Friday, April 2, 2010

It's all about the children, great books to help your child cope with divorce: Children all react to news of a .. http://bit.ly/anbd6f

Thursday, April 1, 2010

What can I do to help my attorney and reduce my legal bills?: Attorney's fees can be very expensive, but there .. http://bit.ly/bN4HNg

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Biggest reasons for divorce: In the US the divorce rate is between 50-60% and in other countries like the UK it.. http://bit.ly/aTlcoQ

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Co-parenting with a sociopath: http://bit.ly/asBQjV

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Unmarried Parents and Child Custody Issues: Most child custody and visitation issues are the result of a divorc.. http://bit.ly/aUuivQ

Monday, March 8, 2010

5 Financial Traps to Avoid

When you are trying to regain financial health as a single parent, there are some t.. http://bit.ly/bLTbYJ

Friday, March 5, 2010

Get confirmation your message was sent.

By using the Our Family Wizard message board, you can ensure that your message was actually received.  Rather than playing the guessing game, you can check each of your sent message to see when it was read by the other parent.  This is just one of the many features specially designed to help families parenting from separate households.

Click here to learn more about the Our Family Wizard website

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Quotes on children

“You will always be your child's favorite toy”
- Vicki Lansky
10 Debt Management Strategies: Managing debt can either involve dealing with debt that has already accrued or a.. http://bit.ly/d4wvtl

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Life, Disability and Long-Term Care Insurance

The top ten life, disability and long-term care insurance featur.. http://bit.ly/9h0Z4g

Monday, March 1, 2010

Going Pro Se:

The family courts continue to a large increase in the number of litigants who appear before.. http://bit.ly/cpFnIQ

“It takes two to tango.”

The saying goes, “It takes two to tango.” This applies to the high conflict that commonly appears in divorce and custody battles. When one of the parties refuses to “tango,” he or she takes the first step in regaining independence.

By taking responsibility to establish appropriate boundaries, one party can diminish the heat of the high conflict, thereby allowing everyday life to become more peaceful and less disruptive. This can make a great difference for the long term well-being of the children.

Our experience has shown us that one of the parents in a High Conflict divorce frequently has no intention of attending a conflict diversion program – even if ordered by the court. And if they do attend class, will do little to integrate the concepts of the class.

Learn more at HighConflict.net: http://bit.ly/dhtgAm

Children in the Middle now offers online co-parenting classes

Children in the Middle now offers online co-parenting classes for only $39.95: http://bit.ly/adpxbd

Check the website and with your local court to make sure that the classes are approved in your area.

Divorce Quotes

“Divorce is the psychological equivalent of a triple coronary by-pass. After such a monumental assault on the heart, it takes years to amend all the habits and attitudes that led up to it.”

Mary Kay Blakely

Divorce Quotes

“When two divorced people marry, four people get into bed”

Jewish Proverb

Friday, February 26, 2010

Parenting time can be easy to share.

Parenting time is something that can be easily managed. There are a lot of things that can affect your parenting time. Things to consider include: activities and events, holidays (both family and state), vacations and of course last minute changes. Managing parenting time can become much easier if you use a tool like the OurFamilyWizard website: http://ping.fm/g0sqP

The OurFamilyWizard website can help making all of these different scheduling tasks come together on one master calendar. You can even see which parent is picking up and dropping off the child for specific events. The key to ending conflict is to have clear and concise communications and a tool like the OurFamilyWizard website can make this easy, even in the most difficult parenting relationships. Learn more: http://ping.fm/CuyRS

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Divorce doesn't harm college age kids?

Article in Business Week says college aged kids are much less impacted that their younger counterparts when it comes to their parents getting a divorce:

http://bit.ly/9zkupb

Parenting Plans:

PYour parenting plan is the piece of the puzzle that is going to inoculate you from most .. http://bit.ly/a18gFB

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Making the Right Decision for the Right Reason:

It’s a death or severe accident in the family. It’s a wedding or a birthday. These are events that your children must have an opportunity to be a part of. Family celebrations are a big deal. Things that will happen only once in a lifetime are not going to get a chance to be rearranged. Grandma just dropped tickets for a trip to Europe. It’s a freebie. They’re going to go to Paris they’re going to go to Barcelona and they’re going to go to Greece. Here’s an opportunity for them to see the world and it’s on your week. Are you going to stop them from doing it with the other parent because it’s on your week? I’m sure hoping not but some parents will do that. These events benefit the child and that’s what it’s about. It’s an opportunity for them and you don’t have to get a week back because you let them go.
But you say, “That’s what my ex always does and it’s just not fair.” What isn’t fair is that your children even have to think there is a possibility that they can’t go on such a trip or to an important family event.
You have a choice. You can allow these types of events to happen easily and you can do it without asking for anything in return. In the end, it’s a lot easier on everybody - especially your children.
You don’t have to rearrange a schedule. Your kids can live a week without you. It’s not the end of the world. They’re going to be in your life for the rest of your life. You might actually find that you got a little bit of breathing room and may even remember what silence sounds like. You can get yourself recharged or you could go have some fun (and that’s important as well).
Many times, parents spend too much time focusing on, “I have to have the same amount of time as the other parent. I have to have my piece. I have to have my share, my time.” This is a distorted way of thinking.
Once you get this established; once you get this parenting plan established - no changes. You make no changes and you don’t ask any favors of that parenting plan. And unless it falls into one of these categories mentioned, you don’t give any.
You don’t try to balance it out. This is what you do. If you start to make exceptions to the plan, the plan goes to junk and the boundaries get shot. This is your boundary. This is how you get to establish the distance that you need to establish from the other parent. No changes for two years.
Why do I say two years? It takes about that long for the conflict to have an opportunity to really come to rest and if it has that opportunity to come to rest, you might found out that you’re not as angry at the end of those two years, that you’re done fighting about the silverware, and you’re done fighting about the custody and you’re done fighting about whatever it is that you were fighting about.
Your focus has been on your children so much you may find you can try to co-parent. This is the best possible outcome. You can put your toe in the pond and see if the water is okay. And if it is, you go in a little bit further. If it’s still okay, you go in a little bit further and you start to try to co-parent.
If you see the alligators on the other shore start to scramble for the water, get out and go back to the parenting plan because that’s where you’re going to spend the rest of the time. Watch what happens both to you and to the other parent when there’s a new spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend that comes into play.
This is one of the big pieces where the conflict will spark, even when things have been calm and cool. If the conflict starts again, it can mean somebody hasn’t fully let go or there’s a control factor and somebody is concerned the other person is going to take time away from their ability to be a mom or a dad.
Ego gets in the way. Junior comes home and says, “My other daddy.” Your kids are your kids. They’re always going to be your kids. You’re always going to be their parent. You’re always going to be their primary. They’re always going to love you - even when they hate you. They’re always going to love you and nobody can take that away from you if you’re doing your job as a parent. So, they say, “Mommy Mary,” or “Daddy David.” Let them. It doesn’t mean anything in the big picture and when you make a fuss, it isn’t about the children - it’s about you.

