Search Results for: blog do you ever dream about your spouses family

Planning a Childs Wedding

Planning a wedding for your child as a single parent has it’s own special set of challenges. Who knew that a divorce really would affect everything? With the current rate of divorce and remarriage just the names on the wedding invitations could cause it to be more than a page long. Then you get into who pays for what. The brides family traditionally pays for the wedding, but what happens when you are divorced and you and your ex can’t agree on what constitutes the wedding of your daughters dreams? A fairy tale carriage ride, every little girls Cinderella dream … Continue reading →

Like vs. Love

“You don’t love me anymore!” The words launched out of my daughter’s mouth like a heat-seeking missile aimed directly at my heart. She was three. I was stunned. Her verbal attack was a retort to my unwavering demand that she put away her wooden puzzles and get into bed RIGHT.NOW.MISSY. Her first reaction was to kick and whine, like an overtired three-year-old. My first reaction was to ignore the flailing arms and tears, and redirect her attention to the hallway which leads to her bedroom. When the tantrum elevated to include ear-piercing screams and flying puzzle pieces I bent down, … Continue reading →

Grandparents Day Scrapbook

Sunday is Grandparents Day. Do you have a gift picked out? If you are short on cash and creativity, then consider these tips to create a one-of-a-kind scrapbook for your child’s grandparents: Photos: Forget about cramming 200 photos into a single book. The task will take forever, cost a ton and lead to unwanted frustration. Instead, select a few of your favorite photos of your children and their grandparents and if you really want to include others, then place them in divided plastic pages at the end of the finished book. Memorabilia: A huge part of scrapbooks is the nifty … Continue reading →

A Thanksgiving List

Since this is the season for thanksgiving, I thought I’d share with you on the marriage blog some of the things I’m thankful for. It would come as no surprise to anyone who’s a regular reader of my blogs to know that one of the things I am most thankful for is my husband. The second follows on from that. I am thankful for our son and daughter. Thankful too for each of their marriage partners, that they share their Christian beliefs, faith and commitment the same as Mick and I do. I am thankful God brought us together and … Continue reading →

Don’t Fall in Love with Potential

Marriages are successful when two spouses love each other for who they are, not what they might become. But it is so easy to fall into a relationship where you love your partner for their potential not for who or what they are. While people should grow together and be more than they were when you met them, this way of being can end in marriage tragedy. We have a family friend who is in a new relationship. The couple enjoys each other, and both partners are bright, intelligent and caring people. The problem here is that in some areas, … Continue reading →

A Marital Nightmare

As you might have surmised by now, I’m keen on dreams. (For examples, see “The Dream: How I Knew Wayne Was the One” and “Do You Ever Dream About Your Spouse’s Family?”.) Here I go again… The Recurring Nightmare It’s never the same dream twice, but the theme is always the same: Wayne leaves me. I hate these dreams. (Nightmares.) It’s not like he just up and leaves and says, “Thanks, it’s been fun, but I’m done with us.” Oh no. In my dreams he’s usually mean about it. There’s usually another woman and right in front of my face … Continue reading →

My Mother-in-Law

The other day Dale wrote an article entitled “Are You the Exception to the Rule?”. It was about relationships with mother-in-laws, in particular ones that are very amicable. As I commented on Dale’s blog, I have a bit of an unconventional relationship with my mother-in-law. Wayne’s Mom As many of you regular readers know, Wayne and I have been together for over 20 years. (This past May, we celebrated 22 years together. And in a little over a week, we’ll celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary.) I knew Wayne’s dad very well. I met him right at the beginning of our … Continue reading →

My Dad Wants to Attend My Mom’s Funeral

This afternoon my sister is going to hold a memorial service for my mom at the church she used to attend. My dad has informed me he plans on going. Which is fine. I told him he could be my personal representative because I won’t be there. (Yes, sadly, the rifts that started between my sister and I when my mom first got sick have only gotten bigger. Now I’m not on speaking terms with her.) I was only joking about the personal representative thing, but my dad did sort of feel he needed an excuse. For a variety of … Continue reading →

Do You Love Your Spouse or Their Salary?

The other day Wayne and I got to talking about marriage, money, and respect. We’ve both known several people who divorced their spouses once they started bringing home the bigger paycheck. Specifically, women who divorced their husbands because they earned more than he did. “It has to do with respect,” Wayne said when we were talking about a particular friend. “She never had much respect for him to begin with. So once she started earning more, she lost what little she’d had.” “That’s pathetic!” I said. “If I ever made more than you it wouldn’t change how I felt about … Continue reading →

When Death Does You Part, Then What?

Have you and your spouse discussed your wishes for when death does you part? Wayne and I have. Sadly, extensively. I Coffin Shopped Till I Dropped (Literally) It all started when Wayne’s dad died. I went with him, his brother, and aunt to pick out a coffin. I freaked out. I had to leave the room full of caskets because I got so upset about the thought of being buried I nearly passed out. Cremation vs. Burial Later I told Wayne, “Whatever you do, don’t bury me. I don’t want to be put in a box.” “But I want you … Continue reading →