President Obama in Bed With You

Shawn — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:02 +0000

You would have to blind and deaf to not of heard all the fall out about President Obama and his view of marriage. Don’t worry about the economy or the war but hop into bed with us President Obama. Really it doesn’t matter who it is I don’t feel the need for anyone to dictate to me or anyone else on who I pledge my life to and want to spend the rest of my life with. I have beliefs and morals that make me feel the way I do. And there are laws both socially and biblically that are the backing of those beliefs and morals. I don’t believe that President Obama is even a key player in this issue.

President Obama is the leader of this nation but he is to lead by laws that America has set down. He has so many other issues that are so much more important then who are in bed with whom, that he should be worried about. What I want to look at is why someone else is worried about who is in my bed. I will be upfront and tell you that I do not believe in homosexual relationships. But I do know a few people who follow that lifestyle. I like them, I enjoy talking with them. They know my beliefs and I know theirs but we treat each other with respect.

Now all my Christian friends might be gasping at this point. I understand, before I meet these people I would never believe that I could be friends with someone who believed so differently then I. What they practice and believe is against society’s law as well as my religious belief. Whose advice would you accept more a friends or a total stranger who is yelling at you. Exactly, I feel like I am witnessing to my friends with my life and I have been able to have conversations where I can share what I believe.

And I guess that is what this whole blog is leading up to. When people who are nationally known and looked up to start making general sweeping announcements that half of the population doesn’t believe in and half do all we end up with are yelling contest and emotions that get hot and out of hand. Violence and hatred are stirred and people get hurt and killed. Each side has their right to be heard but gently in conversations and usually with people who know and trust you.

It does not matter if you are for or against gay marriage I don’t think that is the best use of time for our president to be concerned about. No matter our sexuality we all want to be safe, have our country back from the economic slide we have been hanging on from. Bring our people home from the different wars we have been involved in. Mr. President, it seems you should be busy enough please stay out of our beds.

Ron and Shawn make up the “Odd Couple.” We are a husband and wife team who have been together for the last 27 years. We have laugh, cried, fought, made up, and made more mistakes then any two people could. Through it all we have raised the greatest three kids in the world! We would like to offer you a free report we put together titled 10 Marriage Help Tips Report with video. Click here for the report. Here is a picture of us at the World Famous Ft Worth, TX Stockyards

The Secret to Enjoying Your Coffee

Shawn — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:00:52 +0000

I don’t drink coffee but I understand the sentiment. Sharing something with someone for a long period of time can be enjoyable as well as peaceful. Life and the stresses it brings are more then enough excitement for me. I love nothing more then sitting out on the deck with my hubby and enjoying just being together.

What are somethings you enjoy doing with your sweetie?

Lifeline to a Great Marriage

Shawn — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:31:18 +0000

Do you find that what was once a great relationship and marriage you are now involved in what feels like a war torn battle and you are about to wave the white flag and walk away from the entire situation. But wait what if I could throw you a lifeline that will cease the battles and help bring the happiness and joy back into your marriage. It sounds impossible? Well, with nothing to lose grab the lifeline and let’s give it 30 days to see if it can change your marriage.

It you are going to grab the lifeline and really use it to better your marriage, first you are going to have to change your mindset and have some faith in your spouse and your marriage. This faith will act as a light it will flicker in the dark but give you enough light to see and make that first step. The light will build and make it easier for you to keep going and building your relationship. Faith is the first step of your lifeline, remember that you have agreed to follow this faith for 30 days and give it a chance to bring you happiness in your marriage.

That faith will help bring hope to you. Hope is such a welcomed friend, it can get you through the night, and it brings reassurance to you. Hope will bring healing and then it goes beyond and helps dreams and desires to be born. This is the time when the hard work will begin from that lifeline. You where saved and now is the time to grow and strengthen your relationship with your spouse. The beautiful thing about hope is that it can be shared and given to your mate. 30 days full of hope can do nothing but good.

Faith and hope then brings love. Once you have come to love you will see that lifeline was worth it. This is the time to start building that happiness and joy back to your life and your marriage. Become a student and see what went wrong the last time in your marriage. Avoid the problem areas that you know and focus on the good. You now know how hard it was to grab that lifeline and build your marriage again. Protect your love, build it and make it strong enough to hold up to the situations that it will encounter in the real world.

I hope you never have to use the lifeline with your marriage. It is ok to use the lifeline steps to strengthen your marriage before problems occur. Have faith in your love and marriage. Hope can be used to build dreams for your marriage and keep it alive. Love is the ultimate reward for the hard work that you have done in your marriage. If you aren’t feeling this then take my challenge and use the lifeline for 30 days and see if it can be a help to you.

