Just in case y’all were curious…this post topic about communicating with a busy spouse was actually Barry’s idea. Barry is very busy and so am I. But that doesn’t mean we can skip the communication aspect of our relationship. It’s crucial to any healthy relationship – especially a marriage – to have consistent communication.

I can tend toward pessimism. That shocks most people when I say it because I normally have an upbeat attitude and I’m always making jokes. But it’s true – I pretty regularly look at the glass half empty. Thankfully, I have found one small action can change your entire day. What is that one small action? Keep reading. What is our goal with that small action?

Guest post by Lindsey Hale, author of the recently-released book, Lifted: How to Ditch the Fear, Obligation and Guilt and Live Your Best Life, available now!

The World’s “Okayest Life” is not okay.

How on earth does she get everything done? Is it really possible to have a healthy body, marriage and family, organized home, and run a little side hustle without cloning yourself? Maybe you are like the old me who thought that “successful women” who “had it all” must be super heroes or at very least born lucky.  I would start towards a goal, like getting debt free, I’d do all the research, get the budget all set up, and then I would hit a major bump in the road and that was it! I quit! These kind of goals aren’t for people like me! Guess I’ll just keep on getting by and living the world’s “okayest” life. 

Before we get started, let’s be clear…this isn’t a passive-aggressive rant on someone who has been mean to me, or some judgmental sermon about a company, cause, or political organization. Instead, this is a common-sense guide to dealing with negativity in your life, whether it is online or face-to-face. For some reason, a lot of our society has forgotten its politeness, and often, when someone disagrees with something you say or do, they immediately get ugly. Let’s talk about how to deal with all of that, shall we?

I do a lot of how-to articles. And I share a lot of recipes. I give y’all tips on everything from cleaning products to food storage. But today’s post isn’t information that you can take and go implement. There are no physical steps to take or list of action items. Today I’m sharing something that I hope goes in to your head and heart and hopefully changes your attitude.

A while back I was having a conservation with one of my dear friends, Jessica, from Smartter Each Day. We were chatting about the idea of belief, and the hard reality that there is always going to be someone who disagrees with the things you do. This could apply to anything in life: from your faith, your health, your parenting, or even your marriage. No matter what you do and what choices you ultimately make in life, someone is always going to disagree with you. [Read more…]

I realize it’s been a while since I talked about this, and if you have been a follower for a while, you may recall that I have talked before about how I organize my days. I do it in a very specific way and turns out, the concept is not new AT ALL. I actually first heard about it when I when I was younger – like a lot younger. We’re talking when I was a little girl.

Any of y’all remember Little House in the Big Woods?

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