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Category: Recipes

{Podcast} Episode 19 – Practicing Gratitude in Your Marriage

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday we focus on seeing and expressing gratitude in our lives. In this episode, Amberly highlights the importance of appreciating your spouse and expressing gratitude in your marriage relationship. She shares tips for how you can express gratitude and ideas for what you might find to appreciate in your relationship. You can use the ideas in this episode to create new habits surrounding gratitude and make it more of a priority in your marriage all year round.

{Podcast} Episode 18 – Creating Birthday Magic for Your Spouse

Celebrating your spouse's birthday is celebrating that they were born. That they came into this world when they did. And that, because of that date, you have them in your life. It doesn't matter what you do for your spouse for their birthday. What matters is that they know you care. And that they feel loved and appreciated and important in this world. They deserve that every day of their life, but should feel it a little extra on their birthday. In this episode, Amberly shares some ideas to help you plan a fun birthday celebration for your spouse. One that shows them you care and that they're a priority to you.

{Podcast} Episode 17 – Supporting Your Spouse’s Mental Health

Even if your spouse doesn’t struggle regularly with mental health, we all have moments or seasons in life when things get hard. Support your spouse with mental health obstacles and treat them with the care and importance that you’d hope they’d show you in return. In this episode, Amberly shares six tips you can use to support your spouse's mental health journey. These things will have a positive effect on them, you, and your marriage.

{Podcast} Episode 16 – Prioritizing Your Own Mental Health for Your Marriage

Today’s topic is close to my heart and so crucial for the health of any relationship—how prioritizing your personal mental health can strengthen your marriage. One of my favorite quotes about managing your own mental health comes from Dr. David Schnarch. He says, “The most loving thing we can do for our spouse is to learn to regulate our own anxiety.” I strongly believe that it is our responsibility to care for ourselves and do what we need to keep our mental health in good shape. And keep an open line of communication with those close to us as we do, especially our spouse/life partner, so they can support us, which I’ll discuss more in next week’s episode.

{Podcast} Episode 15 – Mental Health and Your Marriage

Your personal mental health has an impact on your marriage, your children, and your family as a whole. But for the Prioritize Your Marriage podcast, we’re going to focus on how the health and stability of your marriage relationship are influenced by the mental health of each partner on a day-to-day basis or in different seasons of life. This episode is an introduction to a mini-series of episodes on mental health and your marriage. Amberly discusses the impact that the mental health of each spouse can have on the marriage relationship and prefaces upcoming episodes about improving individual mental health and supporting each other's mental health while maintaining boundaries that help maintain a healthy relationship dynamic.

35+ Fall Date Night Ideas for Married Couples

Fall is my very favorite season! And although the traditional activities and fall dates that come with it only last for one month, we try to enjoy every minute of it! I created a list of date nights specifically for this season. These fall date night ideas are to help you enjoy every moment of fall, from the changing weather to the cooler days.

{Podcast} Episode 12 – Routines to Help Prioritize Your Marriage

Routines become a part of your every day and help you stay grounded, no matter what you have going on. Routines can have the same impact on your marriage, keeping it grounded and stable regardless of the chaos or peace your lives are currently involved in. In this episode, Amberly shares routines you can set to make your marriage a priority each day and through every season of your lives together.

35+ Winter Date Ideas for Married Couples

Winter is not my favorite season. I prefer the warmer months, but I try to embrace all that winter has to offer. We are also not winter sports people so the skiing and snowboarding that everyone spends every weekend doing in the winter don’t appeal to us at all. We have however, found some really fun winter date ideas that are perfect for the colder months. I find myself looking forward to the cold and the snow. Because I know that it means we’ll get to do some of those fun winter activities that we enjoy doing together.

{Podcast} Episode 10 – Holiday Traditions for Your Marriage

The holiday season is prime tradition time. In this episode of the Prioritize Your Marriage Podcast, Amberly is talking about traditions, specifically holiday ones, and more specifically ones that you share as a couple. She also shares how these connecting tips and rituals can be adjusted to work year round, in ways that aren't so seasonal.

