How to communicate with your partner when you’re bad at expressing yourself
I’m bad at communication (like really, really bad). Even if I can bring up the courage to talk to someone I never know exactly what to say and I struggle to figure out how to express what I’m feeling. That’s when I started to write letters to my partner.
3 things you can start doing today to keep your relationship fresh
I’ve been with my hunk of a husband for 8½ years. I’m often asked how we keep it fun and lively. How do we always seem to be happier than a turtle on a skateboard? I could respond with the bland, basic answer of being a good listener, going on dates, and sharing life goals. And if you look up “how to keep a marriage fresh,” those are usually the kinds of answers you’ll find. That stuff works, but I like a more creative approach. Here are the three unconventional ways I keep my relationship fresh and fun…
My favorite tips for creating the online calendar system of your dreams
For years, I insisted on using a paper planner to keep track of my schedule. When my husband finally convinced me to try Google Calendar instead, I was an instant convert. Now I’m a flat-out evangelist. For my fellow schedule-lovers, here are some of my favorite tips for creating the online calendar system of your dreams…
Relationship hack: I got rid of my one-sided birth control angst when my partner volunteered to handle the pills
I had vented my annoyance with those birth control pill blister packs to my husband multiple times. These damned packs… just one more frustrating element that the person with the baby-growing parts has to deal with that the partner doesn’t. Resentment breeding ground, is what I’m saying here. Until my husband volunteered to handle those damn things himself.
You are your own shareholders: How quarterly relationship meetings strengthen our marriage
My husband and I recently celebrated three months of marriage. The perfect way for a programmer with a mind for finance and an accountant to augment the occasion was, of course, a quarterly meeting. It may sound crazy, but this is our first step in always making our marriage a priority. Here’s how quarterly meetings foster open and honest communication while strengthening our relationship…
How we’re renegotiating our marriage with our yearly “relationship summit”
For our anniversary we have our “relationship summit” or our “State Of The Union” address, where we renegotiated our marriage each year. We talk about where we are and what we want and if changes need to be made. But what’s more important is the time when we come to “I want to stay married to you for another year.” Here’s how it works…
Roll around on the bed with your partner for an immediate mood boost
A while ago I was feeling overwhelmed, as I often do. That particular time, it was about wedding planning and how much stuff we had left to do. My now-husband looked at me very seriously and said, “I just changed the bedsheets and they feel awesome. Would you like to roll on the bed with me?”
How do you keep up communication in a relationship when you hardly see each other?
Describing my relationship as “night and day” takes on a more literal tone when I am awake during the day and sleep at night while my fiance works overnight and sleeps during the day. It could seem that our communication could struggle in a relationship like this, but the truth is we maintain very open communication with each other; we just have to utilize methods available to us. So how do we “make it work” as the fabulous Tim Gunn is known to say? Technology!