Eight Ways to Reconnect With Your Spouse #6

One of the things that I always loved hearing about as a child was stories from parent's childhoods. My dad would always make me and my friends laugh with his tales of growing up in Philadelphia and spending summers on the family farm in Oklahoma. I wanted to share the same kind of memories with my own children. A Memory Book is a project for you and your husband to do together. Take some time to really figure out how you want to accomplish this and how you want to pass your story on to your children? This can be done many ways- journaling, a scrapbook of stories, or even a video.

After you have decided how you will share your story, you need to get your supplies. If it is a journal, make sure you each have one. This way you can work together or separately as the stories come to you. A scrapbook that you can both add your stories to is a great option as well. Of course, you may want to include pictures to your scrapbook or your journal. Men may be more inclined to get on board with this project if you go the video route. You can actually tape yourselves sharing the story to one another or just to your children. Whichever way you choose to go, the following questions may help get you started.

1. Memories of my school days.
2. Fond memories of my parents when I was growing up.
3. Memories of the houses I have lived in.
4. Things I collected.
5. Favorite family recipe.
6. My favorite holiday when I was growing up. Why?
7. My memories about how I learned to drive.
8. My first job.
9. The kind of music I liked when I was young.
10. Memories of friends I grew up with.
11. How I met your mom/dad. Our wedding day.
12. People I admire and why.
13. Quotes that have inspired me.
14. How technology has changed since I was young.
15. My favorite: flower, smell, sound, color. Why these are my favorites.
16. When I was young, more than anything, else I wished for....
17. Memories of my sisters and brothers.
18. How I liked to dress. My favorite style.
19. Sacrifices my parents made for me when I was growing up.
20. Thinking back to how I behaved when I was a teenager.

I hope you can create a way to share your most special memories with your spouse and your children!

Your girlfriend,
Melinda

Eight Ways to Reconnect With Spouse #5

Sometimes it is impossible for us to get out of the house. There are times when we just want a few minutes to catch up with our spouse. We sit down to begin talking, and we are greeted with "Mommy, I need a drink." "Can you put on a movie?" "Dad, can you play with me?" Oh yeah, we have kids! How can you catch a few minutes with your spouse without locking your children in the bedroom? Simple, ok maybe not simple... but workable. Ask your spouse to help you institute couch time in your house. We all need this time to reconnect. Here are a few quick tips to make this happen:

1. Find a time in the day that is convenient for both of you. It does not need to be everyday, but it should happen a couple times a week.
2. Set up a time limit - you may even want to set a timer.
3. Explain to your children that it is important for mom and dad to have couch time, because it helps them to be a better mommy and daddy. Also explain that when mom and dad are having couch time, they are not to be interrupted.
4. Find something interesting for the children to do - movie, game, coloring. A small snack and drink may help too.
5. Before you and your spouse sit down, jot down the things you want to discuss. You may not get to everything, but having a plan will help you stay focused.

Remember is not a date night - you still need those, but couch time is important. It is a great way to reconnect with your spouse, enjoy each others company, and spend a little time with the one you love!

Your girlfriend,
Melinda

Weight Loss Wednesday

We know a few of our girlfriends are pregnant right now, including myself! Weight loss does not and should not apply to us right now, although crazy amounts of weight gain should also not apply to us. I thought this week we would offer a few tips on eating healthy during pregnancy. Web MD offers some great advice on what to eat and I will post some of those below. If you need more specific info on supplements and diet restrictions, check out their web site. Remember your doctor is also a great source of info.

Goals for Healthy Eating When Pregnant

*Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need. Recommended daily servings include 6-11 servings of breads and grains, two to four servings of fruit, four or more servings of vegetables, four servings of dairy products, and three servings of protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, eggs or nuts). Use fats and sweets sparingly.

*Choose foods high in fiber that are enriched such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, fruits, and vegetables.

*Make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals in your daily diet while pregnant. You should take a prenatal vitamin supplement to make sure you are consistently getting enough vitamins and minerals every day. Your doctor can recommend an over-the-counter brand or prescribe a prenatal vitamin for you.

*Eat and drink at least four servings of dairy products and calcium-rich foods a day to help ensure that you are getting 1000-1300 mg of calcium in your daily diet during pregnancy.

*Eat at least three servings of iron-rich foods per day to ensure you are getting 27 mg of iron daily.
Choose at least one good source of vitamin C every day, such as oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, honeydew, papaya, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, green peppers, tomatoes, and mustard greens. Pregnant women need 70 mg of vitamin C a day.

*Choose at least one good source of folic acid every day, like dark green leafy vegetables, veal, and legumes (lima beans, black beans, black-eyed peas and chickpeas). Every pregnant woman needs at least 0.4 mg of folic acid per day to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

*Choose at least one source of vitamin A every other day. Sources of vitamin A include carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, spinach, water squash, turnip greens, beet greens, apricots, and cantaloupe. Know that excessive vitamin A intake (10,000 IU/day) may be associated with fetal malformations.

For all of you pregnant girlfriends, eat healthy - to take care of you and that precious little one!

Michelle also wanted to update you on her weight loss adventure. She lost two more pounds this week, making her total weight loss 6 pounds! Go Michelle!

Melinda

Tasty Tuesday - Banana Bread with Streusel Nut Topping

Last week, I invited the other Girlfriend over to my house to do some blog planning. While the littles played, she and I drank hot tea and nibbled on the bread below. Let's just say, my very pregnant friend REALLY liked the banana bread. I hope you like it too and if you want to be really popular, invite a girlfriend over and share it! Banana Bread with Streusel Nut Topping

Bread
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 ½ cups mashed bananas (5 bananas)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cooking oil
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Streusel-Nut Topping
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. softened butter
1/3 cup chopped nuts

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Stir in nuts.