Written by: Brook Olsen, HHP, SEP
Bio: 
Brook Olsen is the founder and director of the San Diego High Conflict Diversion Program. Prior to that he co-taught the High Conflict Intervention Program for nearly two years for the San Diego County Court System. He is trained in Interpersonal Communication and High Conflict Resolution.
Brook’s training includes six years of study with Dr. Michael Mamas in the field of transpersonal counseling, trauma counseling, energetic healing, and meditation. He is a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner which involved three years of training in trauma resolution through Peter Levine’s Foundation for Human Enrichment. Brook is a licensed Holistic Health Practitioner and a Certified Clinical Nutritionist.
These trainings have contributed to Brook’s strong understanding of the workings of the nervous system, and the role that it plays in the psychological and physiological reaction to trauma, conflict and anxiety. In his private practice as a Life Coach in Encinitas, California, he helps his clients to resolve trauma and conflict as well as to find their way through some of the difficult circumstances that life can present, such as job change, divorce, grief, etc. In addition to High Conflict Diversion classes, Brook teaches communication workshops for couples, verbal skills to health care practitioners, and Core process workshops.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Don't be fooled, it may cost you: Recently, it has come to our attention that some "competing" servic.. http://bit.ly/a6M4AO

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Open Office 3.2 release, ten years of providing a open source alternative http://bit.ly/csM5Ne
Early Neutral Evaluation from a Financial Expert: Getting an Expert Assessment Before You Litigate: Early invol.. http://bit.ly/aggkmO

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Surviving Valentine's Day After Divorce: Valentine's Day can be a tough one, especially fresh after a recent di.. http://bit.ly/a9ujWk

Thursday, February 4, 2010

EARLY NEUTRAL EVALUATION OF FINANCIAL ISSUES: Like early neutral evaluation of parenting issues, the opportunit.. http://bit.ly/dhQUOj

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

EARLY NEUTRAL EVALUATION OF PARENTING ISSUES: The advent of early neutral evaluation is a major benefit to fami.. http://bit.ly/b8BC36

Monday, February 1, 2010

Shared or Joint Custody Calendars are Easy with the Right Software.: Setting up shared parenting schedules can .. http://bit.ly/dfrBWc
"Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives." - Maya Angelou

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Apple announces the Ipad, may revolutionize your idea of the home computer: http://bit.ly/cVI9it
big weekend of travel for OurFamilyWizard, we will be in NY, NJ and AZ.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Did you know that you can set-up email and cell phone text notifications on the OurFamilyWizard website? http://bit.ly/8uHOvM

Monday, January 25, 2010

Custody Exchanges: It is not that uncommon to read the headline "Custody Exchange Turns Violent". Eve.. http://bit.ly/5AFm0I

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Join the OurFamilyWizard group on Facebook: http://bit.ly/7Sovue
Join the OurFamilyWizard group on linkedin: http://bit.ly/6SUsKu
Kids are watching more and more tv: http://bit.ly/5s9Zbp

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

How do I figure out how to live on less money after the divorce?:







Finding ways to stretch the .. http://bit.ly/8l7PCw
MN couple gives 1/4 of their wedding budget ($2,500) to Haiti: http://bit.ly/5rNg5U

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Huge discount for military families: http://bit.ly/8waNX6
Tips to keep you and your kids safe: http://bit.ly/7IyTnS
How to Parent like the President: A recent article on eHow.com explores what we can learn on the home front fro.. http://bit.ly/76Ij5Q

Monday, January 18, 2010

Let's keep texting "HAITI" to 90999 and make a $10 donation to support the American Red Cross Haiti relief efforts.
Child safety tools: http://bit.ly/4qV3j2
The OurFamilyWizard store: http://bit.ly/8pjcVN items on Amazon
“Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.” -Dr. Haim Ginott
"Few parents nowadays pay any regard to what their children say to them. The old-fashioned respect for the young is fast dying out." -Oscar Wilde
Simplify joint custody scheduling and more: http://bit.ly/1sCDju
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, more than just a day off: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is about more than just stay.. http://bit.ly/4vMKFq

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Top 20 food trends of 2010:  Eatingwell.com has recently posted an article exploring the biggest food.. http://bit.ly/4MzMDg
Joint Custody Made Simple - The OurFamilyWizard website: http://bit.ly/1sCDju

Friday, January 15, 2010