6 Marriage Check Up Questions
What makes a marriage thrive? One of the best things you can do to help your marriage thrive is to have good communication. A marriage check up can be a good catalyst for communication. Medical or business check ups are preventative and diagnostic tools to check the health of a person or company. Marriage check ups work the same way. Here are 6 tips and 6 questions to help you communicate how things are going in your relationship. After reading this, consider setting aside time to discuss your relationship with your spouse. You can modify these questions to work for relationships with roommates and others, too. Questions 4 and 5 are great questions for any relationship. 6 Tips for a Marriage Check Up: Set up a regular time (start weekly) and time limit (30-60 min to start) Start with the good stuff (question 1) Take turns answering questions and listening If time is short or answers are long: start with question 1, choose any middle question, and end with question 6 Choose an action item to work on (usually something that has come up during your talk) that will strengthen or improve your marriage and communication Finish well…
Review: Glamping at Gold River Camp
What is your definition of glamping? Glamping is defined by the Oxford Languages website as “a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.” Whether your style of camping involves cottages, cabins, RV’s, tiny rooms, fully equipped tents, primitive tents or hammocks, you can certainly find it at Gold River Camp and Cabins! This spring my daughter planned an overnight getaway in the mountains during her grad school break and invited her sister. Her sister loved it and planned an anniversary getaway with her husband. I loved the stories and pictures my girls shared. When my bestie who lives on another continent came to visit me, I booked us a night at Gold River Camp. It did not disappoint! If you know me, you know that camping is not my usual style but most of my besties love it. I’m not ready for tent camping, but a rustic tiny cabin with a shared open pavilion kitchen facility and a bathhouse was just fine with me. I loved the riverfront area where we made a fire and roasted s’mores. Breakfast on our tiny private balcony was a nice start to the morning. We did…
10 ideas for indoor fun on hot or rainy days
Do you approach rainy days with dread or joy? Your mood will match the weather if you dread being inside (with or without kids) on rainy or hot days. Instead, think about it as a mini staycation! Catch up on projects, play forgotten games, stay in your pjs and read books, invite friends over for a dance party, or take an online class. There are so many ways to have indoor fun on hot or rainy days! Here are 10 suggestions to get you started having fun indoors. Clean out your game shelf and play a few forgotten games. Make up your own cooking show in your kitchen. Watch a documentary on a country you wish to visit or a topic of interest Invite friends over for a potluck meal with a specific country theme and stream some traditional music or cultural videos. Sign up to take an online class such as one of these from airbnb experiences including cooking classes, arts and crafts, virtual safaris and magic shows.https://www.airbnb.com/s/experiences/online Put on some quiet music, find a comfy spot and catch up on a book you’ve been meaning to read Do some yoga or put on a workout video for the…
A nose for organizing
Which scent makes you smile – springtime lilacs, ocean breezes, Kimpton hotels, or your mom’s perfume? Let me share with you something I learned recently while trying to find a new perfume and how it got me thinking about my business and my nose for organizing. Perfumes have 3 fragrance notes or 3 different scent layers that make a perfume unique and appealing. Top notes you smell first. Heart notes are the foundation and influence the base, and base notes deepen the complexity and create a lasting impression. That got me thinking about how my love for organizational systems helped me start my business and blog, Tailor Joy. The opening notes of my business are my tips and tools for your everyday life delivered in my slightly zany, outside the box manner that brings a smile to your face when you discover them. The heart notes are my systems of organization for approaching life’s curves with confidence such as my resources for tutoring or starting your own business, or my private tutoring and coaching services. The base notes are my background as a teacher, wife, and mom that provides years of experience problem-solving in everyday life and the desire…
Top 5 things for booking a multigenerational vacation home
What is your top thing to consider when booking a beach rental? Booking a beach rental for one family is complicated enough, but add several families or generations, and things get even trickier. Knowing the top 5 things to consider when booking a multigenerational vacation home will help you narrow your options within your price range fairly quickly. We are heading to the beach this summer with our grown kids, a baby, a great-grandmother, and a great aunt. These tips helped me narrow the search pretty fast, and the added amenities such as linens and beach bikes sealed the deal. 1. How close do you want to be to the beach? Toddlers require naps and frequent bathroom breaks, as do some grandparents. Choosing a beachfront home can make those trips quicker or allow people at the house to watch the beach fun. Those with older kids or just adults can usually save money by choosing second-row houses. 2. Next, consider the mobility of guests. Do you need a house without steps or something with an elevator? Check out the house layout of mobility is a concern. 3. The number of bedrooms and bathrooms can make a big difference when hosting a successful…
Book Review: Ida B
