I have to thank my good girlfriend Allison who forwarded this to me. It is said to have been written by Maya Angelou. She has denied the claim.

I love sharing good wisdom every few Wednesdays. I think this is powerful.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own even if she never wants
to or needs to…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her
dreams wants to see her in an hour…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a youth she’s content to leave behind….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …..
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black
lace bra…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who
lets her cry…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone
else in her family…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a
recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a feeling of control over her destiny…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without ruining the friendship…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and when to walk away…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but it’s over…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t
take it personally…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…

–

I’d love to know what YOU think every woman should have?

xoxEDxox

Other articles you might enjoy:

• Wisdom Wednesday: When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking
• Getting Over Getting Older

By Guest Blogger Virginia Champoux-Sokoloff

When I was young, no one told me what to expect out of life. They’d just say life is filled with ups and downs, so you gotta learn to roll with the punches. Good advice? Maybe. But what if all you needed to do was invest in what you have, trust your gut, go after what you want, and have fun doing it?

I graduated with a degree in Communications. I then climbed the professional ladder and landed a high pressure, demanding job in Public Relations for the International Air Transport Association. In the midst of it, I met an amazing man and got married.

From the very moment my husband Jay and I decided to share our lives together, we were faced with serious decisions. Jay suffers from cystic fibrosis, so a regular 9-5 job would be difficult since he would likely spend lots of time in the hospital. It then became our priority to shape our life in a certain way, so that we could deal with unexpected hospitalizations.

Building a family was also something we both wanted for ourselves. And being a carrier of the gene myself, this meant that we needed to turn to adoption to prevent our child from living with the disease. We did, twice, and I am so grateful for it.

I’d always been very passionate about traveling, a perk of my PR job. I remember going on business trips, and scurrying around cities looking for those little shops that would sell fun, funky and unique products I could bring back as souvenirs.

One morning it hit me. What if I opened up that little shop I was always looking for when traveling?! I knew there’d be major upsides in terms of making my own schedule – a real concern given my husband’s illness. Having our own business also meant that either Jay or I could be home with the children at all times, a choice that proved to be very important as our young daughters adapted to a new world.

The result was Mortimer Snodgrass, then a 500 sq ft gift store.

As with any new business, the process of starting up was a challenge. People would tell me we were crazy, especially with little to no knowledge of how to run a retail store. The business grew and we had to learn to rely on our staff more and more when Jay’s life challenges threw us curveballs.

Through it all, optimism, our passion and our complementary skillsets fueled us. And by surrounding ourselves with an excellent manager and good staff, we have been able to keep our family as the priority.

Now, ten years later, I can certainly say this was amongst the best decisions of my life!

Mortimer Snodgrass

In the process as a mompreneur, I have learned a few lessons about life and business. Here is what I know:

1) Bring YOU into your biz

Our store is really an extension of us. We always say that everything we sell is something we would either buy for ourselves, or for our friends. Your identity influences the business you create. Embrace this!

2) Trust your instincts

Ten years in, we have never done research, and have rarely sought and paid for professional opinions. Every business decision we have made, from renting space to choosing products has been pure instinct. We trust our gut and it has worked almost every time.

3) Love it or leave it

You’ve heard this before, but the fact is, whatever you take on won’t be successful unless you absolutely love what you do. We play to our strengths and split the work accordingly. This allows us to go to work and LOVE what we do. It’s essential!

4) The people make the environment

Dealing with rude suppliers, impolite staff and angry types negatively affects you and your business. The beauty is you get to choose whom you conduct business with. If you work well with someone, it’s worth nurturing those relationships. In the long run, everyone will be better off.

5) Treating staff right pays dividends

We’ve all had horrible bosses. Don’t be one. We’ve found that the more we open up to our staff, the more likely they are to go above and beyond for us. They embrace the spirit of our store, stick around longer and put more energy in their work.

So say thanks. When you catch staff doing something right, praise them!

6) Failing is fine (and inevitable)

Mistakes are one of the best forms of education out there. Don’t beat yourself up when they occur. We’ve ordered the wrong products, rented the wrong spaces, but I cannot imagine where we’d be if we had not committed these errors, and learned from them.

7) You cannot please everyone

Regardless of what you do, how good your service is, the effort you put into something, sometimes the result is still a disgruntled customer. Don’t waste time worrying about this. You cannot please everyone. Trying to means you’ll end up pleasing no one.

