change

  • change - loving marriage

Making a Change for the Better

Change is difficult. It can also be complicated. Despite our best intentions, sustained change often eludes us. We’ve had many spouses tell us that their husband or wife promised to change, and things were good for a while, but then there was a relapse. Their good intentions were not enough to sustain their energy for change. So what can we do when we really need a change to stick? What needs ...

By |2022-08-20T16:41:02+10:00August 20th, 2022|LOVE & MARRIAGE, FAITH|0 Comments
  • apology

The Art of Apology

Have you ever experienced the situation when someone has apologised but, while the words were said it lacked something, making it difficult for you to accept it? Sadly, most of us are not as good at apologising as we need to be. We think that it’s obvious, should just be instinctual, or that our love should somehow make it magically work. Well, it isn’t obvious, and it is not instinctual. We ...

By |2022-08-12T10:30:09+10:00August 12th, 2022|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • change reaction

Change Reaction

Start a "change reaction" in your relationship by changing yourself first. It’s easy to see how couples get stuck when ‘being right’ has become a habit. Clinging to our ‘right to be right’ is like gangrene in a relationship -- it eats away at our intimacy by destroying our willingness to be vulnerable and open with each other. Insanity has been described as doing the same thing over and over while ...

By |2022-04-30T09:31:11+10:00April 30th, 2022|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • marriages

Our Many Marriages

We all understand that our marriages go through their ups and downs, but we often don’t appreciate that they also go through fundamental reconfigurations over the years. We have come to realise that we have actually had several marriages already in our 28+ years together. For example, there was the ‘newlywed marriage’ where we were building a new life together, living overseas and redefining ourselves as a couple. There was the ...

By |2022-04-08T18:15:58+10:00April 8th, 2022|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • flexibility

Homeschooling Requires Routine, But Flexibility is Still the Key Ingredient

While homeschooling, a timetable is necessary, but so is the ability to pivot and make space for unexpected events. A balance of routine and flexibility will create a healthy learning environment. Make this an axiom: routine is life, yet without flexibility, a routine life is dull. Without elasticity, routine devolves into a rigid, joyless obsession over ledger ticks and timestamps. Flexibility saves routine from its inevitable dreary end. In the context ...

By |2022-04-02T23:59:47+10:00April 5th, 2022|HOMESCHOOLING, Dads, FAITH|0 Comments
  • bride and father

Father of the Bride

Seeing your child grow up and get married is bittersweet, but embrace the changing seasons as part of being a parent. Being the father of the bride is an honour, a momentous occasion, a fresh opportunity to love. The first Father of the Bride movie was shot in 1950. The second Father of the Bride movie with Steve Martin starring as the father was shot in 1991. Don’t worry, there will ...

Be the Change You Want to See in Your Marriage

Are you facing conflict in your marriage? Make the first move. Change your mindset, respond with compassion, dwell on the positives. Change begins with you. All changes in our relationships should start with ourselves. It may be comforting to blame our spouse for the inadequacies of our marriage and expect them to change and meet our demands. But this approach is not only ineffective; it is also unloving. The truth is, ...

By |2021-11-25T13:25:01+10:00November 25th, 2021|LOVE & MARRIAGE, FAMILIES|0 Comments
  • changing people

The First Person I Need to Change is Me!

The desire to change other people is natural but it will only lead to frustration. You will enjoy the most success and contentment in life when you focus not on changing people but changing yourself. If only my children were more helpful and cooperative… If only I had a smaller behind and a prettier face… If only they understood me better… If only everyone in this house was more considerate… If ...

By |2022-08-12T10:25:16+10:00November 1st, 2021|MOTHERS, FAMILIES, LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • staying motivated

Secrets to Staying Motivated

Struggling for motivation? Frustrated that you’re starting things and not getting them finished? Here I expose the principles to staying motivated. Recently I was asked to provide some secret sauce for an Australian Defence magazine on staying motivated. I’m not going to replicate the full report here, so you can check out the source article “My Secrets To Getting & Staying Motivated”. But here’s a summary of steps Anyone can do now ...

By |2022-01-20T07:09:32+10:00October 25th, 2021|TRAINING, Dads, FAMILIES|0 Comments
  • plumber

I’m a Contradiction – Thoughts on Being a Mother and a Plumber

There was a time where I was anti-women getting into trades. I was an end-of-third year apprentice, had just finished my Diploma in Fashion Styling and I was about to complete my last block of TAFE for my plumbing apprenticeship. I was over plumbing. Over male tradies. Over male apprentices. I was over having to prove myself when I worked. I was over TAFE teachers who read from the Standards, rather ...

By |2021-08-25T18:57:23+10:00August 26th, 2021|MOTHERS, FAMILIES|0 Comments
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