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Browse published articles attributed to Lori Radun, with full-archive search.
As human beings, we all have an innate need to be close to someone. But sometimes the very thing we desire is the opposite of what we have. Some of us subconsciously sabotage the relationships we want because of our fear of intimacy. Sometimes we unknowingly and unwillingly drift apart ...
In most homes, school is over, and summertime has begun. On the one hand, most moms feel grateful that warm weather is here, family fun has begun, and the stress of the school year is on hold for the next three months. The kids are ecstatic because they get to run through the yard shooting water guns at their friends, sleep in and stay up later, and take a break from dreaded homework. But it doesn’t take too long before another set of emotions creep in.
What exactly does “me time” mean? To each mom it has a different meaning. To some it means going out with the girls, to others it may mean being able to just read a book for a half hour. You might be thinking “sometimes being a mom doesn’t allow a lot of time for me”. Moms usually can find any number of reasons why “me time” just doesn’t happen very often for them. Some moms may use the excuses I’m too tired or I’m behind on things as it is. If I take “me time” I will never get caught up.
Have you ever wondered if your children are spoiled? I know I have. I was so curious one day that I looked up the definition of a spoiled child on the internet. According to B.D. Schmitt, M.D., author of "Your Child's Health", he says "a spoiled child is undisciplined, manipulative, and ...
What is leadership and why should parents care? Leadership is the ability to inspire yourself and others to take positive action in life. Every individual and organization needs leadership. What is an organization exactly? An organization is a social arrangement that pursues collective goals, controls its own performance and has a boundary separating it from its environment. Your family is one of the most important organizations in the world and your family needs leadership.
Do you ever feel like you are going in a hundred different directions but not really going anywhere? Maybe you run upstairs to do something, only to forget what you were going to do. You start doing something else, and then abandon that project when you think of something else that needs to be ...
It was 18 years ago when I brought home my first baby from the hospital. I’ll never forget the day. It was July 2, 1991 and I slowly walked out of the hospital with no shoes because my ankles were so swollen. Feeling the pain of my episiotomy, I placed my son Kai in a car seat we borrowed from a friend. It wasn’t an infant car seat like the ones we have today, so the huge car seat swallowed up all 6 pounds, 14 ounces of him. Looking at his tiny body all scrunched up, and thinking about how I had already failed him, I burst into tears.
Recently my client shared with me a scary incident she experienced with her body. As she was driving, her teeth and arms began to tingle, her vision tunneled, and her heart was pounding very fast. Fortunately for her, she was close to a medical clinic. Upon arriving at the clinic, she was ...
How do you define success? Would you consider yourself successful? Most people define success as achieving some preconceived, future condition in their lives. If I can raise my children to be happy and confident adults, then I will be successful. Or when I make $100,000 a year, I will be a ...
As a parent, there are many challenges that you must face and some of them may be particularly tough because you just aren’t sure how to deal with them. No parent knows how to deal with every situation because every situation is unique to a particular family.
With the holiday season fast approaching, time spent with family increases. Add this increased time with the addition of aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas and cousins, and you can have quite an interesting family dynamic. The more people you have involved in any one situation, the more effort it takes to manage the different personalities. Last year in our home was Christmas as usual. My mom, brother and his fiancé were in town and staying with us, so our normal family of four became a family of seven.
Moms have an almost Universal need to be and stay organized. With all the hats we wear, it is increasingly more important to stay on top of everything and maximize our efficiency. Without organization, we drop balls, forget about important activities, increase our tendency to feel stressed, ...
Children have long lists of toys they want and moms have long "to do" lists. If we can set aside our money fears, it's exciting to listen to our children talk about all the cool toys they want for their birthdays or other special occasions. Do you ever hear your child say, "I have to have a ...
The other morning I was having coffee with a friend, and we were sharing stories about our own sometimes intolerant parents. My friend has a grumpy and hard to please father that pushed one too many buttons this past Thanksgiving. “What did you bring those dishes for? What is that you made? It stinks!” My friend snapped and replied “That’s it. I am not bringing anything for Christmas.” Her father replied “Why, I like your cookies.” To which she replied “I am not bringing cookies either because last year you complained that my sugar crystals were too big!”
Fifteen years into my business career, I began to feel unfulfilled. Deep in my soul, I had a desire to make a difference in the lives of other people. Some people would argue that I was making a difference. I contributed to the success of an organization; I managed people and helped them grow ...
Your boss calls you in his office today and hands you a $2500.00 bonus check because the company had a good year. Are you thankful? You go in for your 20 week ultrasound. As you watch your growing baby on the screen, the doctor informs you that everything looks great. Your baby boy is ...
Motherhood is filled with ups and downs, triumphs and defeats and it is sometimes a tireless job. Mothers don’t get sick days, or vacation days and some days you don’t even get the chance to brush your teeth by yourself. Being a single mom, you face a lot of things by yourself whether it is mowing the grass, running your kids places or even who you are going to call when something breaks can be a challenge to a frustrated single mom.
If you spend any time in the parenting section of the library or your local bookstore, you will find hundreds of books on disciplining and raising your children. All the leading experts have their own ideas about what works and what doesn’t. As a parent, you have your philosophy that you ...
