You’ve been married for a while, and maybe the fire’s dwindling a bit. It’s normal. Couples go through waves of emotions throughout the course of a long relationship, and it’s only expected that your feelings might change every now and then. Sometimes you’ll wake up and look at your partner through rose tinted glasses, and on other days, you’d want to be left completely alone.

But as any couple knows, making an effort to rekindle that fire every time it starts to feel weak is one of the challenges of a committed relationship. Contributing to that end and dedicating your time and energy towards keeping the love alive will be one of the best relationship investments you can make for your partner.

Wondering what you can do today to spark a positive change in your partnership? Here are a few suggestions.

Be Kind with Your Words

You can probably name one instance off the top of your head when your partner made you feel less than happy with something they said. It’s always easier to remember the bad things. That’s why love psychologists recommend looking for something positive to say at least once a day.

Being comfortable in a relationship makes it easy to forget to appreciate all the things that our partners do for us. So taking the time to write a long, thoughtful message or to say something kind face to face will help secure your partner in your love and make you more aware and appreciative of the sacrifices they make for you.

Glam Up Every Now and Then

We all love a husband who can embrace us and still call us the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world - messy bun, stained shirt, and all. But even if he still sees your beauty at the end of a tiring day with the kids, there’s no harm in dressing up for him every now and then.

Find a day of the week when you can leave the kids with a babysitter or their grandparents and plan a special night with your guy. It can be a simple dinner at home or a night out on the town. Whatever the case, make sure you dress up for it by putting on your best outfit. Spritzing on a sensual scent doesn’t hurt, of course. Check out the selection at Copycat Fragrances and find a sexy perfume to bump up your sex appeal and keep your man hooked all night.

Give a Massage

Physical touch is one of the main love languages, and it works wonders for couples hoping to establish a more intimate bond. Whether it’s a subtle back rub while he watches TV, or an all-out spa treatment that you took the time to study, relaxing him with your hands communicates a deep sense of love and emotional connection. Some couples even schedule massages throughout the week, taking turns to make their partner feel loved and special for a healthy, happy marriage.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

Spring came around quick this year and it came with a whole load of great Netflix shows and movies too! From Sabrina to Trolls we have made the ultimate list of what to watch on Netflix this spring for you and your family! So turn on your Panasonic OLED TV, relax with a cuppa, blanket and popcorn and get your binge on!

• First up has to be HOP! It's a great family film and so much fun for the little ones, Its easter themed and will definitely get them excited for the Easter bunny!

• For the little ones again we have the NEW Super Monsters Furever Friends, Jump back in with Cleo, Lobo and the whole gang for this amazing springtime adventure.
• Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina- A rather dark spin on what us 90s kids grew up to love, Sabrina is a 2014 American comic book series published by Archie comics that's now a rather fantastic TV Series, Watch part 1 and 2 Now!
• Dear John- One for the more mature adults- Based on a true story Dear John is very addictive and nerve-wracking.
  
• Jurassic Park Trilogy- New to Netflix this month we got not one but three Jurassic Park films, great for any family movie day!
• Baywatch- The 2017 beachy late-night comedy is bound to get you giggling, you may even work out those abs while doing so!! (coming on the 25th April)
• Twins - Set in the 80's Staring Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, Twins isn't one to be missed!
• The Lorax- Who doesn't love a good film based on a Dr.Suess book?! Well, I do and this is just perfect, a few songs, a great story and a great moral too! perfect for a family film day!
• Kevin Hart- Irresponsible - The NEW 2019 stand up comedy from Kevin Hart is bound to have you in stitches the whole time plus there's always 3 others that you can watch after if you just can't get enough!!!
• Trolls- The beat goes on- A new season of the trolls series has just arrived on Netflix that's 6 whole seasons to keep those little ones entertained! Join Poppy, Branch and Guy Diamond in their awesome adventures!!

That's my top 10 movies/ shows for this spring on Netflix make sure you let me know what you're going to be watching this spring!

*Disclosure- This is a collaborative post*

Everyone has a dream home, I certainly do, you know, when you get your perfect house and you can just imagine what everything is going to look like, well, I'm going to walk you through what my dream home looks like and give you some great ideas for yours!

First, we'll start with bedrooms, I'd love a 4 bedroom house with fluffy carpets, I currently have hard floors and it's so cold first thing in the morning! One bedroom would be for myself and my husband with a luxury kingsize bed and TV, one for the boys decorated like toy story and one for the girls decorated with unicorns and lots of pinks! The fourth bedroom would then be my office!

