Husband Olympics - What Medal Would You Receive?

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Since it seems like everything else these days is Olympic-themed, I thought I would join in on the fun!

What does it take to be a gold-medal husband?  here's my take...

"That's Not How Mommy Does It!"

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Today, we have a Q & A with Jesse Lee, an author of a new children's book, titled "That's Not How Mommy Does it!"  Please note, I am only posting this because I genuinely enjoyed the book and think you will too, probably because I can relate too well!  I have only received a soft-copy of this book and no other compensation for posting this Q&A.  The book is scheduled for release on August 15th.

Be a Better Father: Examples from Hollywood

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One of my favorite movies is John Q.  As I was having dental work done recently, I was watching The Pursuit of Happyness and realized how much I love that movie as well.  Then it dawned on me.  I like those movies because they both center around a dedicated and loving father.

John Q -



If you have not seen John Q, stop reading this and go do it. Denzel Washington stars in this movie and he plays a father with a sick son, who is in need of a heart transplant.  Due to issues with his employment status and his insurance coverage he cannot afford the surgery and the hospital refuses to put his son's name on the Heart transplant list.  I love how determined this father is to ensure his son lives - he holds fundraisers and sells all he has, but it still isn't enough.  He still does not give up.  He then resorts to hijacking the hospital and even attempts to take his own life so his son can have his heart.  While this is certainly not recommended, I LOVE his dedication and perseverance to take care of his family.  How many of us would have given up long before that?

Pursuit of Happyness - 
 

In this movie, a down and out family is struggling to pay their bills.  The father, Chris Garnder (Will Smith), works tirelessly to try to provide for his son. Even after his wife leaves him and he becomes homeless, everything he does is to protect and provide for his son.  For me, it makes me think - Am I giving 110% to provide for my family and my sons? If I faced this same situation, would I have the strength and dedication to go to such extreme measure to provide for my family?

Rarely does Hollywood portray powerful, dedicated (or even adequate) fathers.  This time they got it right.  Watch these movies and see two great examples of how to be a great Father.

Good Husband vs. Good Wife

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As I thought about and wrote my last blog post on the 4 fundamentals of being a good husband, I found an interesting statistic which, while not a surprise, is somewhat troubling.

As I was playing around with different keywords on Google AdWords Keyword Tool and noticed the following:

How to be a Good Husband: 4 Fundamental Principles

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The ways to be a good husband follows a very fundamental formula: Loving, Serving, Communicating, and Dating.  These four fundamental principles outline the areas of being a husband where when improvement is made, will have the greatest positive impact on your wife and marriage.  It is important to note that these are the same four principles would be my advice to any prospective husband as well as any husband who just wants to be better.  These principles build a solid foundation to being a great husband!

Date Your Wife: Dinner and a Movie Variations

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I had a great date with my wife last week. We went to a restaurant we've never been to in downtown Seattle (Serious Pie - highly recommended) and then saw The Amazing Spiderman at the Cinerama theater (I also highly recommend the movie and the theater - and they have chocolate popcorn).  Many people under estimate the dinner and a movie date -  I love it.  As long as it's not done for EVERY date, it can be a very fun! 

I think this is a great date because it allows for conversation and discussion and provides some relaxing entertainment.  What do you do if it does become boring? (i.e. going to the same restaurant and movie theater every week). 

Be creative!  There are so much you can do with a dinner and a movie date! Here's a few of my ideas, feel free to share yours in the comments -

Be a Better Husband by Showing Gratitude

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 I initially titled this post "Be a Better Husband by Saying Thank You," but changed it when realizing that being thankful is not just saying "thank you," and that showing gratitude is much more powerful. Our actions speak infinitely louder then then spoken words.

How to show Gratitude-
I imagine that people who gratitude in many different ways.  This is something that I am not good at, plain and simple.  Here's good example of how I don't show gratitude and maybe you can use myself as an example of what not to do.  Often when I come home from work, my wife has worked tirelessly to clean the house.  While I notice it most of the time, I occasionally remember to say thank you, and even more rarely do I SHOW gratitude by helping to maintain the cleanliness she created (by at very least cleaning up after myself!).  You know your wife - say thank you and show gratitude in a way you know she will appreciate.

