One of Nico’s kindergarten teachers threw me last week when she started talking about The Five Love Languages. Heard of this one? If you haven’t, here’s the premise: one of the main reasons we’re so unhappy in our marriages is because we don’t speak the same language as our spouse. Um, yeah. But author Gary [...]
Tag Archives | Ken
Whaddya Gonna Do? (part 1 of 2)
Lately, I’ve been trying to pay more attention to what I say. What does my story say about who I am and where I’m going? Is it a good story? Does it include any of the wonderful things going on in my life? Or have I fallen back on the old story, in which I [...]
How My Week of Extreme Self Care Turned into The One-Day Escape Hatch
I ran into my neighbor yesterday, one of those wonderful folks who helped me out a few weeks ago, when I hit the wall. And then bounced off. Before being run over by a truck. You get the picture. Anyway, seeing her reminded me of a promise I’d made to myself during that crazy time: [...]
The Chore Wars
So, how’s it going over there? Feeling rested and happy as the end of summer rolls around? Like you’ve accomplished everything you’ve set out to do? What’s that, with plenty of time to spare? By the way, how’s your house? Looking spic and span, I’m guessing, just like mine. Ha. I thought so. In a [...]
What My Father-in-Law Taught Me About Getting Out of the Way
We flew out to San Jose this past weekend for Ken’s dad’s memorial service, and ever since, I’ve been thinking about how nice it was. Yeah, I know—that’s not something you usually hear about a service. But this one was much lighter and more life-affirming than any other funeral I’d ever attended, and it really [...]
In Memory of Ken’s Dad
Last night, I slept a cold, black sleep–that hard, dreamless sleep that comes with an exhausted mind and body. When I woke, I was surprised to find that my kids (who’ve been melting down left and right these past few weeks) seemed to have morphed back into their regular old calm and happy selves. I [...]
This One’s for Ken
One step forward, 18 steps back. Ken’s about to fly to California for the second time this week because his dad, who’s been fighting cancer for the past year, is quickly declining. While he was gone earlier this week, my mom fell and broke her hip, which (with its major surgery, rehab and long recovery [...]
Parental Failure #46
(Part 2 of a 3-part series) So now that I’ve talked about the not-so-clear link between money and happiness, let me show you how badly I’ve blown it as a parent. Especially in terms of teaching any lessons of value to my kids. Because what’s really gotten me all worked up around here is the [...]
Embracing Your Inner Cruise Director–Or Not
We’ve had a busy few months with a lot of travel and visitors, and throughout it all, the same themes keep popping up. One is just how different Ken and I are in some pretty fundamental ways. For example, he’s an extrovert at heart, someone who should be out and about in the world, not [...]
Money, Money, Money
I’ve been thinking about money lately. As in: money’s one of those ever-present married-with-young-children arguments, so why aren’t we talking about how crazy-expensive our lives really are? “When our kids were your age,” a friend said to me the other day, “we were always in the red.” “Really?” She nodded. “We were way over budget–for [...]
About Me
I'm a part-time writer who works from home, alongside my work-from-home hubby and our two boys, ages 5 and 3. Welcome to our crazy little space shuttle! Tanja Pajevic
