Simple Ways to Connect with Your Husband

Photo from | Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

April is Couple Appreciation Month! And one way to show your husband you appreciate him is by making sure you stay connected, just like you did when you first met. Check out the article below for ways to do just that:

Have you ever rolled over in the morning and not known the man lying next to you? I'm not referring to that time back in college -- I'm talking about the present. After years of marriage, you may start to feel like your husband is a stranger. Or is it that you feel he's getting stranger? Either way, here are five simple ways to stay connected to your husband:

1. Cook a meal together. Whether it's breakfast or dinner, it doesn't matter, as long as you're spending time together. How about getting up early Sunday morning and making a big, old-fashioned Sunday breakfast for you and the kids? Or sending the kids to a sitter and preparing a nice romantic dinner together?

You'll save money fixing the meal at home rather than dining out. Plus, you won't have to get "all dolled up" (unless you want to). Most importantly, you'll be using teamwork, which is the number one priority for any marriage.

2. Take on a project and get dirty. Tackle a big and messy job on your list -- cleaning out the garage, pulling up shrubs in the yard, organizing the attic. Make an afternoon of it, and do it together! You'll both feel a great sense of accomplishment that the job is finally done, and it'll feel great to know that you got it done by operating as a unit.

Now that you've worked up a sweat, why not draw a bath for two?

3. Spend a lazy afternoon going through old photos and reminiscing. Talk about the activities you used to do when you first started dating, and make a plan to start doing them again. You might not be able to do them all, but make the effort to do as many of them as you can, whether it is taking long walks, going to concerts or making out at the movies.

4. Play hooky! Plan a day where you can each stay home from work and spend the whole day home -- alone -- together -- doing absolutely nothing! Lay in bed all day, cuddle and watch movies. Make sure to turn the ringer off on the phone.

5. Make an effort on a daily basis to stay connected to your husband. Listen, ask questions -- be his partner in all aspects of your life. Something as simple as making it a point to say, "How was your day, honey?" every day when he gets home and listening to his response can make all the difference.

The most important thing to remember is that you are not in your marriage by yourself. Share your concerns with your husband if you're not feeling quite as close as you once did. Let him know how you feel, how it makes you feel and that you want to work on it.

Chances are, your husband will be clueless, but once he realizes that you are genuinely concerned, he'll jump right in and make more of an effort. Good luck!

Nicole Dean is a freelance writer for www.RomanceYourHusband.com -- a website dedicated to helping married couples stay friends and to help them remember why they married each other in the first place. 

7 Reasons for Forgiveness in Marriage Leading to a Lasting Relationship

By Ngozi Nwoke

"There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness." - Josh Billings. Lack of forgiveness in marriage has led to many separations and divorces. A lasting relationship demands that the couple learn the act of forgiveness. To forgive may not be the easiest thing to do but it certainly is the wisest thing to do.

Forgiveness is one of the pillars of a successful marriage. Understanding the power of forgiveness will empower you to face and conquer any challenge that comes your way in marriage.

Reasons for forgiveness in marriage:

1. Love. "'Tis the most tender part of love, each other to forgive." - John Sheffield. If you really love your spouse, you will forgive him or her. It is difficult for people to forgive when the love is not there or is waning down. Yes, some circumstances can be very trying, but love will surely conquer. For instance, God shows and clearly proves His (own) love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us - (Romans 5:8, AMP)

2. Reciprocation. You are also liable to err, too. You are to do to people (including your spouse) what you would want them to do to you. You may say that you will never do what he/she did, but what if you do the one thing that he/she will never do? That is why Christ said in Luke 6:37, "judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned; forgive, and you shall be forgiven." For every successful marriage, the act of forgiveness must be applied.

3. Gift to yourself. "It really doesn't matter if the person who hurt you deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You have things to do and you want to move on." Real Live Preacher. When you are holding your spouse down in your heart in un-forgiveness, you are also holding yourself down. You are hindering your own progress. Let go and move on. To enjoy your marital blessings, you need to walk in forgiveness in marriage.

