Val Newbold
Hi! My name is Val or I'm also known as MinnesotaMrsMom. You can find me on Instagram. I am also a Certified Step Parent Coach. As a Certified Step Parent Coach, I help step parents reach positive coparenting goals and help them realize their potential within their family. Visit
StepFamilyLifeCoaching for more information.
I have a handsome husband of 14 years, a beautiful teenage stepdaughter and two handsome young sons.
I love to go on new travel adventures and make happy memories with my family! I also enjoy a good belly laugh, decorating my house with each new season, hot coffee and cooking/baking.
Managing Screen Time with Help from Xfinity Xfi
Do you remember what screen time looked like when you were a child? Maybe it was playing on your Atari gaming system at home? Or possibly it was playing Pacman at your local arcade?...
Being Grateful: Becoming a Stepmom, Before I Became a Mom
As a young child, I loved to pretend that I was a mom. I loved dressing up my dolls in cute, little outfits and combing the long, precious hair. I loved taking care of...
The Hardest Part of Co-Parenting
Co-parenting comes with a unique set of challenges for all involved. Having a realistic set of expectations for what's to come can help with this transition.
Remember yourself as a child. Do you remember being...
Managing Back to School Between Two Homes
Back to school can be a fresh start for families that have a child with two homes. However, it can also be a remedial lesson in Co-parenting 101. Managing back to school between two...
Setting Boundaries as a First Time Stepparent
Taking on the role of a stepparent in an already joined family is not an easy task. Emotions run high for not only the stepparent but the immediate AND extended families. Setting boundaries as...
A Stepmom is Not Made, She is Built
I am a Mom. I am also a Stepmom. Both parenting roles are real.
When my husband and I take my stepdaughter to public places, for an example a playground; the people who don't...
Being a Stepmom on Mother’s Day
Ring, ring (my phone rings). “Happy Mother’s Day,” says my stepdaughter. Yes... My step daughter calls me every Mother’s Day. I look forward to this call from her every year.
Am I her biological mother? ...
Become a Stepparent: 15 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me
Marrying someone who has a child, you don't think much about the stepparenting situation other than that you are in love with this person, who already has a child.
When I first met my husband,...
Blended Family: How to Manage the Holiday Season
Managing the holidays with a child who has two families can be complicated. Difficult schedules and emotions running high can set everyone up for 'tis the season to be jolly complications.
Christmas is one of...
My Husband: The Reason I Became a Stepmom
"Meet my friend,” they said.
"He's a wonderful person to be around,” they said.
"However...he does have a baby and was never married,” they said.
Scary thoughts, right? These are the first words that I heard before...