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Kindness in action
There are so many different ways to be kind to your spouse. Here are some really practical ways that we show kindness in our house...
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Are you a pioneer or a settler?
You deserve a happy, thriving marriage! When life gets busy, our marriages tend to take a backseat. You may talk to your spouse all day long, but if you’re only focused on coordinating schedules, talking about kids, and passing need-to-know information back and forth, what you’re really doing is setting the relationship on autopilot.
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Living your best life requires growth
When you set and work toward goals together, you move from settling where you are today to pioneering your way to your best life. By the end of 2017 we were both out of shape and busy busy busy rushing from work to home, to bring the kids to practice, to meetings… It was never ending. Clement saw how unhappy I was with my physical appearance and energy levels. So together, we did something about it. We decided to run a half marathon. Neither one of us had ever been a runner. In fact, we both HATED running. At the beginning of 2018 we committed to a training schedule. We…
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Do you treat strangers better than you treat your spouse?
This is an honest story, but one that doesn’t really paint me in a good light. Two things that are super important to us in working on this project are honesty and vulnerability. We’re letting you in on our real lives here! We’re always working on personal growth, so the story that starts this post is NOT one that would (usually) occur today. Hopefully it’s a story that you can learn from too. One morning, not too long ago I had to throw something away while my husband was washing dishes and blocking the cupboard where our trash can is… so rather rudely I said, “ExCUSE me” and definitely had…
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Why you need to date your spouse
Keeping the spark alive It is so easy to put your kids ahead of your spouse or work ahead of your marriage. All of these good goals, like being good parents, responsible employees, and good friends, demand our energy, attention, and time. We’ve heard so many reasons for letting your marriage drop lower on the priorities list… I just need to focus on my career so I can reach this level of success. I’m doing this for my family. The kids come first. They’re only little for so long. I just need some “me” time. I can’t do everything for everyone all the time. We’ve said all of these things…
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Don’t just survive – thrive!
We’re here not to treat problems only after we feel the symptoms, we are actively pursuing wellness in our marriage and we want to help you do the same. How many times have you had a new conflict come up but it feels like deja vu? Around and around the argument goes, because the root of the issue has gone untreated. The longer this goes on, the more tired and volatile the arguments become. Not quite sure what this means? Here’s how it’s looked in our marriage Our seasonal argument about Mount Washmore, our dirty laundry pile, was a symptom of the bigger issue – We weren’t tackling household work…
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Dating your spouse when your budget is tight
Doing it on a budget Money can be a big factor in keeping spouses from dating, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few ideas for fitting date night into your budget. There are lots of dates that cost little to nothing. Picnics in the park, fire nights at home, all you really need is intentionality and a little creativity. Approach an ordinary afternoon with connection in mind and boom – date! Date night swap – one of the biggest barriers for parents is the cost of babysitting. Set up a monthly swap with friends so that you can get a date night in and give a date…
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Finding time to date your spouse
Spoiler alert: Dating your spouse is super important to a happy marriage. Feel like you don’t have time or money? No matter your schedule or budget, you can date your spouse to keep the spark alive. Fitting it in It can be TOUGH to find time for a date night. For most of our marriage, we lived a 4 hour drive from Sarah’s mom and a 23 hour plane ride to Clement’s parents. We were living life just the four of us and it was tricky to find time for each other. Here are some ways that we squeezed in fun and romance. Do your kids play sports? If so…
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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…
