Love Languages and Emotional Bank Accounts

         
I highly recommend these books to you all. When we understand each other's love languages, we are able to communicate love on a deeper, more intimate level.

Here is a link to the love language test: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/couples/


"Do you ever feel like you're trying to show love to your spouse ... and they don't receive it as love? Something is getting lost in translation ... you don't speak the same love language. Learn from Dr. Bruce and Karen how to learn your love language and how to speak your spouse's love language."

Go to: http://fantheflamedates.com/video/name/making_deposits_into_your_emotional_bank?gclid=CjwKEAiAvZTCBRDvnoOaoa2j3xISJABxPjN9AxkMDBAnhnx_zFxKvFogWd_b1TRSbTdFEhWu18z8FRoCDFrw_wcB#

This link will take you to a video you can watch that will help you understand what your love language is and the way that you like to receive love best. There is also a little quiz you can take that will help identify your love emotional love language needs and what can fill your emotional bank the quickest. When our emotional tanks are full, our relationships are closer, more intimate and we are communicating on a deeper more meaningful level. Our love deepens for one another and we can continue falling in love more everyday with our spouse and those we love.

Saving your Marriage...

This is a short video...but very profound in it's message. When we are sick we seek healing, when our marriages are not doing well we should seek to heal them. Elder Oaks states that when we seek the Lord he will help heal us and our marriages. "A marriage in duration and Godlike in quality, does not contemplate divorce". Let us all seek to have healing in our marriages, to love one another as God loves us.
Do something special for your spouse today to show love, kindness and forgiveness so they know how much you value your marriage and them as a spouse.

Expressions of Love

This is a really cute video that helps to remind us how to share expressions of love with our spouse. I love this video as it has couples of all ages, and each have been married for different amounts of time.
Challenge this week is to express love to your spouse. Perhaps watching this video will inspire ways you can do this.

Spending Time with Those You Love

Hi everyone. I have been thinking about Christmas coming up in almost a month now and how busy this season can be. The thing I enjoy the most about Christmas is the time I can spend together with my husband and children. Whether it is decorating the Christmas tree, making gingerbread cookies, or dipping chocolates, there are a lot of fun activities we can do together as a family. Please make time for each other and feel the true Spirit of Christmas, which is sharing, giving and loving and patterning our lives after the Savior. I encourage everyone to make a plan to make sure that you are spending quality time with the ones you love. :)

Healthy Marriage Tips www.healthymarriagetips.com

I wanted to share this website with you all. It is healthymarriagetips.com.
Here you will find some great ideas and some pamphlets that can help build marriage relationships. Below is a sampling of one:

Staying Connected

What do you picture when you think of romance in marriage? Perhaps a candle lit dinner? Maybe you see a passionate embrace next to a roaring fireplace? Whilst moments of passion and romance bring color to your relationship, researchers have found that strong marriages are secured in the simple, everyday activities that husbands and wives share with each other. In other words, moseying down the supermarket aisle together each week is better for your marriage than a passionate tango on the dance floor.
When spending time with your spouse, both quality and quantity are important. Not only should you be there for your spouse, you should also be there, listening to what they have to say and attending to their needs. Dr John Gottman calls this “turning to each other”. His marriage communication research has shown that couples who chat a lot—even about unimportant things—tend to stay together. In addition, he has discovered that when husbands and wives are responsive to each other, they experience more passion, romance, emotional connection, and enjoy a better sex life.
So how can we spend more time “turning towards” our spouse? Here are some tips that may help:
1.When your partner makes a bid for your attention, pay attention!
Gottman has uncovered in his years of relationship communication research that husbands and wives frequently make “bids” for attention from their spouse. These bids may be verbal: “I am so tired,” or “you won’t believe what happened to me today,” or they may be physical, such as a hug or a facial expression. We make these bids and hope that our spouse will respond and pay attention to us. When we fail to respond to these bids, our spouse may feel unimportant and isolated, but when we do respond, we can find precious opportunities to connect with our spouse and show that we care. 
Think about the different ways your spouse tries to get your attention: if you can’t think of any, then perhaps you need to be paying more attention. Remember, each time a bid is made, it can go one of either two ways: you can connect with your spouse, or you can shrink further away from them. It all depends on your response.
2.Do chores together
Let’s face it: sometimes doing chores together is inefficient. It makes more sense to divide the chores to get through them faster, right? Maybe so, but it also means more time spent apart. Doing the chores together may take a little longer, but it can be much more fun and provides more time for husbands and wives to communicate, share, and connect with each other.
3.Have a stress-reducing conversation
Take a little time at the end of each day to talk with each other. This can be an invaluable time to de-stress a little and share the ups and downs of your life. Share any good news you’ve heard or tell a funny joke you heard that day. Talk about stresses at work, family concerns, or anything that’s been weighing heavily on your mind. Most importantly: listen to your spouse and process everything they share with you.
Be careful to make this a positive conversation that doesn’t increase stress and frustration. This is a time to connect with your spouse and find out what’s going on in their life; don’t use it to criticize your spouse or your relationship.
4.Go for a walk together
There are two major benefits to taking a walk together each day. First, you have a set time with your spouse that is free from distractions, and second, you are both getting some exercise at the same time. You will find that the fresh air and exercise will help you maintain more positive communication and keep a clear mind.
When a couple pays attention to each other and stays connected by sharing their lives with each other, they will enjoy greater passion, romance and a better sex life. When the candle lit dinners and fireplace embraces happen, couples who are already connected will share the intense love and intimacy that can only be experienced between two who are truly one.

Try out some of these ideas and comment on how they have helped in your relationship with your spouse. Have Fun~!

Eternal Love

One of my favorite scriptures on marriage is found in Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it". I love this scripture because it teaches us how we should love one another. Christ gave his life for all. He forgave those that hurt him and crucified him, killed him. He served and blessed others. He healed the sick, administered to those who were outcasts and downtrodden. He loves us perfectly and only asks that we follow him, do as he has done and live as he lived. In our marriages are we loving our spouses unconditionally as the Savior showed us how? 

I cry every time I watch this video: It teaches us the true meaning of love, selflessness, kindness, patience, and pure joy in a marriage. I hope your heart is as touched as mine is every time I watch it. 

Welcome to my family life blog

Hi, My name is Camilla and I am really excited to start this family life blog. The purpose of this blog is two fold. One to fulfill a requirement for a university class and the second to share the joy of marriage and family in my life and to inspire others to do the same. Please comment in positive ways as this blog is meant to be happy, encouraging and as real as my family is. I hope we can all have fun with this :)
Here is an introduction video I would love to share:https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-02-001-families-can-be-together-forever?lang=eng