Staying Connected


1What are the little ways in which you stay connected by turning toward your spouse, or someone close to you? What impact do these little actions have on your relationship?

We have 5 small children.  Right now, our kids still go to bed relatively early.  I enjoy that time to “turn to” my husband and enjoy time together when the kids go down.  We either watch TV, do a project together, do homework together, play a game, or even just talk.

I am a stay at home mom…there are some days when I just wait until 5pm when my husband comes home.  This happens on the HARD days.  The days when everyone is whiny and no one wants to listen.  I don’t enjoy those days much.  On these days, my husband comes home and just knows.  He knows to step right up and help with the kids.  Its these nights that usually we get take out and talk, or watch TV together.

Lately, we’ve been working on weight loss together.  Its been so fun doing it together.  We research healthy recipes and make the food together.  We typically cant go to the gym at the same time, but we do competitions with each other and that helps motivate us to stay active!  We’ve both tried to lose weight before separately and weren’t successful, but now that we are trying to do it together we’re being successful!

John M. Gottman said, “Remind yourself that being helpful to each other will do far more for the strength and passion of your marriage than a two week Bahamas getaway.”  Don’t get me wrong, the getaway would be wonderful, but its what you do day in and day out that will sustain your marriage.  Are you thinking of your spouse?  Are you helping them achieve their goals?  Are you making goals as a couple?  Are you supportive of their work? 

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