On Friday night, Raylan and I met up at our favorite watering hole. We had barely sat down.
Hubby: So how did you like me taking care of your every need in Arizona?
Me: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT! I could absolutely get used to it!
As you may have gathered from my earlier posts, we were in Phoenix the week before last with the kids for Spring Break. We decided to rent a house to encourage family togetherness. The minute we arrived Raylan took over all the typical duties I handle at home; meals, clean-up, laundry and waited on me non-stop. You want a drink, snack, morning tea, made to order breakfast? He was the man. Before I could think it, he was already doing it for me. A girl could get used to that kind of treatment!
I complimented often about the special treatment during our trip. On the last night he asked a similar question to Friday's.
Raylan: Have you liked me taking care of you this past week?
Me: I've loved being spoiled more than usual!
Raylan: You deserve it!
I read in Step-Mom Magazine recently, that the biggest problem in step-families is actually that the parents forget to put their marriage first. It's important in any marriage, but more so in a blended family because the family doesn't exist if the two parents are not connected. I have to admit that Raylan and I have been caught up in the mechanics of our blended family, losing sight of our relationship more times than I can remember.
There's always the usual suggestions to keep your marriage as the priority; date your husband, get busy in the bedroom, communicate, but how do you do those things when he forgot to take the garbage out again, came home late from work when the kids were driving you crazy! I could go on and on, but for me the heart of the matter is how to get the ball rolling so that you can do all the "suggested" things you must do to keep your marriage strong.
Start with the simple things; acknowledging and appreciating when he does the everyday things, he does everyday without complaint. When I did that, he started reciprocating with similar comments and treatment. The other "must do's" for a successful blended family happen naturally rather than becoming " another thing on my to do list" and his for the matter.
I loved my special treatment in Phoenix. It's continued at home, he's actually cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast as we speak. Yeah! I've learned the long, hard way; the simple gestures and recognition are the most meaningful to me. I get more of them if I express appreciation for the simple things to my Hubby. Here's to keeping life focused on the simple things.