Lifestyle
For the lives that we love, and everything that comes with it.
A First Time for Everything
He was big, burly and heavy on his feet, like an iron shield guarding our family. The strongest person I know, he towers over most. Being brawly and intimidating to people who don’t know him, he has a stern frown and a soft smile, a deep farmer's tan from the hours he spends cutting wood and doing yard work but meticulously ironed grey suit pants and straight Brooks Brothers dress shirts and jackets. He has hammers and nails, saws and screwdrivers, wrenches, and hatchets, but works with people and computers. He casually coaches us from lacrosse to hockey and all in between, but methodically constructs cultured sentences presented to important people every day. He helps with seventh grade math, but works with pie charts and statistics that are puzzling to others. His presence brings safety and protection like having a military squad protecting your family.
By Clare Woodford8 years ago in Families
The Sh*t They Don't Tell You: Lesson #5
Losing Your Shit. You're standing there, telling yourself that if you hear "Mommy!" one more time today, you're going to explode. You're crying on the bathroom toilet with a Snickers bar hanging halfway out of your mouth, knowing that if you hear one more request to watch that damned Paw Patrol episode, you're going to have yourself a conniption. You're rushing everybody out the door only to find your three-year-old standing in the room butt naked (but at least she has shoes on!) and YOU LOSE YOUR SHIT.
By Tiffany Wade8 years ago in Families
The More The Merrier
You know how you watch TV shows and movies about young couples and they FINALLY get their first apartment together? They’re making their first meal in their new home, unpacking and getting everything set up, and you’re secretly captivated it all. You start thinking about how excited you would be to be living with your significant other and how you would decorate your home and how everything would just be perfect! And of course maybe you think about your first pet together as a couple and how fun and easy it would be to train an animal because it always looks pretty easy on TV. So why wouldn’t it be right?
By Kahli Corridore8 years ago in Petlife
Learning for the Future
A few days had strung together consisting of our three-year-old, Ellis, becoming what I like to refer to as a demon child. For some reason, this demon seems to appear as soon as I get home from work. I understand that it's the end of the day and she is tired, which definitely has a huge control over any kid's behavior. What I began to realize, however, is the way it can control my own behavior. It instantly puts me in a bad mood, frustrated from being at work all day, driving in traffic, excited to see the wife and kids, yet having to now deal with her attitude. It's my own attitude that has led me down the path of spending my evening hours correcting her behavior and putting her on timeouts or threatening that some toy would be taken away. There's no way to reason with a pissed off toddler, no matter how calm you are as a dad, especially when they are just as stubborn and strong-willed as you are.
By Jeffrey Engelage8 years ago in Families
Guide to Owning Rabbits
Let me start by saying, rabbits are not the starter pets everyone thinks, and they definitely not for small children. Cages are too small for rabbits, and outdoor hutches are dangerous. Rabbits won't be happy living in a cage. The ones from pet stores are not even suitable for a rat. They are much too small. Your new rabbit will be much happier in an exercise pen when they can't be supervised and having free roam when you can watch them. It's even better if you can rabbit proof your entire house so that it's safe to give them total free roam of the house. Just one room in the house is also suitable. Keeping your rabbit outdoors has too many risks. When the rabbit is outside and out of sight, it is easy to forget about them, to forget to feed and water them, to not pay attention to them, and that makes for an unhappy and lonely rabbit. There is also risk of predators. Rabbits are prey animals. Even if the hutch is secure enough that nothing can get to the rabbit, they could die of fright just seeing the predator. There is also higher risk of fly-strike, and parasite infections for rabbits kept outdoors. They could also fall victim to extreme weather conditions come winter and summer.
By Katherine Reed8 years ago in Petlife
What to Know About Permanent Birth Control for Women
It is important to know that you have options when it comes to permanent birth control procedures. This process can seem intimidating without knowing all of the details. And this is why it is crucial to know what to expect, how your recovery process will go, and what is best for your body. Your local women's health organization will always be of great help in your process, as well.
By Sherry Campbell8 years ago in Viva
