Joy Phenix's Blog

Parenting is a humbling experience. Pardon my surprise, but I didn’t realize how much I needed to change grow to do this job well.  I figured since I had my kids “later” in life, I had a better handle on my emotions and better control of my tongue…which would make parenting much easier.  How hard [...]

“Scars are tattoos with better stories.”  – Random Bumper Sticker I grew up in Southern California in Rancho Cucamonga about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.  Imagine a ranch-style stucco home in a development with a bunch of other ranch-style stucco homes; that’s my childhood environment.  Don’t imagine fancy, but picture suburbia in a “California [...]

One Sunday afternoon, my seven year-old son was building Legos at the kitchen table with his back to me. I was cooking dinner, minding my own business, and then it happened. Out of the silence, he asked a question… “Mom, is f**k a word?” he mumbled. (insert record scratch sound) “Excuse me?” I said as [...]

Ten years ago my friend Bobbi told me about a birthday tradition called “The Birthday String” that sounded like so much fun I immediately glommed onto it and incorporated it into a Team Phenix activity.  It seemed like a much more creative and fun way to celebrate a birthday morning than simply running downstairs and [...]

I remember in college making friends who didn’t know how to make a meal, and, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how that was possible. I realize now that the “Oh, I don’t cook” statement is a pretty common one. The explanations as to why someone claims they can’t cook are mostly [...]

I grew up with both a brother and a sister whom I admired with every fiber of my being, and, out of that admiration, I subjected them to every possible annoyance a little sister could bring to the party.  I feel like I stumbled my way through our relationship, particularly in the grade school years. [...]

I try not to get into the habit of telling my kids they’re smart. Don’t get me wrong.   This habit doesn’t mean that I think they have low intelligence; quite the opposite is true.  However, if they bring home a great grade or happen to grasp a concept easily, the last thing I want [...]

Yesterday my daughter had her birthday “Party Day.”  She was born near Christmas, and so we recognize her birthday a month or so late when her friends are back in school. I love celebrating my children’s birthdays, but, to be entirely honest, I feel squeamish with all of the gifts they get.  Don’t get me [...]

“You can overcome anything if you don’t bellyache.”  ~Bernard M. Baruch We started giving our kids “jobs” pretty early in their young lives so they would get used to helping make our home run efficiently. Our son works in a steel manufacturing plant, and our daughter raises cattle. Kidding. Still, each of our kids has [...]

Every third Monday in January, my company gives me the day off to remember and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.   I have a fun day hanging with the short people (Billy doesn’t have the day off), and we’ve created our own little tradition.   For the past three years we have made [...]