I have to admit something: Marriage can become pretty dull. If you are married, do you agree? Once the wedding bliss was over and the demands of kids, work, and home set in, I discovered the time left to keep my marriage fresh and growing was very difficult to...
Enough Small Talk Already! 4 Tips to Maximize Conversations
A few years ago, I had one of those moments that I wish I could have called a re-do. My marriage was just so-so, going through the motions and we were not communicating very well. So in a moment of frustration I said to my wife, if all we have...
Bringing Romance Down To Earth
When we think about falling in love, many of us use the same phrases to describe it. We talk about meeting our soul mate, about finding someone who understands us more deeply than anyone has before—almost as though they can read our minds and “just know” what we need. These...
Why Eating Dinner Together at Home is So Important for Families
I am now in my 40s and I remember a time when families routinely ate dinner together at home. Almost seems like an outdated concept now but I am here to tell you, families need to make this a routine practice, even it means eating at 9:00 pm (which my...
Strengthen your Marriage by Being in the Moment
It is hard to believe that schools are back in session and many families are already planning on what they are going to do for fall break. This really should not come as any surprise but every year it seems summer comes and goes faster and faster. I will admit...
Strengthen Your Marriage by Doing Something Together
You may have noticed that Hollywood is not always kind to couples who do decide to do a project together, and that is because a disaster is often a good story and let’s be honest, it can be quite funny. But in truth, having shared interests and doing a project...
The Power of the Compliment
Has this ever happened to you? You notice something your spouse is doing that bothers you and you decide to bring it up, only to be told in not so many words that you do not appreciate the things they do right. On the surface, this criticism seems unfair. Of...
Setting Boundaries with Extended Family
Have you ever seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding? My family sat down the other day and watched both the original and the sequel. I forgot how funny it was, especially the practice of using Windex to heal most physical ailments. Of particular interest though were the expectations...
10 Ways to Make a Splash!
Hope your summer is going well. Well, the intense heat of the summer is upon us. For my readers in Arizona, Texas, and the Middle East, they sure have been dealing with some intense heat recently. With four kids still under my roof, there is no shortage of requests to...
When to Just Let It Go
Unless you have been on a desert island for the past couple of years, you are probably familiar with the wildly popular song “let it go,” sung by Idena Menzel, from the Disney movie Frozen. Part of the lyrics to that song go, “let it go, let it go, can’t...