Relationships can be tough, and familial relationships can be even tougher. Maybe it’s the whole ‘blood is thicker than water’ idea, or maybe it’s just the fact that we can’t really escape them – but family is here to stay even though sometimes, I’d really like a break. I don’t mean this with any kind of anger, but sometimes my family really gets in the way of the stress-less, simpler life that I crave. You may remember from my first Simple Living post that I have a big family. To clarify, that means two brothers, two sisters, my parents and a step-parent, my parents-in-law, and four brothers-in-law. All of them live within 35 minutes of my husband and me. I chat weekly with one grandmother, who was recently moved to Florida, and I am occasionally in touch with my other grandparents and several other aunts, uncles and cousins. I love them all. But I could do […]