Entrepreneurship’s schedule is a blessing and a curse

Starting a new business? All the power to you! Just understand the schedule is both amazing (i.e. – you make it) and awful (i.e. – the buck stops with you and only you can handle certain situations that can arise). It does not come with an “off” switch. So, while we’ve been able to eat dinner together as a family frequently, there have been times where we have had to drop everything and deal with the business.

9) Hard decisions are hard, but need to be made quickly

We’ve all had to fire someone, or drop a long-term supplier whose products aren’t selling anymore. Letting these types of matter percolate too long does nothing to solve the problem. Get on with the tough stuff.

10) There are no rules.

Ten years later we still have no business plan. We get up everyday, we work hard, we have fun, and we laugh with our staff, and with our customers. Sometimes, we cry a little too. But we love it, that is all that matters!

Because after all, what is life without loving what you do, and who you’re doing it with?

~Virginia

–

 About Virginia Champoux-Sokoloff…

Virginia and Jay Sokoloff

Virginia Champoux-Sokoloff is the co-owner (with her husband Jay Sokoloff) of Mortimer Snodgrass, a funky and unique gift store in Montreal, Canada that celebrated it’s 10th anniversary in October 2011. Now located in a central mega-store in Old Montreal and online, Mortimer Snodgrass continues to provide fun, funky and unique gifts to tourists, lifelong Montrealers, visiting celebrities (Halle Berry is a fan of the store) and customers as far away as Chile. Though Mortimer, the now 11-year-old dog that inspired the shop’s name, has retired from the daily grind of greeting customers, Virginia’s two young daughters love helping out around the shop.

–

Tell us, if you’re a mompreneur, what have you learned along the way about life and business? Share your tips here…

xoxEDxox

Other articles you might enjoy:

• What You Can Learn About Life Through Business
• Being A MOMpreneur Is Big Business
• International Women’s Day
• Wordless Wednesday: The Giving Basket
• Making Your Passion Your Paycheck

By Guest Blogger Bronnie Ware

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learned never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal.

Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me

This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends

Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.  It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, and choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Keep smiling & have a wonderful life.

~Bronnie

–

About Bronnie Ware

Bronnie Ware is an inspiring and creative soul from Australia.

Through her work Bronnie weaves delightful tales of real life observations and experience. Bronnie celebrates both the strength and vulnerability of human nature. Her message is a positive and inspiring one.

As well as performing her own songs, Bronnie runs an online personal growth and songwriting course, writes a well-loved blog called Inspiration and Chai, including articles that have been translated into several languages, and is the author of the full-length memoir, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing, recently released worldwide.

You can visit Bronnie online at www.BronnieWare.com

–

What are your thoughts? Has this post made you reflect upon how you are living your own life? Has it made you want to make changes going forward?

xoxEDxox

Other articles you might enjoy:

• Do You Live For Today?
• What If This Birthday Was Your Last?

As I’m preparing to wind down for a couple of weeks, I can’t help but reflect upon the past year. 2011 has been, well… one of the most interesting years of my life.

There were highs:

We took the kids to Disney World for the first time (it was my first time too).

The plane ride home

In January, I was named to the coveted list of The Top 20 Women in Canada.

My hubby and I celebrated over 10 happy years of marriage and over 15 years of being together.

I watched my children thrive in life and school. It took my breath away, many times over.

I got to hear one of my favorite women, Oprah Winfrey speak in person.

I traveled far and wide, for both business and pleasure, meeting the most incredible people along the way.

I became a radio correspondent.

I made Forbes Magazine, twice in one year – Women On The Fence was named Forbes Magazine’s Top 100 Sites for Women , and I was named Forbes Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Women Tweeting About Entrepreneurship.

I got to hang with one of my favorite entrepreneurs – Richard Branson.

Me and entrepreneur and philanthropist Richard Branson

I got to interview some incredibly dynamic women and share their life lessons with you– Mariel Hemingway, Christy Turlington, Holly Robinson Peete, Mackenzie Phillips, Jill Zarin, Ramona Singer and many more.

Mariel Hemingway

I watched my children grow taller before my eyes, entering 3rd grade, and pre-kindergarten.

I launched The Erica Diamond Jewelry Collection for Ice.com.

I shot my first TV pilot (still in the works).

A fitting

I co-chaired an evening for 650 women that went without a hitch.

I became a Spokesperson for some incredible Brands.

I was given an award for “Outstanding Achievement in Leadership”

I became the Spokesperson for National Entrepreneurship Day (a big deal for a die-hard, ass-working, entrepreneur gal like me).

