Marriage, Family & Kids

Three Ways to Celebrate This Easter Long Weekend

Posted on March 10, 2015 by admin

With the Easter long weekend fast approaching, many people are figuring out what they’re going to do to celebrate the occasion. As a religious holiday, Easter obviously has greater significance for people of faith than for the non-religious. For some, it’s a bit of a confusing holiday; Easter doesn’t have the splendour and gift-giving of Christmas, and it doesn’t occur during a time of year when people traditionally have extended time off for travel, so most celebrations have to be close to home. This doesn’t have to detract from the fun though! The good news is Easter is the sort of holiday that you can celebrate almost any way you like. Here are a few ideas for things to do if you’re stuck.

1. Family Lunch/Dinner

Easter, like Christmas and other family-oriented holidays, is often a good excuse to get the family together for a meal. Naturally, that means cooking up a feast to feed everyone, so, if your appliances aren’t up to the task, now is the perfect time to visit a manufacturer like Asko or your local whitegoods retailer. Fish is often the food of choice on the day, so keep that in mind if any particularly religious family members are coming. Gift-giving isn’t traditionally something that occurs for Easter, but it has been gaining popularity among some particularly generous families.

2. Community Events

There are always plenty of community-organised events around towns and cities during the Easter long weekend. They’re a great opportunity to get everyone out of the house and make the most of your time off. Some places put on carnivals, others stage massive Easter Egg hunts. If you don’t have a community event in your area, consider organising one. Start by speaking to your local council if you need more information on that. For religious families, there are always plenty of church services going on all weekend and they often organise activities for the congregation too.

There are church services and activities that you & your family can join. [Image: Crosscards.com]

3. Non-Denominational? No Problem!

For those who aren’t particularly religious, it’s easy to feel a bit left out. Truthfully, you can celebrate the Easter holiday any way that you want. After all, four-day weekends don’t pop up very often, so you should make the most of it. Finish a weekend project you’ve been working on by getting the whole family involved. Watch a movie or TV show together, go on a family picnic, head to the beach, or even take a small road trip if the weather’s nice. Take a bit of extra time to plan an especially tricky Easter Egg hunt around your home and leave clues for the kids to find. There are no wrong answers here. Have fun.

Getting the family together for a holiday should be its own reward, and the Easter long weekend is a perfect time to do so. It’s the perfect excuse for a mid-year catch-up and, depending on where you are, the weather could provide a pleasant backdrop to your chosen festivities. What are your favourite ways to celebrate the Easter long weekend? Share your ideas in the comments below.

Ovulation: Key to Getting Pregnant!

Posted on December 11, 2014 by admin

Have you and your husband been trying to conceive? Knowing when you ovulate is indeed one key to ensure that your dream baby will be coming soon 🙂

Knowing when you ovulate. It’s pretty easy to detect if you have a regular cycle and if you know what are the ways to do it but some women are clueless on how to know when they’re ovulating. Why do we need to know when we’re ovulating anyway? It is because; a woman can only get pregnancy when she is ovulating. http://pregnancytips.org has some tips to help you know when you are ovulating.

1. Software/Phone Apps. One search online and you see so many free apps that can help you detect when you’re ovulating. These apps are available for both Android and iPhone users. What these apps to is they calculate your cycle for you and tell you when you are ovulating. Most of these apps will only ask for the last day of your period, and viola! You’ll know when to expect your next possible ovulation date.

2. Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPK). These are over the counter, pregnancy test-like devices that will show a positive result when you are ovulating. You are looking for 2 dark lines for a positive result when using an OPK.

Photo: David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3. Basal Body Thermometers. Our body has different temperatures, especially when we are ovulating. These thermometers help you as you chart your temperature daily and when you see a sudden drop in your temperature, you are most likely ovulating.

4. Cervical Mucus. Yes, you heard that right. This is the cheapest, and for me, most accurate way in detecting ovulation. During other times of the moment, a woman’s cervical mucus is usually thick or yellowish. When a woman ovulates, her cervical mucus becomes like that of the egg white. And when you see that, it’s the perfect time for the sperm to catch the egg!

Back to the 5 Love Languages

Posted on February 27, 2014 by admin

Years back, a friend of mine lent me a book by Gary Chapman on the 5 Love Languages. Needless to say, the book helped me understand myself and others better. It has certainly helped me love others better.

When I tied the knot with my husband 4 years ago, my understanding of the love languages has helped me appreciate and understand his love language. And I believe this has helped us towards a very fulfilling marriage. What about you? Do you know the love language of your spouse, your kids or even your own love language? Maybe you do and you just need a little review about them 🙂 Check out the video below.

What Makes Your Marriage Thrive?

Posted on November 7, 2013 by admin

Four years ago today, I said yes to a lifetime commitment. Today, my husband and I continue to build a marriage that satisfies us, that hopefully blesses others and one that glorifies God, the ultimate Author of marriages.

Reaching the state of our married life which I would say is a happy one has not always been easy. Along with the joys are the numerous adjustments, disagreements and yes, the weaknesses. As for me and my husband, the following have helped us in our journey as a couple:

1. Acceptance and Contentment. Married life is certainly different when my husband and I were still dating each other. In the confines of our home, we see realities in each other that we do not know before. This is where acceptance and contentment comes in. It is also acknowledging that what we are and what we have is enough for each other 🙂

2. Understanding and adjustment. In reality, no relationship can survive without the involved parties seeking to understand and then to adjust to each other. Certainly, we see the importance of these two in marriage. Understanding and adjustment needs to be practised by both husband and wife, not just by one partner.

3. Communication. For understanding to happen, there has to be communication. This was something that my husband and I had to really learn 🙂 For us to be understood we needed to make the effort to speak and to express what is on our minds and of course, make the effort to listen. And this is not easy. It’s easier to shut off (this is usually my husband) or argue (that’s usually me!!) than to make the effort to really communicate 🙂

4. Humor. There has to be room for lots of laughter in marriage. My husband and I share jokes with each other. And when we find something funny online, we make a point to show it to each other. It takes away tension and stress 🙂

5. Faith in God. And last but not the least, what has made our marriage strong is our faith in God. I believe that if we only think of marriage as a commitment to each other, it would not be enough. A shared commitment to God, a joint faith in Him has been a necessary foundation for us. It has been essential for us in our journey as a couple.

Now what about you? If you are married, what has helped your marriage survive and thrive? 🙂