Why spending more time together is crucial for the survival of the relationship

Shawn — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:00:05 +0000

Today a guest blogger will be sharing with you why spending more time together is crucial for the survival of your relationship. M.Farouk Radwan contacted The Odd Couple Blog and shared his information and I thought you would enjoy what he has to say.

Also, please don’t forget that Dyrene Bell is hosting a class on the book by Rick Warren called 40 Days of Purpose. Find all the details here.

And now for Farouk’s post.

These days the divorce rate is extremely high and the number of unhappy couples are very high as well. People became reluctant to getting married because of these scary statistics and as a result more and more couples are becoming scared of commitment.

But the question is, why can’t couples be happy? Is there something wrong that couples do that prevents them from living a happy life?

The quick answer is yes and in this post I will explore one of the biggest reasons that make many couples unhappy which is not spending enough time together!

How couples these days behave

Right after a couple gets married every one starts living his own personal life without putting the idea of spending more time together in mind.

Its so normal for a man to go fishing or to do his favorite hobby while his wife goes shopping. This kind of behavior breaks the bond between the couple, brings them apart and reduces intimacy between them.

How the relationship bond weakness

As the couple become more distant each one develops stronger connection with his own friends and thus the relationship between them and their friends becomes stronger than the bond between them.

During that time a negative word from a friend can impact the whole relationship in a bad way and even result in a breakup! After all if the friend is preferred over the spouse then certainly his words are going to have more weight.

How to solve this problem?

The answer lies in a single word, intimacy

The more intimacy gets stronger between the couple the more likely they will live a happier life. Intimacy can be developed by many ways such as:

1) Spending more time together

2) Sharing interests together

3) Doing the same hobby together (even if one partner only likes to do it)

Focus on developing intimacy between you and your spouse and you will find that your love life got way better

Written by M.Farouk Radwan

The founder of http://www.2knowmyself.com

Don’t Call Me Just a Wife

Shawn — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:00:33 +0000

I am writing this post because of a conversation I was in and the comment was made that I was “just a wife.” What I had to share was insignificant to them because I didn’t have a college degree or a corporate job. I didn’t say anything then but this is my rebuttal.

I’m not a very deep person. I didn’t graduate from college and at times that really bothers me. I have Midwestern values and beliefs; I grew up in a slow paced lifestyle of 100 acres of pasture land with cattle and horses dotting the landside. I do know how to work, it was expected of me and if I had a problem with that there was always another barn that needed cleaning. I didn’t talk back to my mother because she would of whapped me in the mouth if I did ( I did a couple of times) I got spanked when I was disobedient (and that happened a couple of times too).

But what I am not is a dumb person. I have dreams and goals for my life. I have standards that I live up to and live by even if they are not the newest rage of lifestyle living. I am a Christian who believes in God and knows that he leads me and protects me against things in this world that would like to hurt me. I am strong and determined, some might call it stubborn, and I call it survival. You might not agree with me and I am okay with that as long as I am free to disagree with you.

I am a person and by myself I am whole. My mind, body and soul make me one. I am a concerned citizen of the world and my community. I work to try to make things better in little and larger ways. I am a daughter who has tried to live my life to make my parent proud of me. I am a sister with a beautiful woman whom I didn’t find until later in my life. I am a mother who loves my kids with ferociousness.

And…I am a wife. I am a cheerleader and event planner. I can cook a gourmet meal or a hotdog with or without macaroni and cheese. I wash clothes, sew rips, and replace buttons. I rub shoulders, stroke ego and believe in my man. I can turn a bad day into a relaxed evening and relieve the stress that had been pent up all day. I look my man into his eyes and tell him he is Superman and at least for that evening he believes it. I help build his dreams and bring them to reality. I am many things…but don’t ever call me “just a wife.”

40 Days of Purpose – A Group “Book Study” Program

Shawn — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:00:39 +0000

Exciting News! My friend, Dyrene Bell, has a very exciting event coming up the first of June. It is the 40 Days of Purpose – A Group “Book Study” Program. Dyrene is a wonderful Christian woman who has a heart for woman, moms in particular. She is a motivational speaker and a break through coach. Please read the rest of the information she has prepared for you and sign up for what could be a life changing program.

Are you puzzled about your purpose in life??

As someone who has struggled with discovering my purpose for over TWO decades, I can tell you that the most damaging part of this state of being is not what you might think.

No, it’s not the constant reeling of emotions up and down, over and over. It’s the belief that the cycle is inevitable.

