April 07, 2023
top trending topics
👀 Do you know the difference between self-care and self-comfort?
💃 Having a regular date night is a game-changer. Here’s why.
💬 Pro Tip: Strengthen your marriage with excellent communication!
🙈 As a newlywed, expectations can be tricky, so here’s a little advice.
❤️🧠Your spouse’s mental health is important too, here’s how you can help them!
tips & tricks for growth
get down & dirty with chores
Dishes, laundry, yard work, cleaning, cooking… oh my! The chore list is long, and the questions are many. Who does what? How do we make this fair? Am I doing too much? Why doesn’t my spouse do more? A big part of marriage is managing and maintaining a house and all the responsibilities a home can bring.
🧼 So, where do we begin? Here are some scenarios to think through as you talk about how to divide household chores fairly:
- You both are working full-time and focused on establishing your careers.
- You are expecting a child or have a child or children. (The seasons of childhood bring so many challenges.)
- One of you works from home.
- One of you is thinking about a career change.
There may be a season where one of you carries more household chores due to other circumstances. No matter what, you need to agree about what works for your family. ➡️ Addressing household chores isn’t a one-time conversation either. It needs to happen often. Different seasons of life bring different responsibilities.
tidying relationships, it’s a thing
Many people are looking to do some cleaning when that spring weather rolls around. Whether it’s a detox body cleanse or binge-watching “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” on Netflix, people are interested in freeing themselves from toxins in their body and letting go of material things that seem to hold them back from living their best life.
A relational cleanse could also be helpful. Start by asking yourself, “What did I drag into this new year that is holding me back?” It could be things like:
- bitterness and resentment
- a toxic friendship
- lies you have taken on as truth about yourself
- childhood experiences that still haunt you
- a lack of forgiveness of yourself and/or others
- disappointment that weighs heavily on your heart
- despair that things will never change
- an addiction
- a job you dislike, or something else.
Are there people who suck the life right out of you every time you are around them? If so, why do you choose to hang with them? How would your life be different if you moved on?
What purpose does unforgiveness, resentment and bitterness serve? Holding on to emotions may seem powerful in some way or that it is actually impacting the other person, but it’s really killing you instead.
let’s get REALatable
It’s time to take things a step further & get a little intimate with a Q&A. What do you say?😉 Learn a little bit about the faces behind all of this relationship gold. This week we’re chatting with Kelly Brugh, wife of 6 years to husband Landon, #dogmama to a chocolate lab, and the Vice President of Development here at First Things First. Let’s get REALatable💛 & learn a little bit about her:
Q: What was your first concert?
A: 🎟️ Backstreet Boys in 2000! Remember when you had to wait in line forever to get tickets because phone/online ticket purchases weren’t a thing? My mom waited in line for hours to purchase tickets with my aunt. My cousin and I opened them on Christmas. #TeamBrian all the way!
Q: What app do you use the most?
A: 💬 Can I say the messages app? #TextingIsLife
Q: Best part of spring?
A: 🌸 I could be normal here and say how green everything becomes. Don’t get me wrong, I love that part, but the absolute best part of spring? The smell. Winter just smells earthy, stale, and cold. Spring smells fresh, warm, and alive. Couple the smell with being enveloped in sunshine – perfection!
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