Let's hear some cheers for the newly crowned Mrs. Delaware United States! Francine Edwards, who was announced as the winner this month, happens to have a platform that certainly caught my attention. There are several interesting reasons why I am cheering. Not only is she an assistant professor at Delaware State University, but she also won at the age of 43 when many of her competitors were "mostly in their late 20s to early 30s,..." according to MiddletownTranscript.com. Drumroll, please... 

The biggest reason why I am rooting for Edwards is that her platform is "Blended and Blessed: Step Parent and Step Family Support," according to the MiddletownTranscript.com, "Townsend woman crowned winner of 2012 Mrs. Delaware United States." (photo of Francine Edwards by John Dodd)

This is one stepmom that I really hope to interview on my RemarriageWorks show on The Stepmom's Toolbox Network. And, according to the article, her strategy for the fitness part of the competition involved P90X with her husband. She had me on the first round of applause; P90X with her husband is just icing on the cake. Congratulations Mrs. Delaware! And, good luck at the annual Mrs. United States Pageant in August.  I'll be cheering for you as you help bring awareness to the needs of stepfamilies and blended families.  

We're now in an age where the so-called "normal" family is no longer a Mom, Dad, and 2.5 kids. The reality is that there are many stepfamilies across our nation, over 1000 stepfamilies form daily. As many of you know, blended families are a unique system, with their own distinctive challenges and obstacles. And, while each stepfamily is unique in its own way, many of us share a common story. It's important that our community come together as we can learn from and find support in one another. 

I am very excited to be recently named to the Board of Advisors to the nonprofit organization, the United States of America Blended Family Association (USABFA). I am honored to be a part of their wonderful online community geared towards blended families and stepfamily living. USABFA provides a platform to share stories and advice, connect with others, build knowledge, and strengthen communities. You may have a neighbor down the street or across your town that has a family just like yours, looking for the same support for which you're looking.

Or, maybe there's a family in another state experiencing the same difficulties as you. USABFA offers you the chance to connect with not only your local stepfamily community, but many blended families across the nation.

Anyone can join. As a member of USABFA, you have the ability to build a personal profile, upload photos, contribute to message boards, publish articles, and start local chapters. The normal membership rate is $1 per month, but if you join now, you can get a lifetime membership for $9! Plus, they're giving away a FREE copy of my book, Journal for Stepmoms to every 10th person that enrolls. For more information, check out the USABFA home page.

I urge everyone to join this marvelous organization and to spread the word about it. Together we can strengthen our stepfamily community.

This past weekend was pretty tough for many people as our country remembered the events of 9/11 and honored so many heroes and heroines. May we never forget. It was an even tougher day for me personally because my father died suddenly at the age of 54 on the same date 16 years ago. I am certain there were many moist eyes, including mine. When I woke up Monday morning and saw the sun shining for the first time in several days, I tried to think about some good things coming up this week. National Stepfamily Day, celebrated on September 16th is one of those things.

National Stepfamily Day and the National Stepfamily Day Foundation were founded by Christy Borgeld, who has worked tirelessly for 15 years to raise awareness about stepfamily issues, and develop programs, research, and support to American stepfamilies. If you ever get the opportunity to connect with Christy, just do it!

This astounding woman, who received an Outstanding Service Award from the Women's Information Network this year has a contagious passion to help step and blended families. Don't miss her video featuring 101 things to do with your family on National Stepfamily Day.

Lately, there has been some debate about whether stepfamilies need or should have a special day, such as National Stepfamily Day dedicated to them. I agree that a stepfamily is a family. And, while as much I may want or have wanted my stepfamily to not be different from a family that was formed by a first marriage with everyone biologically connected, in some ways it just simply is. It is a family no less, as we know that families come in many varieties these days.

My feelings about whether my stepfamily is different from any other family have shifted over the years. At first, I was hell-bent that my new stepfamily wasn't going to be treated as different. We were all going to learn to love each other and get along no matter what. Now I realize that hell, sometimes there are parts of my biological family, 40+ years old in which I grew up that still don't always get along, and I frankly wonder at times where some of the love is.

Here's the bottom line as I see it today. The majority of stepfamilies that I have come across face unique challenges and circumstances. They are families. And, one of the reasons I support National Stepfamily Day is that I know first-hand how difficult it can be to have a successful remarriage and stepfamily. Building a successful, lasting stepfamily requires hard work, dedication, self-growth, time, dedication, patience, love, and more. I'm celebrating what we have built thus far. I hope you do, too.