I was shocked. These guys were a part of the married elite. Four kids, still madly in love after about forever together. I wasn't buying it.

She went on to tell me her quickly patched together plans for her life as a single mother. Her business was starting to take off, so she would be okay for money. There was the house to sell and that would work out. She could buy food in bulk and freeze meals and that would help with running the family.

Through her sobbing, she sounded almost dedicated to the cause. I got the impression that being divorced and a single mother was what she wanted to be when she grew up.

I was puzzled by this and asked her what she thought she was thinking. She told me that she had been watching me "do it all" for a couple of years and she thought she could do it too. I was horrified. I do not want to be the poster girl for divorce.

She calmed down a little – even talking about being a single mother is tiring. We talked about some of the realities of divorce, that it is the path forward only when all other options have been exhausted. Divorce is not about a choice. It is about no other choice left.  read more »

My friend Maria IMed me the other day. "I didn't think there were men left in the world who wouldn't have sex with a woman on her period." As I was about to reply, she added, "I went to a sex party last night and was turned down by three different people!"

Maria's life is very different from mine.

This has been easy enough thus far; I simply schedule around it. I schedule, but I don't discuss. It's one thing to discuss your menstrual cycle with your husband. It's quite another with someone you are casually dating.

A few weeks ago, I met someone I really liked. Someone from out of town. There's no scheduling around a flight home. Things were mostly over, but, well, it was "the day."

How do you say, "I don't know that you should put your face there just now, since my period just ended and I can't really vouch for taste?" That's not the kind of thing you can just let someone find out on their own, but how? What are the rules of etiquette in these situations?  read more »

I rearranged furniture, placing items where I deemed fit, not based on anyone else's standard. Glancing through the house, I was satisfied with my work. Each room oozes a reflection of me and what I want in my life.

I did miss my children, but continued on my personal quest. It rained for much of the weekend. Rain can be so gloomy at times, but every time I looked out the window, I just kept thinking of the rainbow at the end of a storm or the fresh flower that blooms from the precious raindrops.

I realized over the weekend that there are so many things I need to start over. I never put myself first in my life or my marriage. I always put my ex's priorities in life above my own. I need to make amends with my priorities and allow them room to grow.  read more »

I rolled over to check the alarm clock and felt a long, lean form in the covers next to me. She let out a gentle sigh and arched her back. The activities of last night came flooding back to me – how I'd agreed to let this happen. I reached over and stroked her silky hair. She stretched again, this time fully, her arms over her head, and she turned and gazed into my eyes.

It was probably her eyes that made me do it. She has golden eyes. I have never seen eyes like hers before, but they melt me whenever I stare too deeply into them. I pushed her long silky locks behind her ears and she cuddled in close to me. It was, well, nice.

She rolled over so her back was to my chest and I pulled her close. Maybe this is all I need. Her. Her love and her golden eyes and silky locks. As I say good morning, she leaned back and kissed my face and then my neck and then she got up on all fours and hit me in square in the face with her paw.  read more »

A few years ago, they were both single and frustrated by the dating game. Their friends encouraged each of them to put a profile up on a dating Website. Reluctantly, they did. Within a week, they chatted online and set up a date.

Neither one was aware at the time that neither of them had ever done this before. Amid anxious nerves, they met at a restaurant and the spark was lit. They have been together ever since.

Now, this story of Internet dating isn't one I hear a lot from my friends. Many of my friends spend years and years trying to find their perfect match, but this couple found each other on the first try!

Anyway, they live on Mauna Loa Lane and as a songwriter when something sticks in your brain, it's best to see where it goes. I loved the name of their street and I also found it funny that this couple was almost embarrassed to say they met on the Internet. So, as a good friend, I gave them a new romance story in a song. Click below to download the song.

Enjoy!

In all the analysis over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's failed marriage, I've come to the realization that a public, high-profile separation is actually a lot like your average breakup.

Sure, for politicians and otherwise famous figures, there's the uniqueness of a national, and sometimes international audience, plus the fact that elections and multimillion dollar movie contracts could be impacted by the split.

But, listen to how Canada's Globe and Mail describes political marriage in the context of Sarkozy's situation: "Marriage is an extension of the leader's image. It speaks volumes about character traits that are otherwise inscrutable or absent."

To a slightly lesser degree, I'm sure this applies to anyone. We all have images to uphold, both in our professional and private lives. When separation and divorce rear their ugly heads, it forces a person to question not only how their image could be affected, but their true identities as well.

The paper goes on to say, "A strained and unhappy marriage is better than divorce for a political career. The optics of divorce are damning: The one person who knows the leader of the country more intimately than anyone else has lost faith in him."  read more »

The Donald isn't the only Trump with marital issues.

Blaine Trump has called it quits on her marriage to Robert Trump, Donald's brother, after 24 years.

The blonde philanthropist filed for divorce on Wednesday. Reportedly, Robert has been living with another woman for nearly two years and walked out on Blaine; she had hoped for a reconciliation. 

While I'm a huge advocate for working through marital difficulties, I'm not sure you can get a more obvious kiss off than leaving and living with another woman. The only way he could have made the decision easier for her would be to file the papers himself, which, let's be honest, he should have.

Blaine hopes for a friendly split without all the mudslinging and courtroom drama that we've seen accompany one of her brother-in-law's divorces. (The Donald is currently on marriage No. 3). 

Blaine and Robert have no children together, and Blaine already has her own attorney. A source says "She just wants to get on with her life."

She probably could have finished this step awhile ago if she'd paid attention to the writing on the wall by marrying into the Trump clan.

Alright, it wasn't a date, but I flirted shamelessly with him. I always have, but on the "date," I took it up a notch. The weather was cold and dreary and I really felt like just throwing on the same sweat suit I'd worn the day before but decided against it. I didn't overdress for the appointment, but I did put on a cute sweater and jeans.

I figure there's no time like the present to start practicing my flirting skills! I believe the doctor's married, but no ring adorned his finger and I think he was flirting back. Maybe it was just a typical conversation between two 40-somethings. In the end, the doctor got paid and I got a prescription for bifocals! I refused to move into bifocals last year citing I was too young. This year, my arms aren't long enough to hold the paper far enough away from my eyes so I can read it.  read more »

In Canada, except for in the most extenuating circumstances, child support amounts are determined by pre-existing tables based on the number of children and the income of the non-custodial parent. No consideration is given to the income of the custodial parent, which always made me uncomfortable.

I made a lot more than my husband did, and I felt weird taking his money. That didn't mean I wasn't going to get all up in arms when his $117 came on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday.

I know in many other countries, child support amounts are determined by the mood of the judge on the day the decision was made. Maybe we feel cheated. Maybe we feel entitled. Quite possibly, we feel powerless. Probably, we don't like being reminded that in some way, we are dependent on this man until our children turn eighteen.

Child support is such an ugly business. It turns the raising of a child into a mercenary matter and not a family one. It's necessary but it's tragic, and for now, it's the only system we have.  read more »

The woman's ex-husband is on trial for first-degree murder for allegedly strangling a man in 1998 after a botched kidnapping. And it seems she is the key witness in the case. The woman will testify against her ex-husband, claiming that he twice confessed to her that he'd killed the man in question.

It gets better. Apparently, the first time he told her was in the car, as they were driving to Las Vegas to get married. But what happens in the car on the way to Vegas... uh, well, you know...

It sounds like they were playing a bit of truth or dare with one another. The woman admitted that as a child she had been sexually assaulted by her brother. And that's when her ex chose to say, "Oh, hey, this one time, I killed a guy."

You have to wonder why this woman would go through with the marriage after that. Weird.

Click here for more.