Pets. Loveable. Frustrating. All-consuming? I seen this more often than I would like. Person A has dog (or cat or bird or whatever). Person A finds themselves in a committed relationship with Person B. Person B does not like animals. Person A is torn. They love their Ruffy, but they also kind of dig Person B. What to do, what to do. Why should you have to choose? If you are an animal lover and you had your best friend before you got in this semi-serious relationship, the incoming significant other needs to understand that your pet is your companion. If they are an animal hater, that is likely to cause some serious dissention in your relationship. I would hate to see relationships fai

I think it is safe to assume that everyone reading this is either a teenager or used to be a teenager. Do you ever look back at your 16-year-old self and feel like punching yourself in the face? I was a late bloomer. I made it to 17 incident-free, but seriously... what was I thinking? It breaks my heart to see parents with errant teens, saddened by their choices and seemingly helpless to correct them. Blank stares, slammed doors, late nights. Teenagers. It breaks my hear to see teenagers – angry, frustrated and unable to effectively communicate with the ones who brought them into this world. I'm not telling you it is easy, or that you can fix it, or, more importantly, that it is anyone’

What separates a shallow relationship from a lifelong commitment? Checking in. OK, I am being super facetious when I say that, because it really can't be separated that way. However, something that I have always appreciated about my husband, even when we were dating, is that he checks in. I, in turn, offer him the same courtesy if I am out of town or going to be working late. By “checking in," I do not mean a 30-minute conversation about everything he did that day or an exact itinerary while he is away. Situation: My husband is out of town for work or screwing around with his buddies. Check-in: Text that says, "Hey wife, hope you had a good day, love you!" Yes, my husband calls me "wi

There are a number of lame decisions that you have to make about your life when you break up with (or divorce) your significant other. One of the worst decisions to be made is how you deal with mutual friendships. Most couples have other "couple friends" or mutual single friends that are part of a group. Well, how awkward is it (particularly if the break-up was messy) to continue to hang out with your mutual friends if your ex is there as well. I suppose it is only awkward if you make it awkward, but consider how your friends must feel. Where does their allegiance lie? Are they trying to figure out how to split their time between the two of you separately, but equal? When they host a part

Surrounded by precious, handmade baby clothes, Cyndi Mitchell thinks back to 2009 when her tiny twin daughters were born prematurely and she was thrown into the uncertainty of what comes with a child, or children, who must be hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Mitchell remembers those days as some of the hardest in her life, and in an attempt to help other families in similar circumstances, she and her husband Dustin founded the Alyboo and Izybee Foundation, named after their two beautiful daughters Aly and Izy. This amazing foundation is funded through donations, fundraisers and now, a children’s boutique, which had their grand opening on Saturday. The boutique, Aly &