Search Results for: blog what really matters

What Reallly Matters

Sometimes I have to remind myself of what really matters. That’s because I can easily get caught up in the inconsequential “stuff” of life. It could be that I am so focused on my to-do list, my agenda or a schedule that I lose sight of what’s most important. When interruptions or distractions come, I get out of sorts. This can mean not taking the time to really listen when my teen wants to talk. Or it could be that I dole out a sharp answer, just so I can move on to my next thing. One of my famous … Continue reading →

Can You Really Put Your Spouse Before Your Children?

Have you ever been told that your spouse should be put before your children? Do you think that is even possible? I used to believe that was impossible. I looked at my relationship with my children as being so much more connected because they had come from me. Yet I had forgotten that I wasn’t alone in the process of creating life. My husband is just as much connected to them. I also thought that because they were so little for so long, what they needed from me couldn’t possibly be less than what I would give to my husband. … Continue reading →

Presence Matters

Are you present with your preschooler? I don’t mean are you around your preschooler, or at home, although those are definitely two aspects of being present. What do I mean? It’s easy to get caught up in other things when you’re at home. Whether this is cleaning the house, working from home, or an important phone call, it is often preschoolers who unconsciously get moved to the margins of our thinking. We’re busy. We want to engage with our kids, as soon as we get this task done. It’s fine to think about the mundane, but often our minds are … Continue reading →

How to Prevent Money Matters from Hurting Your Marriage

Money and financial issues are one of the leading causes of conflict leading to divorce in modern marriages. Differences of opinion on what to do with money, how to save and how to spend can make you feel as though you are constantly butting heads with your spouse. If you and your spouse agree on all money issues then congratulations. You are a rare pair. Most couples have different attitudes toward money as individuals. Even couples who are have similar values (savers, let’s say) can vary a bit within their attitudes (one likes to save a little bit more than … Continue reading →

Family Matters: Marriage Thicker Than Blood?

How devoted are you to your partner really? Devoted enough that if, for whatever reason, you had to choose between your husband/wife and your own family you’d choose your spouse? “Why on earth would I have to choose between the two, Courtney?” you may be wondering. “Surely nothing could be that bad it couldn’t be worked out.” Sadly, sometimes things are that bad. Sometimes things just can’t be worked out. For instance, sometimes a parent opposes a match so fiercely they throw down an ultimatum: marry him/her and I’ll never speak to you again. When my mom was living with … Continue reading →

Does it Really Matter Who Started It?

The other day I witnessed a father in the department store separating two young bickering siblings. He started his parental intervention with “Who started this?” I couldn’t help but think back to my early days of parenting toddlers and remembering that it did not take long before I gave up on trying to get two or three young ones to reason with me and try figuring out how things got out of control. It could take hours to hear each child’s side or version of the story and try to figure out what really happened. I soon learned that I … Continue reading →

Why What Happens in California Matters

For the first time, at least that I’m aware of, in a long time, a state court has ruled essentially, that homeschoolng is illegal. Not just for one family, but for all of the families in California. The court has left just three options: attending a public school, attending a private school, or having a certified teacher tutor the children. I know very little about this case, about the Long’s personally, or about how it got to this point. I do know that the court has made a precedent setting decision that could eventually affect every homeschooler in the nation. … Continue reading →

Whose Welfare Matters Most (Customers, Clients, Family, Self?)

Sorting and evaluating priorities can be one of the biggest wrestling matches we have to face in our home businesses. It might seem obvious and simple when we first get started—family first, business second; but the fact that we are working from home and the boundaries can get a little confusing can make it tough to figure out whose welfare we are really looking out for at any given moment… Our customers want to know that we are going to bat for them; our children and families have every right to expect that they will come first; and somewhere in … Continue reading →

Rings: What Matters More to You? Quality or Quantity?

I think it was Friday morning when I was watching either Today or the Early Show and the one or the other did a segment about rings. They started out by covering the 4 Cs (cut, carat, clarity, and cost) and then gave the results of an informal poll. Quantity For women, they said, it’s all about the cut. Not necessarily the shape, but the bigger the ring the better. Didn’t matter if it was flawed. If their guy could afford a honkin’ two-carat, that’s what they wanted. Even though for the same price they could still get a very … Continue reading →

What Really Matters

Over the past few days we’ve looked at getting our priorities right and making sure our lives exhibit transformation, love, commitment, joy. But how practically can we change our lives to incorporate these important features in our lives, when each day is so busy and so crammed with activities? If we’re waiting for a day without any troubles before we implement a change, it will never happen because each day has troubles, Jesus said the forecast is trouble, trouble and more trouble, Matthew 6:34. So it’s not likely to get better. It’s a fact too, that each day only comes … Continue reading →