Guest Post- Dedra @ Prettiful Designs

Hi, I’m Dedra, a stay at home mother of 3 girlets. I love cooking, the outdoors, crafting, organizing, and I’m a graphic designer on the side. I really love my family—A LO T!!! I met my husband at the beginning of my
sophomore year of college at Brigham Young University. We married right before finals at the end of the year—I was only 19! So young! :) My freshman year I always made fun of the girls in the MFHD program (Marriage, Family, Human Development) because I thought all they wanted to do was get married--and that didn't equate to my accounting/business oriented mind. Boy was I shocked with myself when after we were married I decided to switch to the MFHD degree! Fast forward several years and we were finally able to
have children after a lot of heartache. Hopefully we're not done but I'm so grateful for the kids we have.

Going from years by ourselves and then throwing kids into the mix has been an interesting experience. I think that no matter what the situation, it can be hard to maintain a positive and thriving marriage. If you're not currently married, just tuck this article away--hopefully for future use! :)

From my schooling and experience I've learned that to keep marriage going you have to constantly work at it. Following is an easy to implement idea with amazing effects.

Ask your spouse to write 10 ways he/she would like you to show them love. Write out on 10 different slips of paper. Do the same for your spouse. Exchange lists and read one and don't read another till you've implemented whatever your spouse has requested. You may be surprised at what your spouse
lists. When I did this with my husband he wrote things like: "play computer games with me," "give me a massage," and the most surprising of all, "sing to me." We did this exercise after 8 or so years of marriage. I had never sang to him. I didn't know he wanted me to. I practiced with my bass ukulele for a week or two until I could sing & play "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer. It was such a wonderful experience and I try to sing to him more often.

I hope you've enjoyed this tip. Visit my blog at http://www.prettifuldesigns.blogspot.com for more marriage/family tips and ideas.

Dedra-this is such a great idea! I know that after being married for almost 9 years that things get a little slack in showing your husband that you love them department. So glad you shared this with us :)

You can also find Dedra at her shop, Prettiful Designs and on Facebook.