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What’s your family’s purpose?
Is your family moving in the same direction? Here’s one way to make sure! Purpose noun: the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists Purpose gives you motivation, a sense of meaning, and a mission. A quick Google search will show you how important it is for individuals, for teams, and in the workplace. It’s just as important for your family to have a purpose too. When you’re falling in love and dreaming of a future together, you spend hours pouring your dreams into conversations and building a vision for your shared life. Those conversations, whether intentional or not, are laying out your purpose.…
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New year, new project
So here’s what we’re doing… We’re going to write one post every week exploring different topics related to building a fun, healthy relationship with your spouse. We’ll share ideas that have worked well for us. We’re not experts, but we’ve learned a lot and we want to share that with you. We’re also asking for YOU to share your experiences with US. Over the years we’ve learned from many wonderful couples. But, no surprise, marriage isn’t always easy. That’s why we want to expand that pool of role models. The smart person learns from their past, the wise person learns from others. We want to build that wisdom! We’re so…
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Weekend getaways… Worth it?
Spoiler alert: yes. Weekend getaways have some benefits and some drawbacks. We’ll start with the hard part: Let’s face it, weekend getaways can be expensive It can be tough to find the time If you have kids, childcare can pose a problem Now that’s out of the way, here’s why they’re worth it: We’ve already talked about how marriage is your most important relationship. A weekend away together gives you the time and space to check in on your relationship and spark a fresh connection over shared experiences. You’ll benefit before you even leave. Studies show that anticipation and planning lead to joy. Plan your getaway together to jumpstart the…
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Updating some outdated marriage advice
Like most married couples, we’ve received tons of marriage advice over the years. Some has been helpful and some… not so much. We thought it would be fun to update some outdated advice from the 1950’s. Each of the tips below has a little nugget of wisdom hidden inside the father-knows-best shell. Plan ahead 1950’s: Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good…
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Marriage done right is fulfilling and fun.
There are three things that we believe about marriage and want to share here: Marriage is your most important human relationship Marriage done right is fulfilling and fun Good things spring from healthy marriages We’re writing a series of three posts to explain a little more about what we believe and why we believe it. Today we’re focusing on this idea: Marriage done right is fulfilling and fun. There are really two thoughts wrapped up in this one, and they’re equally important. Marriage is fulfilling and marriage is fun. We’ll explain each piece of this belief and then the importance of holding them in balance. Marriage is fulfilling. The dictionary…
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Build your friendships to build your marriage
The human-to-human, heart-to-heart connection is vital to a healthy and happy life. Studies have shown that community is a core component to your actual physical health and longevity. (A total aside, but if you haven’t heard of Blue Zones, you can learn more on their site. It’s super interesting!) When it comes to building your marriage, the people around you can really make a difference. When our kids were little we had a small group of friends with kids around the same age as ours. One of the families had a laid back parenting style and rarely raised their voices. The other family was quick to raise their voices when…
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Marriage is our most important relationship
We’re writing a series of three posts to unpack each of these core beliefs a little bit to share with you more about what we believe and why we believe it. Today we want to talk about this one (and it’s a big one!).
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That Disconnect
It happens in every marriage. You know, that feeling that you’re just not connecting. Somehow, things just got out of sync. There may not even be a clear cut moment you can point to and say, “see, we were in sync here and then THIS happened and now we’re not connecting.” We’re going through it RIGHT NOW. Literally as we’re launching our marriage project, we’re finding that we’re just not connecting. Conversation isn’t flowing freely, we’re not in a groove, and we’re missing one another. It sucks. So here’s how we handle it. Name it. There’s no point in pretending that everything is great when it may not be. A…
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We put our marriage above our kids. Here’s what that looks like
It’s not super popular, but can we let you in on one of the secrets to our marital success? We put our marriage above every other relationship, every time.
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50/50 isn’t the key to a happy marriage
Marriage is a partnership, so in many minds, that looks like 50/50. The 50/50 mindset is a recipe for resentment. There's a better, simpler way.
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Navigating small conflicts to build a peaceful home
Sometimes small conflicts pop up. It’s totally normal. The cause and shape of these little conflicts will be different in every marriage, but we think that the ways you can navigate them are universal. Here are some strategies for squashing small conflicts before they become arguments. Keep it to yourself. One small thing that can spark conflict in our house is the way the dishwasher is packed. It’s dumb, but it’s also annoying and ongoing. So, sometimes a poorly stacked dishwasher can spark a disagreement in the Sprout house. See a dish that’s out of place or still has food on it or is otherwise just not right? Ask yourself…
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Build habits that build your marriage
From Rachel Hollis to Marie Kondo – experts agree, the secret to finding success is by building the habits that get you there. Your decisions lead to behaviors. Repeat those behaviors enough times and they become habits. Ultimately your habits will shape your life. What are some habits that build a marriage? There’s a little bit of funny timing on this post because we’ve been a little off in the Sprout house. We’re not arguing and nothing is really wrong, we’re just not feeling as connected as we usually do. When this happens, that’s when I know that it’s time to take a look at what habits we have that…
