Category: Love

Valentine’s Date Ideas on a Budget

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Happy Valentine’s Day, Mommas! I wanted to pop in real quick for any of you that might be late planners like I am.  I shared Monday how I was out of town all weekend and surprised my two boys with a Valentine’s Day cookie cake to show them just how much I love them.  

I mean, what doesn’t scream love like a giant heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie?

But I wanted to share a few budget-friendly ideas on date night you could try out with your spouse.  These ideas are not just Valentine’s Day specific either.  So keep these on the back burner for when it’s your turn to plan date night next.

Here we go, let’s jump into these Valentine’s Date ideas on a budget:

Cook dinner together

I have to admit, I love when J and I work together on preparing dinner.  Whether it’s a simple meal we’ve cooked a thousand times or something new we’re trying for the first time.

You can find a simple recipe on Pinterest using ingredients you already have on hand pour yourselves a glass of wine, and just have fun.

Picnic at home

Once you have your dinner prepared, setup a romantic picnic for just the two of you.  You could wait until the little ones go to bed and have a romantic dessert picnic in the family room.

Go out just for dessert

When money is tight, it’s hard to splurge on a five-course Valentine’s Day dinner.  Especially when most restaurants get booked weeks in advance.  Our solution is to go out for dessert – just to the two of you.  You could hire a babysitter for just a few hours, which should keep your costs down and the dessert doesn’t have to be fancy.  We love grabbing ice cream together.

Movie night at home

One of my favorite things to do as a couple is to just relax on the couch. With work, clinicals, raising a human being, running a house, and all the other demands on our time it’s nice just to be together.  

Put together a scavenger hunt

This one might take a little bit of time to pull off, but it’s so worth it. You don’t have to be elaborate with this idea, either.  Just simple post-its or notes around the house are great.  You can even kick it up a notch to lead your spouse to a nice dinner out, dancing, the movies or some place that they love.

Check out:

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Things I Love

It’s been a pretty good week so far.  Lots of happenings.  Work has been crazy busy, but I do enjoy it so there are no complaints there.  J and I have a couple of exciting weeks ahead of us and I can’t wait to let you all in on them.

But that won’t be today.
Right now I’m loving…
dog falling asleep
walks with the pups, cooking dinner at home, preparing our lunches ahead of time,

total divas
Total Divas, the sun being up longer, warmer weather, chocolate caramel creamer (not the healthiest, but only in moderation), frozen yogurt cups, BBQs with friends, family game days, a big reveal coming in a few weeks, the thought of this time next month (goes with the big reveal), pretty flowers, daydreaming,
things i lovesleeping in on Saturdays,making breakfast on the weekends, and so much more.

10 Ways To Strengthen Your Marriage

There are ways to strengthen your marriage because it should come as no surprise that a marriage takes some work.

10 ways to strengthen your marriageIf it is a surprise then you must be living in a rom-com that has a happily ever after and the credits roll just as the have their grand finale kiss.  Marriage is hard.  It has its good days and its not-so-good days.  We struggle learning each other’s rhythm and thought process.  But in the end it is so worth it.  I have never worked at something like I have marriage and have it be the most rewarding gift I could ever imagine.

We’re not perfect, but to me that’s half the journey.  Lust is something that gives you a high, but love is what you work for, strive for and in the end – what you earn.

 There are proven ways to strengthen your marriage.
ways to strengthen your marriage
Here are my top 10 that we strive for every day.

1) Listen to One Another
2) Learn to Fight Fair
3) Don’t be afraid to pray together
4) Laugh
5) Date like you’re sixteen again
6) Like each other’s friends
7) Don’t pass judgment
8) Have your own life
9) Send sweet nothings
10) Be selfless

I love my husband with all my heart.  There are days that he gives a lot and days that I give a lot, but all that matters is that we give to one another selflessly and with our whole hearts.

Knowing When You Have The One Worth Fighting With

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Want to know a secret?  I’ll let you in to a little personal secret of mine pertaining to my past relationships.  You see, back in high school and undergrad of college most of my friends thought of me as this “2 week girl.”  No, not because my relationships would only last 2 weeks, but because I couldn’t stand having a disagreement with someone.  I just never saw the need to fight or not get along.  It wasn’t really important to me to fight.  I thought, why waste your time?

So, that’s where my “2 week girl” came into play.  You can bet that after an argument that I just didn’t see the importance of the guy and me would be over in about 2 weeks.

I promise that I am not this cold-hearted, stone-faced woman.  I really do have a heart and I would bend over backwards to help my partner out.  I would be there for them, whether if it was helping study, a family crisis, etc.  I was there.  I just did not see the need to fight.  Why?

Then it all changed.  One night, I met J and he changed my world.  We fell fast for one another.  We decided early on that it would be the two of us.  The two of us against the world and we would be together.

us J

It hit me one day – J was worth fighting with.  We may not always agree on every topic.  We frustrate each other.  Our personalities are not identical.  I am much more reserved and J is very outgoing.  I am a homebody and J is happy out with people.

We also make each other happy, laugh, and work harder at being a better person.  J pushes me to go after my dreams.  I do not think I would have been as passionate about MereLynneConcepts on Etsy without him.  We are there to listen to one another and help each other.

As women (well most women) we watch these romantic comedies, you know – the cliché ones.   The movies where at the very end, right before the credits roll the two characters embrace and say something like, “I’d rather fight with you then make love to anyone else.”  Then there is an extremely long and passionate kiss.

Super unrealistic.

J and I may get into it time from time, but he is worth every hard discussion, every time I have to admit I’m wrong – J is worth it all. We’ve had to learn how each other react to a fight or disagreement.  Not just learning but compromising our typical actions for the one we love.

I may not have the romantic comedy ending, but I do have the person that makes my soul instantly melt. I found the person that I will face the world with, as a team.  For that I am grateful.