I saw Women On The Fence become a registered trademark.

There were lows:

A breast cancer scare that sent me in a tailspin, but in the end, made me truly appreciate life so much more. And made me so grateful to have this community by my side.

I watched my son not make the A-team in hockey for the first time ever – and saw the disappointment is his eyes. It hurt something awful.

But then watched him make the A-team again this fall.

My husband got into a near-fatal car crash but lived to tell.

I had writer’s block.

I shared my hate mail – it was bad.

I confessed my frustrations.

–

But that was the past – and the past is gone.

Now we look forward.  We look to a new year. I love a new year as much as I love a quarter-pounder-trio at Mc Donalds– A HELLUVA LOT. A new year represents new possibilities, new beginnings, a chance to start over, and get things right. But here is the truth: I haven’t yet tweaked my Bucket List (which I do every year), nor made one single resolution (which I usually do too). This year, I’ve turned a whole new leaf. I have decided to go through 2012 with no concrete plan at all. Yes.

WHAT you might ask?! This is so very irresponsible.

But as I reflect back upon my life, I know one thing – man plans, and God laughs. I planned to go to MBA School 13 years ago, but failed my GMATS and never got in. We plan in great detail, and life still throws us unexpected curveballs. Or better yet, the flipside- we expect the worst, and things just magically work out.

So this year, I became **GASP**  a believer and truster in the Universe. I’m no longer afraid.  I’ve seen life fall into place in ways I never could have planned. And I know that things happen the way they must – this goes for both the good and the bad in our life. Today, December 19th, 2011, we only know where we’ve been.  We can’t possibly know what the future holds for any of us. And that unknown is both scary and exhilarating. I do know that with hard work, passion and persistence, comes opportunity. And I also know, that without our health and family, nothing matters.

Yes, I have my vision board. I know the dream. But this year, I will not be so rigid. And I urge you, perhaps, to not be so rigid either.  In looking to the future, I challenge you to make your resolutions, make your Bucket Lists, your life plans. Make them. But pencil in a little room for failure.  When you leave room to slip, I truly believe that’s when your best self shows itself. Plan to succeed, but plan to fail. I have found failure to be game-changing.

And one more thing– in working my ass off in 2011, I also realized something else. We get do-overs in our careers, and actually in many things in life. But we don’t get do-overs as mothers and wives. Our children are small for a very short time, and we truly only get one chance to raise them right. No do-overs there. Same goes for our relationships. So a quick tongue, or a fast word can hurt. Remember: be kind, be generous, be loving, be playful, be forgiving, be honest.

You get out of life what you put in. Every time. No shortcuts.

I’d love to know what YOU realized in 2011, and what you hope for in 2012?

xoxEDxox

Other articles you might enjoy:

• Playing In Poop
• My One Goal for 2012
• Interview: Erica Diamond Goes One-On-One with Shira Lazar
• Women On The Fence named FORBES TOP 100 WEBSITES FOR WOMEN 2011
• Erica Diamond named ‘The Top 20 Women Of 2010′

By Guest Blogger Sarah Brokaw

In contrast to many of the marriages in our nation, where 50% fail the first time, 63% fail the second time, and 74% fail the third time, my parents have sustained their marriage and have done it with steadfast commitment, joy and passion for 49 years.

On August 17th, 1962, Tom Brokaw and Meredith Auld wedded in Yankton, South Dakota, on the hottest day of the year. Even so, 150 of their friends and family filed into the un-air-conditioned church to witness the nuptials between my mother, the reigning Miss South Dakota, and my father, the loquacious and witty charmer.

In everyone’s eyes, it was obvious why my father would want to spend the rest of his life with my mother, the beauty queen. My mother’s beauty not only captured everyone’s eyes, but her grace attracted even the most circumspect members of the Yankton community.

Meredith Auld

When my mother made the decision to wed my dad, eyebrows were raised. Many people wondered why she had not wedded the more eligible bachelors—like the town’s brilliant and sophisticated Eldon Weinstock. While my father was smart, fun, and quite attractive, he, in many people’s eyes, had not established any real goals to attain, or any clear roadmap to follow.

My mother listened to her own heart and inner voice, instead, and chose to marry my father. In fact, she was so convinced that she wanted to marry him that she proposed to him on June 9th, 1962. Well, actually, that is my dad’s version of the story. When I e-mailed my mother, to find out her version, she replied, “Yes, I did the proposing, but Tom did the old-fashioned thing and called on Merritt and Viv (my mother’s parents) to ‘get permission.’ The mother of one of our high-school friends prompted it by asking me what Tom’s and my plans were. I told Tom that Helen Desmond wanted to know and that was that.”

