Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven

Ok , I realize that title makes me sound a bit like Paula Deen from the Food Network (not that that is at all a bad thing...and I mean that from my heart to yurs!), but it's true.

Sometimes having someone cook you a lovely meal can be just as wonderful as having them give you a gift...especially after a hard day, or if you have something to celebrate. And making a fabulous meal has gotten even easier with the rising popularity of a really neat little site called Rouxbe.com (pronounced "roo-bee"). You might want to check it out for inspiration.

It's an online video cooking instruction that is nicely shot and clearly presented. It seems like a great resource for Foodies and Wanna-bes that could be accessed from a laptop, right there in your kitchen on your own schedule. Cool!

For a bit of couple-time, why not to head into the kitchen together. If this is a new activity for you as a pair, my suggestion would be to decide who is head chef and who is sous chef BEFORE you being cooking. Trust me, it will work better that way!

Now, if you and your Sweetie are already a couple of fancy pants-es in the kitchen, you can post yourselves in action (keep it clean folks this is a family show) at imcooked.com. There you can share your recipes and your culinary talents with the rest of the world. AND, at imcooked.com you can even watch celebrities showing their stuff in the kitchen. Wanna see Paul McCartney making mashed potatoes? Who doesn't?

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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Friday, July 13, 2007

Wouldn't it be great if you could read each other's minds?

OK, well perhaps not ALL the time, but sometimes the ability to know what our significant other is REALLY thinking would be truly beneficial.

All couples find communication difficult at least some of the time. And at least some of the breakdown is in part because we don’t always say exactly what we mean. Now, there are very “good” reasons for this lack of clarity in a marriage - perhaps you don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings, or you unclear/undecided on the issue yourself, or you have rushed what you meant to say for some external reason (job, kids, whatever) or maybe you are just covering your own ass. Regardless, we certainly understand that it DOES happen and every person involved in a significant relationship will have to spend a certain amount of time decoding messages taking into account the situation, how well we know the other person, probably other factors as well.

Of course, clear and open communication (getting your message across in a kind way with love at the heart of it) is the ideal and that is what we advocate and strive for. But what about this mind reading thing? Wouldn’t it be great to get some insight with a super power?

We realize that members of each gender do not come from a cookie cutter and sweeping generalizations are not going to apply, however, for women (single, living together, married…) who want to know more about what is going on in the minds of men check out these pages from ivillage.com for responses from a variety of guys to many different questions. The little snippets found on this site will definitely provide an interesting look at what The Boys are really thinking. (Note: some of the questions on this site are related to single women and the topic of dating, but it is still illuminating…)

Now for the fellas (we KNOW you find women rather cryptic sometimes..OK, much of the time!) , I haven’t found a site that is as thorough in its variety of responses (the video on ivillage is cool) but for a quick and informative tutorial check out pleasebemine.com .

These sites won’t help you actually read your sweetie’s mind, but they may provide some insight. One idea might be to check out these sites WITH your partner and discuss them, that way you will get an even deeper understanding of who they are and where they are coming from.

Finally, if all else fails and you REALLY need you know what’s going on inside your your lover’s noggin, HAVE A CONVERSATION. Talk to them openly and approach them with love and understanding. It’s not always easy. In fact sometimes is really rather hard, but do it. You, your partner and your relationship are all worth it.

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Relationship news, ideas and things to think about

After a two month hiatus, CouplesQuestions Blog is back with energy, enthusiasm and excitement around all things related to planning a MARRIAGE. We talk about the preparation, the pitfalls, the joys, the challenges, and everything (and we do mean everything) in between. We sometimes even like to talk about weddings, too!


Today’s entry provides a collection of interesting links (at least we think they are interesting!) related to various aspects of coupledom that we have come across in recent days. The first article comes from sciencedaily.com and looks at who has more sway in a relationship and why. Some of the findings may surprise you. Check out
Wives Have Greater Power In Marriage Problem-solving Behavior, According To Study.

For something a little more focussed specifically on making your marriage even better, Ben A. Leonard, as social worker writing for Metro West in Colorado, writes some very practical suggestions for anyone getting married or for those of us who have a few years under our belts. I especially like the idea each couple having a “secret weapon”. Read more at Living happily ever after: making your marriage work.

