Love Makes The World Go Round: Part 2

Tips for New Relationships, Marrieds & Married with Children

Happy 1st day of Spring! We're in the midst of our blog series: Spring Into Love and I must admit, I am having the best time writing this series. It has made me reflect on my own relationship and my hope is that you have done the same.

If you're in a new relationship, married or married with kids, this week is for you! Let's jump right in with our tips.

Tips for New Relationships

1) Send him or her a copy of your resume. Attach a note saying, "I'd like you to get to know me better."

*Disclaimer: Do not do this if you're applying for a job! HAHA!

2) Listen for "Pings" in your relationship. Pings are any action or habit your partner has that you just know you couldn't live with for the rest of your life. For example: You're in the car and a rap song comes on. You cringe because you hate rap music and he squeals, I LOVE RAP! (Ping!)

3) Keep the communication flowing.

4) Evaluate your relationship with the following formula:

                                 60%  + Spark = A

In other words, if a person has at least 60% of the qualities you want in your ideal partner, plus you have "spark" (passion and romance) - go for it!

5) Guys when giving jewelry, never, never, never, package it in a ring box, unless . . . it's an engagement ring. You may not know this but those little black boxes spell one word M-A-R-R-I-A-G-E! Ask the jeweler for a different box or present it in a fun, creative way.

Tips for Marrieds Only

1) "Re-frame" your relationship:

• She is not your wife - she's your lover.
• He's not your husband - he's that handsome devil that you just feel head-over-heels in love with, remember?!

2) Re-frame (literally) your wedding invitation. Hang it on the wall. Or have your wedding vows penned in beautiful calligraphy.

3) Turn to her in public and whisper, "I'm glad I married you."

4) Go on a second honeymoon. Go on a third honeymoon.

5) Save your "Just Married" sign (or make a new one). Tape it to the back windshield of your car before taking off on a Sunday afternoon drive. People will honk and wave. You'll feel like a newlywed again!

Tips for Married with Kids

1) Send your kids to summer camp. It just might revitalize your marriage unlike any specific romantic gesture ever could!

2) Instead of having the babysitter come in while you're out, have the babysitter take the kids out! Send them to a double movie and enjoy the peace and quiet. 

3) Guys: Add Mother's Day to your list of Obligatory Romance dates to observe. Mark it on your calendar now!

4) Make special "Love Coupons" to help each other deal with the kids:

• "I'll get up in the middle of the night with the baby."
• "It's my turn to stay at home with the sick kid."
• "Five taxi trips - hauling the kids the practice."
• "I'll cook the kids dinner."

5) Create a neighborhood "Child-Sharing Program." Arrange entire weekends when one family on the block plays host to the slumber party, while the rest of you get romantic.

As always, comment below with your own tips. We'd love to hear from you.

Single ladies and guys, be here next week because the post will be for you. Have a wonderful week!

All the best,

Renee

Love Makes The World Go Round

Tips for Men & Women 

Hello and Welcome! I am so excited for week 2 of our blog series: Spring Into Love! I hope each of you took the time to take the 5 Languages of Love Test and hopefully began utilizing some of what you learned. This week we are going to discuss creative, unusual and wonderful  ways to be romantic.

It's no surprise to any of us that men and women are very different. For that reason, we're going to break this up into categories. We'll give tips for Men Only and Women Only. Next week we'll dive into tips for Singles Only, Marrieds Only and Married with Children. Let's get started!

Tips for Men Only

1) A shopping trip for men. Buy one item from each store. Giftwrap in separate boxes and give!

- Crabtree & Evelyn
- Victoria's Secret
- Hallmark Card Shop
- A local liquor store

- A neighborhood flower shop

- A quality jewelry store

2) Make her a cup of coffee to-go

3) Plant a bed of flowers in early spring without her knowing. When the flowers begin to bloom she'll be completely surprised!

4) Don't equate romance with sex. It's one of the quickest ways to foster resentment and miscommunication. However, romance sometimes - but not always - leads to sex. Romance is always above love, but only sometimes about sex. Got it?!

5) Do a household chore that's usually one of "her" jobs:

- Cook dinner

- Clean the bathroom

- Do the grocery shopping

- Take the kids to baseball practice

6) Purchase her an entire outfit. Place it on the bed when she gets home with a sweet note saying, "Put this on and meet me at (insert restaurant of choice here) at 7!" She'll LOVE it!

7) Buy her a giftcard to her favorite coffee shop or store

8) Take her to the movies

9) Leave her a sweet note

10) Listen to her! Just listen!

Tips for Women Only

1) Organize a messy drawer for him

2) Make a specialty pizza with their favorite toppings

3) Send him a letter sealed with a kiss (Use your reddest lipstick!)

4) Don't position yourself against his passion. Don't force him to choose between you and his golf/football/basketball/cars/fishing! Read a book about his favorite hobby so you can join in or at least understand what's going on.

5) Greet him at the door wearing sexy lingerie

6) Do something with him that you hate to do (and do it cheerfully without complaint!)

7) Do something for him that you hate doing. For example, iron his shirt, wash his car, cut the lawn.

8) Make his favorite dessert

9) Send him a perfumed love letter

10) Take a quick look through Penthouse or Playboy - see for yourself what men find sexy. Ask him what he likes and doesn't like. You might be surprised by what you learn about him!

Do you have any tips for the man or woman in your life? If so, comment below. We'd love to hear from you.

Tune in next week for more tips and have a wonderful week!

All the best,

Renee

Spring into Love

Hello and Welcome! I am beyond excited to introduce our newest blog series: Spring into Love! For the next 4 weeks as we prepare for Spring, we're going to focus on blooming our love life, which may have fallen asleep in the cold of winter.

