A friend repeated to me the other day a saying that has particular application to families and the holidays:  ‘You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your family’.  So true.  What is it about the holidays that can cause so much stress and strain at a time of the year when we should be celebrating with the special people in our lives? 

In this handy article, Dr. Pam Monday, the Relationship Repair expert, shares some ingenious ways to handle some of the trying dynamics that take place when holidays, families and dysfunction collide.

For those single midlifers among us, there is one question that occurs most often when we are in the dating scene:  Am I settling?  Is this really the right guy for me?  And of course, we most often ask that when things may not be going so well.  The temptation is to kick that guy to the curb if we find ourselves in that situation.

Well, our WomenBloom expert on all things relationship, Dr. Pam Monday, has some very wise things to say on this subject.  In fact, much of what she says is valuable even if you're married or in a long term relationship.  Dr. Monday is a therapist in Austin, Texas.

Heck, this article is great if you just want your life to slow down and become more enjoyable, never mind improving your marriage or significant relationship.  But it’s great TLC advice for any relationship you want to consciously cultivate as well.  

Too busy and too full are the enemies of a simple life lived with contentment.  Having the presence of mind and discipline to follow some of Dr. Corey Allan’s suggestions can enrich your midlife relationship and your life.