A ‘Healing’ and Comforting Chicken Soup

Illness hit our house before the Thanksgiving holiday this year. After a few days of moaning and groaning, our eldest spiked a fever and tested positive for Influenza A. Let me just take a minute here to brag on this 13 year old man child – the second his throat started bothering him, he started […]

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Practicing Gratitude is my Caregiver Bliss  

It’s true what “they” say – that for some, it takes a life-altering experience to connect with our sense of gratitude. Being thankful is surface-level appreciation. That’s not what I’m talking about.   I’m talking about the feeling of fervent appreciation for your still living parents, after attending the funeral of a friend’s mom or […]

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How We Reduce Expectant Disappointment

When we solidify plans to do something fun, our very first impulse is to share that information with our kids. More than anything, we love to see the joyfulness they exude when something delights them. We want to share every bit of happiness with them – because we adore them and they are at their […]

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How we try to mitigate the emotional toll of childhood caregiving

To say that I have the best children in the entire world is an understatement. Because I do. I think most parents have moments of clarity where we recognize that our children are incredible human beings, becoming who they are meant to be right before our eyes. You know, between the sleepless nights of babyhood […]

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The “Sandwich Generation” – and how to add flavor as the condiment

I’m part of the sandwich generation. And if you’re reading this, and caring for a spouse or parent(s) while raising children, you’re in this club too. It’s an exclusive club none of us ever wanted to be part of, but here we are. So the question is, what part of the sandwich are we? I […]

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When the Monster isn’t Cancer

Cancer is one of the most inescapable realities of life. Eventually, you’re going to either know someone with cancer or be someone with cancer – sometimes it will be both. My high school biology teacher announced happily one day – if you live long enough, you’ll get cancer. He was a socially awkward human but […]

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5 Tips to Successfully Advocate for Your Person as a Caregiver

To say that I have an assertive personality is an understatement. I don’t believe in destiny, but it’s almost as if someone up there knew that I’d need to have a loud voice and the gumption to survive caregiving. There have been many moments where these personality traits have served me – but mostly my […]

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