This is not easy for me to admit. At 26, I am still as much of a Daddy's girl as I was when I was 5 years old. For a long time, I was in denial about this, but now I realize I must come to terms with it and examine this for the sake of my marriage. "Hi, I'm Tara and I'm a Daddy's girl." Hi, Tara. I'm not the only one, of course. My two sisters have it bad as well. My … [Read more...]
How Much Does The Proposal Really Matter?
We've been seeing some … [Read more...]
When’s The Best Age To Start A Family?
Yesterday in class, I huddled up with two of my classmates to discuss our upcoming presentation. One of them is my age (26), and she's looking to start a family soon. She's been married for a few years and now they're actively trying to get pregnant. Still, she's concerned about what's going to happen with grad school if she has a kid now. The other group member, who's a … [Read more...]
The Game Is Back: Can Melanie And Derwin Just Be Happy For Once?
When The Game first premiered in 2005, I was intrigued by the relationship of the two main characters, Melanie and Derwin. She was an intelligent young woman who tweaked her dreams to help her man realize his. She was supportive and kind and helped keep him grounded. But it couldn't last, could it? Derwin cheats. They break up. His ex-girlfriend gets pregnant. Melanie tests … [Read more...]
New Book For Moms By Moms Shares How To Stress Less And Love Your Life More
Over on my blog, I (Tara, managing editor of BMWK) declared 2012 to be the year that I would help other mothers become more self-sufficient and financially independent. Who doesn't want to make a little bit of extra cash, right? One of the ways we're building together is through the publication of multiple ebooks. The set-up? Several moms contribute their stories to the … [Read more...]
Cut Your Spouse Some Slack
I rang in the new year with horrid sinus issues, so I took advantage of the holiday and spent most of it in bed. I decided to call it an early night and get some rest, since my husband seemed to have everything under control downstairs with the kids. I had just turned out the light in our bedroom when my husband shooed the kids upstairs to get changed for bedtime. And where … [Read more...]
If You’re Happy And You Know It…
Last week I got to thinking about marital bliss and how we express it to our spouses. Seems to me like it's much easier to express our displeasure with the way things are going. It's almost too easy to let the "Why didn't you"s and the "How many times must we"s slip out our mouths. But gratitude and appreciation can be a little trickier. In the hustle and bustle of life we … [Read more...]
How Has Having Children Affected Your Faith?
My daughter's in a small Christian school for kindergarten this year. She's learning all about creation and God's grace and beauty in all things. She's taken to the lessons in a big way and it makes me kind of bummed that I haven't been doing this all along. We say prayer before meals and I teach her about being grateful and thankful and appreciative for all our blessings. But … [Read more...]
Learning How To Date Again
When my husband and I first started dating, it was epic. He would go clean out his car before he came to pick me up and I could smell that he had vacuumed the interior. I would spritz my perfume in three special places, slip into my favorite sky-high pumps, and prepare to have a ball. And while we never did anything too fancy, it was awesome just to be with him, giggling about … [Read more...]
Four Relationship Resolutions You Should Make For 2012
It's almost time for us to countdown to 2012 and think about what's good from 2011 that we'd like to carry over into the new year. I know I grew a lot as a person these past twelve months and my husband and I have a lot of positive momentum pushing us forward. But no matter where you are in your marriage, there is always room for improvement. I did a little thinking and I … [Read more...]
When’s The Last Time You Told Your Spouse, “I Love You”?
When's the last time you told your spouse, "I love you"? When's the last time you said it first, instead of "I love you too"? When's the last time you told your spouse why you love them? When's the last time you did something to make them smile? When was the last time that you took time to plan a nice date with your spouse? When was the last you said, "You know … [Read more...]
How To Grow In The Same Direction
When a failed marriage appears, it seems the de facto reason is the tired "We simply grew apart." I used to hear this and wonder, "Well, where were you when the growing was taking place?" I know now that feeling like you've "grown apart" doesn't happens over days or weeks or even months. It's a long process that happens so quietly that you look up and across the kitchen … [Read more...]
MaTWImony: This Week’s Best Marriage Tweets
Transforming your marriage in 140 characters each Wednesday. We scour the web to find those short nuggets of inspiration to keep you loving each other better: [blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/#!/MarriageMentor/status/143887024594755584"] [blackbirdpie url=" https://twitter.com/#!/Eye2eyemarriage/status/144162710408527872"] [blackbirdpie url=" … [Read more...]
Do You Give Love Without Asking, “What’s In It For Me?”
When people ask me, "Tara, how do you do it?" I usually mutter something about how I'm still exhausted and I'm just doing the best I can, but I have to give credit where credit is due. My husband is simply amazing. Without complaint, he listens to me vent. This man has lifted me up over and over and over again. This year has been one of the hardest years of my life as I try … [Read more...]
Wedded Bliss Video: Ivy + Keiston
Ivy + Keiston Wedding Recap from Inije on Vimeo. Newlyweds Ivy and Keiston Walton met their first week of college and Ivy now admits that she didn't even remember his name! But even nameless, she knew her husband-to-be was something special. Their love story was chronicled briefly on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta" and their special day is captured here in loving detail … [Read more...]