My first post...

    I am not very comfortable sharing my writing with the public, but I am all about trying to push myself, so here goes.

   I suppose I could share a little background for those who may not be familiar with my family. I am married to a terrific man, who happened to save me on a dark and rainy night from a strange man who was lurking by my vehicle in a dark, empty parking lot. And, he has been my, "Prince Charming", every day since...We spend most of our time parenting our five children, three of whom are from my previous marriage. The blended family dynamic works really well in our home, but I credit that to having children who love their step-dad and with having such an amazing person to act as a bonus parent to the children, that they can't help but love him. There are always issues, of course. We may not always have an easy path to walk in regards to my ex-husband and differences of opinions on that front, but we try to always emphasize the joys in our lives, rather than dwell on the difficulties.

  Our children are 13, 11, 9, 2 and 1, so we run the gamut of parenting issues :)  We always try to work with each child individually to encourage open communication and a healthy relationship. It is difficult enough to make your place in this world, so we want to the kids to always know that they have us on their side, pulling for them to do the very best they can in their endeavors. We also encourage them to expand their minds, through reading and artistic expression. I am sure that I will share some of their work in the time to come, since I am a proud mommy :D