The Official site of Gary Smalley, Michael and Amy Smalley, and Greg and Erin Smalley! » family

The secret to being a close-knit family

Gary Smalley — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:04:53 +0000

Gary explains what it takes to be a close-knit family.

What can you do to dramatically help your family?

Michael Smalley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:19:10 +0000

Watch and discover one thing you can do to dramatically improve the satisfaction for your whole family!

Why do people get messed up?

Michael Smalley — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:05:50 +0000

Ever wonder why your life is a mess? Or maybe you are thinking about a “friend” or “family” member who’s life is a wreck. Watch and learn the four reasons why people get messed up in life.

The resource mentioned in this podcast is Protecting Your Family: discover how to win the greatest battle your family will ever face!

As a wife and a working mom with kids, how do I find balance between my job and family?

Gary Smalley — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:22:48 +0000

A great article on cutting away the bad from your marriage

Michael Smalley — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:18:18 +0000

What a great article and reminder for a healthy marriage:

This past weekend my wife and I traveled to Florida for a family wedding with our two kids, ages 1 and 3, in tow. Admittedly, before the trip we were both apprehensive.

Would we be asked to get off the plane at one of our layover stops due to one of our kids “loosing it” during the flight? Would something happen that we hadn’t planned on while at the hotel?

To prepare for all possible occurrences, we packed too much stuff. This was confirmed when we had a 30 minute layover in Houston and our next flight left from a different terminal.

Upon returning home after the trip, my wife and I discussed what we learned.

First, we can travel with our kids. They did great. My son even had an ear infection while there which allowed me to meet our hotel neighbors. In fact, the introductions began one evening when they banged on the wall and screamed “come on, are you gonna let the baby scream all night again?”

Second, we carried too much stuff. We need to work on traveling light. I now have a vision of our next trip being one where each member of the family has a backpack. That’s it.

In the spirit of traveling light, what if this idea were applied to marriage? Can you travel light relationally? Sure. Here’s a few essential rules:

via Essential Rules For Traveling Light In Marriage | Simple Marriage.

Cruis’n for fun without conflict

Michael Smalley — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:24:21 +0000

I am posting this from the middle of the ocean! How crazy is it that we can now connect online even from a cruise ship. I do not have much to say, but this trip has been awesome. Not because of the great weather. Not because of the great ship. Not because of Cozumel, Mexico (Which we did not encounter any drug cartels – contrary to what Bill O’Reilly might have you think.)

This trip has been awesome because we have kept it relatively conflict free. It is not that we are avoiding discipline for our kids, because we’ve had to get involved a couple of times. But for the most part, we have worked hard at creating an environment where our family is relaxed.

No conflict = fun time! Keep this in mind the next time you take a trip with your family.

Meals together as a family bring good health

Michael Smalley — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:06:34 +0000

Psychology Today: Communal Meals Bring Good Health

Getting your teenager to eat more veggies may be as simple as having a communal meal. A study found that teens who dine with their folks are much more likely to eat healthfully than those who eat solo.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it turns out that the pattern holds true even for families in which the kids are allowed to choose what they eat. The study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health and was based on interviews with more than 18,000 adolescents.

Teens’ diets are far from balanced: More than 70 percent don’t eat an adequate number of vegetable servings per day, and roughly half skimp on fruits and dairy products.

Teens who eat at least six meals per week with one or both parents are nearly 40 percent more likely to meet their daily vegetable requirement, according to researchers. They are also better about eating fruits and dairy products and less likely to skip breakfast.

Prayer after a sudden death

Michael Smalley — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:30:05 +0000

This morning an email brought sad news of a sudden death in the family of someone we know. A friend’s father died last night of a sudden and massive heart attack. The whole family is in shock right now even as they begin the process of making funeral arrangements. What do we say in a time like this? How should we pray?

read the rest here.

The Smalley family Christmas 2008 video is here!

Michael Smalley — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:17:59 +0000

I want to thank all the little people who made this project a reality…mainly my wife Amy and I had such a fun time putting this together (and by fun, I mean that I complained and she begged me to put it together). But the end product truly is a cool deal.� I love Apple for making this process ridiculously easy.

I hope you all enjoy this video filled with pictures and movies from 2008.

(just double click on the video image to make it play)

[quicktime]http://www.parenthelp.cc/media/Christmas-2008.mv4[/quicktime]

Ideas for ‘dating’ after kids

Michael Smalley — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:24:25 +0000

Like most parents of young kids, we spend a lot of time at home, both because we don’t have a sitter or family around and to save money.

Philadelphia Family and Parenting Examiner: Ideas for ‘dating’ after kids.

The craziness of Thanksgiving

Michael Smalley — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:18:49 +0000

I’m here in Branson, and like many of you, already feeling the craziness of Thanksgiving. But I must say, this is a good kind of craziness. Family, kids, pets, food, and bonding! What else is there to life than this? If you want to have a great Thanksgiving, then remember to relax and enjoy your family for who they are and not who you want them to be.

Parenting tip: Thanksgiving is a time for reflection

Michael Smalley — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:03:12 +0000

The Thanksgiving holiday is here again. Children and parents are busy with their own activities throughout the year, so this holiday offers an opportunity to bond with family members, which may include extended family.

Parenting tip: Thanksgiving is a time for reflection | SavannahNow.com