This post is part of the Happy Wives Club Blog Tour.  Want to learn more?  CLICK HERE!

I am far from the perfect wife.

There are (many) times when my husband comes home that I have no idea what I will be making for dinner that night.

I don’t greet him at the door with a smile every day.

I keep things inside far too often and then pick a fight over something stupid and trivial.

And, if you’ve read my twist on keeping romance alive, you know my nightwear is less than 5 stars.

Yes, I am certainly not the perfect wife, but I DO love my husband.

And, even with all my faults, I know that he loves me.

From the time when we just started dating in college and he helped me study for exams, to the moment I decided I wanted to become a stay at home mom, to starting this blog, he has supported me.

In those darkest moments, when all you can do is wait and pray, he has held my hands and prayed with me.

He has made me laugh when I didn’t think it was possible.

For these reasons, and too many more to write, I will always love my husband.   And, although I may not be the perfect wife, I look forward to working towards being a better wife in 2014, and for many years to come.

I am excited to join Fawn Weaver, the founder of the Happy Wives Club, in the Happy Wives Club Blog Tour, promoting her new book, where she shares the best marriage secrets the world has to offer.   Travel the globe with Fawn and discover the secrets for yourself! You can get a copy of the book here, or through Amazon.

The post Happy Wives Club Blog Tour — Not the Perfect Wife first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Okay, so you’re married.

Gone are the wine-and-dine dating days where you both are trying to win the other one over.

Just how do you keep the romance alive as you go about the day to day routine?  Between dishes, laundry, and paying the mortgage, how are you going to keep that spark?

My husband and I have made it 10 years now, and I want to share with you how we are keeping the romance alive.

1.  Have kids.

What husband doesn’t get turned on by hearing about the latest potty training issues, sitting on a half-eaten lollipop, or seeing a toy-littered living room?

2.  Date Night.

Who needs candle light dinners and dancing?  We’re talking dinner where you only need to worry about feeding yourself, not getting a couple wiggle-worms to eat.  And then it’s off to the grocery store — where the romance continues beneath the florescent lights as you present a coupon for that athlete’s foot spray he’s looking for.

3.  Chocolate.

Buy the good stuff, and then put it somewhere safe.

No, you’re not hiding it…  Just making sure it’s still around when you need it, say after the kids are in bed and you’re setting up to settle in with that hunk of burning love snoring under the covers.

4.  Sleepwear.

You know the kind, the kind that says, “Come and get me, big boy.”

What guy can resist a short bathrobe covered in cartoon animals?

5.  A sense of humor.  Because when the only wine you two get to share is the kids whining at the closed door when you try to catch a moment alone, a sense of humor is what’s going to see you through.

What’s one of your tips to help keep that marriage spark alive?  Leave a comment with your words of wisdom!

The post Keeping Romance Alive first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

10 years ago I spent the morning getting my hair pinned and sprayed like never before, sipping a frozen coffee drink, and painting my toenails blue.

10 years ago I slipped into my mother’s wedding gown, stepped into new white heeled sandals, and put in my grandmother’s pearl earrings.

10 years ago I walked down the aisle on my father’s arm and saw tears in his eyes.

10 years ago I stood before my family, my friends, and God and vowed I would love you “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

10 years ago we started on this journey.  There have been good times and bad, sickness and health, and 2 beautiful children added to our lives. 

Thank you for those 10 years.  There is no one I would rather spend my life with.

Happy anniversary!

The post 10 Years Ago… first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Happy Thankful Thursday and Valentine’s Day…

It sounds like the perfect time for a letter to my husband.  (Mama Kat thought so, too.  It’s one of this week’s prompts!)

Dear Valentine,

There are people all over celebrating their love for one another today.  But I find myself wondering what happens those other 364 days of the year?  Why is it more important to show your love for someone on the 14th of February than  it is, say, on the 12th of April?

Today I want to thank you, not for showing me how much you love me by buying me a card or giving me a box of chocolates on some special day, but for how you show me all those other days of the year.

Thank you for asking if you can bring home dinner on those days where you can tell I’m frazzled when you talk to me on the phone.

Thank you for watching the kids each Tuesday night so I can go to yoga at the library.

