With life, kids, appointments, cleaning, bills, jobs, activities, cooking, homework and did I mention cleaning??? It’s easy to lose sight of that special thing you and your mate had that brought this family together in the first place! This is especially true if you’re a blended family!

ANYTHING WORTH IT, TAKES WORK!
Like with anything that truly matters in life, it takes maintenance, dedication, and hard work. Anytime two people who grew up differently and merge lives, have children and attempt to blend beliefs…is conflict going to happen ? Well of course, it is inevitable. It is important to remember why you crazy kids (or crazy old foagies) got together in the first place, the last thing you want is your partner out there in the world feeling neglected, resentful, or just downright unhappy.

IT’S ABOUT YOU AS A COUPLE!
Yes our children should be the center of our universe and we can definitely get caught up in their bubble but at the end of the day we have to remember, one day they will find someone and move on with their life and move out of our home. This leaves us with each other! The person we decided to begin this crazy journey with, the one we want next to us until the end of our days.

The truth is if our children see us happy as a couple, the happiness will trickle down to them. It is our responsibility to be great role models for them which includes showing them what a healthy relationship looks like. Studies show this makes our children feel secure and confident. They also show this is especially important if this is your second or third time go- around. Our children (bio and step) do what we do, not what we say. We MUST be a team, in the parental way, relationship way, and every way!

So here are 7 tips on how to keep your love alive and your family thriving!

KEEPING THE LOVE ALIVE!
1) Send out a naughty text or pic to your partner! But check twice before sending…We have experienced sending out something inappropriate on a family group text!!!

EM-BARRA-SSING!

2) Make that dinner reservation-Make plans to go to the restaurant you both loved when you first began dating!

3) Take a walk holding hands and reminisce about the beginning and how you fell in love! This is great for the heart (physically and emotionally).

4) Plan and BOOK that vacation! These little gestures will remind your partner how much they mean to you. If you need to set it up secretly and then surprise him…even better (if you can work that out with shared custody schedules and work of course).

5) Communication-Tell him how much you appreciate him. Men love hearing wonderful things like this!

6)Exercise together! If you can get some gym time in together or do a quick Pinterest work out together, this helps the two of you feel more connected.

7) Have sex-No explanation necessary!

Now if you are in an abusive relationship or some type of relationship where there is zero reciprocation, by all means…do what you gotta do and leave.

On the other hand, if you have it pretty good, invest in your relationship and the return will hopefully be greater than you can imagine!