Life with Ladybug: Marriage Hacks

By Shannon Magsam, Ladybug’s mama and John’s wife

We got a question from a mom recently (she sent it to the anonymous panel of our husbands who answer questions for our Motherlode feature, Inside His Head) about how to deal with being bored with her husband.

She sincerely seemed to want to make things better, but seemed to be in a rut (and, honestly, maybe a little depressed).

Since my husband and I just celebrated our 15th anniversary, the question made me think back to whether I’d ever been bored in my marriage. We’ve experienced some lulls, sure, but the ultimate answer is no. I think that’s because we’re both committed to making it a priority. BOTH of us (not just the wife. That’s me.).

We’ve made some dumb marriage mistakes, but we usually corrected the wheel so we could get back on the road to a happy life, happy wife (and husband. That’s John.).

Here are 15 tried-and-true tips I’ve discovered to help make you happier in marriage:

1. Have inside jokes. You know how you loved having little, intimate inside jokes — that only you two really seemed to get (thus, “inside”) — when you were first dating or married? Don’t stop.

There’s always something new to joke about. Most recently our little inside joke has been: “We’ll always have Paris”.

Just today my husband sent me a picture of the “Eiffel Tower” outside our hotel in Vegas.

Paris (France) is on my bucket list, but our budget only got us as far as Paris Las Vegas to celebrate our 15th anniversary.

2. Speaking of Vegas, make future plans for trips together. We can get so caught up in the day-to-day “can you take the dog to the vet” and “will you make the kids’ lunches” minutiae, that things can get a little stale.

If you can’t afford a big vacation, that’s OK. Just plan SOMETHING fun that you’re both excited about. It’s good to have something you’re looking forward to together.

Our trip to Vegas really wasn’t terribly expensive. We took an Allegiant flight out of XNA (you can only leave on Thursdays or Sundays) and we didn’t go to all-the-expensive shows (we just splurged on one and it was even less expensive than some of the other Cirque Shows. We highly recommend La Reve.)

We had great food at Gordon Ramsay Steak at our hotel the first night, some delicious sushi at Koi Restaurant & Lounge at Planet Hollywood and we loved breakfast at the little French bakery downstairs at Paris (among other awesome food). We ate A LOT, but luckily we also walked A LOT.

Most of those 30,894 steps that day were spent walking hand-in-hand. BONUS!

3. Decorate your bedroom, don’t make it a junkroom. Put pictures up from your wedding day and other memorable times you’ve spent together. When you’re ticked off, your mood will soften when you’re transported back in time to those happy days.

And seriously, clear the clutter. It’s not the least bit romantic to see a huge pile of unfolded laundry on the chair in the corner — or a stack of old boxes that you need to take to Goodwill. A clean bedroom will also make you more relaxed for when it’s time to sleeeeeeep.

4. Shut your pie hole. Promise yourself you’ll never say something that crosses the line. In particular, never harm each with knowledge that they’ve told you in confidence. Just don’t do it. If you use information likes this, you will be considered totally untrustworthy. They won’t tell you anything really important for fear you’ll use it against them in the next argument.

5. Name — and meet — each other’s needs. Be aware of each other’s needs and reassess whether you’re meeting them for each other. Talk about stuff. Neither party should assume the other knows what you need at any given moment. I’m a big fan of saying what I need (in a nice way, not in a bossy, you suck kind of way).

6. Don’t lie about money. Money issues can make or break a marriage. It’s a huge issue. It’s one of the top reasons for marriage trouble, as most of us know. Don’t lie about purchases. In high school, I was always surprised when one of my friend’s moms would keep everything from a day’s shopping trip in the trunk and walk in the front door and act like we couldn’t find a thing to buy. Ahem.

7. FLIRT. Don’t be so serious all the time. Even the most shy and quiet among us flirted when we were first dating. And wasn’t it fun? Didn’t it liven things up? Well, it still has a place in marriage.

8. Bear each other’s burdens. Listen and I mean listen, when he tells you something he’s sad or mad or glad about. You know how I love research, and research says how we handle these everyday interactions can make or break a marriage. Don’t just say Mmmhmmmm and barely look up from your iPad when he tries to tell you something that happened at work. Same goes for the guys, of course.

9. Go to bed at the same time. Even if we haven’t had a chance to touch all day, when we go to bed together and we’re too exhausted to even talk, I always put my head in the crook of his arm. Or I reach out and we hold hands. If we’re not too exhausted to talk, it’s the best time to catch up without a million distractions flying toward us.

10. Pray for each other. We’re praying sorts and we often ask each other to pray when something’s happening at work, a relationship is strained or if we need help with something as a couple. And sometimes when you ask your spouse what you could pray about for them, you find out something that’s weighing heavy on their mind.

11. Make his favorite meal while wearing lingerie. OK, so not really, but you get the picture: Do something kind for your spouse. Especially kind. Over-the-top kind, on occasion. This is not really about who does the cooking in the family, it’s about feeding his soul. If he likes a certain food, make (or buy) it for him. The point is to occasionally go above and beyond to show each other you’re paying attention to what they like. And no, I don’t think it should just be the wife making these grand gestures. (My husband would adore the above example, though.)

12. Notice. No, go further than just noticing. Make a point of saying you noticed and appreciate whatever he/she did.

Here’s a good example: my husband recently took my car to the car wash and used the vacuum. He didn’t just hit the high spots, though. He vacuumed every nook and cranny. Then he bought some Armour All and shined up my interior. I was so excited the next time I got into my car. It looked so CLEAN. The next time we all went together somewhere, I told him how much I loved getting into a clean car, how much it changed my mood for the good, and that it was like he had given me three dozen roses, just by cleaning out my car.

It really was. Clean car nirvana.

13. Don’t be a smotherer. When we first got married, I was a little stingy with my man. I liked to have him around all the time. But I also loved it when he encouraged me to do things with my friends and was always generous about it. He taught me to be generous, too. Everybody needs a little space and absence does make the heart grow fonder. Take time for yourself and your friends, then you’ll enjoy each other’s company even more.

14. Always say hello and goodbye. I think this goes along with noticing each other. It’s saying you matter enough to say hello when you come home and goodbye when you’re leaving. If you kiss when you do it will give you extra marriage mojo. It’s about being intentional.

15. Have his/her back. Seriously, who should have your back more than your husband or wife? Don’t throw your spouse under the bus to friends and family even when it’s tempting.

Any happy marriage tips you’d add? Fire away in comments!