Obama or Romney? A Win-Win!

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So, who will it be? Mitt Romney or another term for President Obama?

It's a win-win.

Okay, okay, that might be a little bit of a stretch, but as far as providing an example of a good husband and father, both seem to have it nailed - both would be a good example of how a man is supposed to treat their wife and kids... at least in the public eye, which apparently is all that matters in politics!

Starting Back Up!!!

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Helloooooooooooooo!

It's been about 14 months since I posted regularly, but I have been giving it considerable thought and think I am ready to have another go at it.  It's not that I didn't enjoy it last time, but for those of you who are bloggers know the kind of commitment it takes to make regular updates and I feel it may have taken a toll on my family.  Not sure how frequently I will post, but I commit to posting regularly.

While I will be back on the blog, I'm not ready to get back into Twitter yet.  Sure it's great to interact with like-minded people, but I've found it's largely a waste of time and I can't afford to waste time these days.

I still feel very strongly about being a good husband and father and the main reason I started this blog still applies - it reminds me every day to be better.  It makes me accountable.  I will admit that I was much better at doing the little things in my marriage and family when I was more involved here (especially regular date nights!).

So, as I re-commit to this blog, I re-commit to my wife and my kids to be better!

I invite you to re-commit as well... we'll do it together.

photo credit: eschipul via photo pin cc

Guest Post: Family Entertainment Options

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This guest post was brought to you by satellitetvfamily.com. However, I will add that appropriate family entertainment is incredibly important to the family. There's a part of me that hopes that I could be one of those parents who never allows there children to watch TV.  Practically, that is not possible and TV time that is not excessive has been helped immensely.  Also, with all the trash on TV these days it's always important to have the appropriate options that will be appropriate for the whole family.

It can sometimes be difficult for families to figure out television, in terms of what to watch and when to watch it. Depending on how old your children may be, for example, it might be very hard to find programming for everyone to enjoy, simply because kids are not usually as interested in the shows that parents want to watch, and vice versa. Sometimes, in fact, it can even be difficult for parents and young children to agree on shows for the children to watch on their own, as there has to be a balance between what the children enjoy and what the parents deem appropriate for them. Fortunately, offerings like directtv specials provide extra channels and unique programming options that can make all of these issues easier to resolve.

How Do You Make Your Wife's Burdens Lighter?

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I have been thinking about this post for a long time... but I guess it finally time to get it down in "ink" and get it up on the blog.  Most of my desire for writing this is because it's something that I need to be better at doing.

My wife has had to endure many burdens recently.

Be a Better Husband and Father When Life Gets Crazy!

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I am happy to repor that I am still alive.

Unfortunately life got crazy and I had to evaluate my activities and prioritize.  Due to that, I am not ashamed to say that I sacrificed time working on this blog to deal with family and work issues.  I stopped posting to this blog to try to be a better husband and father and I know most of you would have done that same thing.

There were a number of things that needed my attention including, selling our condo (which is still in process), my wife's post-partum depression, dealing with a baby with bad reflux that doesn't sleep and cries all the time, job uncertainty, all the while trying to look after my spiritual and physical health.  It has been exhausting!

During this exhausting period in my life there were times that it was more difficult to be a great husband... or continually strive to be.  It's an interesting, however, because its in these times that our wives need us the most.  So, no matter what you and your family are going through in your life, remember to continue to strive to be a better husband and father... this is when your family needs you the most!

I hope to be a little more consistent on the blog in the coming months, but probably no where near how active I was last year and I hope you'll understand!

Walking for Healthier Babies

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Some of the most challenging times I've experienced  in my life have been a result of the premature birth of both of my children. The complicated pregnancies, early births, sick babies, surgeries, and endless doctor appointments were are challenging, but they've also made me who I am today; I am a better husband and father because of it.

