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Support for married couples, by married couples.

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  • About
  • Date Night Ideas
  • 50 Ways to Love Your Lover

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  • 20 Ways to Become a More Patient Spouse this Week
  • 25 Conversation Starter Questions on Sexuality
  • 50 Questions to ask your spouse besides “How was your day?”
  • 50 Ways to Engage Kids on a Budget
  • 50 Ways to Love Your Lover
  • About
  • At Home Dating
  • BAILEY’S TREE
  • Barriers to Forgiveness and Healing
  • Confronting for the Sake of Our Relationship
  • Conversation Starters
  • Date Night Ideas
  • Dialogue
  • Double Chocolate Brownies
  • Emotional Bank Account
  • Feelings Reflect Who I am as a Unique Individual
  • Four Basic Psychological Needs
  • How to Foster Teamwork – A Starter List
  • In Memory of Fr. Tom Ogg
  • Let’s Talk about Sex
  • Making Decisions as a Couple – 10 Steps
  • Marriage Check-up Exercise
  • Our Family Commandments
  • Phones at the Dinner Table Discussion Questions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Re-Evaluation
  • Stress vs. Burnout and Depression
  • The Power of Positive: Examples of Converting Negatives about our Relationship to Positives
  • There’s Always Something More to Talk About
  • Worldwide Marriage Encounter Experience
  • Writing a Focused Love Letter
  • Communication,  Differences

    “Zing-Zing-Zing!”

    August 16, 2020 / No Comments

    Google “conversation basics” and 4 of 5 bullets focus on listening.  Listening is a vital part of conversation, but Great conversation is a balance of both speaking and listening. Photo Credit: Wynand vanPoortvliet MF: When we were dating, Tom’s ability to talk about anything and everything was very attractive.  He is a fabulous storyteller, but sometimes I can’t help but interrupt a long story with an entry line like “Zing-zing-zing!” and then proceed to share a point or clarification. 

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Dream a Little Dream With Me

    August 3, 2020
    Newly married couple holding hands tidbit of advice for married couples

    30 for 30! A Tidbit of Advice for Each Year of Marriage

    May 31, 2021

    Tone of Voice

    July 16, 2018
  • Communication,  Conflict,  Finances

    Changing Our Dance and Learning to Love It

    July 6, 2020 / No Comments

    Photo Credit:  John Gibbons on Unsplash Most of us know someone who thrives on change.  They love to spice things up.  For them, the most maddening phrase is:  “but we’ve always done it this way.”  The rest of us find security in knowing what we know, doing what we do well and living within our comfort zone.  We recently found ourselves at a crossroads in our lives with our medical practice.  The writing on the wall said:  “Don’t expect to see a change if you aren’t willing to make one.”

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Annual Marriage Tune-Up

    August 23, 2020
    Loving Each Other in Spite of Our Differences

    Loving Each Other in Spite of Our Differences

    April 4, 2022

    Marriage is a VERB

    March 11, 2019
  • Communication,  Grief,  Romance

    So Over COVID!

    May 25, 2020 / No Comments

    Photo Credit: Gabriel Benois on Unsplash We are so very over Covid -19 — Zoom meetings, air hugs, frightful news, conflicting information, data overload and face masks — All of it!  We long for real gatherings, real hugs, and the freedom to breathe in the air without worry.

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Annual Marriage Tune-Up

    August 23, 2020

    3 Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress

    November 14, 2022
    Loving Each Other in Spite of Our Differences

    Loving Each Other in Spite of Our Differences

    April 4, 2022
  • Communication,  Conflict,  Decision to Love,  Time

    Love’s Sweet Spot

    March 9, 2020 / No Comments

    Photo Credit: Jose Mizrahi on Unsplash Many of you are familiar with theYin-Yang symbol or the phrase “opposites attract.”  You know, the eternal optimist vs. the pessimist, the spontaneous adventurer vs. the live by the calendar person.  Let’s call them complementary, not opposite.  Think:  You are the peanut butter to my jelly or the music to my dancing shoes.

