Tag Archives: marriage

The Importance of Letting Go of the Little Things

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In the past, we often found ourselves scrambling around making time to do things that seemed meaningless to us. We did them simply because they pleased someone else. They were things we cared little about and ranked low on things we enjoyed doing. Unfortunately, what we valued, like quality time and family activities, took a back seat. We were always trying to find time for them and squeeze them in when we could. If this sounds like you, let me alleviate your stress and help you save your time for things you value. Letting go of the little things will enable you to spend more time on your priorities. Our priorities should be the core of our lives, not what … More…

Family, Health, and Happiness: My Priorities are Why I blog

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If this is your first stop at the blog, welcome. If you’ve been here before but are curious why I started this blog and what drives me, then you’re in the right place. This blog is all about living our best lives by becoming more in tune with our priorities. We all have priorities. For some it’s fame and fortune. For others it’s creativity and freedom of expression. Mine come down to three basic things. Family, health, and happiness. My goal in life is to live in alignment with those priorities, rather than squeezing them in “when I have time” around everything else. I’ve lived that way in the past, and it’s not fun. I’ve made changes to live my … More…

4 Discussions You Need to Have for a Happy Marriage

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Getting married is a little like buying a house. You wouldn’t buy a new house based solely on its location or outer appearance, and you wouldn’t choose a spouse that way either. When buying a new house, you ask a million questions. You want to know everything there is to know about it. Unfortunately, marriage often isn’t approached with the same desire to gather information as home buying is. This is a huge mistake! To ensure a solid foundation for a long and happy marriage, there are four topics that you need to discuss. The biggest mistake before getting married Many people assume that because they’ve been with someone for a while, and in an intimate way, they know everything … More…

The Secret to Improving Your Relationship

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Who among us wouldn’t love to be able to experience more fulfillment in their relationship? More love, more commitment, more happiness, more intimacy. Well, guess what? That’s exactly what learning your partner’s “love language” will help you do! You’ll be improving your relationship in no time with this simple strategy. What is a “Love Language?” According to Gary Chapman in his book “The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts,” everyone speaks, understands, and shows love differently. Our emotional language, the one that expresses and understands love, is our “love language.” Chapman has compiled years of personal experience as a marriage counselor and firsthand accounts of relationships to form the theory that there are five basic ways we each experience love. … More…

Goals Update January 2017

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In November, I posted about how Andy and I had decided to split the responsibilities for our goals. The idea is that by splitting who was solely responsible for our success in each of two areas, we’d increase our accountability. Each month I’ll be checking in with an update until we reach or change our goals! Here is last month’s update. Let’s see how we did this past month.   The Goals We have two major goals. Of course, there are other goals besides these two but we’re focusing in on two since there are two of us. Once we get these under control we can expand onto the others. Each of us is in charge of a different thing. … More…

Inexpensive Valentine’s Day Gifts for your Spouse

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Valentine’s Day can be a difficult time for a husband and wife. You’ve just spent a lot on everyone you know for Christmas presents. At the start of the New Year, your finances were on the list of goals for this year. Now, here comes Valentine’s Day, demanding you spend money on each other in the form of Valentine’s Day gifts. It’s really, really easy after years of being in a relationship to have a rational, logical conversation that goes something like this: Husband: Hey so, we’re supposed to not be spending too much this year. Wife: Yeah, I know. Husband: So what do you want to do about Valentine’s Day? Should we go out to dinner? How much do you want to spend on gifts? … More…

5 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Kids

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Kids constantly desire attention and affection from their parents. They all have different ways of expressing those needs, but it’s always pretty clear. Previously, I wrote about the five things our kids need most from us. A lot of those needs center around their desire to feel loved by us, their parents. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I would share some ideas for making kids feel special and loved on that special day. It’s an excellent day to set aside time to celebrate with our kids and express our love. Valentine’s Day isn’t just for romance! Valentine’s Day is a day devoted to showing our love for others. As such, it’s a great day to show our love not only … More…