As I write this I realize I have been around home-based businesses my entire life. My mother had an in-home daycare and my father had a side construction business. I remember being around the daycare kids as I grew up helping my mother. I would help by putting the stamps on the mail when paying bills and as I got older getting the shopping done when I could drive. As for my father, I would help him load tools or materials and when the job was done, help with the cleanup.  Home-based family businesses are great in the sense that it involves the whole family. I know all too well…

We all lead busy lives, some busier than others. Life would be easy if everything went smoothly from day to day, but we know too well that sometimes life interrupts our best-laid plans. Those interruptions can be getting a flat tire, a household family member getting sick, or weather (ex. rain)–the list is endless. How we handle those interruptions, that’s what matters. Here are a few things to do when life interruptions happen: Pray. Ask God to help you roll with the punches.  Change your perspective. Instead of being upset, think of it as an opportunity. (Ex. Getting a flat tire and having to wait gives us extra time. Time…

If you ask my sisters to tell any stories about our family camping trips when we were kids, there is usually some reference to me laying in the tent or pop-up camper breathing out of my mouth with puffy eyes and a nose so stuffed nothing could get through. My eyes watered so badly, it looked like I was crying the entire weekend, and, quite honestly, I felt like it most of the time. I have suffered from hayfever and allergies most of my life. I’m allergic or sensitive to dust, molds, pollens, chemicals, wheat, and dairy, just to name a few. Due to my chemical sensitivities, I am also…

How often have you logged onto your social media accounts and encountered conflict lately? Do you avoid certain topics at work or social gatherings to avoid conflict? When was the last time you ‘went along to get along’? Think of the last meeting you went to ready to do battle with a colleague. To some degree, we have all experienced at least one of these scenarios or maybe all of them. Conflict is just part of life. As much as it is true that conflict is part of life, most people I have encountered don’t like it or at least don’t view it as a positive and enjoyable part of…