Being supportive

In an article Be a Supportive Spouse there is a list of ways to show support for your spouse including:

• Respect your spouse's personal decisions.
• Don't be threatened by your spouse's accomplishments. Tell people, especially your partner, how proud you are of his/her talents and skills.

 There are a lot of other ideas on being supportive of each other.  Having someone to celebrate with is just as important as having a shoulder to cry on.  

I do not love shopping, I love my wife.

I was speaking with a couple the other day and the wife mentioned how much her husband liked to shop with her. The husband then gave us the thought for the day, "I do not love shopping, I love my wife."   He then went on to talk about how much he loved and appreciated the woman who is both his wife and the mother of his children. 

All couples have interests they share, it is what brings us together in the first place.  It is also true that our spouses have interests we do not share.  The question is:  do we support, respect and encourage these healthy interests of our sweetheart?  Or do we make our spouse choice between spending time with us or doing the things they love?

My friend went beyond just tolerating his wife's interest and instead choose to make time spent shopping as time they could both enjoy.  Move beyond the bored waiting around to an active participation.  Another example is a husband who loves sports.  A wife could see that as time wasted or as time to grow closer by taking the time to learn the sport and spending the time growing closer as a couple. 

Turns out my friend is a genius and has discovered a secret of the universe.


What are some examples of how people can encourage each other in their hobbies, passions and interests?

Similar topics:

• Passion
• 2 Steps to Keeping it Interesting

Flritinator is up and running

In conjunction with the blog and the book , is now the Flirtinator! An easy to use tool that generates ideas for flirting with your spouse.

Showing gratitude

I have a folder at work where I keep all the thank you notes and other expressions of gratitude that people give me.  I have to be honest, it isn't a large folder, not because my work is not appreciated but because people express appreciation verbally.  On those rare instances when someone takes the time to write it, it really means than much more.

Your task for today is to write a thanks you note to your spouse.  Rather than keep it generic,be sure to include at least 3 specific things about them.  For extra bonus, put it in a thanks you card and send it in the mail.

Flirtinator Preview

A first look at the Flirtinator is available. 

What is the Flirtinator?

In everyday life its important to take a moment to keep the romance kindled. How can a husband and a wife keep the romance alive? The Flirtinator can help answer that question.

The Flirtinator is an idea generator of fun things to do either for your sweetheart or as a couple.  As always, everything is family friendly.

If you have comments or suggestions for improvements, add them to the comments below.

Another Valentine's Day Freebie

Free Printable Book of Love Coupons has free DIY Valentine's Day coupons.  Think of them as a gift that keeps on giving. 

Valentine's Day Freebie: Recipe Book from Amazon (for Prime Members)

Valentine's Day Desserts - Simply Sweet Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes Cook up a new favorite today!

Valentine Freebie: Free Valentine's Day Card - Today Only

Need to act on this one quick!

Get a free Valentine's Day card sent to your house for "liking" TinyPrints

All Pro Dad: 5 Amazingly Easy Romantic Ideas

If you are not familiar with All Pro Dad you will want to take a look.  It is a very supportive site for fathers and husbands.  They have a daily play of the day email.  Today's was 5 easy romantic ideas:

1. Slip a little love note into her wallet. 
2. Put a $5 Starbucks gift card on the front seat of her car.
3. Plan an evening for watching your wedding video.
4. While you are both out, have a friend deliver a gourmet dinner to your home.  
5. Put a Post-It Note on the mirror with 3 things you love about her.

One of the things that will make your sweetie feel loved is evidence that you are thinking of them even when you are not together.  Leaving little things to find (tips 1, 2, 5) , planning a surprise (tip 4) and planning an evening doing what they want to do (tip 3) will all go along way to keeping the romance alive

What are some simple things you have done for your sweetie?

Can't Buy Love: Materialism Kills Marriages

From the atricle: Can't Buy Love: Materialism Kills Marriages:

"Our study found that materialism was associated with spouses having lower levels of responsiveness and less emotional maturity. Materialism was also linked to less effective communication, higher levels of negative conflict, lower relationship satisfaction, and less marriage stability," said Jason Carroll, a BYU professor of family life in Provo, Utah, and lead author of the study.

One great way to improve a marriage is to reduce the amount of "stuff" that you have. I mean the physical stuff. Over the years it is easy to accumulate stuff but stuff costs in multiple ways:

1. There is the cost of buying in the first place
2. There is the cost of storing.  This might include paying for some storage or just taking space.
3. There is the cost of inventory.  Periodically, stuff takes time due to having to organize it.

By reducing stuff you can free up money, space and time.