Now a days, most people (whether they admit it or not) don’t want to be around someone that is on an emotional rollercoaster. So if YOU aren’t living your purpose, guess what? You will find yourself in the same place 6 months/1 year from now.

That’s why I am hosting “40 Days of Purpose” – Group Book Study based on the New York Times Bestseller “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren (disclaimer: this is a Christian-Based Book Study)

This is what you will learn during this study:

The #1 mistake nearly everyone makes when they try to find their purpose
What you must come to terms with if you want to find out how the pieces of your life all fit together
The most crucial shift you need to make to reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and, most importantly prepare you for eternity

And More!!

Here’s what you get when you register for the study.

A copy of the book (so you can mark it up, highlight important parts and generally make it your own)
A journal designed specifically to go along with this journey, so you can take notes and have a record of where you started and the changes along the way
Daily Inspirational Email with the “Point to Ponder, Verse to Remember, and Question to Consider” for the day’s reading. I will also provide some additional insights and questions for you to dig deeper into your study (if desired)
A weekly group call where we will discuss the previous weeks’ questions and set the groundwork for the upcoming weeks’ study. The final week will be a 2-hour open forum Q&A Session.
A Private Facebook Group where you can post questions, ah-ha’s and anything that will help us all connect further to finding our purpose
mp3 recordings of all group calls
Upon completion of the study, you will receive a certificate of completion.

This study will start on June 1, 2012 with a kickoff call at 1PM EDT, 12PM CT, 11AM MT, 10AM PT. For international conversions click here.

The cost of the study is $197.00 We accept VISA, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover and PayPal. Click the link below to be taken to the secure PayPal Website.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=TNCC873FXVUU4

Greatest Challenge of Parenting

Shawn — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:00:09 +0000

This is the last in the series of parenting skills that Lisa Graf and I will be doing together for the time being. If you enjoyed it please let us know and we might come back together to share with you again. I had forgotten how hard being a mom is to little ones, Lisa’s blog sure helped me to remember how big her job is. Thank you Lisa for sharing your time and talent with us.

The Greatest Challenge of Parenting

Parenting is a hands-on-the-job for the most part when kids are little. From diaper duty to meal making, toy picking up the job is physical and demanding. At times I feel so much for Lisa at one point during our series her little ones were sick and she was running back and forth to the doctors, plus taking care of little ones when they didn’t feel well. Work, work, work.

I am use to that type of parenting. When the kids reach their teen years they still are a hands-on-the-job. Rides are needed, time is needed, money is needed! Then off to college, I got weaned a little while the kids where in college. One went to school close to home the other across the country but both still needed hands on parenting. One with laundry and food the other with money.

I guess as parents each of us will step into new waters as our children develop. We have to learn to parent differently as our kids grow and mature. And for me that has always been the greatest challenge of parenting, the new phase we find ourselves in.

So, the greatest challenge of parenting I have had is the parenting of adult children. Learning to be there when they need to talk but not offering what I want to say but to listen to their concerns. They don’t want me to fix anything which is very hard for this hands-on-the-job mom! They don’t even want me to rescue them from their mistakes and situations. I have learned this the hard way by having a very frustrated child and them finally telling me to leave it alone.

If you or my kids are looking for me. I’m sitting over here with my hands tied together waiting for someone to come untie me because they need me for some hands-on-the-job situation.

Lisa’s Turn:

This week’s parenting topic could be & pretty much is an endless blogging topic for me. Here’s to Shawn’s & my last article in our parenting series. I’ve really appreciated the perspective changer she’s brought to my world. It’s hard to look past the ankle biting, butt wiping, bath giving stage of motherhood.

Greatest Challenge of Parenting 4 Kids 6 Years Old & Younger

After a lot of thought on this one, I think I can sum it up in one word.

Consistency

Whether that means being consistent in disciplining, consistent in expectations, consistent in schedules/routines, consistently present … parenting is not something you can be wishy washy luke warm about; you must be consistent on all levels. The title of mom or dad doesn’t exempt one from making mistakes. Being consistent does not mean being perfect. There’s no words that accurately describe the impact of sincerely seeking forgiveness from a 4 year old, or a 6 year old, or an almost 3 year old. Every day I have to bring it all when it comes to parenting my little ones. No matter what circumstances I find other relationships in, what physical challenges I am dealing with, or anything else external; I am first and foremost ‘mom’. It’s difficult to put my needs and wants on the back burner in order to tend to 4 little short people’s needs 24/7 consistently and always with the long term goal of making them little self reliant, independent, own butt wiping, zipper zippering, shoe tying, homework completing, successful human beings.

