Bakersfield Mom

I got something in the mail the other day that is haunting me. I want desperately to throw it in the trash and forget about it. Maybe shred it. But I can’t, it holds some value to me. So I just keep staring at it, hoping to build up the courage to open it and find the answers, yet afraid of those very answers.

The current issue of Working Mother magazine has been sitting on counter for several days while I do my best to ignore it. I don’t even have the guts to turn it face-down to avoid the questioning headline staring me in the face. It intrigues me too much.

Seems easy enough, I should be able to flip the damn thing over. But I can’t. The cover looks like a lot of other issues on the magazine. But it’s the main headline that is eating at me.  Continue reading →

McClatchy-Tribune News Service 

It seems we live with abbreviations, quick texts, and acronyms, so here’s another to add to your list: EQ, or “emotional intelligence,” a term coined by author Dr. Travis Bradberry.

Just around the corner, March is International Listening Awareness Month, but anytime is a great time to tune into our emotional intelligence.

As busy parents, it takes effort to truly listen to our kids. Between carpools, sports, school, homework, etc., it’s an often overlooked — but important — exercise to truly listen to each other. I remember telling my son once, “I know you hear me, but are you listening?” He looked at me as if I was speaking Greek.  Continue reading →

Here are just a handful of cool tips for around the home that we all may have heard, but may have forgotten. Have a great week, everyone!  Continue reading →

I want you to cast your mind back to every horror movie you’ve ever seen, specifically the moment when the terrified woman running through the graveyard falls down and lies there helplessly, waiting to be attacked.

What does that flailing, helpless woman always have on her feet?  Continue reading →

By Jeff Strickler, Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS — When Bob Gubrud heard about a survey saying that arguing with your spouse at least once a week makes for stronger, longer marriages, he chuckled as he quipped sarcastically, “That must mean that our marriage is fantastic, because sometimes we have one a day.”

The Edina, Minn., man and his wife, Rosie, have been married 52 years, so they’re clearly doing something right. According to marriage counselors, their disagreements can help them iron out small differences before they become major issues.

The survey, released this month, found that 44 percent of married couples believe that fighting more than once a week helps keep the lines of communication open. While that survey was done in India, it reinforces similar studies that have been done in the United States, said William Doherty, a professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Family Social Science.  Continue reading →

Having enough sleep affects your child’s entire day. It will affect their mood, their concentration, how well they behave, and their ability to retain information. A good morning routine actually starts the night before with a good night’s sleep, but as every parent knows, getting a child to sleep can be tricky. Use your child’s dominant sense to make going to sleep a comfortable process.  Continue reading →

Your teen son wants your help choosing a Valentine’s gift for his girlfriend. Should you agree?  Continue reading →