{Podcast} Episode 9 – Dividing Time with Your Families for the Holidays and Year Round

Deciding how to spend your time for the holidays, which family traditions to participate in, and making sure that you get quality time with each of your families while leaving room in the schedule for quiet nights at home and your own traditions can be a challenge. That challenge doesn’t end with the holidays though. It’s a year-round, lifelong situation that you will always have to think about. In this episode, Amberly shares five discussions you can have as a couple to set your priorities and boundaries each holiday season, and for time you spend with your families throughout the year.

The Best Christmas Movies to Stream for a Cozy Date Night at Home

Add an at home date night to your weekly routine this holiday season. It's a great opportunity to slow down and relax together amidst the hustle and bustle of the season. Try searching movie titles on Pinterest earlier in the week to get ideas for food or treats you can make to create a theme night. I've seen cute Grinch cookies or Elf popcorn recipes and I'm sure there are others. Turn on the fire, curl up with a blanket, and let the holiday spirit embrace your date!

{Podcast} Episode 8 – Prioritizing Your Marriage During the Holiday Season

From Halloween to the New Year each year is one of the craziest times for families across the board. That time frame is filled with holidays, family get togethers, end-of-year events, and it's often the busiest time of the year for individuals at work. In this episode, Amberly shares three things couples can do to make their marriage a priority through the holiday season and into the new year. Putting your marriage on the back burner, even for just a few weeks, can take your marriage in the opposite direction of where you want it to be. Make time for your marriage and start the new year stronger than ever!

{Podcast} Episode 7 – How to Start Prioritizing Your Marriage Again

If your marriage has been on the back burner for too long, or you're great partners in life, but the romance piece has faded away. When going on a date together, talking about personal things, or being physically intimate feels overwhelming and uncomfortable, how do you rekindle that flame? In this episode, Amberly shares actionable ideas for starting fresh and building a new relationship with your spouse. Step outside your comfort zone, the way you probably did when you first decided to date each other, and create a more prioritized marriage that you're excited about!

{Podcast} Episode 6 – What is Keeping You from Prioritizing Your Marriage

There are a lot of reasons couples give when talking about why they don’t have more time for their marriage. Work, school, kids, opposite schedules, the list goes on when it comes to obstacles that could get in the way of prioritizing a marriage. In this episode, Amberly shares the one big reason couples aren't able to make their marriage a priority, regardless of their season or situation in life. And then, of course, she challenges you to evaluate your own marriage and change that!

30 in my 30’s Bucket List Update – Age 35

As I approached my 30's, I decided to create a bucket list of 30 things I wanted to accomplish in this decade of my life. Today I turn 35 and I've spent the last week reviewing that list. It's been fun to see what I've accomplished. I found renewed motivation for some goals I forgot I set. And I saw things that I thought I wanted five years ago, that no longer fit my plans for myself.

6 Tips for Supporting Your Struggling Spouse {World Mental Health Day}

Today is World Mental Health Day. I get questions often about mental health struggles and marriage. I’ve gotten these questions from the spouse struggling with their mental health, who wants to know how to best explain to their spouse what they are going through and how to help them. I’ve also gotten questions from the spouses of those who are struggling, wondering how they can best help and support the one they love. Today I want to address those questions. Whether you or your spouse has anxiety, depression, or another mental illness, this post has been written just for you.

{Podcast} Episode 4 – Increase Intimacy in Your Marriage

We often use the word intimacy in reference to sex, but intimacy has a much broader definition and meaning. Intimacy requires you to be vulnerable. It increases in the time that you spend connecting with each other, and it has many different facets. Can sex be intimate? Of course. Does intimacy in marriage include sex? Most definitely. But intimacy is so much more than the act of being physically intimate.

{Podcast} Episode 3 – Create a Stronger Connection in Your Marriage

Connection comes when you spend time together when you talk about everyday life or work to get to know each other better, and just as you journey through life together and experience things alongside. What worked to help you connect in one season of life, might not be feasible or serve you the same way throughout different seasons of your marriage. The experiences you go through can bond and connect you on a deeper level, or they can push you apart. You have to make intentional efforts as a couple, and remember that it's the two of you against whatever comes your way, in order to stay connected and have the opportunity to deepen your connection.