Many moms today are running on empty. In the morning, we fill up on a quarter tank of coffee (or our equivalent gasoline), and then try and engage in activities that require a full tank. What happens when our fuel runs out? We get tired, irritable and just plain unproductive, due to our lack ...
Which of the following situations send you over the edge? You ask your child to do something three times and he is still not listening. Your four year old is having a complete melt down over something you see as insignificant. You've had a long day and your teenager won't stop arguing with ...
With so many tasks fighting for our attention, it's no wonder we struggle with feeling productive. For most women, it's important to us that we feel productive, and we usually measure our productivity by our output - how much do we get done in a given day? If we get a lot done, then we feel ...
When my older son was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, my first reaction was relief – I finally knew the reason for his behavior. However, I was also overwhelmed with sadness, fear and anger. I felt sorry for my son and for myself. Like many others in similar ...
Superior athletes receive the MVP award. Oscars are given to the best actors and actresses. Business owners can earn a designation of "Entrepreneur of the Year". How often have you received the "Best Mom of the Year" award? I've never received that award, and I'm a good mom. We have one of ...
I want you to think about your body as one of your children or someone else you love dearly. When was the last time this person did or said something that really made you mad? In that moment, you might have been thinking “I really don’t like this person right now.” However, did his behavior ...
A few months ago I was contacted to speak to a local women's association group. In the context of our communications, I was asked if I had a book, and if so, would I offer a discount? I assumed the client wanted a discount off my speaking services if some of their audience members purchased my ...
We’ve started a new game in our home. Each night at the dinner table we each take turns asking another family member a question about himself. “So, Rick, how are you feeling about your interview on Monday?” “Mom, what do you want for Christmas?” Sounds like just a normal conversation, right? ...
Last Sunday I was sitting in on a class we conduct for newcomers at our church. One of our pastors said, “If we don’t change, we aren’t growing, and if we aren’t growing, we are dying”. Isn’t that so true? If you want your life to remain status quo, then your best guarantee is to resist ...
It has been said that 60-80% of New Year’s resolutions will be broken within the first two weeks. Personally, I am not a huge advocate of New Year’s resolutions because I believe in setting and achieving personal goals all year around. However, I do respect the fact that New Year’s resolutions ...
Just this morning, my five year old came stomping through the kitchen with a big scowl on his face. He was angry. We have recently developed a schedule board to help Ian plan his day. He loves to follow his schedule, and he was planning on getting ready and dressed for his day from 8:00 to ...
The top two things that people seem to want more of are money and time. As a matter of fact, more money and more time are the top two issues people come to life coaches for (they also happen to be the top two excuses people use for not hiring a coach). It would be great if we had a money tree ...
Maybe you would disagree, but to me, cookies and milk is a match made in heaven. They just go together. Can you enjoy cookies without milk? Sure, as long as they are Oreos or homemade chocolate chip cookies. Is a glass of milk refreshing by itself? Personally, I can't drink plain white ...
Extreme busyness is a chronic disease that afflicts many moms today. As a matter of fact, I was just listening to the One Month to Live DVD by Kerry and Chris Shook. They identified three passion busters. I'm not talking about sexual passion, although I'm sure your husband would love that. ...
When we hear the word makeover, most of us think about transforming our physical appearance in some way. Just recently, for instance, I have toyed with the idea of growing my hair out. Perusing through the big hairstyle book at my local salon, I tried to imagine which hairstyles would look ...
This morning I drove down a suburban street on the way home from dropping off my teenager at school. On this one street alone, there were about a half dozen people out walking. Some had dogs with them; some had a partner; some were alone. These people were different sizes, shapes and ages. I ...
Everywhere I turn, women are in transition. Of course, the most obvious transition many of us are facing right now is back to school. But transitions are all around us, some of which are more recognizable than others. These are some of the transitions that have touched my life, directly or ...
For as long as I can remember, people have asked the questio "Are you a leader or a follower?" There was an attempt to categorize or label people based on their ability to lead other people. What if I were to tell you that everyone is a leader, either by choice or default? Would it change ...
It was breakfast time at Janet's house. The baby was in the high chair watching her brother and sister fight over who gets the Mickey Mouse plate. The kids didn't want cereal for breakfast, nor did they want eggs and toast. Not having much left in the house to fix, Janet was beginning to feel ...
"You've got to be tough to do the big things in life like taking risks, admitting mistakes, and changing bad habits. You've got to be tough to do the little things like biting your tongue, waiting your turn and putting up with fools. Self-reliance and self-confidence will demand your ...
It's no secret that it takes two to create and maintain a healthy relationship. Although I would agree with this statement, I also know there is a lot one person can do to change the dynamics of any relationship. And since none of us have the power to change another person, it only makes sense ...
There has been a time in my life when relationships were a source of great discontentment in my life. I worked around negative people. I didn't have a lot of the kinds of friends I wanted. I was in a marriage that was lonely and filled with conflict. Although today all my relationships are ...
It takes hard work to be a confident woman, but the rewards are well worth the effort it takes. Imagine being able to go through your day feeling good about who you are and the decisions you make. Picture yourself laughing at your mistakes instead of beating yourself up. When someone offers ...
The other day I was reading a blog post from a mom who had just returned home from a relaxing vacation. She felt refreshed and refueled for about one week. She was telling her readers that she needed a break, but felt guilty because she just had a vacation break. In her words, this mom ...