Facing Reality

Well, just to be sure we are getting into the holiday swing here...the weather is a combination of freezing rain to snow. If I wasn't ready before, this weather shift always pushes me to face the reality - the big holiday season starts in under a week.

16 years and one week ago we celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a family of 8. Wow, talk about facing reality. I had all of these DREAMS for my daughters. My dreams included laughter, smiles, hugs, loving feelings, time together, sharing, new traditions, family, more and more family. There was some of that sprinkled in, but some of those dreams were missing and the missing stuff plus some not-so-great behavior/words were blamed on the facts that we were speaking different languages, the newness of it all, and everyone just being overwhelmed.

Honestly, as time passed it got more and more difficult. Christmas looked great to the outsiders. All the kids (3 boys and 3 girls) were dressed up cute, there were smiles on their faces as they opened gifts from Grandmas and Grandpas, they tried all the delicious treats and said please and thank you nicely. However, on the inside it was a whole different story altogether!

Inside our family was a MESS! The girls were miserable and acted out constantly (when others weren't looking). The boys were totally thrown off by all of the chaos that happened behind our closed doors. Our marriage was stressed. We distanced ourselves from others because we felt judged and unsupported. I felt like an awful Mom, Wife, Daughter, Grandaughter, Niece, Cousin and friend. I really felt very alone.

Out of a deep desire to get my family back in shape, I began doing things very differently and our mess began to take on a new more positive and happy feel. I tweaked and tweaked how I parented. I researched, read and attended any training I could. I found the tools and techniques that worked to help us all enjoy the holidays. I finally could hold my head up HIGH, my family was in such a better place!

If you are like I was and you dream of giving your children the experience of a loving, joyful, peaceful, family-filled holiday, it would be my honor to give you the tools and techniques you need to be successful! You will be ready to tackle the tantrums and crabbiness head on, create a holiday time where your family and friends help you help your children not sabotage you at every turn, and start looking forward to the holidays yourself!

There are only a few days left to get registered for my class "Surviving the Holidays with a Challenging Child"  

To make sure this class REALLY WORKS for you, here's the plan...
**You get the recording of the class to watch at your convenience 
**You are invited to a second LIVE Q & A session in December so you can tweak your plan
**You will receive my "Surviving The Holidays: Intentional Parent Checklist" to help you stay intentional   

Get your spot NOW! Time IS Getting Short (click the link)
http://www.tohavehope.com/surviving-the-holidays.html