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Unmet Needs

    May 21, 2019

    In Sickness and In Health

    August 15, 2022
    Trash Talk, arguing over chores

    Trash Talk

    June 20, 2021
  • Communication,  Romance

    A Love That Surprises and Remembers

    February 10, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Photo Credit:  Denise Johnson Valentines Day is for Romance and Lovers.  Who doesn’t enjoy reminiscing about romance, memorable proposals and your wedding day?  These memories can often put us in the mood for romance even if we are not feeling particularly romantic.

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Table Talk

    April 25, 2022

    8 Ideas to Help Settle Disagreements in Marriage

    October 19, 2020

    The Elephant in the Living Room

    June 29, 2020
  • Children,  Parenting,  Time

    50 Ways to Engage Kids

    January 13, 2020 / No Comments

    Photo Credit: Jahir Martinez on Unsplash.com “A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.”  This anonymous quote (sexist wording and all) caught our eye and caused us to reflect on fun times with our kids.  As wonderful as children are, they add expense to any family budget.  Kids need love and attention; they thrive when you engage with them.  Fortunately engaging  doesn’t have to break the budget.  Engaging also creates screen-free time, lifelong values and memories.  We’ll close with a list of 50 of our favorite ways to engage kids that cost little to nothing and are all screen-free.

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Rule #1 for Resolving Conflict

    November 15, 2020

    Ugh, Mom and Dad, no PDA!

    September 23, 2019

    Radical non-Parenting

    November 9, 2020
  • Communication,  Decision to Love,  Passion

    Marriage Magic

    December 16, 2019 / No Comments

    Photo Credit:  Jared Lind on Unsplash As we become immersed in this holiday season we are drawn to the magic.  Recall the wonder and awe of your childhood, reindeers that fly and a Santa who made dreams come true.  Fast-forward several decades.  Remember the rush of feelings when you knew your spouse was ‘the one‘.  You reveled in discovering this person who showered you with love and support.

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Time for a Marriage Getaway? “Here’s Yer Sign”

    October 28, 2019

    What is Love Asking of Me Now?

    May 6, 2024

    A Plea For Real Men

    November 23, 2020
  • Communication

    Affirmations That Will Make Your Heart Soar!

    November 11, 2019 / No Comments

     Photo Credit:  Peter Boccia on Unsplash In our last post, we shared with you 50 ways to live an Intentional Marriage.  This week we want to focus on one — the Power of Affirmation.  The effects of self-affirmation and the power of positive thinking are well know in self-help literature.  Being affirmed by your spouse elevates this power exponentially.  In this post we will talk about what constitutes a good affirmation and why it is so effective, especially in the presence of others.

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    I Could Use Some Help!

    September 7, 2020
    To DO list with Take Time-out for US! Checked off

    Time-out!

    January 19, 2026

    Not All Habits Are Bad

    April 10, 2022
  • Communication,  Decision to Love,  Forgiveness,  Time

    Intentional Marriage — 50 Ways

    October 14, 2019 / No Comments

    “Intentional” is a popular buzzword these days.  We are intentional in the workplace, in the way we handle our finances, our fitness routine, and the way we raise and discipline our children.  The list goes on and on and for good reason.  Intentional means to do something deliberately, consciously or with purpose.  It means it didn’t happen on a whim; someone planned for it to happen and persisted until it happened.

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Marriage Is a Teeter-Totter Ride

    July 18, 2022

    3 Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress

    November 14, 2022

    Marriage Under Quarantine

    March 23, 2020
  • Children,  Communication,  Parenting,  Time

    3 Tips to Make Your Marriage Thrive

    August 20, 2019 / No Comments

    Photo Credit:  Estee Janssens We hope this summer found you thriving, with plenty of time in the sun to relax and catch up with family and friends.  As these carefree days come to an end, we have some tips to help you continue to thrive. Fall gets busy —

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    Tom and Mary Frances

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    Keeping Your Marriage Sane While Quarantined

    March 30, 2020

    Parenting as a Team

    March 16, 2020

    Empty Nest – Syndrome or Summit?

    February 17, 2020
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