Search Results for: blog when being in love is not enough

Kids Have Love Languages Too

I was lucky enough to be blessed with a child who has the same love language I do. We both value quality time above all else. While we both show each other love in multiple ways, nothing says, “I love you” more than spending time together. As a busy single parent there isn’t always a lot of time to sit down just the two of us and play, but I have found that when I make time for the little things, not only does our relationship grow stronger, but he also behaves better as well. When my son feels important … Continue reading →

Living with Engineers: Spouses, not Supervisors

Living with an engineer involves more than just having to hear the word “efficient” all of the time. A lot of engineers end up in management positions, and that means one thing: they’re bred to supervise. The word “efficient” does get bandied about, in how they think tasks ought to be accomplished. I already shared my story about measuring butter for baking, and how my husband felt about that. That’s not the only time something like that has happened. Sometimes, I find Jonathan trying to supervise me when we’re completing a project. To be fair, sometimes I ask for it. … Continue reading →

Things They Never Told You About Being a Mom

Before having children all anyone ever tells you is how wonderful being a mother is. Babies are cute and cuddly and sweet and did I mention cute! However, what they failed to mention was that you were about to embark on the most difficult adventure you would ever face in your life. Don’t believe me? Try parenting a three year old for a day or two! They always say it’s the terrible two’s, they were wrong. Three was much harder than two, and I’m afraid four isn’t turning out much better. While I love my son dearly, there are some … Continue reading →

Not Always Joined at the Hip

Jon and I started dating in college, and we were far from the only ones in our social circles to do so. Some of the others would make fun of us, giving us couples’ names, like the media does for dating celebrities (our name was Jangela). It never really bothered me, except for one potential interpretation: was there some truth in the fact that I didn’t do much without Jon? Looking back, I think that I had enough friends and enough things going on in my college life that were separate from my boyfriend. But I could see how it … Continue reading →

Sleeping in Separate Beds: You’re Not Alone

Our culture believes that couples who sleep in separate beds are either experiencing or inviting problems in their marriage. Because I’m a light sleeper, I’m a firm believer that couples should be free to sleep separately if necessary. Jon and I almost always sleep together, but if one of us is restless we move to another bed, to keep that person from being woken up. I know that sleeping in the same bed improves intimacy. Once kids are part of the equation alone time between couples is scarce, and time in bed together, even if it’s just the process of … Continue reading →

Being Held Accountable

I have been re-evaluating my fitness goals (it is just over the halfway point for those who made New Year’s resolutions)…feeling good about some things and not so good about others. For instance, I am doing better than I ever have when it comes to exercising. At the minimum I am exercising three days a week for 30 minutes. But most of the time it is five days a week for 30 minutes. However, my goal to also incorporate some walking at night hasn’t really happened. Some of that I can blame on the weather. As if hot weather (my … Continue reading →

Things That Stink About Being a Single Mom

I love being a mother, I really do and most days I even love being a single mother. There are things that make it difficult but most of the time, it’s so worthwhile I wouldn’t trade being a single mother for anything. Today I’m feeling a little silly so here is my list of things that really stink about being a single parent. Being the only driver. No matter where you go as a single mother of a small child you have to drive, even twelve hours to California, it’s just you. Putting your kids to bed and realizing you … Continue reading →

Not Busy Enough or Too Busy – Finding The Middle

When you have a home – based business, it is important to remember that you are in charge of how busy you are. This can work in two ways, actually. On one hand you want to maximize your earning potential by doing as much work as you can. On the other hand, you must be realistic about how much time you are able to dedicate to your work. Some people fear that they will not be able to find enough work for their home – based business. This may be more or less true depending upon the nature of your … Continue reading →

We Cannot Live on Love Alone

During my first year of marriage I wasn’t as happy as I should have been. Despite the supposed “honeymoon period,” I often felt listless and depressed. It took me a while to figure out why. Jonathan has an excellent job with the government. Unfortunately it’s located in a rural area, so most of the jobs are related to the military base that his position serves. Few jobs exist outside of the technology industry. Basically, my plan to start freelance work once we had children, so I could stay at home with them, had to be bumped up a few years … Continue reading →

Love Notes

Have you told your children that you love them today? We do things everyday to show our kids that we love them, but sometimes making a warm meal and doing their laundry isn’t enough. Kids need constant reminders that we love and care about them. You have to nourish your relationship with them just as you would with anyone else. One of my favorite ways to do that is through love notes. How excited would your child be if when they got to school they found a little note from you in their pocket telling them to have a great … Continue reading →