Marital espresso: Wake up to an intentional marriage.

Written by · 4 Comments

Photo courtesy Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

As much as possible, I strive to be very intentional in my marriage. To be aware of what is just below the surface between us and try to bring it up to the light. To be more conscious about my choices in my marriage and my life rather than simply react.

Do you ever have times where you feel like you are on relationship autopilot? Coasting along with no real agreed upon destination. Only a general idea of where you both don’t want to go.

If you don’t know where you want to go, any route will do.

I don’t want to live my life this way. Life’s too short and we only get one shot at it, I want to enjoy the journey. Anyway, marriage is a journey, not a destination. Read more »

4 comments, add yours

How to keep a simple home with kids (Plus: Here’s to Bavarian sugar cookies)

Written by · Leave a Comment


The following is contributed from Leo Babauta. Leo and his wife have six children and his other work can be found at zenhabits.net.

Any parent knows that kids create clutter like nobody’s business.

It’s enough to drive a simplifier such as myself crazy. Still, with a little diligence, and a little bit of Zen detachment, it’s possible to have a simple, (relatively) uncluttered home as well as peace of mind.

Let me first state the obvious: any life that includes children is going to be complicated, at least to some degree. You’ll never get an absolute minimalist lifestyle with kids, and I’ve learned to accept that. While my minimalist inner self would like to live without a car, a cell phone, or a large house, my kids preclude those things from happening.

However, I have found ways to simplify my house, including the kids’ rooms. Sure, the house still gets messy – especially their rooms. But it’s not as bad as it once was, and it’s at a manageable level.

Here are my tips for simplifying your home with kids: Read more »

Leave a comment

Gratitude training

Written by · 4 Comments

This is a post taken from Tim Ferriss’s Blog. All credit goes to him. Please read more info like this at his blog. Just click on his name. Enjoy!

Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk and zen teacher once nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr., has a knack for making the esoteric understandable.

In discussing what some call “present state awareness”-experiencing and savoring the present-he offers a simple parable:

Let’s say that you want to eat a peach for dessert one evening, but you decide to only allow yourself this luxury after washing the dishes. If, while washing the dishes, all you think of is eating the peach, what will you be thinking of when you eat the peach?

The clogged inbox, that difficult conversation you’ve been putting off, tomorrow’s to-do list?

The peach is eaten but not enjoyed, and so on we continue through life, victims of a progressively lopsided culture that values achievement over appreciation. But let’s get specific. Read more »

4 comments, add yours

The Back Porch is Now Open

Written by · 5 Comments

While the official start of the 38 Day Build a Better Marriage Challenge is not for another 2 weeks – in preparation for the launch, the Back Porch is now open.

If you’ve yet to hear about the Back Porch – you can read more here.

Whenever my wife and I have had any relationship or family planning and brainstorming discussions, they’ve usually taken place on our back porch. This is a comfortable space where we can sit and talk about our marriage, our family, our dreams, plans, goals, whatever.

If you’d like to know a little more about what will happen on the Back Porch during the 38 DBBMC, watch this minute and a half video. If you’re not interested, feel free to skip to the next post.

During the 38 Day Challenge, there will be a group of us working through the challenge together on the Back Porch.

Space is limited so if you’re interested in getting a seat for you and your spouse, act now. Simply follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page in order to complete the process.

The 38 Day Build a Better Marriage Challenge begins Sept. 14th.

5 comments, add yours

Coming Soon! The 38 Day Build A Better Marriage Challenge

Written by · 4 Comments

Does the thought of taking your marriage to the next level seem overwhelming?

If you want to improve your relationship but have been putting it in the “one day” list or you don’t want to rock the boat – you’re not alone.

Most people fall victim to the belief that the only time you need to work on your relationships is when it’s in trouble. Sadly, many times this can be too late.

The reality is that every relationship can be improved. Everything can be better.

I realize that we are in the dog-days of summer and many people are rushing to get in their summer vacation or in some parts of the country, back-to-school preparations are already in full swing – that’s why the 38 DBBMC doesn’t start until Sept. 14th. This way you’ll have plenty of time to wrap up summer, get the kids off to school, and then be able to focus more on yourself and your marriage.

Historically, the Fall is the time of year when people are more open to making little adjustments in life. This is another reason why the 38 DBBMC doesn’t start until Sept. 14th.

This Fall, how cool would it be to improve your marriage? It can – and will happen.

All you have to do is join the challenge.

Here’s what the challenge involves

For 38 days I will be writing posts designed specifically to assist you in amping up your marriage. The goal of this challenge is to take your marriage – at whatever level it’s at currently – and make it better!

The idea is simple – for 38 days you will be encouraged to focus on different aspects of your marriage and then put these aspects into practice. There will be two levels occurring simultaneously throughout the challenge.

Level one will happen here on Simple Marriage – with 3 – 4 posts per week filled with teaching and practical ideas that will help you as you create the marriage you desire. Level one is 100% free.

Level two will happen on a secure site – which will be a comfortable place where you (and your spouse) can hang out with me and my wife and other couples to talk more in depth about your journey as the challenge progresses. This premium level will have daily posts with more teaching and application than on the blog, as well as video posts and a couple of teleconference calls with us, filled with even more life application and practical ideas. At the end of the 38 days, I’ll bundle everything up into one package and send it to you so you can go through the challenge at your own pace and/or refer back to the information later.

I’ll also offer this promise – if at the end of the 38 days (or however long you take to go through the material) your relationship is not improved, I’ll give you all your money back, no questions asked.

You can check out more about the premium level here.

The doors do not open for a couple of weeks but I wanted to give you plenty of time to plan on joining us, whether here on Simple Marriage or out on The Back Porch (which is the secure site where we’ll be hanging out).

I hope you plan on joining us.

It’s sure to be a great journey!

4 comments, add yours