When was the last time you had a day when things went from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong? Years ago, my oldest daughter read Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World in a book club in elementary school and got to attend a book signing with the author Katherine Hannigan at a local bookstore. Being a teacher, I read the book and instantly fell in love with the story, all the various characters and the strong emotions the story described when Ida B’s life suddenly goes from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong. I knew it would make a good read aloud book for my fourth grade class launching many discussions, teachable moments, and language arts examples. The description of how much the dog Rufus drools is a great one for figurative language examples. Ida B is just a great book all around. The book is gentle in some areas: very general description of Mama’s illness and strong in others: Ida B’s thoughts on many topics are bold and self-deprecating. Ida B believes that there is never enough time in the world for all the…
Free easy way to improve reading achievement
What is one free and easy way to improve student reading achievement? Many parents want a quick fix for reading achievement and seek tutoring for students who are below reading level. While tutoring is a great option and I can remediate phonic, teach syllable patterns, practice oral reading fluency, and evaluate comprehension, what students also need is daily reading practice to improve student reading achievement. It’s free and easy and yet many parents do not see the value of it. Daily reading of 15-30 minutes can help improve reading achievement significantly. Check out this report for some shocking statistics. According to studies by Renaissance Learning on K-12 reading, “the majority of students spend fewer than 15 minutes per day reading, but increasing their daily reading time to 30 minutes can improve comprehension and boost student achievement.” Summer is a good time to set aside daily reading time where families read a variety of materials and model good reading habits. Do not miss out on the benefits of daily reading to improve student reading achievement. Reading should not be confined to fiction! Read an instruction booklet with your child or a travel guide. Read online reviews for a restaurant or a…
Backyard Book Clubs
Want to encourage reading, practice speaking and listening skills, and have fun with your kids? Host a Backyard Book Club! Backyard Book Club Kit has all you need – just add books and kids! Don’t worry! There isn’t one right way to run a book club and you don’t need a backyard. All you need is some enthusiasm, a kid, a book, and this kit. Book clubs and reading help kids develop empathy, relate to characters, practice speaking and listening skills, and learn about the world around them. This 16-page customizable book club kit makes it easy to get started. You know your kids and their reading levels the best so the books here are just a recommendation to get you started. The suggested plans are aimed at grades 3-8 but are easily customizable for other ages. This kit is great for parents, teachers, tutors, grandparents, camps, backyards or Zoom meetings, and club leaders. The kit is an instant download upon purchase once your order goes through. I’ve been so excited to take my classroom experiences and turn it into an easy to use product that families can use at home this summer, whether they have reluctant readers or advanced…
Summer Tutoring Openings 2023
How can you help fill in the gaps in academic development that have widened over the past few years? Summer is a great time to work on basic skills of reading, writing, math, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Summer tutoring clients will participate virtually in real-world project-based learning activities, complete summer reading, or practice for standardized tests. Tutoring is virtual via Zoom so no need to live locally! Below are the summer tutoring options for 2023. National Park ELA Project (Reading/Writing/Research/Problem Solving for grades 4-9) No homework, once a week sessions Mini Golf Course Math Project (Math/Problem Solving with some ELA for grades 4-6) No homework, once a week sessions Preread next year’s reading texts or required summer school reading (grades 4-12) Parents provide the book lists and books. Reading homework, once a week session ACT/SAT Test Prep – mainly Reading, Language, Writing and test taking tips (grades 10-12) Take practice tests as homework, once a week sessions Virtual private tutoring sessions will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays June 12 – August 24. Registration is open and only a few spots are left. Feel free to pass along my website or this email if you have friends or relatives…
Guestroom Checklist
When was the last time you gave your guestroom a refresh? Having a restful space for guests is a sign of good hospitality that is not that hard or expensive to achieve. Here’s a guestroom checklist with 10 things to check in your guest space. Bedding: Fresh bedding, extra pillow, and extra blanket (refresh/wash your bedding if it’s been awhile. Consider replacing your pillows if needed.) Guest Info: Wifi password/contact info/welcome note/housekey Entertainment: A book, card game or puzzle Lighting: Lamp near bed (it’s nice to not have to walk across a dark unfamiliar room to find the bed), maybe a nightlight for bathroom or room Outlets: Access to an outlet or power strip ( for charging electronics or medical devices) Bathroom: Toiletry supplies (a few extra guest supplies like toothpaste, ear plugs, and cotton swabs or even the travel kits you get on the airplane), good shampoo/conditioner/soap, disinfectant spray or wipes available, and extra toilet paper Food and Drinks: Snacks, bottled water, and a note about kitchen access or breakfast time Temperature: Heat/ac info if it’s ok for guests to adjust, a fan in the room Clothes: Laundry access (washer, dryer, steamer), a place to hang up their clothes…