Words that have been Turned into Baby Names

What will you name your baby? That question is one that most parents take very seriously. Much consideration goes into choosing a name for a newborn. It is understandable that parents want their child to have a unique name. Perhaps this is why many parents in 2014 selected a random word as the name for their babies. Nameberry took a close look at the names parents gave to their babies in 2014. They put together a list of baby names that are words. In short, parents chose a commonly used word, that has a specific meaning, as the name for … Continue reading

Kids of Same-Sex Parents Benefit From Supreme Court Ruling

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States revealed their decision on the same-sex marriage case that had reached their court. The case was called Obergefell v Hodges. In short, the Justices of the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality is the law of the land. Kids of same-sex parents benefit from this decision in so many important ways. The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license marriage between two people of the same sex. They also ruled the the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to recognize a same sex … Continue reading

Doofy Husbands

Have you ever heard of doofy husbands?  They’re the guys in commercials who are always incapable of doing anything around the house.  They try to do the laundry, clean a room, or cook a meal, always to hilarious failure.  Their long-suffering wives come into the room and shake their heads, then proceed to use whatever product is being shilled to accomplish the task with ease. The concept of doofy husbands is problematic for a couple reasons: it doesn’t give men enough credit, and it perpetuates the idea that men aren’t good at performing many household, traditionally feminine tasks.  It implies … Continue reading

Finding Support from Your Friends

We’ve talked extensively about how important it is that we keep friends outside of our marriage.  And that doesn’t mean that we have friends who can’t also be friends with our spouses.  It just means that we look for emotional connections with more people than just our spouses.  I know it’s very true for me; my two best friends give me things my husband never could, and not just things like watching the six-hour BBC “Pride and Prejudice.” It’s a real romantic notion – both in the love and in the story sense of the word – that our spouses … Continue reading

Considering Your Spouse’s Point of View

The difference between knowing and really knowing, or feeling, something is amazing. I’m the first person to tell others that a key to any relationship, but especially a marriage, is trying to think from the other person’s point of view. It’s absolutely essential in a marriage, because we are spending the rest of our lives living with this person. The more we try to understand how our spouse thinks, the better off we’ll be. I know this, and yet it’s so hard for me to act on it. For example: once in a while my husband has to work the … Continue reading

Reconnect through Dating

When I first started dating my husband, over 20 years ago, I remember the anticipation I would feel. It didn’t matter what we did, as long as we were together. I remember times when we would talk and talk. And then other times when I would be in his arms and we enjoyed the silence. Then pretty soon the kids came along. We tried to make time for each other and go out on dates. But it got tougher with each addition. There was a period of time in which I don’t think we dated at all. But it started … Continue reading

Does Your Spouse Get Your Time?

One of the things couples fail to realize is that many marriage problems stem from a lack of time. You see, it takes quality time to nurture a relationship. If you are spending more time at your job or with your kids, then your marriage is bound to suffer. Now don’t get me wrong, different seasons in life require more attention than others. For instance, when my children were young they naturally required more of my time and attention. But even then, it didn’t necessarily mean my husband only deserved the leftovers. Time can’t always be measured in quantity. It … Continue reading

What Makes a Marriage Work?

With so many marriages ending in divorce, it can leave you to wonder, “What makes a marriage work?” Now I am by no means an expert but I will very soon be celebrating 21 years of marriage, so hopefully I can provide at least some encouragement. Let me start off by saying this. I will never tell someone, “I have been happily married for 20 years.” That would be a lie. While there definitely has been more happiness than not, mixed in have been times where I wondered if we would make it. To pretend otherwise doesn’t really do any … Continue reading

10 Mistakes I Made As a First-Time Mom-Part II

The truth is, I don’t like thinking I made any mistakes at all because I feel like I did the best I could and my first-born is beautiful, smart, and kind. So, I guess I did some things right too. But, a few days ago, I shared the first four in this series. Go here to see that article. What other “mistakes” did I learn from? Here’s a few more to share: 5. Don’t confide in people that you don’t want advice from. I have to say that I am still working on this one too. But, I’m getting so … Continue reading

Celebrating An Anniversary

Next week, it will be 10 years since I was married in the temple to my amazing husband. I can’t believe it has been that long. Yet, in the eternal scheme of things, it is just a moment. In preparation for our anniversary, we were trying to decide what to do. We had a hard time figuring out something special that we could do with three small children, and limited time. We needed someone to watch the kids, and we wanted something fun to do. We decided we are going to go to a local reservoir and rent wave-runners. I’m … Continue reading