Family Movie Night - "Truth Be Told"

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This past weekend I had the unique opportunity of pre-screening a movie titled "Truth Be Told" that will air as Part of "Family Movie Night" on Saturday, April 16th on FOX at 8pm/7ct.


First, let me say that the Family Movie Night idea is a great one. There is so much garbage on TV these days, it is awesome to have time set aside for a movie that will be appropriate for the whole family. Not only will the movie be appropriate, but the Family Movie Night website states that the advertising will also be appropriate! Way to go Fox! (Family Movie Night is also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/familymovienight).

The Review-

The Eternal Blessings of Marriage

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This past weekend was the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and there was one talk that stood out to me and that was incredibly applicable to the audience of this blog (among countless others).

The talk was given by Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and was titled "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage."

Here is a link to the full text of the talk, and below are few of my favorite quotations. (Note: The message is applicable to all, not just members of the LDS Church)... Enjoy!

Is She Faking It? ...Maybe You Should Too

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No, I'm not talking about THAT! but please keep reading anyway...

Life has a lot of demands on our time and efforts.  We tend to over schedule ourselves and are hurriedly moving from one thing to the next.  So what happens when you are upset, unhappy, or just in a bad mood? Sometimes you just feel like laying on the coach, eating junk food and watching TV all day... when this is not possible - Fake it!

5-Year Anniversary!

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Happy anniversary to my wife! Today is our 5-year wedding anniversary.

What a great 5 years it has been!! Like all couples, we've been through our ups and downs (especially for a couple who only knew each other for 10 months before the wedding).  We've had a very busy, stressful, and eventful 5 years.  Here's a few of the things we've been through together:

• We both graduated from college with our bachelor's degree
• We've moved 4 times (including buying our first home)
• Had 2 children (both preemies with complicated pregnancies, bed rest, and NICU admissions)
• Multiple Job changes
• Numerous health issues with us and our children (5 total surgeries)

All of these things on top of the stress and demands of everyday life has made it a crazy 5 years. It feels like we've been through 10 years of trials and experiences. While its been crazy, all of these experiences have helped us grow closer. We are really looking forward to slowing down for the next couple of years... hopefully!

My wife was so sweet and surprised me last weekend with a night at the Salish Lodge.  It was amazing (especially being away from kids and finally getting a good night's sleep!).  Wood-burning fireplace, huge jetted tube, and breakfast in bed made it an amazing getaway!

Be a Better Husband and Father by NOT Buying the iPad 2

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photo © 2010 Steve Paine | more info (via: Wylio)
Did you know the iPad 2 was released in the US on Friday?

...if you didn't, than you're the only one in the country that didn't.  The amazing popularity of this unnecessary luxury item astounds me!  I read in the Wall Street Journal, that analysts are estimating that Apple sold close to 600,000 iPad 2's in 3 days this past weekend.  It is also estimated that 6 million will be sold before March 31st, and 30 million by year's end.  Wow.

Let me give you 2 reasons for the title of this post and why it may not be appropriate for you, as a husband and father, to buy an iPad 2 (or any other expensive unnessecary item):

Better Husband Resource: 15-Minute Marriage Makeover

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This week Dustin Riechmann, of Engaged Marriage and Fit Marriage, announced his new e-book: 15-Minute Marriage Makeover! He was kind enough to end me a copy to review and I am VERY impressed.  There is a quotation hidden in the Day 2 of the book that I love and I think sums up the book pretty well -

A Reponse to "Where Have All the Good Men Gone?"

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photo © 1937 State Library of New South Wales | more info (via: Wylio)

Last Summer I wrote a blog post in reaction to an article from The Atlantic.  The article as it turned out was pretty biased and it was clear the female author had anti-man tendencies.  I have found a similar article, this time from the Wall Street Journal and this time a little bit worse.  The article is title "Where have all the Good Men Gone?" Go take a read and let me know what you think.

Being a Better Father... of 2

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As you might have guessed life has been crazy, and I haven't been posting nearly as much as I have wanted to. Those of you with more then one child might understand why.  When my 2nd son was born in the beginning of January, my world got turned upside down and my wife and I have been in survival mode ever since.