When you are giving your all to your marriage, it’s natural to become exhausted. And when both of you are giving your all, then you might both experience this exhaustion at the same time. Sometimes it just takes too much energy to keep being positive and keep being supportive and keep being there for that special person in your life. You know what – that’s okay. Every good thing in your life will sap your energy, and we need to take breaks to recharge. This isn’t to say that we take breaks from the marriage – good gracious, no. Some … Continue reading →

Is your Marriage Reaching Its full Potential? It’s a question we each might ask of our marriage. But what sort of qualities and attitudes will help ensure it does reach its full potential? It is interesting sometimes not only to see how otter marriages work but to read up on those things that help us get the best out of our marriages. On a site I was reading recently you can grade your marriage. Since I’m a great one for quizzes and the like I couldn’t help grading my marriage. And received a huge shock. I was shocked to find … Continue reading →

Follow these guidelines and you’re sure to make your spouse feel unimportant and unloved. Don’t listen to what they’re telling you because you’re already planning what you’re going to say next and you’re just waiting for a chance to interrupt and tell them about your day or the problems you’re experiencing. Don’t look at them when they are talking to you but keep looking around to see if there is anyone more interesting to talk to or something that you are missing. I used to know a lady who used to do and it was very disconcerting and made you … Continue reading →

What does your face reveal about you? When you look at some people you can almost read what they are thinking and feeling on their faces. Recently Mick and I were reliving old memories watching the 2005 AFL grand final which our team, the Sydney Swans, won. We were there on the day and it brings back a lot of memories of the fun and the drama that occurred with a taxi accident and a missed plane before we actually got to the game. But that’s another story. This time though as I watched the game, and particularly the tight … Continue reading →

Sometimes we overlook how important it is to enjoy spending time together in a marriage. It doesn’t matter what you do so long as you are with the one you love. Yesterday Mick felt a need to get out of the house for a while just for a change of scenery. Because he’s still feeling worn out and lethargic that meant I’d do all the driving. We weren’t planning a strenuous day, just going out for a drive in the countryside. It was more about being together somewhere out of the house. We went up the coast firstly and stopped … Continue reading →

Yesterday we touched on the value of marriage preparation classes for those coming from divorced parents. However, even where a couple does have a positive model to follow, marriage preparation classes are useful. Both our son and daughter went with their respective partners to marriage preparation classes while they were engaged and found them extremely helpful in giving them a clearer picture of what marriage is all about. The classes raised things they may not have thought about as well as identifying traits of each person that will affect the way they react in a given situation. For example, it … Continue reading →

As many of you know I’m a big advocate for marriage preparation classes. But do they work, that is the question? The other day I received an e-mail giving me a link to an article about a study regarding marriage preparation classes. Thanks to Amanda Verzello for sending this to me. The article looks at whether marriage preparation classes work. The article didn’t appear to come to a definitive conclusion. It was very much yes and no. Yes, in the sense that in the majority of cases, it did improve communication between couples. To my mind anything that improves communication … Continue reading →

For most people, the right side of the brain is the side that focuses on creative pursuits, whether it is something like writing, painting or creating music, or whether it is something such as thinking outside of the box and problem solving. Most of the time in the day to day living, couples tend to think using mostly the logical left brain. We go through our routines, pay the bills, get the kids off to school, go grocery shopping, head off to work, etc. That is not to say that there isn’t some right brain involved in all that, but … Continue reading →

New year is often a time when people turn towards renovation or decluttering as Mary Ann and Tricia suggest. But have you thought about renovating and decluttering your marriage? As you think about renovations for you marriage it might raise some questions like, when should I do it? There’s no time like the present especially if things are feeling a bit stale in your marriage or if bad habits have crept into your marriage. Look for ways to spice it up and show your spouse how important they are to you. The thing is – the longer we put off … Continue reading →