Thank you for running into the grocery store after work to pick up bread, or milk, or whatever other items we may need.

Thank you for taking care of the “presents” the cat brings us.

Thank you for rubbing my shoulders, without my even asking, when I mention how sore they are.

Thank you for noticing when I actually bother to put on lipstick.

Thank you for sitting down and helping me fold laundry when I have 3 baskets over-flowing and you see me starting to fold it.

Thank you for always knowing when my favorite author has a new book coming out, and then for getting it for me right away — usually before I even know it’s out.

Thank you for holding my hand and praying with me in those hard times.

Thank you for feeding the dog and the cat each morning before you leave for work so they don’t drive me crazy when I get up.

Thank you for washing my car whenever you wash your truck.

Thank you for making extra shelves for the pantry the same day I mentioned I’d like some.

Thank you for washing the dog in the basement on those days where it’s too cold to wash her outside and she really needs a bath.

Thank you for helping to clean the carpet for all the variety of reasons the carpet may need cleaned when you have 2 small kids and a dog living with you.

Thank you for making chocolate chip pancakes on the weekends while you let me stay in bed just a little longer.

Thank you for bringing wood up from the barn for the fireplace so I wouldn’t have to hike out there when it was cold.

Thank you for understanding when I cried because our youngest didn’t want rocked to sleep anymore.

Sweetheart, every day you do things that let me know you love me; I could keep listing all those ways, but my lst would have to be endless.

I want you to know that those daily actions mean more to me than the flowers and chocolates that so many women will be receiving today.

I am forever grateful for the day we met and the time we have had together.  I hope we have many, many more years to show each other our love.

Love,

Me

Okay, so now it’s your turn!

Leave a comment telling me what you are thankful for this week.

Have your own Thankful Thursday post this week?  Link it up with us!  As a Valentine’s gift to my readers this week, I’m sharing all the Thankful posts that link up with a link back to There’s Just One Mommy on my Facebook page!

Also linked up with:  Black Tag Diaries, The Fontenot Four

The post Thankful Thursday — Dear Valentine first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Trust.

As babies it is easy to trust.  We learn to vocalize our needs and we trust that they will be met.  That trust continues as children.

But at some point, at some point our ability to trust changes.

Someone hurts us.

We learn to be careful with who we put our trust in.

And the kicker?

While the time it takes to trust someone may be long, that trust can be torn down in moments.

And once that trust is broken?

It takes even longer to build it back.

And just when you think you trust that person again, there are times when you will find yourself doubting.

And prayer is all that keeps you going.

The post Trust first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

I usually love writing my Thankful Thursday post each week.  Taking a moment to reflect on all the things in my life to be thankful for not only helps me get into a better mood, but it can also help put life into perspective.

Sitting here typing tonight (it’s Wednesday) though, I am struggling.  It’s been a hard couple days sleep-wise around here, and the bed is calling me.  (Seriously, I just heard it again…)

When my husband sat down on the couch, I asked him to give me a topic to write about for Thankful Thursday.  Here is what he came up with:

• Write about how you’re thankful for $5 videos at Target (Can you tell what I bought at  Dear Target today?)
• Disney World and how your excited about vacation?  (I actually did that one already.)
• How about writing about aunts who are willing to babysit so we can have date night?  (Thank you Aunt C. for babysitting tomorrow!)
• Oh, what about your eye exam today?

I have to say, at first I just listened to his ideas and thought things like, “Really?  Can you see a whole post on the $5 Batman video?”

But then I realized, the post wasn’t in his list of ideas.  The post was in the fact that he was trying to help.

Sometimes I don’t give him enough credit.  It’s easy to see the multitude of empty glasses left around the house, the dirty clothes that are left next to the bed even thought the hamper is just 2 feet away, the phone that was left off the charger all night…  But those are just little things.

I am blessed to have someone who bakes the world’s best brownies, plays princesses with our daughter, makes chocolate chip pancakes on the weekends, and who tries to help me write a post.

And for that I am thankful.

Now it’s your turn everyone! What are you thankful for this week? Leave a comment or link it up below!

Linked up with Black Tag Diaries, The Fontenot Four

The post Thankful Thursday — January 31 first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.