Leisure and Fun - Experts and Resources

A List of Gifts That Can Help Pull Your Family Together, Rather Than Apart

Posted to by Linda Lee on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 8:09am

Here’s the problem with most Christmas presents: you already have it or you don’t want it. And as soon as it’s open, you’ve already forgotten what it was. Worse if you’re the one giving the present, and you’ve just watched someone open three identical gifts, one of which was yours. Worse yet, when the ex-husband outspends you four-to-one on presents for your children.

Especially this year, throwing money around just seems wrong.

So here’s a proposal. Try coming up with Christmas and Hanukkah presents that pull people together instead of splitting them apart. That offer an experience instead of something to be dumped in the bottom of a closet, or regifted.

It takes some thinking (which is free!) and you have to know the person well. But here are some ideas for holiday gifts that keep on giving.

• The bored teenager who has everything (1)

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Finding Closure After Divorce Or Separation With A Party

How to throw a divorce party

Posted to by Debbie Nigro on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 11:44am

A divorce party can in many ways be a rite of passage — a way of drawing a firm line in your life to say that period is over and from now on it's all about moving forward. While divorce is nothing to celebrate (certainly when you're in the midst of it), there's no denying the freeing feeling some of us get the actual moment the logistical process of divorce is finally completed. Why not celebrate that moment, and use it to create a marker in your life to physically celebrate a new beginning rather than an end?

Why isolate yourself? Bring your friends together to help take the edge off and toast the new life you're building post-divorce! Here, Debbie speaks with Melinda Konopko, co-founder of PlumParty, about how to throw a separation or divorce party.

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Identifying The Right Girlfriends To Help Get You Through Divorce

Posted to by Cathy Meyer on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 8:16am

I've talked in the past about the friendships that need to be cultivated during the divorce process. Now I'm going to talk about girlfriends who are important in their own way but may not be girlfriends who aren't able to offer the kind of support you need.

Please don't think I'm saying, throw your friends away if they are of no use to you at this particular time. Not at all! Keep all your girlfriends; just know that there are some you want to keep closer than others when going through a divorce.

Our girlfriends always have a place in our lives. They play a role and fill a need. What you need to do is be able to identify the girlfriend who will help you through and the girlfriend who will only add to the stress and confusion you are already feeling.

For example...

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Dating After Divorce: How To Tell If He's Marriage Material

An interview with the author of How To Marry A Mensch

Posted to by Debbie Nigro on Mon, 01/31/2011 - 1:31pm

You've sufficiently moved beyond your divorce. You've put the emotional trauma behind you. You've found a new sense of being; perhaps even a newfound sense of independence you never thought possible. You've transformed yourself with a new look; maybe even a new wardrobe.

With all of that, you've jumped back into the dating for the first time since your divorce, and you've met someone you feel might be the one (rather the next one). But how can you tell if he's marriage material? 

Debbie sits down with "singles guru" Robin Gorman Newman, author of How to Marry a Mensch — The Love Coach's Guide to Meeting your Mate, to find out.

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Choosing Your Post-Divorce Pursuits Wisely

Your time is money, spend it wisely

Posted to by Maryann Kelly on Fri, 12/03/2010 - 9:22am

My pastor said something recently that really impressed me. He said tell me who your friends are, how you spend your time and what you read and I will tell you who you are.

His point — time can be used to enrich and enhance your life or to tear down and destroy your life.

Did you ever notice how you feel after having a long conversation with a friend who is constantly stuck in problems? She might go from one bad relationship to another, or have health problems or marriage problems. It's draining. You get off the phone and if you're honest with yourself, you regret the time you spent going round and round on the same problems.

Last week, I really hit bottom with this issue. On Friday nights my children are with their dad so I have the whole night to myself and how I spend that time can really offer a new source of energy, passion and abundance to my life, or drain me and deplete my life.

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5 Ways To Stay Positive Throughout The Holidays As A Divorced Or Divorcing Woman

Posted to by Debbie Nigro on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 8:08am

Debbie chats with empowerment expert, Daylle Deanna Schwartz, who suggests having fun during the holidays instead of merely "getting through" them. Schwartz, tells women to go out, cultivate interests and "get a life" (as she says it). Stop thinking about it as having to get through the holidays and learn how to dance through them instead.

Click the following for a list of resource articles on keeping a healthy mind and spirit through divorce.

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How to Navigate Nosy Divorce Questions on Thanksgiving

Thankgiving: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted to by Maureen Dempsey on Thu, 11/18/2010 - 2:25pm

• The Good: How to Put The "Give" Into Thanksgiving
• The Bad: Divorce Yourself from the Thanksgiving Blues
• The Ugly: How to Navigate Nosy Divorce Questions on Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again: Thanksgiving. The relatives gather, friends come calling. Some genuinely want to know how you — and your relationship (or lack of one) — are doing; others are just plain nosy.

Here, FWW offers scenarios and questions you might encounter this T-Day. And since how you may be tempted to respond might not go over so well, we’ve enlisted Dr. Diana Kirschner, a psychologist specializing in love and relationships, to explain what you should say to avoid awkward moments and deflect any uncomfortable questions thrown your way. So sit down to a family dinner prepared to volley polite, PC answers right back at 'em. No curve balls this Thanksgiving!

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