Positively Bonnie

The New Brady Bunch Reboot With Vince Vaughn

Tuesday, July 31, 2012
This morning I saw a great reminder by Rebecca Snell (@stepfamilytips on Twitter).  "Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine." (attributed to Lord Byron) For those of us in blended families, we can all use some more laughs. I am looking forward to seeing the new version of The Brady Bunch from executive producer Vince Vaughn and CBS. According to The Hollywood Reporter in "CBS Developing 'Brady Bunch' Reboot with Vince Vaughn," the upcoming reboot of The Brady Bunch will have some new blended family angles.

The film is supposed to feature Bobby as someone who is remarried, and will include his new bride's exes and "feature their kids from previous marriages, along with the couple's shared child." I fully expect this film to be totally unrealistic, but I'm hoping it makes us all laugh, and maybe even at ourselves a little bit as we can sometimes do when we look back on some of our stepfamily circumstances.

I wish I had a film of myself from many of my days in a newly blended family; I'm sure I would crack myself up.  Trying desperately to please everyone and having pleased very few can be very laugh-worthy, at least in hindsight.  And, so can sitting in a closet on the floor crying over something that seemed so significant then, but I can't even remember why now.

I do remember getting so excited to see Stepbrothers starring Will Ferrell and Jon C. Reilly in 2008 that my stepfamily and I brought my mother! Big mistake. Roger Ebert gave Stepbrothers 1.5 out of 4 stars. Here's to hoping that Vince Vaughn, Wild West Picture Show Productions and CBS won't let us down. 

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink



What is There to be Thankful for in Your Stepfamily?

Friday, March 11, 2011
A dear friend and mindset coach I know, Renee Canali, gave me a very meaningful gift, namely a small book entitled 365 Thank Yous by John Kralik this past Christmas. In a nutshell, it is a story about a guy who handwrote 365 thank you notes in one year and the remarkable things that happened in his life as a result of displaying such gratitude. I've started writing more thank you notes as a result, and it feels good. It got me thinking; how many of us are grateful for our stepfamily members?

And, how many of us get caught up in the whining and complaining about exes, our kids' other stepparent, and all of the challenges that stepfamily life can bring? I'm guilty! Especially in the early years of my remarriage, I complained, got angry, and I'm sure I drove my friends and family nuts on many days. And, even now having been remarried for nearly eight years, I still have my moments.

In hindsight, I feel like I have wasted valuable time and energy simmering in a stew of negative feelings. I wish I had read books, including 365 Thank Yous and Jack Canfield's The Success Principles, years ago. In his book, Canfield writes, "When you are in a state of appreciation and gratitude, you are in a state of abundance. You are appreciating what you do have instead of focusing on and complaining about what you don't have."

So, turning back to remarriage and stepfamily life, for what is there to be grateful?  As a start, how about:
  • the opportunity to learn about your own strengths and weaknesses?
  • the chance to learn more about love and its many forms?
  • a second chance for true happiness after experiencing divorce or widowhood?
  • learning how to appreciate others?
  • developing healthy coping mechanisms?
  • the ability to be a positive influence in a young person's life?
All of these experiences do not just happen overnight, rather there is a process for each. So, while we continue to progress and work on these things, we can express appreciation in our stepfamilies each day - for even the smallest things.

In The Success Principles, Canfield explains that there are three different kinds of appreciation. He describes three different ways (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic) "the brain takes in information, and everybody has a dominant type they prefer." 

So, every day we can strive to appreciate the people in our family in the way that makes them feel good. We can hug one of our stepchildren who responds to touch. We can call one of our kids who is away at college to find out how they are doing, and we can write a note telling our spouse how much we appreciate what they do.

The things that we grumble about may still be there. But, if we follow John Kralik's example, we'll actually feel happier.  Thank goodness for that!


Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink



1

Recent Posts

  • Congratulations to Dr. William Petit on His Remarriage!
  • The New Brady Bunch Reboot With Vince Vaughn
  • Get Inspired by Mrs. Delaware, a Stepmom on August 6
  • Check Out the NARME Conference in Baltimore
  • 3 Top Questions Remarried Couples Should Ask When They Disagree
  • Top Secrets of Stepfathers
  • Why Cheer for the New Mrs. Delaware United States?
  • Mother's Day 2012: My Favorite Picture
  • Top Three Tips for Planning Your Second Wedding from StaceyLu
  • My Show Tonight: Eat, Drink & Remarry with StaceyLu

Tags

stepbrother stepdad Kim Olver second time around stepdaughter ex divorcing stepmother stepfamily Mother's Day stepfamily life divorced carl delmont problems in your remarriage carla david design stepdads Northern Virginia Mediation Service family therapist stepmom blending your credit histories Father's Day encore bridal specialist weddings and children stepfamily counselor Justice Harvey Brownstone stepmotherhood Stepmom's Toolbox remarried after divorce financial problems stepmoms-to-be joint custody step-grandparents encore wedding relationships custody lawyer wedding invitation fatherhood stepmom's previous marriages marrying second honeymoon stepsons freedmont mortgage stepfamily relationships second wedding stepfamily advice wedding invitation wording custody step family Garter Brides widowhood wedding invitations DIY wedding invitations family law court stepparents second wedding planning co-parenting mediation stepson's judge's verdict second marriages NARME child support therapist separation remarrying brides mediators families co-parenting plan late wife's family stepfamilies with special needs kids stepfamily challenges remarrying bride remarries custody battle step parent separated professional mediation alimony stepfamily meeting second marriage stepfamily with a special needs child relationship questions post divorce United States Blended Family Association Stepmoms Toolbox Yaffa Balsam blended families family matters remarry stepfather stepfamily terms encore brides stepmothers christy borgeld exes marriage education remarriage stepfamily names marriage family stepchild father rights stepkids second weddings stepchildren Journal for Stepmoms marry stepfamily counseling encore bridal dress stepson divorce mediation stepfamily experience journaling stepfathers love for grown-ups stepfamily support group wedding invite second wedding invitations children stepparent blended brady bunch stepparenting Mrs. Delaware step-grandma remarriages National Stepfamily Day Chuck Semich stepfamily coach remarrying United States of America Blended Family Association stepmoms blending families RemarriageWorks bonus mom remarriage journey widowed stepfamilies stepfamily issues blended family wedding invite wording blending IDEALS of Kentucky para-kin.com family court merging two families USABFA remarriage works the garter brides national stepfamily summit remarried with kids spouse divorce familymoon family law judge national stepfamily day foundation family law attorney shared joint custody
  • after divorce (1)
  • alimony (1)
  • blended (1)
  • blended families (5)
  • blended family (12)
  • blending families (5)
  • blending your credit histories (1)
  • bonus mom (1)
  • brady bunch (2)
  • carl delmont (1)
  • carla david design (2)
  • child support (2)
  • children (1)
  • christy borgeld (2)
  • Chuck Semich (1)
  • co-parenting (2)
  • co-parenting plan (1)
  • custody (1)
  • custody battle (1)
  • custody lawyer (1)
  • divorce (10)
  • divorce mediation (1)
  • divorced (4)
  • divorcing (2)
  • DIY wedding invitations (1)
  • encore bridal dress (1)
  • encore bridal specialist (1)
  • encore brides (5)
  • encore wedding (6)
  • ex (2)
  • exes (2)
  • families (1)
  • family (1)
  • family court (1)
  • family law attorney (3)
  • family law court (1)
  • family law judge (1)
  • family matters (1)
  • family therapist (1)
  • familymoon (1)
  • father rights (1)
  • fatherhood (1)
  • Father's Day (2)
  • financial problems (1)
  • freedmont mortgage (1)
  • Garter Brides (1)
  • IDEALS of Kentucky (2)
  • joint custody (6)
  • Journal for Stepmoms (4)
  • journaling (2)
  • judge's verdict (1)
  • Justice Harvey Brownstone (1)
  • Kim Olver (1)
  • late wife's family (1)
  • love for grown-ups (1)
  • marriage (4)
  • marriage education (1)
  • marry (1)
  • marrying (1)
  • mediation (3)
  • mediators (1)
  • merging two families (1)
  • Mother's Day (1)
  • Mrs. Delaware (1)
  • NARME (1)
  • National Stepfamily Day (4)
  • national stepfamily day foundation (1)
  • national stepfamily summit (2)
  • Northern Virginia Mediation Service (2)
  • para-kin.com (1)
  • post divorce (1)
  • previous marriages (1)
  • problems in your remarriage (1)
  • professional mediation (1)
  • relationship questions (1)
  • relationships (1)
  • remarriage (26)
  • remarriage journey (4)
  • remarriage works (1)
  • remarriages (4)
  • RemarriageWorks (15)
  • remarried (27)
  • remarried with kids (1)
  • remarries (1)
  • remarry (7)
  • remarrying (8)
  • remarrying bride (2)
  • remarrying brides (4)
  • second honeymoon (1)
  • second marriage (3)
  • second marriages (2)
  • second time around (1)
  • second wedding (12)
  • second wedding invitations (4)
  • second wedding planning (2)
  • second weddings (4)
  • separated (1)
  • separation (1)
  • shared joint custody (1)
  • spouse (1)
  • step family (1)
  • step parent (1)
  • stepbrother (1)
  • stepchild (4)
  • stepchildren (7)
  • stepdad (3)
  • stepdads (3)
  • stepdaughter (1)
  • stepfamilies (19)
  • stepfamilies with special needs kids (1)
  • stepfamily (36)
  • stepfamily advice (1)
  • stepfamily challenges (2)
  • stepfamily coach (1)
  • stepfamily counseling (1)
  • stepfamily counselor (2)
  • stepfamily experience (1)
  • stepfamily issues (1)
  • stepfamily life (4)
  • stepfamily meeting (1)
  • stepfamily names (1)
  • stepfamily relationships (3)
  • stepfamily support group (1)
  • stepfamily terms (1)
  • stepfamily with a special needs child (1)
  • stepfather (1)
  • stepfathers (5)
  • step-grandma (1)
  • step-grandparents (2)
  • stepkids (1)
  • stepmom (13)
  • stepmoms (9)
  • stepmom's (2)
  • Stepmoms Toolbox (1)
  • Stepmom's Toolbox (6)
  • stepmoms-to-be (1)
  • stepmother (4)
  • stepmotherhood (1)
  • stepmothers (7)
  • stepparent (4)
  • stepparenting (6)
  • stepparents (3)
  • stepson (1)
  • stepsons (1)
  • stepson's (1)
  • the garter brides (1)
  • therapist (1)
  • United States Blended Family Association (1)
  • United States of America Blended Family Association (1)
  • USABFA (1)
  • wedding invitation (1)
  • wedding invitation wording (1)
  • wedding invitations (1)
  • wedding invite (1)
  • wedding invite wording blending (1)
  • weddings and children (1)
  • widowed (2)
  • widowhood (4)
  • Yaffa Balsam (1)

