Love may be sweeter the second time around, but once the bliss of a newfound relationship wears off a little, the reality of being part of a stepfamily sets in. If you are one of the millions of remarried Americans facing the challenge of blending two existing families into one cohesive whole, you are part of a stepcouple—and you know all too well how hard it can be to make your marriage work in sometimes tough terrain. Different parenting styles, finances, relationships with ex-spouses, legal matters, and even seemingly simple issues such as the kinds of chores assigned to children can chisel away at your union if you don’t always make your marriage a priority. Stepcoupling offers advice for stepcouples on how to do just that—all the while strengthening their blended family with a healthy marriage. Susan Wisdom and Jennifer Green provide tips and strategies on dealing with the issues remarried couples face, with a wealth of advice from real-life stepcouples, such as: * Learning to tailor your expectations of your spouse or children and remembering that no family is perfect * Knowing where your boundaries are, whether involving a hostile ex-spouse or a stepchild who demands too much attention * Realizing that traits like flexibility, tolerance, forgiveness, and openness are especially essential in a stepfamily situation * Making “us” time for talking, problem-solving, weekends away, and enjoying your marriage to constantly renew and strengthen your bond as a couple Let this invaluable remarriage manual help you make your stepcouple the foundation of a strong, happy, and successful stepfamily.

An honest and groundbreaking guide to understanding the complicated emotions that develop between stepmothers and children. When faced with often overwhelming challenges, what woman with stepchildren is unfamiliar with that “stepmonster” feeling? Half of all women in the United States will live with or marry a man with children. To guide women new to this role—and empower those who are struggling with it—Wednesday Martin draws upon her own experience as a stepmother. She's frank about the harrowing process of becoming a stepmother, she considers the myths and realities of being married to a man with children, and she counteracts the cultural notion that stepmothers are solely responsible for the problems that often develop. Along the way, she interviews other stepmothers and stepchildren and offers up fascinating insights from literature, anthropology, psychology, and evolutionary biology that explain the little-understood realities of this unique parent-child relationship and—in an unexpected twist—shows why the myth of the Wicked Stepmother is the single best tool for understanding who real stepmothers are and how they feel.

One of three Americans is today a stepparent, a stepchild, or a stepsibling. That means there are lots of stepmothers and ex-wives out there wrestling with resentment, jealousy, anxiety, anger, and despair over their relationship with the “other woman” in their life. That's where stepmother/ex-wife team extraordinaire Jennifer Newcomb Marine and Carol Marine step in. No One's the Bitch is their straight-talking, handholding walk through what is typically a very lonely minefield. Whether women just want to create a neutral, “business” partnership or actually, gulp, to become friends, this book shows them how to reach their goal through ten powerful steps, with chapter titles such as “Own Your Own Crap,” “Collaborate,” and “Communicate.” The authors also recount their own journey, providing ample hope and reassurance to all women struggling to keep a blended family together.

"Nearly 60 percent of remarriages end in divorce." What can people do to beat the odds? David and Lisa Frisbie share the fruits of more than 20 years of speaking, teaching, and counseling. Having talked to hundreds of couples, the authors use many real-life examples and speak with hope and humor about the challenges. They point to four key strategies to help bring long-term unity: forgive everyone, including yourself regard remarriage as permanent and irreversible use conflict to get better acquainted form a spiritual connection centered on serving God With further step-by-step marriage-saving advice about forming a new family unit and helpful discussion questions, "Happily Remarried "makes a great how-to recipe for a successful, happy remarriage.

A revised and expanded edition of the classic relationship book that has helped thousands of couples shape a shared vision for their lives together. With this simple-yet-profound relationship tool, Susan Piver shows couples at any stage of their relationships--whether they are considering engagement, have been married for decades, or just want to deepen their connection--how they can forge and strengthen lasting, intimate bonds. Focusing on key areas such as home, money, work, community, and family, The Hard Questions contains 100 thought-provoking questions for couples to ask each other, including: • What will our home look like? • What are our professional goals? • How do you feel about sharing our life on social media? • Will we try to have children, and if so, when? The Hard Questions provides couples with guidance and support for having the kind of conversations that will lead them to a deeper understanding of each other and a happy, healthy, and prosperous future together.

The Porphyrins, Volume I: Structure and Synthesis, Part Ais the first in a series of seven volumes and covers topics like nomenclature, purification, and structural determination of porphyrins, metalloporphyrins, and other related compounds. This volume serves to be a critical review of the topics covered and presents a complete and comprehensible discussion on the chemistry and biochemistry of porphyrins. The chapters in the text tackle the history and geochemistry of porphyrins and related systems. Also covered and discussed in the chapters is the synthesis of porphyrins from mono-, di-, and tetrapyrrolic intermediates. The isolation and modification of porphyrins from natural sources are also discussed. Other related compounds are also included, such as metallo-, aza-, and N-methylporphyrins, and their synthesis and properties. This book is a good introduction and reference for students studying in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry.

You found the love of your life, and you vowed to have, to hold and to stepmother. You always thought that in time you'd grow to be the perfect, loving family. So why does it seem that the harder you try, the more unappreciated you feel? As a stepmother, therapist and founder of the popular Web site stepsforstepmothers.com, Dr. Rachelle Katz knows all too well how challenging stepmotherhood can be. Based on thousands of in-depth interviews and the latest research, she's created a powerful program to help you: * Alleviate stress and take care of yourself * Bond with your new family * Set and enforce clear boundaries * Get the respect you deserve * Strengthen your relationship