Creating Sparks That Last & All Things Relationships

🎁 Happy Relationships and a Merry Christmas Image credit @KatieAzi My gift to you this holiday season, is one of happier times with your loved ones. I have a giveaway for you; a booklet of Date Year Ideas for you to use at your leisure. Completely free, no strings attached, a giveaway of pure loving intention. The date ideas are fun and relaxed and can be used in any relationship you wish to deepen. Healthy relationships cover all aspects of our lives, so you can quite easily adapt my date ideas to your friendships, family relationships or partnerships.  Your style, your way.   I have included a page for each month of the year with some ideas for you to think about. But, this is YOUR date year, YOUR way. You can change them up, add your own or include anything that gets you closer to understanding the person you are with in that moment. Your free booklet is at the link below: Date Year Ideas Image credit @OlesiaHnatkevych Have fun and do share your own date ideas with me in the commen

Or Not the One? https://unsplash.com/@jess33mx How can you know for sure that your partner is the one for you? The simple truth is, you can’t. As a young teenager, I threw a declaration out into the wind that I would marry a man with curly hair who loved water sports. When I met my then-boyfriend, now-husband, it was a lifetime later, different school, different friends and yet I met this young man who loved nothing better than to go water skiing with friends every weekend, and, yes, he had curly hair! Now, several decades later, we have our own little run-around boat and love nothing better than to go out on the lake or for a paddle in quiet waters. But those several decades were definitely not smooth sailing. https://unsplash.com/@matthewclarkrogers From the outside, it looks like he was my 'one.' But there were many occasions when I wondered, in fact we both wondered, if  we wanted this life together. You see, when I threw my declaration out into the Universe, I was young an

Holiday Reads to Help with your Relationships https://unsplash.com/@thoughtcatalog As the holidays get near, it's difficult to keep daily routines running smoothly and this is a problem for people who don't like their days disrupted. It's particularly difficult when you have friends or family staying for long periods through the holiday season. I've listed some books below that will help us understand the complexities in a range of relationships, and help us to see the perspective of the other person, or people, as well.  The following books relate to aspects of our relationship with: Ourselves  Our parents  Partner  Children   Extended family, friends or even colleagues.  I have read them all and have gained different insights from each one. (I am in NO WAY affiliated). We'll start with our relationship with ourselves, because ultimately, that's where our interactions stem from, in every single relationship we encounter. Hector and the Search for Happiness by F

 5 Tips for a Loving Relationship https://unsplash.com/@k_yasser Here are my 5 tried and tested truth bombs that work! Listen with your eyes!             Making and maintaining eye contact - without staring like a stalker! - shows your genuine interest and makes the person who is talking to you, feel heard and acknowledged.   Make time for each other              And make it meaningful. Instead of just going on a picnic, out for dinner or for a walk or hike, do something special to mark the occasion. Perhaps a quiet dance at home before dinner, or a favourite pillow/cushion for the picnic - get creative! This shows the other person that you truly want to  be with them. Do something just for them            To make someone feel valued, do something that you might not enjoy but you know they do. It could be a movie of their choice but not particularly your taste, or maybe cook/order their favourite meal even if you really felt like pizza!  This let's them know that you've really

 International Men's Day International Men's Day  is held annually on 19 November. It is an opportunity to celebrate men and boys in all their diversity. Many people also use the day to highlight some of the key social issues that men and boys around the world face.  International Men's Day Info Disclaimer : The following information is based on my opinion entirely and is not meant, in any way, to persuade the reader's rights to their own opinion. The celebration of the men in our lives DOES NOT INCLUDE abusive relationships. Please seek help if you are in an abusive situation:  Global Link Honoring the Men in Our Lives We all start off in life with a male figure-head 'somewhere' in our lives. Some may not be present as father-figures but we are all conceived by both male and female interaction. So what is it then, that determines our perception of the male presence around us? Undoubtedly the direct attention of those in our daily lives, whether it be family, f

Are You Your Own Stumbling Block to Happiness? Hello Blog Family! It's been a hot minute since you last heard from me.  Thank you for your patience while I made a huge move, relocating house, home, hearth and heart. As you can tell, this move was a big deal for me, moving far away from my family. This may seem counterintuitive to my happiness but the joy I have already found after just two weeks in my new home far outshines any shadow of sadness that might have been lingering.  https://unsplash.com/@taiscaptures 5 Things Making Me Happy This Week For that reason, I wanted to share with you the pleasures I have gained from setting up home in a far away place: Finding new interests that excite ME: First off, the emphasis is on 'me' because without my own pleasures in life, I have very little joy to impart to others, whether intentionally or by exuding my vibe. It's not necessarily big events or material possessions for me, it's the miniscule shift in awareness . When

If Not Ourselves, Then Who?  [ I invite you to take in the information below and apply it to your daily self-care routine as set out by our Guest Blogger Jessica Ruiz] Javier Allegue Barros via Unsplash If we don’t take good care of ourselves, who will? Self-care is very important.  We are sometimes so busy taking care of others that we forget to take care of ourselves.   There are different types of self-care:   Exercising is one and it helps you to relieve            stress.  Exercising can be fun.  Some people like            dancing.                I love to dance and I love music.               Dancing is a fun way to exercise. Don’t get me              wrong, I know that things happen, and it              is hard to exercise, but you also need to take care            of your health. It's important to find an exercise               routine that suits your health needs.  The second type is taking time for yourself to            enjoy the simple things in life.  I love to