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Marriage

A Bossy Wife Confession

When we discussed today’s iMOM Espresso Minute topic in our brainstorm session I was convicted. I am a bossy wife. And I know it. I am not terribly bossy just generally. Offhand I couldn’t quite put my finger on how or why I am bossy, my gut just told me the title fit. So I asked Mark because that is just wrong. It is really wrong to know you are doing something wrong and do nothing about it. I want to stop being bossy and the only way out is to face it head on. So I asked my hubby, “Can you tell me what I do that is bossy?” And this is what he said: You are bossy when you instruct me as if I am one of our kids. You are bossy when I do something and you instruct me on how I could do it better. You are bossy when you instruct me to do chores that I clearly know I need to do. I did find a common theme in his assessment–instruction. I need to dial that down a bit. I am on it. Right now, as I write, I am looking out the window at our …

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Marriage

Stand By Your Man

Tough times can come into any marriage at any time. For my friend Lauren Dungy, one of a tough times for her came when she had to move her family at a moment’s notice because of her husband’s new job. She and Tony had been living in Pittsburgh, just down the road from her family. The move took them and their two young children hundreds of miles away. Here’s how Lauren handled it. The cold January morning started off like so many others. I bundled up Tiara and Jamie in matching red snowsuits and headed over to the library for story time. As a former teacher, I loved the opportunity to introduce them to good books; as a stay-at-home mom, I relished the chance to get out and mix with other young moms. Just before the librarian asked us to sit down so she could start the story, Tony rushed in, looking for me. He really caught me off guard. My first thought was, Oh, he came to surprise the kids and join us for story time. How sweet! But I could tell by the expression on his face that something was troubling him. Pulling me aside, he quietly …

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Marriage

An Uncommon Love Story

My friend Lauren Dungy has been married to Tony Dungy for more than 30 years. I love the story of how they met, so I’m sharing it with you today. It’s taken from their new book, Uncommon Marriage. This part of their “how we met” story begins after Lauren finishes a phone call with her church pastor, John, who’d been trying to set her up with Tony..

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Marriage

Uncommon Marriage

Today I have to share some rah-rah for my good friends, Tony and Lauren Dungy. Their new book, Uncommon Marriage, officially launches today! Wahoo!! In their book they share the roller coaster they’ve ridden together. They make you giggle. They make you ponder. They offer encouragement for building lasting marriages. Their words are a testament that even in the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, we can all be loving husbands and wives. I’m so proud of my dear friends and I can’t wait for you to read their story! Be on the lookout this month because I’ll be featuring excerpts from the book each week. If you’d like to purchase Uncommon Marriage, click here. Autographed and personalized copies are available! And if you want to hear more scoop about Uncommon Marriage, take a listen to Mark Merrill’s podcast interview with Tony.

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Marriage

How to Find Contentment in Marriage

Jacob and Leah were not “in love” by today’s standards. He didn’t bring her flowers, didn’t write her love songs, and didn’t hold her hand. He didn’t ask how her day was, didn’t take her on dates, and didn’t tell her she was beautiful. Jacob was not finding contentment in his marriage. In fact, he didn’t even want to marry her in the first place! After working hard for 7 years in order to marry the young, beautiful Rachel, Jacob was surprised to find it was Rachel’s older sister Leah laying in his tent that night. Enraged, he called out to the girls’ father in Genesis 29:25, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” (Not the reaction you’re expecting from your husband on the night of your honeymoon). After the father explained the way their culture calls for the elder sister to be married before the younger, Jacob relented and took Leah as his first wife. He worked seven more years for what he really wanted–Rachel. And everyone knew it, verse 30 tells us that Jacob “loved Rachel more than Leah.” Though this biblical love …

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Marriage

A Fall Date Night for You and Your Man

It is easy to fall in love with Fall. But in Florida, we have to wait a long, long, sometime never-ending time for Fall. It was 86 degrees on Halloween night last year, and the poor kids were sweating in their costumes. People are often envious of our balmy weather, but when the rest of the world is sporting sleek boots and cozy sweaters I get a little green longing for fiery orange and falling red. When Fall finally makes an appearance, we scramble to milk it for all it’s worth. And it’s worth at least several romantic, cozy, intimate, and cheap date nights a season. Fall in love with the season again using my fun fall date idea.

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Marriage

The Best Advice for Newlyweds

I am thrilled to have my good friend and social media mentor, Fawn Weaver, guest posting today. She is the brilliant brain of the Happy Wives Club and when it comes to being merry in marriage, she is your go-to gal. A guest post from Fawn Weaver: I love being married. I adore my husband. “Sweeter As The Days Go By,” could definitely be our theme song for the past ten years. As newlyweds, however, I found myself wondering when the bottom would fall out. I remembering saying to a friend one day, “The rug has to get pulled from under us at some point, doesn’t it? This is just too good to be true.” Her response made me realize how silly it was for me to anticipate my marriage going downhill – in advance. I’m an optimistic person by nature so I wondered what would cause me -and almost every other newlywed I know- to do the same thing. It was then that I came to this conclusion: Some people -even those with the best of intentions- give the absolute worst advice! During the courtship phase, everyone asks questions like, “When is he going to propose?” “Has he proposed …

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Marriage

Are You A Jiminy Cricket In Your Marriage?

Do you remember Pinocchio’s little friend? The one the blue fairy sent to watch out for him? The one that sang, “…and always let your conscience be your guide!” His name was Jiminy Cricket. I’ve got a tough question for you today–are you a Jiminy Cricket to your husband? I’ve realized that I assume that role quite a bit. It’s never my intention, nor do I believe it’s my job, but I do it anyway. Do any of you find yourselves doing the same thing—being your husband’s conscience? I’m learning that I was never meant to be his Jiminy Cricket. In fact, the more I chirp at him (without him asking for my perspective), the more he doubts himself, his talent, his skills, and his ideas. I become a confidence-stealer, instead of a cheer-leader. Maybe that’s the reason the quarterback always went after the cheerleader. What man doesn’t want a girl encouraging him to, “Go! Fight! Win!”? How awful would it be for him to look at the sidelines only to see her screaming, “Just hurry up and throw the ball! Ugh! We’re gonna lose! HURRY!” As his wife, I know he has great insight and intuition, can successfully run a company, …

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Marriage

6 Ways to Adore Your Husband

My friend Fawn at Happy Wives Club is a huge cheerleader for marriage and I love that. Today I am blogging at her place about a lesson I learned early from a friend…. In college I had a roommate who always had a boyfriend—always. Boys just liked her, lots of them. She was cute, smart, and fun but there was more to it and it didn’t take me long to figure out why so many boys liked her. She simply, openly, adored them. My roommate genuinely saw the best in everyone and she told them. If a guy was strong, she told him. If he was smart, she told him. If he was sweet, she told him. It wasn’t manipulative on her part. She was just as… read on and join the conversation at The Happy Wives Club

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