Search Results for: blog planning special moments

Making Birthdays Special – Or Not

Marriage, like most of life, is all about seeing things from someone else’s point of view. I’ve had to learn that Jonathan copes with things, especially arguments and emotions, much more slowly than I do. That’s not what I wanted to discuss today. What I wanted to discuss is how marriage can sometimes force you to see the world in an entirely new way. Sounds like I’m talking about something life changing, right? Not really, though it’s certainly hard for me to process. I’m talking about presents. Jon’s birthday is today, and for months I had no idea what to … Continue reading →

Planning Special Moments

In the past two weeks I’ve looked at planning romantic moments for your spouse, making them feel special, and how to cope with missing your spouse even when he or she is more or less around. How do all of these things come together? In me trying to plan special things for my husband. Now that Jon has completed grad school I want to do something special for him. Parties he hast to host are too draining for him, so that’s out. I thought of the perfect idea: I’d bake him a cake. Not just any cake, but a black … Continue reading →

Scrapping Pretty in Pink Moments

Prom is huge deal in the small town in which I reside. Everywhere you go these days you are greeted with marquees and banners advertising sales on prom this and prom that. Discounts on dresses, jewelry, shoes, and flowers are yours for the taking. Even our local scrapbook store is getting in on the action. This weekend the owner erected a display with prom-themed paper and embellishments. The sign hanging above the sample layouts reads: “Scrapping Pretty in Pink Moments.” Interestingly, I wore black to my senior prom, but I digress. Prom scrapbooks are not difficult to put together. In … Continue reading →

Aging Parents and Holiday Stress: Create Moments of Joy

Taking care of aging parents during the holiday season can add to your daily stress. Between shopping, decorating, meal planning and partying, you can get overwhelmed when you also have to add taking care of mom or dad to the mix. But elder care expert Ester Koch believes caregivers can use the holiday season to bring joy to their lives instead. She recommends that caregivers create “moments of joy” by changing their focus from all the things they do for their parents to the joyful experiences they can create for and share with them. She advises caregivers to “Become a … Continue reading →

The Best of the February Marriage Blog – Letters of Love

Typically I write about my Best of Moments at the end of the month, but I was a little tied up at the end of February this month. But I wanted to take a few moments here, while we are still at the beginning of March to talk about what I think was our best of February Marriage Blogs. The Letters of Love series was very near and dear to my heart. When I initially conceived the idea, I thought I would get a small handful of letters to publish from one reader to someone in their life they loved. … Continue reading →

Planning Romance

Wouldn’t it be nice if romance could always just be a spontaneous thing? That caught up in the moment, swept off your feet feeling of being lost in each other’s eyes is a powerful thing. Unfortunately, life sometimes intrudes on our love lives and leaves us little room for spontaneity. That’s okay. There is nothing wrong with planning for romance when you can’t be spontaneous. In fact, sometimes planning is the key to success. While winging it can be fun it can also sometimes result in chaos or worse, hurt feelings. If you attempt to surprise your spouse too much, … Continue reading →

Finding Inspiration from Valentine’s

It’s another Valentine’s Day.  I’m not sure what Jonathan and I are going to do this year; last year I wrote about how we’ve rarely, if ever, celebrated the holiday.  He doesn’t even need to find me any candy hearts, because the box he bought me last year was so big I still have some left over. This year, I do kind of feel inspired to do something special for him.  However, I’m not sure if I actually want to do it on Valentine’s Day.  I’m still not sure that I like the idea of one day set aside for … Continue reading →

Navigating Alone Time

How well do you do on your own without your spouse?  I certainly don’t need Jonathan to look after me, and I could support myself without him, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  What I mean is: if there are times that your spouse is away from home from an extended period of time, how do you feel about it? I’ve never liked living alone.  If I wasn’t married, I would prefer having a roommate to living by myself.  I spent the summer before I got married living on my own, and it was unpleasant.  So when Jon goes … Continue reading →

5 Free Family Activities You Can Do Today

Forget buying the latest video game or springing for a couple of hours at one of those indoor kids activity places. Instead, try one of the following free family activities that you can do today. Zero cost but lots of fun. 1. Go for a Hike…Literally Being outdoors in nature instantly calms you and raises your spirits. Studies have proven it over and over again. Plus kids really do thrive on fresh air and exercise. A hike, or even just a walk in the park, can be an activity that the whole family can enjoy. Plus, it is free. Bonus … Continue reading →

Three Ways to Avoid Holiday Debt

It is easy to start racking up the debt during the holiday season. There are many demands on our money, such as holiday gifts, special events, travel costs, food, decorations, and other entertaining costs. We often get carried away when we spot the perfect gift or want to make it the best season ever. As you are planning, cooking and shopping, you might want to use the following strategies to avoid holiday debt. Start with a Holiday Budget In order to control holiday spending instead of letting holiday spending control you, you will need to set a budget. Start with … Continue reading →