Blanc 590mm Round Illuminated
LED Mirror with Demister Pad

I would have 2 bathrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs, one would be a wet room with a power shower and a luxury bath in another. Both bathrooms would have a heated towel rail and LED mirrors.

KSL LIVING - AMENAGEMENT DE SALON
 OU BUREAU EN HOME OFFICE AVEC
BIBLIOTHEQUE ET BUREAU DESIGN
 ET DE QUALITE
- URBAN ZONE PAR TREBOL

My office would have a cubed storage wall, a pc desk with a shag pile rug in the centre for tasteful decor. My office would be painted white a grey chevron and have lots of photos hanging on the walls.

Next would be my kitchen, I'm more of a baker than a chef so the kitchen is my husband's place, he would love a marble countertop with a kitchen island for the cooker and a place to eat. I'd have the kitchen a lime green and charcoal colour and white lines to really make it pop.

Hemi 36" fire bowl- Solus Decor

I'd love to have a laundry room with a washer, dryer and space for an ironing board plus plenty of storage. This room would then have a door to the garden which would have a patio with a firepit and rattan sofas, a ground level trampoline and a swimming pool for the kids. Oh, and don't forget the master chefs BBQ!! 

Lastly would be the living room, my most favourite place in the house, I would have a very large corner sofa with a 60" OLED telly on the wall with grey walls and a feature wall of pink flowers.
I would have a ton of cubed storage and a lovely fireplace to snuggle up to on a very fluffy rug!

Let me know in the comments what your dream home includes?

*Disclosure- This is a collaborative post*

My daughters now at that age where I think she should be helping with chores, She is now 6 and can easily help me around the house and actually enjoys it, I personally think we should all pitch in being a family unit and Olli (whos 2) even helps tidy toys and help with washing etc.

I made Lilli these cute little charts to help with her chores and will have them laminated and stuck on the fridge to help her. The left one will have little magnets to move over from To Do to Done, Its a really great system to help with routines, it has helped a lot already especially in the morning getting ready for school. 

The second design is more of a points system, Lilli can earn points by doing chores, then she can choose rewards with those points such as go to the park or stay up late. This is a really great incentive for Lilli she finds it really exciting to get chores done to earn the reward she wants. It's proven really great so far.

So if your child likes having routines I really recommend these, even if they're not with words but pictures instead this would be really helpful especially those with different mental capability etc...
They're so easy to make and don't have to look great either!

If you like these don't forget to PIN THEM on Pinterest by hovering over the images!

Watch out for more great content soon!

Nearly everyone has had at least one Date Night Failure in their lifetime, Whether they never see the person again on not its always funny to share it!

Today We Have Fiona From Savvy In Somerset Sharing Her Story.

What was your worst date?My worse ever date actually happened on Valentine's day a few years ago. It started with me cooking a lovely meal for my boyfriend and ended with a lot of vomit and a call to 111.

Who was it with? (someone online, your partner?)

The date was with my then boyfriend, now husband. 

What made it a failure?

For Valentine's day, I decided to cook my partner a really nice meal - it was actually one of his favorites, slow-cooked ribs and I spent all day checking the food and fussing as you do when you've not been together long and it's a special occasion. We ate dinner, the food was lovely and we snuggled up in bed to watch a movie. 

Then out of the blue, he got a migraine. The first stage of which, for him, is being violently sick.

 Cue him throwing up the ribs I'd spend all day lovingly preparing all over my bedroom floor. 

Did anything embarrassing happen? 

Like most people who suffer from migraines, he can't tolerate any light while he's unwell. At the time we were living at my parent's house while we saved up for a place of our own, so there wasn't anywhere else he could go and he was in so much pain he didn't want to move anyway. I cleaned up the sick the best I could in the dark.

 I then gave him what I thought was his emergency migraine medication. A few minutes later I realized I'd given him his daily migraine prevention meds instead. 

Ended up spending over an hour on the phone 111 trying to figure out if he needed an ambulance and whether he could have his emergency meds on top of whatI'd given. In the end, they decided his body could handle it a he's a quite a big guy but if he had any adverse reactions to phone an ambulance.

 Honestly felt like a right muppet. 

Did you see each other again? Would you? 

We stayed together and are now married with a baby daughter. 

Rate your date 1-10

3 out of 10. Good food and company bad everything else. 

Any advice?  