{Podcast} Episode 2 – Have More Fun in Your Marriage

n this episode, Amberly talks about having more fun in your marriage and playing together as a couple. She touches on daily, everyday, spontaneous fun as well as intentionally setting aside time to do fun things together and create fun in your marriage, such as date night. Creating fun in your marriage is not only going to strengthen and connect the two of you, it will help you get through hard times, it will build the friendship and romantic relationship that you have with each other.

{Podcast} Episode 1 – Why Prioritize Your Marriage

The tagline of A Prioritized Marriage is "making marriage a priority throughout every stage of life." This comes from the overall mission of A Prioritized Marriage which is to help couples make time to build and enjoy their marriage throughout every stage of life. Making your marriage a priority isn't just about keeping your relationship together throughout your life together, but also taking time to enjoy that relationship and build your connection with each other.

The Prioritize Your Marriage Podcast Trailer

Each episode of the Prioritize Your Marriage podcast will take the goal of creating a strong and enjoyable marriage through date night, intimacy, fun, and connection and provide you with an actionable challenge that is easy to implement but will have a profound impact on your marriage!

Great Resources for Better Physical Intimacy in Marriage

September is fondly referred to as Sextember in the relationship and intimacy expert community. Each year we celebrate by encouraging couples to deepen the physical intimacy in their marriage. Resources, tips, challenges, and education abound during the month and this post is part of that. I've rounded up the posts I've created on the topic of sex and intimacy in marriage. I've also included my favorite resources such as books with more education and tools to spice things up in the bedroom.

57 Summer Date Night Ideas for Married Couples

This list of summer date ideas includes activities that can be done at home or out on the town. It has date nights for outdoor lovers and for those of us who prefer to stay indoors when it gets a little too hot. You can even take a few of the ideas and turn them into multiple dates depending on how you choose to participate in the activity each time. I hope these summer date ideas inspire you to make date night a priority in your marriage and spend intentional quality time together this season!

Spring Date Night Ideas for Married Couples

This list of spring date ideas includes things that can be done at home or out on the town. It has activities for outdoor lovers and for those of us who prefer to stay indoors until it gets warmer. You can even take a few of the ideas and turn them into multiple dates depending on how you choose to participate in the activity each time.

How to Set Goals for Your Marriage in the New Year

The beginning of a new year is the time when a lot of people set goals. In addition to setting your own personal goals, I recommend setting goals in your marriage. There are many benefits to setting goals for your marriage and as a couple. Having a common goal to work towards strengthens the two of you and a partnership and a team. Achieving those common goals as a couple will help you work better together and will bring you closer together. I hope this post will help you set goals for your marriage to help you work toward the life you're trying to build together.

My Favorite Spouse Stocking Stuffers

At Christmastime, my favorite thing to gift, to my husband specifically, is a well filled stocking! My husband says that stocking stuffers overwhelm him, and I know a lot of other people feel the same way. I've created many spouse stocking stuffers gift lists over the years. This year I wanted to compile a list of my favorites from them all.

Experience Gifts to Give for the Holidays

Experience gifts are a pretty popular concept right now. Everyone wants to give something meaningful but they don't want to just gift stuff. One of my favorite things about the idea of gifting experiences is that a lot of those gifts involve quality time between the gift giver and the individual receiving the gift. In marriage, you can gift experiences and surprise your spouse with something they'll love and may not have been expecting. Below you'll find six different ways to give experience gifts for Christmas this year!

12 Holiday Date Night Ideas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the most chaotic time of the year! It’s easy to get so caught up in the parties and shopping and family traditions that you might not have as much time to spend with each other. Date night is always important, but I’ve found it to be extra important in my marriage during the busy seasons of life! During the upcoming holiday season, pick a few dates from the list below and add them to your calendar for the month.

Holiday Traditions for Married Couples

The holidays are a lot of fun but they can also be crazy and chaotic. Amidst the chaos, it can be easy to let your marriage take the backseat. It can easily come second to all of the family parties and activities that you have planned. Don’t let the fun that you have planned for the holidays take the place of the fun that you would usually be having together. Instead, create holiday traditions that give you an opportunity to stay connected!