On the other side of the strong marriage conversation is an item which poses a challenge to faithful and thriving couples everywhere. Written by Sam Roberts, The Shelf Life of Bliss debunks the notion of the “seven year itch”…Unfortunately, Roberts suggests it is more like 3 years. Oy! Rather daunting for those of you preparing for marriage, but better to face these things head on. Talk about the prospect of difficult times BEFORE they happen (and don’t forget to do the workbook at couplesquestions.com).

Our final little tidbit for the day is from a great site called lovingyou.com. Jennifer Good offers a simple list of 10 Things You Can Do Right Now To Be Romantic! She’s got some great ideas and ones so easy even the laziest of us can do a few of them and maybe even one before the sun sets tonight! Why not give them a try? Your partner will love it, and your relationship is worth it!

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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Sunday, February 18, 2007

Here's a great new blog

The Blog of Love is about a week old. Jade’s focus is “love, romance, fate, destiny and soulmates”.

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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posted by Heather and Dan @ 9:01 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Friday, February 16, 2007

Oscar picks for 2007

Ok, this is somewhat off topic, but what the heck - it’s our blog!

The Oscars are in little over a week and love them or hate them they always seem to generate conversation. Around here, we were chatting about this year’s best picks in film for couples and for romance…any ideas? Feel free to contribute your thoughts or comments.

I haven’t seen all of the movies nominated this year, but here are my picks:

I am hoping for

  • Will Smith for Best Actor for ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’
  • Judi Dench for Best Actress for ‘Notes on a Scandal’
  • ‘Happy Feet’ for Best Animated Film
  • ‘Water’ for Best Foreign Language Film
  • ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ for Best Documentary Feature
  • ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ for Best Feature Film

    What do you think? Are these films winners? Are they great films for couples to see together?

    While we’re at it, since we’re talking about films, you might think about telling us about your favorite romantic movie of all time or your pick for the best “couple movie” - you know the kind that BOTH men and women like equally.

    What do you think? Who are your picks for this year’s Oscar winners?
    Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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posted by Heather and Dan @ 9:03 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Thursday, February 15, 2007

I'm kind of glad Valentine's Day is over

First and foremost let me wish a hearty congratulations to all the couples who got engaged or got married yesterday. May the life you share be filled with love and happiness!!

So many couples share so many wonderful celebrations and memories on Valentine’s Day, that I feel a teensy bit bad for being a bit of a Negative Nelly this year regarding this “most romantic of holidays”.

I remember when I was single, I always wanted to pass through the middle of February very quickly. Back in those days I couldn’t stand all the lovey-dovy hearts and messages all over the place. No one was getting me jewelry. No one was getting me chocolate or flowers (except maybe a commiserating girlfriend).

And now that I am in a loving, committed and completely wonderful relationship, Valentines Day is simply not the Big Deal that I thought, back in my single life, it would be. And I am MORE than fine with that. Yes, my husband and I always exchange a “little something” on the 14th and we always try to set aside time for each other to do an activity (go for a walk, go for lunch, have a date of some kind… whatever ever we feel like) and to express what we mean to each other. But I have to say, we do those things all year long. Truthfully, Valentine’s Day is not that much different from any other day… except, I suppose, the gifts are sometimes more extravagant.

Having a day set aside just for love is a great idea for some people who are so busy that they need to be reminded to tell their loved ones how they feel. But for me, it can feel like what my father calls “organized joy”. It’s like someone telling you, “You will have fun riiiiiiiight…..NOW!”

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good excuse for a celebration and a chance to spoil my sweetie. And I always enjoy going out for a romantic dinner with Dan, it’s just that I don’t feel we should be pushed or guilted into doing those things on a particularly designated day just because the greeting card companies say we should.

Don’t you think the world would be a better place if we treated our partners well and showed them lots of love and affection all year long, instead of on just one day?

Now that we have children, it is fun to look at the holiday through their eyes… My daughter wanted to give stickers her various grandparents and our neighbors (but for some reason I forced her into making heart shaped cards). She’s only little, so she doesn’t really get the full romantic meaning of the day. All she understands is that it’s a day to show love to family and friends. She doesn’t really care about hearts or flowers of chocolates. Isn’t that the way it should be?

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Thoughts on Valentine's

As Valentine’s Day draws to a close, here’s a small collection of things we thought interesting.

