Annie Zirkel Ann Arbor-based counselor and relationship consultant Annie Zirkel is one of 20 finalists to become the new advice guru on the national ABC TV show "Good Morning America." Announced on this morning's show, the 20 finalists are vying for a full-time position as a sort of on-air advice ...
In the story The Little Red Hen, the overworked and under-supported Mama Hen spends all her time cooking and cleaning while the rest of her household naps the day away. Finally fed up after getting no help in tending some wheat seeds she eventually turns into flour and then a ...
There’s a good chance that when you first got together with your now-partner, him playing on a sports team with his friends was all part of the fun. But now that you are married with small children and limited family time, this activity may feel like a luxury that's beyond ...
This is the fourth in a four-part series on prickly people. The trouble with prickly people is that they are - well - prickly. It can literally be painful to be around them. So it's a natural reaction to want to limit your contact. Unfortunately, for the hyper-reacter or grouch ...
Raise your hand if you fear that your child's answer to 'What I did on my summer vacation' will be: slept a lot; did most of my socializing on-line; played hundreds of hours of video games; spent countless afternoons fighting with my siblings; lost a huge chunk of the previous ...
This is the third in a four-part series on prickly people. We can all be prickly sometimes. And being prickly doesn't mean we aren't awesome, it means that it's likely that our thorns are keeping people from knowing that. So are you willing to consider that, "Yeah, I could be ...
My dad is 82 years old. So with Father's Day approaching, I decided to take a trip back to my childhood and contemplate this man and his influence on me. What I discovered was not what I expected. It is an insight that I am appreciating from the sidelines. And one ...
This is the second in a four-part series on prickly people. Did you ever have an interaction with someone and walk away going - WT?? Do you have relationships where you walk away with that feeling all time? And the bigger question: Do people experience you that way? Most of ...
We come into contact with prickly people all the time. It might be a scowl, a frosty attitude or a touchy disposition. It might be the choice of words as in "What do you want?!" Sometimes they serve us coffee. Sometimes they sit across from us at work or in ...
I remember the morning I realized it. My sons were 6, 4 1/2 and 18 months old and had done something that had upset me. What they did completely escapes me now, but for whatever reason I went beyond my usual aggravation to a crazy place.
From the moment our children are born we, as parents, are asked to be the gatekeepers for what and with whom our children come into contact. Do they have access to plug outlets or the cords of mini-blinds? Are they being exposed to lead? Could they choke on that grape? ...
Raising a child with disabilities is like living in a yard with an invisible fence.The trouble with an invisible fence is that you only learn where the perimeter is when you make the mistake of crossing the unseen barrier and get zapped — in this case by life telling you ...
Creative Commons License photo credit: eelke dekkerTwo four-year-old children are given a simple jigsaw puzzle to complete. They both do very well. Then they are asked, "Do you want to do this puzzle again or do you want to try a harder one?" Do you know which puzzle your child ...
With some variation here's how married life often happens. You meet the person of your dreams. You fall in love, get married, set up a home and possibly add some children. But then what? Life gets busy. Kids, job requirements, house maintenance, individual hobbies, outside friendships and extended family obligations ...
A million Christmases ago, when my now-teenagers were little, besides the special wish list items we put under the tree, I added a fairly simple gift of my own. I gave each of my sons a coupon for a 45 minute block of one-on-one time with me each week. I ...
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com AnnArbor.com's partner news site MLive.com is on a quest to find the best barbecue in ......
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