The Husband

The New year has been off to a good start. I did get laid off from my job, but thank goodness the whole purpose of the job was for Christmas and extras. I do like the extras, but I must say, not waking up at 5am every morning has it's perks!

I have been taking my vitamins and eating right. The workout challenge I signed up for starts this Saturday and I'm excited to get that going!

Another step in the right direction is my relationship with my husband. We have a wonderful relationship, I would even use the words, "best friends" but as all married couples know, marriage takes work!

I have been working on seeing all the good in my husband and appreciating all he does to be the best husband and father that he can be. And you know, when I consciously look for a these things, I have found that my husband does do quite a bit!

Here are some links to articles and blogs that I have read to get some inspiration on how to be better wife to my husband, and in turn have a better husband. It's a win/win!

30 day Husband Encouragement Challenge For Wives

Homegrown Mom: Your Husband picked You

Homegrown Mom:15 Little Ways to Bless your Husband

I really like this blog. And she writes an article every Wednesday called Wifey Wednesday.

To Love, Honor and Vacuum:Why he won't meet your needs

To Love, Honor and Vacuum:Saying Hello

Even if I think I am the greatest wife ever created, and some days I do, it takes work to keep the greatness alive and growing. Husbands need their wife's love and respect, and on super busy days they at least needs some extra hugs and kisses! ;)

Marriage Preparation

Very good friends of Big D and I have been in charge of the Marriage Preparation classes at our parish. I believe they have been doing the marriage prep for over 20 years.

They have decided it was time to pass the torch along to Big D and Me. We have been facilitating the classes for about four years now and it has been a little overwhelming trying to take full control over this program.

Although it is overwhelming, these classes are important to me. We get a chance to help couples begin their life together in love and in faith for the rest of their lives.
It is special to me that I can be a part of this time in their lives and hopefully help them achieve the life long Sacrament of marriage.

When Big D and I went to our marriage prep class we were not active in Church, our class was more of a lecture and I really can’t remember what was said to us.

The reason why I love our marriage prep class is because it is all about the couples, they are the ones who talk about the issues, teaching the couples around them and Big D and I always learn something too.

Some couples come to the class knowing how the Catholic Church views marriage and some don’t. For those that do they bring much knowledge and insight to the group and for those who are just getting married in the Church because it is “family tradition” it is wonderful to help them understand how much more this Sacrament is. How God wants them to succeed and by inviting Him into the marriage it will succeed.

God saved my marriage seven years ago, including Him into the bond Big D and I shared is the big secret we have for our lasting marriage. If it was not for His presence we might have fallen into the selfish traps so many marriages fall into these days. At the time I did not fully believe “letting go and letting God” would do anything to fix what was broken in our marriage, but it did and in little time.

What we are hoping to accomplish in these marriage prep classes is to get the couples to see the spiritual Sacrament of marriage, to keep God involved right in the beginning, that if they build their marriage with God as their foundation, nothing can tear it down.

I hope we are successful in helping these couples, I hope we can do half the job our friends have done.

Marriage, Now That's a Laugh!

Big D sent me an article on the importance of laughter in a marriage. The article is titled Find Something That Makes You Both Laugh. I believe that laughter and humor are essential to any good marriage.

My marriage runs smoothly a majority of the time. Then there are times where it starts to turn into a business like relationship. We are both under stress. We both have many tasks on our plate, and all we can think about is getting them done. Whether it be something happening in the kids life, money issues, work, or school it can sometimes feel like we are serious business partners rather than husband and wife.

When this type of thing happens, it is not so bad if it lasts for a day or two, but there have been times when it has dragged on for a good part of a week. At these times is when humor makes a huge difference. When Big D and I are going though the “business partner “ phase it is so relieving when he comes home from work with a funny story, or when he e-mails me something from work that he knows will make me laugh. It breaks the tension and snaps me out of my serious trance.

It is a good thing that Big D and I have somewhat of a similar sense of humor. If we didn’t I think like the article states, you should find out what your spouse considers funny and use that as a way to bring laughter into your marriage.

What feels better than having an inside joke between two people? Something that makes the two of you crack up every time you say it, but no one else knows what you’re talking about. Big D and I have these kind of inside jokes. We can be in an argument, or a stress full situation and if either of us mentions one of our inside jokes, the tension will disappear and we can’t help but smile or laugh.

Having kids can be an easy source of humor. Wherever Big D and I are, if the kids are around they are bound to do or say something that gets Big D and I to look at each other and start laughing.

Having a sense of humor while having an argument can be beneficial. If you do it at the right time and not make it seem you are making light of your spouses feelings. If Big D and I are having an argument and we have both finished stating our sides, there is a lingering tension. This is usually a good time for one of us to slip in a little joke. It's hard to stay mad when you are laughing.

This life is full of serious issues, marriage is no exception. Laughter is a way to bond with your spouse, to feel light hearted and relives some of the stress. Tell your spouse some jokes, send them a funny message, joke around, and if these things don’t work you can always resort to tickling.