Tom and Meredith Brokaw

While I am so blessed to have observed the beautiful and indestructible bond that my parents have built over the past 49 years, I still wonder how my parents’ marriage withstood the toughest of times over the years. But then I am reminded of one particular marriage announcement that I had read in the New York Times several years ago, that had left an indelible mark in my brain and in my heart. Rather than the usual details of the wedding being the focus of my interest—such as where, when, and how the couple had met—it was the quote given by the wedding officiator (a Presbyterian minister) that captured my attention. When the minister was at the podium with the bride and groom, he took a moment to describe what he thought to be the meaning of a successful marriage: “Marriage, in effect is with a stranger about whom you have a magnificent hunch.”

So, perhaps after 49 years, Meredith Auld and Tom Brokaw still look upon each other as strangers, about whom they have a magnificent hunch.

Amen to strangers and magnificent hunches.

–

About Sarah Brokaw

Sarah Brokaw is a Los Angeles-based licensed therapist and the New York Times bestselling author of Fortytude: Making the Next Decades the Best Years of Your Life — through the 40’s, 50’s and Beyond. As a psychotherapist, Sarah specializes in relational dynamics and her involvement with the wellness community is complemented by her engagement with the world at large. She is also a philanthropist skilled at helping people on an individual, as well as communal basis.

For more information on Sarah or to read her blogs, please visit www.MyFortytude.com. You can also visit Sarah on Facebook and follow her on Twitter: @Sarah_Brokaw.

Click here to get the link to Sarah's new book

Tell us, what do you think is the secret to a long and successful marriage? Share your thoughts with our community.

Happy weekend, wonderful readers.

xoxEDxox

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• Confession Time
• Four Things You Should Know About Men
• The State of Marriage and Divorce
• Sexy Quirky Marriage: Do You Have One?

Things were getting a little heavy around here, so I decided to lighten the mood. Here is your Wordless Wednesday. And might I add, it’s definitely WORDLESS.

Here is the deal. Two of my friends forwarded me this video last night. I confess, I had to watch it twice. It’s just so, well… awkward, gross, funny, weird. I can come up with a million different descriptions.

This is from the show on TLC called Virgin Diaries. I think the title needs no explanation. CAUTION: Don’t forget to BREATHE.

Alright, now that that’s over, WHAT DO YOU THINK? For real. I’m on the fence here– is waiting until you’re 31 to share your first kiss even healthy? Human touch is a basic need. Confession: my favorite part is listening to the guy’s reaction. Too much!

Happy Hump Day! It’s a big day- one son lost a tooth, and the other is home sick with mommy. Never a dull moment.

xoxEDxox

Other articles you might enjoy:

• “Wordy” Wednesday: Game Changing
• Wordless Wednesday: ®
• Wordless Wednesday: Giving Back
• Wordless Wednesday: Writer’s Block
• Worded Wednesday: #TrueDat

Alright. Today we’re getting down and dirty. Today, you are my priests, and I am sitting in your confession booth. (Alright, I’m not Catholic, but you get the picture).

Today is about thoughts, notions and ideas that I often wrestle with. I know that I am a devoted, good mother and wife, but sometimes, just sometimes, I take the shortcut. I feel like crap afterward, but in the moment, it sometimes feels like the only thing to do.

The purpose of my confession, is to get the conversation flowing. Am I alone? I am the only one in this world who feels this way? I’d like to know.

Soooo, here are Erica Diamond’s mom confessions, on the fence issues and dilemmas.

Confession #1: A video game can bring a mother much peace. My hubby and I laid down the law last year. The kids’ screen time was getting out of hand. Every spare moment, they wanted to play Wii or with the Ipad, or whatever. So, we changed the house rules: NO screen time during the week. At all. And we have stuck to it.

Well, what has happened here? I compare the situation to a man who hasn’t had sex with a woman for a year, and then you put a beautiful woman in the room with him. What happens? He devours her! Same thing here. When Saturday morning comes, my kids are like those horny men for their electronics. The minute they wake up, the PSP turns on, the Wii is going, the IPad is downloading new games. We enter screen hell!

Not my kids!