It's so easy to over-hype occasions like Valentine's day and thinks they have to be perfect. Really all you need is someone who'll still love you even when they throw up the food you've cooked :) 

You Can Find Fiona Here:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/savvyinsomerset

Instagram: www.instagram.com/savvyinsomerset

Twitter: www.twitter.com/savvyinsomerset

I blog at www.savvyinsomerset.com

Have you had a failed date? Share yours in the comments below.

So, as you may know, I tried the Exante diet recently and LOVED the results! I had messages from so many of you asking if they did a vegan range and unfortunately they hadnt...Until now!!!!

The new vegan range can be found HERE, This new range has been formulated so that it can be enjoyed by both vegans and non-vegans alike. Rather than being milk-based, this new collection of shakes is plant-based, meaning that it is formulated using a soy protein. The new range is also gluten-free, making each of the four new shakes suitable for those with gluten intolerances. The shakes are formulated using our gluten-free oat base, which we also use to formulate our Low Sugar Smoothie Range!

I'm so excited about the new flavors, Blueberry Muffin, Coffee & Walnut, Double Chocolate, and Banana Bread. They all sound super delicious especially the coffee and walnut as that's one of my favorite things ever right there in a shake!! Read More HERE

If you want to get your hands on some fantastic Exante shakes enter our GIVEAWAY below!! 

WIN Exante’s top 20 bundle and shaker, RRP £33.48 which includes Exante's top 10 shakes, 4 new vegan shakes, top 5 bars, and a pancakes sachet.

Exante

Terms and conditions apply, open to UK residents only, giveaway closes on the 18th April 2019 11:59PM

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post with affiliate links.

Nearly everyone has had at least one Date Night Failure in their lifetime, Whether they never see the person again on not its always funny to share it!

Today We Have Alice From In Sheffield Sharing Her Story.

What was your worst date?, Who was it with? (someone online, your partner?)

My worst date was a tinder date, after talking for about a week we decided to meet up in a local bar, I got there a little earlier and an older man was at the bar. After a while it seemed I’d been stood up, I sent a ranty text to my tinder date only for this guys phone to go off. What made it a failure?, Did anything embarrassing happen?
Turns out he’d been using a picture of himself from about 10 years ago! And was the definitely mid-30s (I was 23 at the time). I asked why and he got really embarrassed about it all etc. But no I never did see him again or would want to.

If he’d just been honest and upfront who knows but these things can’t be based on lies from the start Rate your date 1-10 2! (I mean I got a drink at least ) Any advice? Advice would be, definitely check out why you’re meeting on Facebook if possible beforehand pictures can be deceiving

You can Find Alice HERE: Blog link - www.aliceinsheffield.com
Social - twitter.com/aliceinsheff Insta-Instagram.com/aliceinsheff
Facebook-Facebook.com/aliceinsheff
Pinterest-Pinterest.com/aliceinsheff

Have you had a failed date night? Share yours in the comments!!

I recently lost a bit of weight on the Exante Diet and it was time to update my wardrobe and get some clothes that fit me properly.

So my first choice was to go to https://www.simplybe.co.uk/ because I've bought clothes from there before, I got a bra from there a while back and it was my absolute favorite without a doubt.

My first choice for new clothes were jeans, the staple of every wardrobe, well mine are big on me now and fell down quite a lot so they were a must! I picked the waist shaper jeggings (See Here) because they just looked amazing and I have to so say I was so right because they look amazing on too! They're so soft and they fit really comfortably too.

Next on my list to get were so linen trousers, I found a great pair that are partly elasticated at the waist and they fit like a glove, they are high waisted so very comfy for my mum-tum and have pockets too so that's a bonus!! The pattern is very eye catching and they're very flared so would be perfect with some sandals now it's getting warmer.

I then needed some tops, I found a two pack of really lovely tops in black and white, they have small straps and are very flowy and go perfect with the jeans I chose, the tops are really great quality and have a pleat in the middle for syle. they were so cheap and a great addition to any wardrobe. 

Lastly, I chose a new pinafore, I love wearing pinnies with tights and a long top underneath plus a nice long necklace as an extra accessory, this really fits lovely and has pockets too which I love!!! 
It comes in black from size 12 all the way to 32 and it compliments my shape so much its a stunning addition to my new wardrobe. 

All the items I chose are lovely and fit me so well I'm so pleased with my new choices and will definitely be buying more from Simply Be in the future!

Disclosure: I received the clothes as a gift for review and my honest and own opinion.