4. Evidence of maturity and strength. Marriage is not for boys and girls but for men and women. It takes being matured spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically to be able to forgive your spouse and enjoy a successful marriage. It takes maturity for you to think beyond your hurt feelings and work towards a lasting relationship. And as Mahatma Gandhi said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." So, if I may ask, where do you fall, weak or strong?

5. To avoid consequences of un-forgiveness. Un-forgiveness is a force that has the power to influence, affect or control you and your future negatively. This force is so deadly that it has ruined many marriages, relationships, careers, businesses, led many to their sick beds and many to their early graves. This deadly force drains your energy, wastes your time for more profitable ventures. My friend, don't give yourself the stress for something that is not worth it. Instead, as King Solomon said in Song of Solomon 2:15 (KJV), "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes," so also you should remove the little fox of un-forgiveness from your marital life.

6. Family role modelling. The wise man teaches in Proverbs 22:6 that we should train up a should in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. It is wisdom to apply the act of forgiveness in your relationship with your spouse for the sake of your children. They will grow to do exactly what they learned from you. Forgiveness in marriage is a seed you sow also in the lives of your little ones. It will grow to produce the same in their marital lives. Your children's future is worth all the effort you invest in securing a successful marriage.

7. Lasting relationship. Couples don't get married with the intention to jump out of the relationship shortly after exchanging vows. It is the irrational and uninformed reaction to challenges (like offenses) that lead to broken marriages. Understanding and employing the power of forgiveness will strengthen any marriage and keep it far from thoughts of divorce or separation.

A lasting relationship demands the engagement of the power of forgiveness for it to work. The thought of forgiving your spouse may not be a palatable idea, but learning how to forgive and acting on it will pay you now and in the years to come. Many marriages have been saved from going through a divorce or separation by the application of forgiveness. Yours can be next.

Ngozi Nwoke is a teacher and a couselor, a product and distributor of love. She has a passion to teach people how to enjoy God's love and fellowship for a more fulfilling life? Want a more fulfilling life? Subscribe for free email updates today: StepsWithGod.com.

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5 Simple and Quick Tips for Improving Your Relationship

Want an instant love boost? Sometimes, all you need is the obvious for your relationship to feel fresh and new once again:

1. Make small, unexpected gestures. Many times, the best validation that you're loved and appreciated is when you experience an act that shows your partner is always thinking about you. Of course, planning a romantic date night takes thought and is always appreciated; but, buying your spouse a sweet treat just because you happened to pass a bakery and know he/she would love it really makes an impact. The feeling of "for-no-real-reason" makes the gesture mean a lot.
2. Let your spouse breathe. Why? Because you'll be more excited to see one another. Yes, having a person to come home to is a big plus of being married. However, sometimes, it's nice to walk into an empty home, and take a bubble bath or just chill out in front of the TV without having to talk. Whatever space your spouse needs, give it to him/her, guilt-free; you could make dinner plans with friends or conveniently come home late from work one evening. Just a little distance makes the heart grow fonder.
3. Write it down. While it may seem sappy or cliche to let your mate know how much he/she means to you, expressing your feelings (even when you assume they're known) is important in long-term relationships. Otherwise, you risk getting into "taking each other for granted" syndrome. You don't have to pen a 10-page love letter (or a really long email); an "I love you" written on your dry-erase board or leaving a "Have a fantastic day!" post-it note on the bathroom mirror is all it takes to let your significant other know you cared enough to take some time to write it down.

For the final two tips, check out our source.

How do you keep the romance in your relationship and/or marriage going?

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6 Beautiful Quotes on Love

Photo From: kaloclinic.com

"Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery


"Love is, above all, the gift of oneself." - Jean Anouilh


"If grass can grow through cement, love can find you at every time in your life." - Cher


"You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." Dr. Seuss


"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tzu


"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness -- and call it love -- true love." - Robert Fulghum