13 Sources of Inspiration When Life has You Down

Post written by Blended Family columnist Melissa Gorzelanczyk of Peace & Projects. The highs and lows of life can feel like a roller coaster. You’ve probably experienced a day that starts out smooth, but quickly hurtles to the bottom when a family member is...

3 Ways to Strengthen Your Marriage in a Blended Family

Post written by Blended Family columnist Melissa Gorzelanczyk of Peace & Projects. The routine of married life can leave little time left to focus on your marriage. In our blended family, raising two (almost) teenagers takes up an enormous amount of time and...

6 Tips for Step Parents in a Dominant Parenting Role

Post written by Blended Family columnist Melissa Gorzelanczyk of Peace & Projects. Have you ever felt like your family takes you for granted? I know I have. In most households, there is one parent who does a majority of the parenting – the dominant parent...

Simple Ways to Increase Your Joy as a Step Mom

Post written by Blended Family columnist Melissa Gorzelanczyk of Peace & Projects. The step relationship is not always easy. You meet a man, fall in love and work on building a life together. But it’s not just the two of you. His children are wondering how...

How to Handle Discipline in a Blended Family

Post written by Blended Family columnist Melissa Gorzelanczyk of Peace & Projects. Let’s talk about discipline. It’s a difficult subject for blended families. Divorce or separation creates chaos in the family. Rules and expectations often become a gray...

One Thing I Wish I had Known About Becoming a Blended Family

Post written by Blended Family columnist Melissa Gorzelanczyk of Peace & Projects. I used to think my blended family should have a “handle with care” sticker. I thought one wrong move could ruin everything – my relationship with the kids or even...