Welcome to the Marriage and Martinis’ Friday Five! - On Sunday, cause that’s how we roll. Happy Mother's Day!
5) We Love Mamas
Of course we need to take a minute to say Happy Mother’s Day to all our mamas out there. We loved speaking with Valli from My Battle Call this past week about being a military spouse and raising two deaf children. She truly is a testament to the fact that we moms are stronger than we often give ourselves credit, and more capable than we sometimes believe.
A few things we learned from Valli about understanding how to better help people with hearing loss:
Even though repeating ourselves can be frustrating, saying “nevermind” when speaking to a person who has hearing loss can make them feel left out and inadequate.
It’s ok for our children (and us) to ask about Cochlear Implants out of curiosity. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to someone who is wearing them, as long as we teach our kids to do it in a respectful manner.
“Deaf” with a capital “D” refers to a person who identifies as a member of the deaf community and immerses themself in the culture, while “deaf” with a lower case “d” refers to a person’s inability to hear. Being “deaf” is not enough to be considered “Deaf.” Most who are culturally Deaf attended schools for the deaf, use ASL as their first language, and enjoy getting involved in the events.
Remember that background noise inhibits a person with hearing loss’s ability to hear. If you’re in the car don’t turn the radio up, at the beach remember that wind and the crashing waves make it harder to hear, and anywhere with crowds can be tough. Be sensitive to all of this when attempting to communicate.
4) To me, Mother’s Day is about celebrating all the women in our lives who are caretakers. In my mind, the day is so much bigger than just concentrating on women who have children of their own. I have many maternal influences in my life who did not give birth to me, and I like to celebrate these human beings as well. Also, we cannot forget about those facing issues with fertility, moms who have lost children, and children who have lost moms. All around, it’s a day of recognizing that there are so many women whose goal it is in life to simply take care of others, spread love, and helping to make those around them safer and more adored. For many, it’s a day of hardship for one reason or another, though, and I try very hard to be sensitive to that.
3) Our fun episode with the awesome women (whom I now consider friends) from Neat Method had a lot of helpful tips which can ultimately help to ease our mental load even a little bit each day if we implement those habits.
A few include:
- Don’t wait to do things like go through your mail. Go out to get your mail each day and go through it immediately. Buy acrylic trays and divide the mail into “to do,” “school,” and “send out.”
- Kids respond to labels. Bins with specific labels about what goes inside helps to simplify the organizing process, and when a child hears “put it away” at least they know where the item should go.
- A lot of keeping tidy has to do with forming good habits. That means doing something repeatedly for at least 21 days before it becomes ingrained in your being. No matter how small the task, keep at it each and every day, and expect the same from your kids.
Still haven’t gotten a Mother’s Day Gift for a special mom in your life? Give the gift of organization by contacting Neat Method today. Over 50 locations nationwide. Check neatmethod.com to find your local franchise. If you’re located in NJ, Jennifer and Erica (who appeared on our podcast) are offering a FREE consultation (worth $50) if you give the code NeatNJ. Email jennifer@neatmethod.com for more information.
2) They don’t sponsor us, but we love it….
I’ve been exclusively using FEED Bags https://feedprojects.com for a few years now. They're so stylish, plus each bag you buy feeds a certain number of families in need. My favorite thing is to find a product that I absolutely love that also gives back in some way, and FEED is an amazing example of that. To date, the sale of their bags has fed over 107,000,000 families! My personal favorites? The Canvas Go-To bag (provides 40 meals) and the Cultivate Kindness bag (provides 10 meals).
1) Date night questions for the week: From the Back To The Beginning Episode:
- If you could do your wedding over, what would you do differently?
- What advice would you give to an engaged couple (or to your own children) about planning a wedding?
- Are you happy with what you chose to do for your honeymoon or do you wish you had done it differently?
- Would you like to renew your vow? If so, where, and in how long?
- What pre-conceived notions did you have about marriage that quickly changed once you tied the knot?
What vows would you include now that you did not include in your originals?
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Roses aren't just pretty to look at...
Rose Petal Sparkling Gimlet
* 3 oz. Gin
* 1 oz. Sparkling Water
* 1/2 Lime Squeeze
* Dried Roses (Or use rose petals)
It doesn't get much simpler than this, but it sure looks pretty! Shake some Gin and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Pour into a glass and top with sparkling water. Add some dried roses or rose petals, and enjoy!