Smart Stepmom

All the Tools You Need to Thrive as a Stepmom Let stepfamily experts Ron L. Deal and Laura Petherbridge show you how to survive and thrive as a stepmom, including how to be a positive influence on the children and how to deal with conflict, as well as practical issues like dealing with holidays and between-home communication.

The stepmother's role often is ambiguous and underappreciated, and frequently it carries unrealistic expectations. The book answers women's concerns and questions, including: How can I be a caretaker and a key emotional connector in the family if the children don't accept my influence? How shoud I cope with children who are confused about their family and torn between loyalty to their biological mother and me? When should I step back in conflicts and when should I insist that my husband stand up for me? In addition it addresses the spiritual and emotional climate of the home, providing perspective and guidelines to help stepmothers and their families thrive.

Practical Ideas You Can Use Today In this down-to-earth book, Laura Petherbridge offers real answers from someone who's walked in your shoes--and not only survived, but thrived as a stepmom. Here you'll find compact solutions arranged by topic, such as parenting, coping with the children's biological mom, finances, and dealing with the holidays. You will learn · how to better understand your blended family · what to do when you feel like an outsider · ways to navigate the drama · keys to gaining the respect of your stepkids These bite-sized tips are perfect for a busy stepmom, offering at-a-glance advice you can use today--and see change begin.

Discover the Keys to a Healthy Stepfamily Leading stepfamily expert Ron L. Deal reveals the seven fundamental steps to blended family success and provides practical, realistic solutions to the issues you face as a stepfamily. Whether married or soon-to-be-married, you'll discover how to · Solve the everyday puzzles of stepparenting and stepchildren relationships · Communicate effectively with an ex-spouse · Handle stepfamily finances confidently · "Cook" your stepfamily slowly rather than expect an instant blend This revised and expanded edition has updated research and two new chapters with even more real-world advice on topics such as stepsibling relationships and later-life stepfamilies.

Money issues are a frequent source of conflict in all marriages. But blended families are a monetary minefield. Debts, bills, and child support payments from previous relationships often influence the finances of a blended family. And planning for college expenses, retirement, and inheritance gets even more complicated in remarriage. These issues can explode couple unity and blow up developing family harmony. However, proper blended family money management can make money an asset to your relationship, not a liability. The authors use over 50 years of combined financial planning and blended family educational experience to help you envision your combined financial future and plan for how you'll get there. You'll discover practical ways to merge your current financial realities and protect your marriage while doing so. Get real-world financial advice specific to unique blended family legal and relational matters so you can provide for your family both now and in the future.

Practical Solutions to the Issues Stepfamilies Face The Smart Stepfamily Participant's Guide provides discussion questions to use before and after watching the DVD, space to take notes, and bonus reading material. Includes leader instructions and guidelines for facilitating effective groups.

While resources abound for stepmothers, stepfathers are often left to travel a difficult road without clear directions. Ron Deal offers advice for men navigating the stepfamily minefield, including how to connect with stepchildren, being a godly role model, how to discipline, dealing with the biological dad, and keeping the bond strong with one's new spouse. He gives perspective on what the kids are going through and why things don't work the same as in a biological family. The Smart Stepdad provides essential guidelines to help stepfathers not only survive but succeed as both dad and husband.

Mom, do you feel like you're running in ten different directions but getting nowhere? Are your kids driving you crazy? Does each day feel like a battle over screen time, homework, and eating anything besides chicken nuggets? In 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Mom, Arlene Pellicane helps you get a grip and find your smile again. In her easy-to-read-and-apply guide, you will discover the keys to being a happy mom. Packed with encouragement, funny stories, and wisdom from experienced mothers, this book will change your home for the better...beginning with you. As with Arlene's other extremely popular "31 Days" books, this one is divided into 31 daily readings, each beginning with a Scripture passage and ending with a doable action step and prayer.

Remarrying couples are looking for real answers to help them build successful marriages that last a lifetime. Knowing God’s plan for a biblical marriage is foundational to finding true fulfillment. This up-to-date and easy-to-use premarital guide will help individuals, couples, pastors, counselors, small groups, or premarital classes prepare for the adventure of remarriage. Couples will learn not only about each other, but also about themselves, their relational skills, and their compatibility as a couple. Sidebars from experts will discuss the spiritual, emotional, social, relational, and physical intricacies of being remarried and provide extensive resources for continued marital education and growth. Each chapter will also include a section called Plus! that deals with second-marriage challenges as well as Plus Kids! that deals with blended-family challenges.

