Where's the Lemonade?

Darren and Paige have heard about Nacho parenting and always thought it was definitely not for them, but they only had heard about extreme Nacho parenting. After a dive into what it really is, Paige is not totally against it; she can see why some families would adopt this type of parenting in a blended family. So let's take a look.

Definition of “Nachoing”:
People often ask, what is Nachoing? The Facebook response is usu...

Ok, so we all hear the saying, "Don't go to bed Angry." You probably hear this marriage advice at almost all weddings or bridal showers. Is it that important not to go to bed angry? Paige does not subscribe to this myth at all. Just the opposite. She feels that going to sleep during an argument is like a time-out. And then, when you wake up, it doesn’t seem nearly as bad. On the other hand, Darren would love to hash it out...

Let's start with a frequently asked question in divorced households: 

When my child goes to their dad’s house, he has different rules. When they come home, they think they can do whatever they want.  I am tired of the battle. How can I help them adjust to the different house rules? 
This is a brilliantly asked question about a common problem in divorced households. The question is not, “How can I get my ex to parent ...

March 2020 was the beginning of a new reality for most of us—kids at home, adults at home, adult kids at home, everyone at home. As time passed, kids went back to school, but many adults continued working from home, which could be a significant change for many of us. There are so many good things about parents being at home, there for the kids, and there to help with the kids; when kids are napping, one parent can be at ho...

 When a relationship is new, you see the world through rose-colored glasses. Everything is fresh and new. As you look at each other, you see someone who is exciting and perfect. Even the world around you seems brighter and happier than before you found each other. In that “new” stage of a relationship, it’s easy to say loving things to each other. Those sweet words come naturally when you are together and then via text or ...

This week Darren and Paige asked their listeners to submit questions that we have not addressed on the show. Some of these questions were hard to answer but we did it anyway. Check out the questions below.

Have you been able to stay friends with other couples who had previously been friends with you & your ex?  If so, have those couple friends become friends with you & your new spouse?

I am always interested in how c...

Are we saying the wrong things to our kids about the divorce??? Probably!! We think we are saying good healthy things to help our kids thru the divorce, but are we? I know we are just human and we are trying our best. But it is hard, we are stressed, emotional and have never been thru this before, so we are struggling to say the right things and hope that we are. We want to have our kids get thru this devastating life...

The first year of blending families can be pretty tricky and downright horrible. In this episode, we talk about the challenges of throwing two families together and how we dealt with the obstacles we ran into.

Listen to this Episode

Love does not conquer all.

• For those of you that think everything has been rosy. It has not.
• This has brought up some tension and memories of the hard times. Sacramento Airport.
• We were n...

The week after Christmas was boring…. saying.

At the beginning of a marriage, everything feels new and exciting. You've got romantic date nights planned for weeks, and what may become future annoyances are just endearing little quirks that make you love your spouse even more. But unfortunately, that honeymoon stage won't last forever. Eventually, things are going to simmer down, and you might even find yourself feel...

Darren and Paige have been thinking a lot about 2023. There is so much uncertainty in the future right now. Darren has had a lot of luck with his work and will continue this year. They have had friends lose their jobs, friends waiting to see if they will lose their jobs, companies changing their compensation packages, the economy is slow simmering into a recession…a lot of uncertainty.

This brings a lot of anxiety a...

We’re Back!!!

It has been a while since we have done a podcast, but we are getting back into the swing of things for 2023. 

It was a busy year! 4 of our kids got engaged in 2022!!! So fortunate to have all these new in-laws join our family. 

Let's take a look at all the things that happened this year!!

January – Darren and Paige went to Palm Springs for a short getaway. Super fun!

February – Girls' trip with Ilene and Jill...

Most marriage difficulties center around one fact, that men and women are totally different. There are emotional, mental and physical differences. We can have happier marriages if we make an effort to understand the differences.

We are definitely stereotyping and generalizing, so deal with it. 

• Women tend to be more personal than men.
• Women typically have a deeper interest in people and feelings, in building relationshi...

Ok, so here we are again in the summertime!! It is a beautiful time of year. Kids are home, enjoying a nice break from school. It's time for them to relax and chill. But what happens when their chillin involves hours and hours of screen time each day? How much is too much? Do we as parents ban screen time completely? Or limit it? Do we keep them super busy with other things? Let's dive in and see what we can figure out.

Con...

Darren & Paige are in Portugal for a week away from work and kids, but not podcasting. In this week's episode. Find out what they learned not to do when they travel. Some of it from personal experience. Some of it by watching other tourists standing out. :)

Second Half of Portugal

• Sintra and Cascais- Wear great walking shoes. Dress in layers. Rain, no rain, rain, hot, rain. Lots of hills to climb on cobblestone stre...

This week Darren & Paige are in Portugal. Why Portugal? You have to listen to find out. They talk about some of the travel tips they have learned over the last eleven years of traveling together, including what not to pack and how to tip your waiter.

Why Portugal?

• Resort in Praia Del-Rei
• Porto
• Coimbra

Travel tips 

• It might be cheaper to travel from a different airport. SFO was about half as much as flying o...

Darren and Paige decided to tackle, "should you blend these two families?" It can be a colossal mistake to blend families too quickly. (says the couple who combined very quickly) There are some essential things to know before agreeing. (Do you like camping, do you want a dog, or do you want more kids??) The need for companionship can drive you too quickly. 

Let's talk some sobering statistics. In the U.S. 50% of first time ...

Is there a magic secret to a happy marriage? If we are told to do A, B, and C to make our marriage work would we do it? Do we do it? Or is it different for every single couple? Darren and Paige were curious about the tips that couples would give on how to keep a lasting marriage happy. They asked a lot of their friends and family that have been married for decades to see if there was some advice or if it is entirely differ...

Darren and Paige had a different podcast subject planned for today. However, after Mother's Day came around, we saw a lot of feelings around this day and thought we would do another episode on this topic. This day is hard for many; how can we make it better????

Mother's Day is supposed to be an amazing day!!! Right?

So here is another Mother's Day in the books. How was it for all of you? Were your expectations met? Managed? ...

This week, Darren and Paige discuss tips and tricks to help with a problematic co-parenting situation. This is hard stuff!! You are divorced for a reason, and now you still have to make many decisions together around the children. Let's dive in!

It's not always rosy after a divorce. In fact it rarely is...

So you've made the decision to divorce. Sad. Now you have to co-parent with the person that you decided, for whatever re...