Your whole heart toddles around with that 14 month old stumbling and falling over her feet she’s slowly learning how to use. Your pride rises and falls on the completely random reactions of a boundary pushing almost terrible 3 year old. Your self worth ebbs and flows with the moody girl drama a 6.5 year old brings home from a long day at school. Your hope grows with each obedient ‘yes mom’ from a almost boundary accepting, respectful 4.5 year old. There’s no true measurement of whether your parenting is affective or effective. Sure, I can share with you the routines, schedules, expectations, and disciplinary methods we use at our house; truth is what works for me and my 4 kiddos probably won’t be a perfect fit in any other home. I’ve overcome mom guilt and have come to embrace our unique family just how it is. Recognizing each of my children as unique little blessings from God, specifically placed in my home for me to mother. Not all children are created equal, not even those who share a last name; they each bring new challenges to this parenting journey. As long as I give this motherhood journey my all and stay consistent; I trust that my parenting is effective. That it will result in 4 successful grown human beings who do indeed wipe their own butts, zip their own zippers, tie their own shoes, turn in their assignments, and work hard.

And the Winner Is

Shawn — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:00:04 +0000

We are so excited to announce the winner of our giveaway of the 30 Days to an Organized Home. We want to thank Tracy Roberts from Moms in a Blogfor donating this to one of our readers.

And so now…drum roll please. Christine Johnson from YouNeverStopLearning.com is the winner! Congratulations Christine!

If you didn’t see the review you can view it here. We have also arranged for you to be able to purchase the book if you would like. This is a great resource and very helpful to busy moms who want to get control of their home.

What Does Giving Forgiveness in Your Marriage Cost You?

Shawn — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:00:18 +0000

When the time comes in your marriage when there is a need for forgiveness, and believe me the time will come, you need to be prepared for the cost that giving that forgiveness will cost you. If you are aware that the need for total forgiveness will arise in your marriage then that you help you be prepared for when the need arises. So many times the simple fact of knowing that your marriage is not a perfect relationship and forgiveness will be needed at different times. Giving forgiveness to your spouse does cost you, be prepared for forgiveness in marriage to take your time, test your loyalty and to give trust.

You are going to have to give your time for the forgiveness and healing to happen in your marriage. Take the time to talk with your spouse to see what happened in the marriage to cause the situation that forgiveness is needed for. Take time to learn from this so the same mistake doesn’t happen again. In learning what the problem was you can give true forgiveness and move forward.

During this time of healing a marriage it is going to take all or your loyalty to stay with your spouse. It will be worth the struggle with your loyalty to stand by your marriage. Remember all the time and commitment already given do not take this time to grow weak and test your marriage even more. Be strong, be loyal during this time don’t do anything while you are hurting. Loyalty from you will be a great balm to your spouse and to your marriage.

Perhaps the most difficult thing to give during this time is going to be your trust. You are going to have to be willing to forgive and move forward allowing your spouse to earn your trust back. This will not be a quick event but when it comes to finding forgiveness this is a step that can’t be skipped. If so, then suspicion will always find a way to find its way in a marriage. It will be up to you to allow trust to begin building remember that nobody can tell you when or how it will happen but you have to be willing to allow the trust to begin.

So what does giving forgiveness in your marriage cost you? It will cost your time for forgiveness and healing to happen in your marriage. It will cost your loyalty to stay true to your marriage during this time. Giving trust to your spouse during the healing time will cost you as well. It is up to you. Are you willing to give the cost of forgiveness in your marriage?

Fix Your Marriage Don’t Throw It Away

Shawn — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:00:46 +0000

I like this poster because it forces us to live up to a standard. We live in the throw away society. From fast food containers to tv’s and lawn mowers and most recently marriages. Do you remember going on errands with your dad or maybe grandpa and always winding up at the mechanic who was fixing the tube for the tv or how the lawn mower was running. I grew up on a ranch so those memories are a childhood staple.

It seems today we don’t even try to fix things that break, we throw it away and go get a new one. Please don’t do that to your marriage. If there are problems, if it isn’t running properly go get it fixed. Don’t throw it away without trying to help it, your marriage deserves that much.

I don’t know about you but I want to be the couple in the poster above. I want to have the time and history with one person and grow old with them.

Do you need the reminder? Then print this out or take a picture of it with your phone and keep it with you. I am going to keep fixing my marriage. Please join me! Comment below with the commitment of fixing your marriage when problems arise.

P.S. Don’t forget to comment for your chance to win 30 Days to an Organized Home ebook by Tracy Roberts at Moms in a Blog. Just leave a comment here and a winner will be picked on May 1.