So here’s the confession: I sometimes let it go waaay too long. I am their mother and I need to nip it in the bud sooner than I sometimes do. By 10am, (if we haven’t left for hockey), it’s time for me to say, “Close those things, and let’s get outside and play.” And I often do, but sometimes I don’t. Sometimes the excellent behavior they demonstrate while they’re quietly playing games as I am lying in bed, is just too good to disrupt. So I compromise being a proper parent for an hour’s respite. Am I alone?

Confession #2: The sibling tag-along playdate. This is less of a confession and more of an ‘on the fence’ issue. This is when, for example, I have arranged a playdate for my older son, and not my younger son (who is almost 5, but very mature, and can do anything my 8 year old can do). I sometimes find myself reprimanding my older son, “Include your brother. He wants to play with you guys, and you’re not being nice. You’re ignoring him, it’s rude, and he’s upset.”

So, my question for you: Should my older son HAVE to include his younger brother in the playdate? Am I asking too much of him? Should everyone have to play together so no one gets excluded, or is my 5 year old really cramping their style and should the older kids be entitled to play alone? I NEVER know what the right answer is. Help!

Confession #3: My kids start EVERY MORNING in our bed, and end EVERY NIGHT in our bed. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Since the day the boys were born, it has been our family ritual, to let the boys start and finish their day in our bed. They come in before school starts in the morning. They come in again before the day ends at night. Weekdays AND weekends. Our choice. (Slightly more my choice).

They don’t watch their 30 minutes of TV at night in the den, or in the basement. When homework is done, dinner and showers are finished, where do they go? Yup, right into mommy and daddy’s bed. The four of us snuggle, and talk, and it is a full-out bonding fest. After a long day, we reconnect as a family in our bed. The kids smell delicious and clean. They’re calm. We love it.

Confession: sometimes, I get snappy. And the very thing I have recreated, I rebel against. I blurted out last week, “You guys are in our bed every morning and night, and mommy needs her space today. Can you please just go into the den tonight and watch TV?!” They looked at me like I was nuts. I just totally wanted to be alone, and they were crampin’ my style! But, these are my kids. Is that wrong? Should they even STILL be in our bed? We love these special quiet moments together. But sometimes, **GASP** I need my space. I’m not sure…

Confession #4: I gotta confess, sometimes UNDERSTANDING ain’t my strong point. I often don’t know when to give or take in marriage. If my hubby comes home tired at the end of the day, or in a bad mood, my mother (my best friend and therapist for 25 years) tells me I should be understanding. After all, he the breadwinner of the family, has been out all day hunting for his family, and I should, in her words, “cut him a little slack.”

But sometimes, I can’t help not being a little cranky. Why should I always nurture him? Maybe HE should make a little effort too, right? Maybe he needs to be a little understanding of me, and FAKE IT or something if he’s in a bad mood. I never quite know where my needs come into the equation. I actually hear this from my girlfriends a lot. We want to be supportive of our husbands, but what about our own needs? Shouldn’t they make the effort right back? I never know when I’m justified to be resentful, or when I’m acting selfish (one of the unfortunate character traits of my only child syndrome). I sit on the fence with this.

Most men love to come home to a yummy aroma in the house, a nice home cooked meal, happy and well behaved children, and Miss Happy Wifey. I definitely try… just a little appreciation and thank you once in a while would be nice. C’mon honey, throw me a bone.

Confession #5: Sometimes I wonder why I bother cooking a fresh home-cooked meal altogether. For the same $25 is costs me to buy healthy salmon, veggies and rice for dinner, (how I was raised), I can order 2 cheese pizzas for the family. And guess what? My family prefers the pizza over my chicken, steak, or salmon. When I make my healthy dinners (which is obviously most of the time), the food gets left on the plate, and my 8 year old has even gagged on my salmon. Buuuuut, when I order plain pizza, my kids are smiling. Happy. They clean their plates, and are THRILLED with the dinner.

Confession: I’ve convinced myself pizza is not really junk food, and I order them pizza at least once a week. I just can’t fight, and I rationalize that there’s a carb and protein in the pizza, I throw a few veggies on the plate, and call it a day.

Am I alone? Do I suck?

Alright, I am over 1000 words and I try to top things at 750.

These are my confessions and truths as I know them today.

Can you relate to anything I’ve said? Am I a horrible person? What are YOUR confessions? Feel feel to write them anonymously. As I always say, misery loves company.

xoxEDxox

Other articles you might enjoy:

• 10 Years: The Story of Us
• Wordless Wednesday
• Keepin’ It Light
• Help, I’m Totally Frazzled!
• Parenting – Keeping Your Cool and Then Some…