Spring is about a fresh start with a new spirit and new connections. It's a time to rekindle all relationships, including those with our children, family, friends and our significant other. However, this blog series will focus on rekindling our intimate relationships.

Before we can understand how to renew those relationships, we need to understand our love language and the love language of others.

"The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman is a fabulous book and I highly recommend it. The first step in this blog series is to go to the 5 love languages website and take the test.

5 Love Languages Test

Often times, we want to give of ourselves but we're not always sure how. Because of this we become scared and guarded. The love languages test gives us the tools we need to give and receive love with confidence and understanding.

I hope you take the love languages test and you encourage your significant other to do the same. Have a lovely week!

All the best,

Renee

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Hello & Welcome! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! I will be the first to say I don't know everything there is to know about blogging. While I enjoy sharing my expertise and posting weekly, I have a lot to learn. To learn more, I've been doing some digging and connecting with some great bloggers!

This week, I am sharing a blog post called "Ways for More Happiness at Work." It's from an awesome blog called the Six Simple Rules. I highly recommend checking it out.

Here are a few of the tips

• Make Stress a Game
• Create Work Fun and Events
• Plan Before and After Work
  

The entire article is wonderful and you can read it here.

As I continue to learn more about the blog  world, I wish each and every one of you happiness in all that you do.

Be sure to check back next week for a big announcement about our next blog series.

All the best,

Renee

The Four A's

Happy Wednesday my dear friends! Can you believe we are closing in on another month and another season? Soon, we'll say goodbye to winter and hello to green trees, vibrant plants and warm sunshine. I'm excited just thinking about it!

This week I'm going to share the four A's for dealing with stressful situations. The four A's come from helpguide.org, which is a non-profit resource with a lot of great articles on health challenges.

When it comes to stress, it may seem like there is not a lot you can do. You can't stop going to work, the bills won't stop piling up, you'll never get more hours in a day and your family will always rely on you. The way in which you manage and cope with your stress, however, is completely in your control.

Stress Management Strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress

Not all stress can be avoided, however, some can be eliminated:

• Learn to say no
• Avoid people who stress you out
• Take control of your environment
• Avoid hot-button topics
• Pare down your to-do list

Stress Management Strategy #2: Alter the situation

If you can't avoid a situation, try to alter it. Find ways you can make changes so the problem doesn't occur in the future.

• Express your feelings instead of bottling them up
• Be willing to compromise
• Be more assertive
• Manage your time better

Stress Management Strategy #3: Adapt to the stressor

If you can't change the stressor, regain your control by changing your expectations and attitude. 

• Reframe problems
• Look at the bigger picture
• Adjust your standards
• Focus on the positive

Stress Management Strategy #4: Accept the things you cannot change

Some stressors simply cannot be changed. Although acceptance is difficult and challenging, it's easier than rallying against a situation that is completely out of your hands.

• Don't try to control the uncontrollable
• Look for the upside
• Share your feelings
• Learn to forgive

I also encourage you to make time for fun and relaxation. Activities as simple as going for a walk, calling a friend or playing with a pet can help you relax and recharge. As we prepare to enter a new season, I challenge you to leave your stress behind and start utilizing these stress management strategies.

"You can't stop the future, you can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret...is to press play." - Jay Asher

All the best,

Renee

Short & Sweet

Welcome to another wonderful week! I have to admit, I greatly enjoyed the blog series on ADHD. I knew what I was going to write about every week for five weeks. So when today rolled around, I blanked! I had no idea what I was going to write about. Several topics crossed my mind but ultimately, I decided to keep it short and sweet.

This week I've decided to share some great quotes and peaceful pictures. My goal is that through this post, you can take a minute out to enjoy the short, sweet and simple things in life.

"The greatest ideas are the simplest."

William Golding

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside of you greater than any obstacle."

Christian D. Larson

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up."

Booker T. Washington

"Give yourself entirely to those around you. Be generous with your blessings. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal."

Steve Maraboli

And last but certainly not least, one of my favorite reminders:

All the best,

Renee

ADHD - Week 4

Welcome to the final week of our blog series on ADHD! I have enjoyed writing about this topic and providing tips for families and parents. I hope you all have learned from this as well and are implementing some of the suggested positive changes in your households.

In our final lesson today, we are going to discuss classroom environment and homework. A student with ADHD can present unique challenges in the classroom. Inattention, hyperactivity or impulsive behavior can be the source of frustration for both teachers and parents, but there are ways to improve the educational experience of students with ADHD.

A few suggestions when working in a classroom setting are:

• Work on the most difficult concepts early in the day
• Give directions to one assignment at a time instead of directions to multiple tasks all at once
• Vary the pace and type of activity to maximize the students attention
• Structure the student's environment to accommodate his or her special needs

Tailoring the environment can be as simple as seating the student away from potentially distracting areas (such as doors, windows, computers, etc.) or pairing them with another student who is working on a shared assignment.

When it comes to homework, it's important to set reasonable goals for student. It's also important to reward the student for their good behavior. Whether that is a trip to the treasure chest, a pretty sticker or a high-five, it's a recognition that they did what they were supposed to do. Set simple goals like these:

• Bring completed homework to class
• Write homework in assignment book with X or fewer reminders
• Return homework the next day signed by parent
• Have all needed materials for homework in backpack at the end of the day

Again, these are simple yet important tasks that reinforce the importance of structure within the classroom. For more information, check out helpguide.org. It's a non-profit resource with a lot of great tips on ADD/ADHD and School.

As always, thank you for reading. This blog series has been a lot of fun and I hope to do more in the future. Please feel free to leave comments and ask questions. Have a wonderful week!

All the best,

Renee