Nearly everyone has had at least one Date Night Failure in their lifetime, Whether they never see the person again on not its always funny to share it!

Today we have Jo from A Rose Tinted World sharing her experience.

At the start of 2012, I had recently split with a long term boyfriend of 8 years. Having just turned 40, all my mates were in long term relationships or married. There was not going to be many ways that I would be meeting eligible guys. So I turned to online dating as a way of meeting that 'special someone’.

I joined eHarmony, Match.com, and POF. I was determined if nothing else! Pretty soon messages came in, and I started to meet some of the guys that messaged me online.

I actually had several really strange dates, but one of the funniest was with a bank manager from North Yorkshire.

His profile looked promising. He had been married before, but he looked quite trim and youthful for his age. We seemed to have a lot in common so I decided to meet him in the center of town for a drink and perhaps dinner.

Now I am only 5 foot 3, but when I turned up in my heels (which were not the highest) I was horrified to discover that he was shorter than me! His profile had said he was 5 foot 9. 5 foot 9 my arse! Furthermore, his profile photos were definitely from a much earlier time. I thought that he'd looked quite young in his profile. Not surprising seeing as I think he'd used photos from the previous decade!

As we sat and had a drink, he started to tell me a little more about himself. Namely his very messy divorce and how he was trying to hide money from his ex-wife so she wouldn't get her hands on it. I was both horrified and agog. It was like listening to a real-life soap opera.

We moved into the restaurant. And as we sat down he said loudly "Rather poncy in here innit?" As the waiter came over to show us the menu and the specials board he even commented to the waiter about how expensive everything was! If the floor could've opened I'd have been glad to be sucked down into oblivion…

Instead, I finished my (very lovely) meal. As did he. And when the bill came, I wasn't shocked to hear him exclaim at the price. But then he turned to me and said: "Well, you can pay half, considering you're a dentist”.

Now, I would have happily offered. But that is no way to treat a lady.

At the end of the night, we said our goodbyes, and I think I chuckled in the taxi all the way home at how horrendous it had been. 

He kept on sending me texts after that asking if we could meet up again. But no, he didn't make it to date number 2!

My date gets a 3 out of 10, for pure entertainment value. 

My advice would definitely be to be picky when dating. Don't settle for anything less than the best because you are definitely worth it. But do remember, you may have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet your prince or princess! I got a bit disheartened after a while, but finally met someone online in 2014 and now we have a lovely little girl.

I’m Jo and I blog at https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk

I’m on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arosetintedworld

On Twitter at www.twitter.com/arosetintdworld

And on Instagram at www.instagram.com/arosetinted

Nearly everyone has had at least one Date Night Failure in their lifetime, Whether they never see the person again on not its always funny to share it! 

Today we have Jade From Mummies Waiting telling her story of her date night failure!

What was your worst date? The first proper ‘date’ I had with my husband.

Who was it with? (someone online, your partner?) At the time he was the boy I met in the park. We were chatting online (my friends didn’t like him, so that made me want to talk to him haha!) He posted a ’status’ on his MSN (get me old ’skewl’) which said ‘did you know you can go to prison for blogging’ I thought he was making a dig at my newly formed blog so I messaged him to start an argument. However we got on really well and ended up arranging a date.

What made it a failure? He met up with his friend and brought his friend and his son with him. We went to Pizza Hut and at the end of the meal he paid for himself, his son and his friend, but didn’t pay for me. Later he decided he was going to sneak money into my bag! But then changed his mind.

Did anything embarrassing happen? He asked me to take his toddler to the bathroom to change his nappy! I hadn’t met him before! Stupidly I did. (Apparently he thought that only women toilets had a changing table, not sure what he would have done without me there then!)

Also, to this day, he tells me that when we all ordered a sharing cookie dough for dessert I ate out all. I don’t believe I did, but hey if so, he can’t complain that I eat everything now can he?! He knew what he was getting himself in for!

Did you see each other again? Would you? Well I married him, so I guess I would date him again!

Rate your date 1-10 I’ll give him a 10… but just incase he reads this!

Any advice? Just because a date seams bad, doesn’t;t necessarily mean they are bad. It could be a silly husband in disguise!

www.mummieswaiting.com

www.instagram.com/adisneykindaday

www.twitter.com/mummieswaiting

www.facebook.com/mummieswaiting

www.youtube.com/mummieswaiting

I’ve attached two pictures. Then and Now.