blended families | The Grit and Grace Project

Being an Adult Child of Divorce—at the Holidays

As an adult child of divorce, there are many tricky dynamics and raw emotions that are bound to arise. Now, throw in a heaping dose of family togetherness, eye-to-eye conversations around the dinner table, and memories from the past that tend to creep in this time of year and it can make for an interesting scene. It’s a club I never anticipated being a member of, but I am learning not just to survive this time of year, but to find new ways to cherish it and embrace it even more. Here are some of the things I have slowly learned when it comes to divorce. What you need to know as an adult child of divorce (especially at the holidays) 1. […]

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mother-in-law and daughter sitting next to eachother on the couch drinking coffee and smiling and trying to build peaceful relationships

The Joy Series: 6 Traits of a Mother-in-Law Who Wants to Build Peaceful Relationships

By Kim Breuninger / Relationships

Yes, the joy! I’m not trying to sweeten up the truth. Being a mother-in-law is not for sissies. And if you feel drawn to whine about how it’s going for you, Google can point you to more than two billion sites telling you how to improve your approach. Or, if you want that pity party (and some days we need one), look up mother-in-law jokes. My search came up with 61,800,000 sites touting mother-in-law jokes, with only about half that amount about fathers-in-law! 1. Lawyer to his client: “Your mother-in-law passed away in her sleep. Shall we order a burial, embalming, or cremation?” The son-in-law replied, “Let’s not take chances. Order all three.” 2. How many Mothers-in-law does it take to change

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Forgiveness Came the Day I Befriended “The Other Woman”

By Adina Larson / HerStory, Relationships

Few other words strike up as many feelings as the word forgiveness. There are many opinions on what it means to forgive and how much gray area there is in the “forgetting” part that is often associated with forgiveness. This concept is one I have personally wrestled with for a few years now, and this is the story of my journey. My Husband Betrayed Me My ex-husband had an affair. The details of when and for how long are still a little blurry to me; but, nonetheless, it happened. I was able to figure out who “the other woman” was because, well—I knew her. We had only hung out one time with our families, but we were friends on social media after that

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Cohost Julie Bender: Life Lessons Learned in her Newest Chapter – 205

By This Grit & Grace Life Podcast / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreIn our nearly six-month hiatus, a lot has happened in the lives of This Grit and Grace Life‘s hosts. Darlene developed and launched Grit and Grace Life‘s sister project, Smart Living with Grit and Grace, while Julie welcomed a brand new baby girl named Reverie Bender. Like any good friends would do after being apart, Darlene and Julie spend some time catching up and discussing what else is new in Julie’s life (hint: a lot!). For our newer listeners, Julie recaps her first marriage, her sudden widowhood, getting back into the dating scene and how she met her now-husband, Donny. She also speaks to what trust looks

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Ask Dr. Zoe – How Do I Defend My Kids from their Strict Stepfather?

By Dr. Zoe / Ask Dr. Zoe

‘Mother of 4’ Asked: Hello, I have been battling this for quite some time and just can’t seem to make a decision. My fiancé and stepfather to my children has a problem with everything my kids do, whether it’s coming down the stairs too hard, leaving pancake wrappers in the freezer with the other pancakes, not fully picking up after themselves, where they eat, if they leave little food crumbs on their desks, if their computers are too loud, if they are talking with their friends online and he can hear it, if they don’t say ‘hi’ or ‘bye’ etc… I’m literally going crazy. He doesn’t want to be their father but he wants to teach them how to be young men.

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Ask Dr. Zoe – How to Co-Parent With a Toxic Ex

By Dr. Zoe / Ask Dr. Zoe

‘Paulette’ Asked: How do you coparent with a toxic ex? Someone who is manipulative, a compulsive liar even to the courts and doesn’t put the kids’ best interests first. Dr. Zoe Answered: You can’t! It’s that simple, but let me explain. The concept of co-parenting is a wonderful one and parents who have picked up this torch have served their children well through their separation. But, I think it has also been damaging to others who see it as attainable in their situation. Co-parenting isn’t for everyone and it certainly won’t work in every scenario. And it won’t work in yours if your ex is truly all those things you just described. You can’t co-parent with someone who is toxic, unreasonable and

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4 Simple Ways to Care for Kids After Divorce

By Ashley Vancil / Motherhood

One of the hardest parts about divorce with children is trying to stay on level ground. Let’s be real, divorce is never easy, but when there are children involved it makes things a lot more complicated. The thing we need to remember, though, is that our kids aren’t divorcing when we do. They didn’t choose this path. It is where they were placed and finding a way to make that transition easier for them should be the main goal for everyone involved. Having young children, I have realized that through this process they crave and need the same things from both sides: security, communication, and love. Pretty simple, you would think, but so many factors play into making it happen. Going between

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Battling Depression? Find the Gift in the Darkness With Melissa Maimone – 133

By This Grit & Grace Life Podcast / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | More Can you find light in the darkness of depression? The surprising answer is “yes,” as gained from the personal experience of Melissa Maimone, author of The Radiant Midnight: Depression, Grace, and the Gifts of a Dark Place. She joins co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham to share what she learned from the many years she spent battling cycles of depression. There are gifts within slowness, solitude, and even sadness. She relates to those who have felt shame over this misunderstood hopelessness, especially as a Christian. She also offers helpful insight on how to love someone who faces this darkness. As all of us are feeling a

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When Others Minimize the Pain of Your Miscarriage

By Ashleigh Marie / Life & Culture, Motherhood

My husband and I have always been dreamers and planners. When we started dating, we dated with the intention of marriage being our end goal. We talked about life goals, dreams, that white picket fence, traveling plans, and of course, kids. We wanted children. Lots of them. Running around, playing. We wanted the chaos and the home filled with love and the laughter and the fun. Husband came from a big family (he is one of six) and I came from a large blended family (I am one of seven). But though our “plans” had children in them, the pressure of making sure we had “a plan” for when we wanted to start our family was there, loud and clear. I started

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