Ferocious Flirting: Making Marriage Wonderful

Happy Halloween! I love Halloween. Its fun to get dressed up and pretend to be someone or something else. Check out Halloween Online for lots of Halloween stuff. BTW: Sloth radio is playing halloween music all day.

I assume we have all heard the phrase "Don't assume. It makes an A** out of U and ME". I am going to take issue with that bit of wisdom today. Have you ever looked assume up in the dictionary? I just did and it means lots of things, but the relevant definition is To take for granted without proof; presuppose Language and communication being what they are, we are forced to take some things for granted when talking with anyone. Let me use a classic miscommunication as an example. The guy says to a girl, "You look nice today". His intent was to pay her a sincere compliment. Often, at least in comedies, the girl will respond, "Oh! So you mean I don't look good every day?". What happened? How does a compliment become an insult? It has to do with assumed intent. Does the guy intend to compliment the girl or has he really been disappointed with her looks and finally she looks nice, for once. The answer is that the girl has to decide. Of cours

http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=355494 My son needed to attend a concert and report on it for band class. As we were looking around for possibilities, we found a free concert at the local university. Me and the oldest two kids went. Unfortunately, my sweetie was not able to attend. This concert was unlike any other I have ever attended and it was way outside the realm of experience for my kids. The concert series consists of "experimental" music. There was percussion solo that was just incredible. Following this was a piano and flute duet which was interesting. The best way to describe it would be: What would a flute sound like if it was alive and trying to get away while it was being played. The musician seemed to be chasing his flute around the stage. My daughter had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud while my son sat there with a quizzical look on his face. I had tears in my eyes from trying not to laugh at both the performance

"The formula [for a successful marriage] is simple; the ingredients are few, though there are many amplifications of each. "First, there must be the proper approach toward marriage, which contemplates the selection of a spouse who reaches as nearly as possible the pinnacle of perfection in all the matters which are of importance to the individuals. And then those two parties must come to the altar in the temple realizing that they must work hard toward this successful joint living. "Second, there must be a great unselfishness, forgetting self and directing all of the family life and all pertaining thereunto to the good of the family, subjugating self. "Third, there must be continued courting and expressions of affection, kindness, and consideration to keep love alive and growing. "Fourth, there must be a complete living of the commandments of the Lord as defined in the gospel of Jesus Christ. "With these ingredients properly mixed and continually kept func

A previous post, Romance and Children , talks about involving your children with the romantic gestures you show your sweetie. By involving your little helpers, they get to enjoy the experience, but they are also learning from your example and your wisdom. Today, let's take that a step further and teach the children to be more grateful. My sweetie does a lot and sacrifices a lot for me and the kids. Being a stay at home mom, she ends up doing a lot of thankless jobs. Why are they thankless? Because nobody bothers to thank her. Its not that they are not important, because they are. Its just that she does them and so nobody else notices. What's worse, the kids are often grumpy and disrespectful to my sweetheart. How can you teach the kids to be grateful and respectful? Make a game of it like is mentioned in the 25 Days of Thanksgiving . November is coming up quick so now is a good time to prepare. Another game would be to have the kids write down every nice thing that mo

Did you see the moon last night? As it came up over the mountains, it was almost full and very bright. The wispy clouds combined with the light to give the evening an ethereal feel to it. And I almost missed it. My sweetheart came home and called me out into the yard. The kids were looking out the window to see what mom and dad were up to and I was a bit puzzled myself. My sweetie walked me out into the street and showed me the lovely moon and beautiful evening. We stood for a moment, admiring the scene and enjoying each others company. The air was just cool enough to make holding each other very pleasant. It was well worth a couple of minutes of time. Tonight, take a minute, just for the two of you. Hold hand, hug and enjoy.

A nice warm towel afterwards. I love this time of year with the warm days, cool evenings and crisp mornings. However, getting out of the shower is a bit of a shock, BRRRRR! Do something thoughtful for your sweetie, provide them with a nice warm towel. If you have never tried it, do so. Its luxurious.

In Season to Fall In Love I talked about the wonders of fall. We often speak of spring as the season of love and it truly is. However, fall is also a season of love. It is harvest time, the time to reap what we have sown. A time of plenty and thanksgiving . A time to prepare for winter. Sow thoughtfulness to reap romance. Sow thankfulness to reap joy. Sow kindness to reap peace.

Many of the TV screen shows and stories of fiction end with marriage: 'They lived happily ever after.' We have come to realize that the mere performance of a ceremony does not bring happiness and a successful marriage. Happiness does not come by pressing a button, as does the electric light; happiness is a state of mind and comes from within. It must be earned. It cannot be purchased with money; it cannot be taken for nothing. Some think of happiness as a glamorous life of ease, luxury, and constant thrills; but true marriage is based on a happiness which is more than that, one which comes from giving, serving, sharing, sacrificing, and selflessness. Spencer W. Kimball The honeymoon doesn't have to end, it just needs to adapt. By following the principles of giving, serving, sharing, sacrificing and selflessness, the feelings of love and joy can deepen over the years. Make the fire a bonfire rather than just smoldering embers. Just as a fire needs fuel to keep burning

I have a difficult time recommending web-sites that deal with the topic of romance while still being family friendly. As you can imagine, most romance sites are not family friendly. Today, I have found a site I think can add to your marriage and your family. It is the Family Site at mormon.org. As you may or may not know, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons) is a big supporter of families . For this reason, they have provided this website as a public service. It is just what it appears to be. There will not be any missionaries knocking on your door as a result of looking at this website. Feel free to look to take a look. A sample follows: Improve communication within your marriage Children need parents who are happy in their relationship. Good communication with your spouse contributes to a healthy family environment. Here are some things to consider: Keep problems private. When you need to discuss a serious concern with your spouse, do