: Obedience: “When the Lord Commands, Do It”

Lesson #13 in the Joseph Smith manual for this year’s course of study is entitled, “Obedience: ‘When the Lord Commands, Do It.’” This was Joseph Smith’s personal philosophy of life and his every action showed it. He was a little rough around the edges, but he was unfailingly obedient to the things he was asked to do. We begin this lesson with a reminder of the many times the early Saints were asked to move to join with the body of the Church. They came from New York to Kirtland, later to Nauvoo, and then ended up in Salt Lake … Continue reading →

Author Interview – Candace Salima on Book Tour

Today we are joined by LDS author and former Families.com blogger, Candace Salima, as she hits the Internet to spread the word about her religious nonfiction book, “Forged in the Refiner’s Fire.” Candace, thank you for sharing your time with us. “Forged in the Refiner’s Fire” is a compilation book that you put together with your friend, Elizabeth Cheever. How did the two of you come up with the idea for this book? Initially, Elizabeth contacted me to help in compiling and writing for this book. When she broached the idea with me, it touched a part of my heart … Continue reading →

Person First, Parent Second

I often wrestle with the whole philosophy that the family and children should come first. While I definitely keep my children and family life at the center of my life, I have learned over the years as a single parent, that if I don’t take care of myself too–I cannot take good care of my family and meet all my obligations. I am not always sure HOW to take care of myself and meet all my responsibilities. I know full well that even if I schedule an evening out with a friend, something could happen with one of my kids … Continue reading →

Watch Stress and Diet This Time of Year

We all know the drill—take one already-harried single parent, one with job, children, household and other responsibilities and toss them into the chaos of the holiday season. If things were stressed before, imagine the stress level and time management issues on hyper-speed. For a single parent, this time of year can be tough and eating poorly and letting our stress levels get out of control can really make things worse. The diet piece can really be a challenge for me—I have much less time to slow down and prepare healthy meals so I am much more likely to grab something … Continue reading →

RS/EQ: Revelation – A Continuous Melody and a Thunderous Appeal

This week’s lesson from the Spencer W. Kimball manual was entitled “Revelation – A Continuous Melody and a Thunderous Appeal” and is lesson twenty-two. In this portion of the book, we read about a press conference held at the Arizona temple visitors’ center. A reporter asked him if God truly did speak to him. President Kimball was quick to answer that yes, indeed, he did speak to God as His prophet. No hesitation on his part whatsoever – he bore his testimony of continuing revelation. He says, “The blessing of revelation is one that all should seek for.” There are … Continue reading →

We Are Entitled to Do Some Things Alone

One of the realities of single parenthood is that we often have our child or children as our constant companions. We eat together, run errands together, and when children are young or during times of stress, our kids will often even camp out in our bedrooms. Even though we parents may want a little alone time, it can be hard to carve out that time and even harder to justify. If we work all day, we may feel absolutely obligated to spend every other spare moment with our child. Alone time is not a crime, however, and we really are … Continue reading →