Marital Musings

Make Plans for National Marriage Week!

National Marriage Week is an annual week long collaborative effort to strengthen marriages and reduce the divorce rate in the United States. Each year from February 7-14th the campaign focuses on encouraging couples to improve their relationships, promotes marriage education classes and other related events,and contacts the media to highlight the benefits ofmarriage.

Check out National Marriage Week USA for more information on the US campaign and Marriage Week International to learn how this movement is taking place all over the world. The sites have suggestions for what you can do in your own marriage and how you can get involved to support marriage-strengthening efforts in your community.

"10 Ways Budgeting Saved My Marriage"

via www.forbes.com

On the heels of my last post about couples making New Year's resolutions together, here is an article about how working together on your spending habits can have a positive impact on your marriage. If you have already made a resolution to work on your finances (as my husband and I have), this article may help give you the incentive to stick with it as the year moves on. The writer mentions that "budgeting is not the slightest bit romantic", however, I would say that it can be very romantic. When my husband and I first met with our financial planner and began to discuss our goals, it was concrete evidence that we were planning for our future together and not just talking about it. 

It's Not Too Late!

Although the calendar may say it's already January, when it comes to making resolutions I consider the first few weeks of the year a grace period. With the busy holiday season and many people having kids who are out of school, there's no real time before January 1st to sit down and reflect about goals for the upcoming year. You might scoff at the idea of making resolutions, but it can be helpful to start the year with a set of intentions to guide you. This can be particularly true for couples. Whether it's improving the quality of your relationship, the quality of your health, or some other area of your life, as 12 New Year's Resolutions Every Couple Should Make points out "making resolutions with a partner can help you stick to your promises and can also strengthen your relationship." Check out the article for some good suggestions or come up with your own. Just resolve at least one thing...together. Happy New Year!

"Our Perfect Merger (and Acquisition)"

Check out how one couple manages being partners in marriage as well as partners in business. Selena and Khary Cuffe own Heritage Link Brands, the largest importer to the United States of black-produced wine from Africa. In a weekly column for Inc. the couple will share their entrepreneurial journey and what it takes to keep a marriage strong while working together in a challenging business environment. Wine lovers will also enjoy the weekly wine tip.

Marital Musings Voted #3 on The Top 10 Marriage Blogs of 2011 List!

Thank you to everyone who voted for Marital Musings! Of the 48 blogs nominated, your votes pushed us all the way up to #3. Congratulations to all of the other Top 10 Marriage Blogs of 2011.