Archive

  • August 2012 (1)
  • July 2012 (3)
  • June 2012 (2)
  • May 2012 (4)
  • March 2012 (2)
  • February 2012 (4)
  • January 2012 (3)
  • December 2011 (1)
  • November 2011 (1)
  • October 2011 (2)
  • September 2011 (4)

Tell Us More About Your Second Wedding!

1. How much did you spend on your second wedding?

$0 - 1,000
$1,001 - 5,000
$5,001 - 10,000
$10,001 - 20,000
$20,001 or more

 

Here's What You're Saying

“I find your site extremely helpful and resourceful in dealing with the many and daily issues of parenting, co-parenting and life issues that come along.” –J.P.

“I love the information you all provide. The magazine was so helpful in trying to navigate the remarriage with kids territory. Thank you for all of your information and inspiration you provide.” –K.W.

“Have I mentioned HOW MUCH I love your site?!?!? It's really cool. . . . I'm getting married to a man that has two kiddos, and it's quite a lifestyle change for me!” –M.M.

Win a Copy of
Eat, Drink and Remarry

This is not your mother’s second wedding! Getting married again? Wondering why the planning is harder than you thought it was going to be? Enter to win a copy of Eat, Drink and Remarry by Stacey Tucker!


Tweets from RemarriageWorks!