My daughters join me to celebrate the milestone of 100 episodes! Considering I wouldn't be where I am without them, it's about time they made their stamp on the podcast! Each of the 100 messages have been personal as they've highlighted what we've learned and the things that we're in the process of walking through. Grateful for the growth and where our family stands today. More to come! 

Do you fight in front of your kids? Well, you should! You may need to redefine what it means to 'fight' with your significant other and some of the rules around what is and isn't within bounds may need to change as well. Nonetheless, much can be learned from a dispute handled the right way. Our kids don't need to be exposed to any and every dispute, but they should witness the way that we handle and resolve conflict. Realizing that disagreement isn't the end of the world is a blessing that they carry into their relationships for years to come!

Margo and I have a long list of the things that we love about one another, but we're not going to pretend that there's a list of things that we don't like. In fact, her words are "the most unattractive thing that you do" to be exact! I had no idea that sitting accross from one another and exchanging things that we aren't necessarily a fan of was a relationship goal of mine, but here we are. Grateful that we've grown to the point where this can take place without insecurity or a desire to take personal jabs taking over. We spend most of our time celebrating one another and sharing the things that we love, so we had a little fun humbling one another for close to an hour!

Anybody dealing with a little bit of chaos right now?? It's so easy for the things that are happening around us to incite responses that can resemble frustration, confusion, anger, axiousness or depression. But do we have to keep going through these cycles? Is our respsponse automated based on the chaos around us, or can we determine whether our peace will remain intact? I can assure you that we have tools at our disposal to combat the craziness! 

You don't make it to 11 years of marriage without some legitimate tests. While the idea of divorce wasn't something we entertained, we were definitely tempted to believe the thought that we'd be miserable because of all that came with our family. But, God!! Today, we can see the fruit of our efforts and the blessings on the other side of much heartache. Things are not perfect, but there is no question that our commitment to doing the right thing has made all of the difference. This moment of gratitude has allowed us to recall what we've been through, how we've overcome, and its stirred up some excitement about the things ahead! 

Pride takes down families. Simple as that. It is as deceptive as it is destructive. If we were to closely examine the issues related to marriage and divorce, as well as other relational conflicts, pride wouldn't be too hard to find. Unfortunately, we all deal with it to some degree. Humility, on the other hand, is what strengthens bonds and makes way for the wisdom that we need to overcome even the most significant relationship issues. 

As a stepparent, you may be tempted to prefer your biological child over your step child. This can show up in the form of comparison, inconsistent execution of discipline, or the outright shunning of your stepkid(s). There are plenty of reasons or excuses that we may use to get to this point, but this outcome is not uncommon! Correcting course so that we're not depending on our bio kids to affirm our identity or soothe our bruised ego is a necessary step. 

We've addressed who it is that we prioritize during singlehood and the early stages of blending. It's time to talk about what comes first when things get serious. Getting this right for our family has not been easy, but it is without question one of our greatest achievements! 

The process of blending your family is not a free-for-all! The decisions we make about how we spend our time, the well-being of our children and the proper way to invest into a love interest are crucial. This means we have to have our priorities straight. Depending on what stage you find yourself the person that requires your investment may look one way or another. Nonetheless, my wife and I have learned that a successful blend depends heavily on keeping the first things first!