A message of hope for blended families, from a couple who have been in the trenches - and made it. Blending a family is far more messy and complicated than any television show portrays. Beyond the Brady Bunch is a heart book, not a how-to book. Christians who find themselves in the midst of step-family life often feel hopeless and far from God, struggling with grief and unforgiveness. From personal experience the authors have found that all the how-to steps in the world don’t work if there isn’t first a heart change. Speaking with honesty and vulnerability they share their own mistakes and how God dealt with their hearts. The book will help stretch hearts, minds and homes past the image of “perfect” and another “happily ever after” into the hope of God’s promise to restore, heal and rebuild.

A Premarital Guide for Blended Family Couples If you want to enter a blended family marriage well, this is the book for you. Aimed at engaged or pre-engaged couples who have at least one child from a previous relationship, Preparing to Blend offers wise counsel on parenting, finances, establishing family identity, and daily routines for your new life together. Within these pages you will learn how to: · predict common issues · define expectations · create solutions You, your soon-to-be-spouse, and your children will benefit from exercises designed to accelerate family bonding and help you better understand each other. There is even a chapter to help you plan your wedding with your children in mind, so you can build a strong future together. Preparing to Blend is also an ideal premarital counseling tool for marriage coaches, mentors, and pastors wanting to prepare couples for complex blended family dynamics. If you are considering forming a blended family, Preparing to Blend is the resource you've been looking for.

As a stepparent or biological parent in a blended family that has experienced divorce, you may encounter resistance. But take heart. That resistance is probably not because of your personality or something you've done wrong, but because of the position you hold. Walking in your child's shoes for a while, to see things from their point of view, can make all the difference. Lauren Reitsema's stories, research, and firsthand experiences will help you better understand the mindset of your child. While every stepparent/stepchild relationship is unique, there are many common themes that children experience as they adapt to their changing family. Lauren carefully explains these themes and brings out practical ideas that will help you cultivate authentic connections. Discover what's going on in the heart and mind of your child and learn to walk beside them. Your efforts will pay off in stronger, closer blended family relationships.

Make This Marriage Last a Lifetime Leading blended family authority Ron Deal and marriage and family expert David Olson show you how to build on your relationship strengths and improve your weaknesses. Whether you're dating, engaged, a young stepfamily, or an empty-nest couple, The Smart Stepfamily Marriage gives you the tools you need at any stage to create a remarriage that will last. Each chapter of this book explores one of the key qualities of happy remarriages as identified by research. Like a GPS for your relationship, this book has built-in discussion questions that can help you and your partner discover where you are, where you'd like to be, and how to get there. The online survey gives you a report with personalized results for your relationship. "The Smart Stepfamily Marriage is the road map to a healthy marriage."--Gary D. Chapman, PhD, author, The Five Love Languages and When Sorry Isn't Enough "Remarried or marrying again? This book is loaded with specific, useful ideas for helping your marriage reach its full potential."--Scott Stanley, PhD, author, A Lasting Promise; research professor, University of Denver "This book is a must-read for any remarried couple. It includes the tools needed to create and maintain a wonderful remarriage."--from the foreword by Evelyn Husband Thompson, widow of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband, now remarried to Bill Thompson "The Smart Stepfamily Marriage is the most up-to-date, relevant, complete guide for remarried couples--I know of no other resource like it."--Francesca Adler-Baeder, PhD, professor and director, Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Auburn University; director, National Stepfamily Resource Center "This book will help you thrive in your marriage and beat the odds of divorce. The preventative information is the best I have ever seen, and the practical application covers it all. I have put The Smart Stepfamily Marriage at the top of my resource library for couples who find themselves in this beautiful and yet challenging world of remarriage."--Jim Burns, PhD, president, HomeWord, author of Creating an Intimate Marriage, Confident Parenting, and The Purity Code "Remarriages have unique challenges and different relational needs than first marriages. Based on a national study of 50,000 couples, this book is a wonderful resource for remarriage couples. Take the online Couple Checkup and get a report about your relationship, read the book, and build a relationship that lasts!"--Dr. Gary Smalley, author of The DNA of Relationships "You want a marriage that lasts forever, right? Blended family couples can beat the odds--this book will tell you how."--Dr. Dennis Rainey, president of FamilyLife, author of Stepping Up

Moving, funny devotions crafted for every day by moms who know the drill When women take on the role of mom, they take on a hundred other titles as well: healer, comforter, chef, teacher, cheerleader—and less flattering things like disciplinarian, ruiner of fun times, and chief worrier. In the middle of juggling all those roles, finding room to spend time alone seeking God can seem insurmountable. Moms Michelle Medlock Adams and Bethany Jett understand the struggles—and the joys. They've pulled together their own experiences with the crazy world of parenting as well as the most requested, most talked about topics on mommy blogs. Their research nailed down what moms really want to talk about. And then they created a devotional that speaks straight to the heart of the mommy life. They Call Me Mom is a lighthearted, transparent take on the real-life ups and downs mothers face through all stages of parenting. Whether mom just brought home her first baby or she has several kids and zero time, she'll find relatable words and helpful encouragement in these pages. And with one devotion for every week of the year, it's easy to fit in a few minutes with God in the middle of a full parenting life.

