“I don’t know how this could ever work. I just don’t feel like my spouse and I love each other like we used to. This is too hard, and our children will be better off if we separate.” If you’ve had these kind of thoughts, you aren’t alone—especially if...
Are you gearing up for your very first Empty Nest Christmas? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned Empty Nester who is looking for fresh, new ideas that will help you make the most of this holiday season? When we experienced our first Christmas as Empty Nesters, it was...
Have you already started making your list and checking it twice? Or do you prefer to make a mad, last-minute dash to the store for all your Christmas shopping? For me, gift-giving doesn’t always come easily—and that’s why I’ve ended up in the second camp...
With Christmas right around the corner, we decided it was the perfect time to sit down and have a chat about the expectations that can go hand-in-hand with the holiday season. Whether you’re a new parent, an empty nester, or somewhere in between, we’re...
Your Thanksgiving feast is ready to go, every Christmas stocking has been hung with care, and you’re feeling ready for a festive holiday season. There’s just one thing missing—your adult children and their families! Do any of these conversations sound familiar to you?...
Jill: The holidays are commonly known as the most wonderful time of the year! However, they are also the most filled with expectations. Your in-laws are expecting you to come by for brunch, your parents are expecting you for family time, there are holiday programs and...
Jill: I discovered Mark’s affair two months before the holiday celebrations started in 2011. (If you haven’t read about our dark season, you can find our 10-day blog series here.) That holiday was spent waiting, and it was a circumstance I never imagined....
Do you want to make Christmas extra special this year? To do this, things like giving special gifts, gathering the family in a certain way, or even decorating with intentionality may come to mind. But what if making Christmas special wasn’t about anything you did...
Jill: It’s that time of year again. Christmas music is starting to play as tons of decor hits the store shelves. Mark: As the calendar begins to fill up with Thanksgiving meals, office parties, and plans to visit extended family around Christmas, it can be difficult...
The excitement of the holidays is hard to contain! Your young children are anxiously waiting to leap out of their beds to open presents on Christmas morning. Your adult children may be traveling home from college or coming to visit from their homes. You may be looking...
It’s hard to believe that this is our final episode for 2022! Mark is joining me on the podcast today to review the year and share what we look forward to in the new year. We are so thankful to you, our faithful listener, and we are so excited about everything coming...
It’s the holiday season! That means that there is shopping, gift-giving, and decorating that needs to be done. Unfortunately, in the midst of all the doing, we can miss out on having a Christmas heart. When that happens, we miss out on the true reason for the season....
I was recently reading an article stating that 45% of people in the United States would prefer to skip out on the holidays rather than deal with the stress of it all. Seems crazy, right? But if we think about it, it’s not all that surprising. From family...
This may sound crazy, but the holiday season doesn’t have to be a time where you spend a lot of money. It’s true! In our book Living With Less So Your Family Has More, Mark and I share how even though our world often tells us the message that “bigger...
I’ve got to be honest: I am gift-giving challenged. Giving really thoughtful gifts rarely comes easy to me. It takes a lot of extra thought and energy. Maybe you can relate? So when this time of year comes around, can I tell you one of my favorite things?...