  • There was a very sweet story of ‘love interrupted’ on CBC Radio’s “The Current” . Unfortunately, music copyright issues (CBC is being cheap?) mean that they won’t have a downloadable version of the story available. But maybe if lots of us ask for it…
  • An alternative to buying a large bouquet of flowers is to buy a very nice, tall, slim vase and “drown” a single long stemmed rose in it. That is, you have almost the whole stem under water. I can’t recall where I heard/read about this idea, but will give credit if and when I figure it out! In any case, the idea is that you can economically have flowers around all year, buying just a single rose at a time. And, of course, you now have another full year to find the perfect vase.
  • I also heard a show featuring someone from e-How talking about the chemical effects that falling in love has on the brain. This one is worthy of a full article, but the short form is that love causes a rush of dopamine in the brain similar to many types of addiction. Typically, though, we come out of that honeymoon period in six to twelve months and move to a commitment phase of love (or break up, of course).

The moral of that last piece is don’t make important decisions when you are falling in love or have just fallen in love. Set an engagement of a year or more before marrying, do some form of premarital counseling, savour that loving feeling. If you are right for each other, you’ll have a lifetime of more level-headed decision-making ahead of you.

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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posted by Heather and Dan @ 9:39 PM 4 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Articles to help

It looks like we've been focused on the holidays, neglecting to post. Truth is we've been over at our new version of this blog.

There are several new posts there. Probably more interesting is our new library of marriage articles at CouplesQuestions.com.

Currently, you'll find:
 We've got three others pending, including one on what one couple learned in premarital counseling.

And we are always open to your suggestions. Heck, write for us if you are a decent writer and know something related to marriage!

Happy Couples, Happy Planet and Happy Holidays!

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posted by Heather and Dan @ 6:13 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Kissing for Couples

It is really rather fitting that the first article in our new library of marriage and premarital resources should be on kissing!

As author John Ince notes, kissing is one of the most intimate and important things a couple does. But the frequency and passion tends to decline as the relationship matures.

Find out how to reignite the passion in John’s article on kissing for couples. You can even take a class, if you happen to be in Vancouver!

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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posted by Heather and Dan @ 2:58 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

Thursday, November 9, 2006

Walking together

We went walking together this morning. We live in such a great place for walking, yet life gets in the way. It was lovely to see roads we usually drive from a different, more interesting perspective.

Have you made time for a walk with your lover recently? Think about where and when you could go next.

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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posted by Heather and Dan @ 2:31 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Cooking for romance made easy

Cooking is one of the most romantic things you can do for your beloved. But what if you can't cook?

Well, Rachael Ray can help. How about Three Mushroom Pizza?

Start with some shopping:
  • Premade pizza dough (hey, this is for those who can't cook) -- we use Pillsbury, because it is available at the Thrifty Foods across the street, but we could just as well use the dough from La Collina, the great Italian bakery across town.
  • Two or three cups each of three different types of mushrooms. You can get as exotic and expensive as you like, but we use white, brown, button and shitake mushrooms (ranging from cheap to middle of the range). Yeah, I know that's four mushrooms, but I pick three of the four, depending on what they have at the store.
  • Two cups grated mozzarella cheese
  • Two more cups of another grated cheese -- we part company with Rachael on this one. Her recipe calls for Swiss, we use Asiago. It is a simple rule: Italian cheeses for pizza. But ignore our rule if you like; it's your pizza. Let's face it, Rachael is a better cook than me!
  • Four or five cloves of garlic.
  • olive oil
  • salt
Next, make the pizza:
  • Set oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Spread the pizza dough on a cookie sheet, then brush (or smear) two tablespoons of olive oil over the dough - make sure you go right to the edges. Mince the garlic and spread it all over the dough.
  • Bake it for 8 minutes.
  • In the meantime, thinly slice all the mushrooms and sautee in two tablespoons of olive oil. The 'shrooms cook down, but you'll need to start with a large pan or do it in batches. Personally, I do the mushrooms before the dough and have them ready to go. Heather and other efficient cooks can do them in the "proper" order. (Medium heat, stirring frequently for about five minutes or until they are soft.)
  • Spread the greated asiago on the dough, then add the mushrooms and some salt, then cover the mushrooms with the mozzarella. Bake the pizza for 15 or 20 more minutes or until getting brown and bubbly on top.
Yum!

If your cooking skills are not up to this challenge, don't despair! This is a great recipe for two people to prepare together. If neither of you can cook, why not take an introductory cooking class together?

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

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