Realize the value and blessings of participating in mentoring relationships during all stages, ages, and seasons of life. Women often don’t think they know enough to be a mentor, or fear rejection if they ask someone to mentor them. Others don’t think they need mentoring. However, throughout the Bible, God calls spiritually younger and older women to learn from and teach one another. Mentoring for All Seasons helps answer questions like these: •What is mentoring? •How do I find a mentor? •Why does God want us to mentor one another? •What are the blessings of mentoring? Through true stories from mentors and mentees in life seasons from tween through death—along with the author’s personal experiences, helpful tips, Scriptures to study together, and biblical mentoring relationship examples—Mentoring for All Seasons encourages women to be intentional about sharing their life experiences and God’s faithfulness with other women.

In The Therapist's Notebook for Children and Adolescents, 2nd ed, you'll find the most powerful tools available for aiding children with their feelings, incorporating play techniques into therapy, encouraging appropriate parental involvement in family sessions, and providing group therapy to children. This ready reference is divided into ten thoughtfully planned sections to make it easy to find the right activity, handout, or intervention for the problem at hand, whether you’re looking for creative ideas, running a children’s group, putting interventions into practice in the classroom, or looking for ways to increase parental and familial involvement. Instructions for the activities are clearly explained and highlighted with case examples and many illustrations. Chapters are by leading experts, including Eliana Gil, Risë VanFleet, Liana Lowenstein, Howard Rosenthal, and Volker Thomas, and explore strategies for treating children both individually and in a family context. With more than 60% new material, this expanded version delves into the latest research and thinking on family play therapy and addresses many pertinent issues of our time, including bullying, suicidal ideation, ADHD, autism, adolescents and sex, and cultural issues. It’s a must-have arsenal for both novice and experienced professionals in family therapy, play therapy, psychology, psychiatry, counseling, education, nursing, and related fields.

As parents, we long for our kids to have family relationships that last a lifetime. But how do we create an atmosphere for connection on this messy journey of parenting? Messy Parenting shows you small changes you can make now to build lasting relationships, even when the going gets tough. By applying God’s design for interdependence, you’ll be able to: strengthen family relationships, encourage leadership skills, distinguish between enabling and helping, discuss without creating division, and so much more.

Stepparenting Is Hard…but It Can Also Be Richly Rewarding Stepparenting can sometimes feel like an overwhelming and thankless challenge. Loving and caring for children who aren’t biologically yours means having to earn trust, establish authority, and often put your own needs aside in favor of your stepchild’s well-being or a birth parent’s wishes. But here’s the good news: With some expert guidance and God’s help, you can have tremendous influence in your stepchild’s life and grow in your faith along the way. Seasoned stepmom Laurie Polich Short understands and empathizes with the difficult job you face. Drawing on extensive research, biblical teaching, and her own real-life experience (including an insightful chapter cowritten with her stepson, Jordan), Laurie provides practical and spiritual advice to help you fully embrace and succeed in your role as stepparent. Whether you are about to become a stepparent or are further along on your journey, this compassionate and insightful resource offers the hope, help, and encouragement you’ve been looking for.

Caitlin: To say my stepmom and I don’t get along is an understatement. Fiona kicked me out of the house, and I had no place to go in our little town. Fortunately, a handsome man picks me up from the side of the road and makes me an offer that’s utterly scandalous … but also utterly irresistible. Travis: Caitlin’s perfect for what I need. She’s all alone in the world, innocent and naïve, with an angelic face and a breathtakingly curvy body. Did I offer her a dirty deal? Yes. Did she take it of her own free will? Yes. The only part we didn’t anticipate? Her stepmother’s evil machinations. But with a baby on the way, it doesn’t matter because now, I’m claiming the curvy girl no matter what. Hey Readers – We’re back for a tale of hot steam and saucy fun with My Stepmom’s Boyfriend. Caitlin is a bit of a Cinderella after her dad passes and leaves her at the mercy of her evil stepmother. However, Cait is resourceful and feisty, and she gets her revenge on said stepmother in spades. Ooh-la-la! Saddle up for some taboo fun. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and always an HEA for my readers. You’ll love it, I promise! Xoxo, Cassie