Giving the Gift of Play

This is an old post, but I think the premise is still important so I want to resurface it! I’ve also added a bit of research to the mix. Full disclosure, as the years have worn on, my ability to be playful has waned — I’m hoping diving back into this topic will bring it back. 🙂


Hi! Long time no see! I had to take a break from the ol’ blog for a while for various reasons. For one, I was working full-time on a project, so I decided to put all my energy into that. I figured, work for money > work for free. When that was over, I had a baby. I figured, work for family > work for me. Rhyming unintentional, but pretty fantastic.
 

Liana new baby
Meet the new baby!

But now, the baby and I have found a sort of rhythm, I’m not so terribly sleep deprived, and I am back to not getting paid… Which honestly kind of sucks, but at least it gives me time to do this again.

So we just celebrated various holidays—in my family, we do Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a light version of Hanukkah… and you know, a parents’ version of New Year’s Eve, which consists of saying, “Hey, it’s New Year’s Eve,” going to bed at 9:00, and waking up in the morning saying, “Hey, Happy New Year.”

A Gift That Improved My Marriage

My focus on this post is going to be our recent Christmas gift exchange, and how it affected my marriage, helping me be kinder to my husband.

A long time ago, I wrote about the best advice my mom ever gave me about marriage. You can read about that later, but I’ll tell you briefly, the jist of it is that we have to appreciate each other.

Well, after this past Christmas, I have a piece of advice of my own. And honestly, I have heard it before. But it is so valuable and so easily lost when we are involved in just making it through each day as parents to young children.

Continue reading “Giving the Gift of Play”

The Best Marriage Advice I Ever Received

This post was originally written a few years ago (my parents have now been married for 42 years, and my husband and I for 12). I’m resurfacing it because it serves as a great reminder for me as life gets busier and more complex. My hope is that you find a nugget or two that resonate with you, as well!

I’d also add that this piece of advice is solid for ANY relationships we have — friends, kids, colleagues, parents, siblings, etc. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic!


My mom, like most moms, gives me loads of advice. Much of it is about marriage. Thankfully, she’s not annoying about it. Maybe that’s why we’re still so close. 🙂

I usually take her advice seriously, because I know that she is a very happy person and has a lot to offer in the way of wisdom. I don’t subscribe to every single thing she says—who does?

But this one piece of marriage advice has stuck with me, and I swear by it:

Continue reading “The Best Marriage Advice I Ever Received”