Grease bottom and 1.2 inches up the sides of one 9 x 5 x 3 inch or two 7 ½ x 3 ½ x 2 inch loaf pans and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, oil, and applesauce. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle Streusel-Nut Topping over batter.

Bake in a 350° oven for 55 to 60 minutes for a larger loaf pan and 40 – 45 minutes for two smaller pans or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan.
Cool completely on a wire rack.

Your Girlfriend, Michelle

Valentines for your Children

We all know that Valentines Day is all about love! What if, instead of focusing on romantic love this Valentine's Day, what if we expanded our idea of Valentine's Day to include love for others - our children, our friends, and our spouse? Over the next three Mondays, we are going to share ideas for spreading some Valentine's Day love over all of our relationships. Today, I am going to post some easy ways to share love with your kids that have been posted by some of my favorite bloggers.

How about these super cute sandwich bag toppers for your child's lunch that I found at Living Locurto? Just make your little one a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut it with some heart-shaped cookie cutters, place in sandwich baggie, and top the baggie with this super cute topper. You could also put some Valentine's Day candies in a baggie and add the topper. Want the topper? Just click here and print.

We all know that cupcakes are all the rage right now - why else would I have served them at my birthday party this past summer? These yummy red velvet cupcakes were created by BHG. The ribbon around the cupcake wrapper makes it tres chic!

One of my favorite bloggers is Bakerella. The cupcakes with conversation hearts and the fondant roses are her works of art. You must also check out her infamous cupcake pops!

Don't you think your kids would enjoy an ipod? How about making an ipod for them? I found the template for this on the Family Fun website. It is a box of conversation hearts and two miniature reese cups. Too cute!

In our house, Valentine's Day is all about the iced cut-out cookies. If you have a great Valentine's Day for your child, why not share it with a few of your Girlfriends by posting it as a comment?

Your Girlfriend, Michelle

Our First Girlfriends Night Out - This Friday

Hey girls...would you like to join the Girlfriends from your *favorite blog* at our first ever Girlfriends Night Out? Well, grab a friend or two and get ready to Laugh out Loud! Comedienne Kerri Pomarolli is back! She is from Hollywood and she's out to spread an eternal message through humor and downright fun. Join the Girlfriends and treat yourself to chocolate (of course) and lots of good for you Laughs. The show will be hosted by the Girlfriends At Grace from Grace Church in Bath, which is about three minutes north of Summit Mall. I had the privilege of attending an event at Grace Church a few months ago and was completely blown away because they went ALL OUT! I am sure you will not be disappointed!! Get your tickets today, before the show is sold out! Tickets are $15.00 each or 2 for $25.00. Melinda and I would love for you to join us!! Just follow this link and purchase your ticket online. Be sure to print your confirmation as that will serve as your ticket the night of the event. Buy your ticket soon because ticket sales end this Wednesday! **No tickets will be sold the night of the event.**

We look forward to laughing with you this Friday!!

Your Girlfriends, Melinda and Michelle


PS - If you plan to join us, let us know by leaving a comment on the blog. We would like to go out with all the Girlfriends for coffee, dessert, and girl talk!

Eight Ways to Reconnect With Your Spouse #4

When I was first married, a girlfriend gave me a book and told me I had to read it. She said it really helped her and her husband to better understand one another. I decided to read it, hoping it would help me understand this man I just said "I do" to. I was pleasantly surprised when reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I quickly shared it with my new husband, and we both thought it made sense.

If you are not familiar with this book, let me give you a quick overview. The premise of the book is that we all speak one of five love languages. Sometimes we have a mixture, but for most of us, we lean towards a certain love language. The challenging part is that we normally communicate with our spouse in our love language, not theirs. This causes a problem and a breakdown in communication. We can grow apart and tend not to communicate at all because we may feel like our spouse is not hearing us. The solution is to figure out your spouses love language and your spouse knowing your love language - then communicate with one another in the love language you each understand best.

The 5 Love Languages with some simple examples are:
1. Words of Affirmation- telling your spouse how special they are
2. Quality Time- spending time with one another and focusing on your spouse
3. Gifts- giving presents and special mementos
4. Acts of Service- helping with things at home
5. Physical Touch- holding hands or rubbing their back

My husband and I quickly discovered that our love languages were not the same. My love language is Acts of Service and his is Gifts. I realized that I was becoming frustrated with him because I would show acts of kindness to him (laundry, dishes) and he could really not care less about my acts of service. Worse yet, he didn't return the favor. I would make comments like "Don't you care if our house looks like a barn?" He would just laugh and tell me to quit overreacting. What!?! Did he not see that the messy house around us was bothering me? He did, so he would bring me little gifts or write me sweet notes, (his love language, blah! )but I just wanted him to pull out the vacuum (my love language). See what I'm talking about? I am not big on giving gifts and he does not always see the need to vacuum or clean, but we both understand now that it is important to the other one.

My husband and I try hard to speak each others love language because it is a small way to show each other you care. It is not easy, but communicating with your spouse the way they best communicate can help you avoid many sleepness nights trying to figure out 'what his problem is' or 'why doesn't he understand me'?

This weekend, I encourage you to think about your spouse and yourself. What love languages do you speak, and are you speaking the right language to each other? If you both speak the same language, you are lucky! If not, step up and try to speak their language. You will be happier if you do!

Make it a great weekend with your spouse!

Melinda