- Life Hack #83: Write more love letters.
I write my husband love letters every year, on our anniversary and on Valentine’s Day. And I mean proper love letters, not just a rapidly scrawled Post-it note. Hal wrote me one for our anniversary a few years ago that I carry in my purse. This is a beautiful and authentic way to shower people with praise and remind them of all the things you love about them.
- Life Hack #87: Leverage your partner’s strengths.
Hal and I bring different strengths to the table: he’s calmer, wiser, and less flappable than I. He’s an excellent parent—especially under duress. I’m better at the routine. I know children need it. The point is: parenting is a team sport. Make sure you’re working together.
- Life Hack #86: Help your partner help him or herself.
Hal and I both understand how important it is to each of us to work out. It’s our most dependable slice of sanity. Find ways to support each other in those endeavors and coordinate your schedules so that you can each do those things that you need to do for YOU.
- Life Hack #84: Make time to go out with your partner, just the two of you.
Because we have intense and complicated schedules, I cherish our alone time. As crazy as our lives get, it’s important to me to carve out date nights where we get to be husband and wife without our children tagging along. Cherish your time with your whole family, but make sure you’re investing in your partnership one-on-one, too.
- Life Hack #82: If your child throws a tantrum, record it.
This is Hal’s hack, but it’s a great one, so I’m including it. When one of our daughters throws a tantrum, he’ll record a video of it on his phone. The second he starts showing it back to them they quiet down immediately. Sometimes all your children need to get a handle on their own emotional outbursts is a reminder of how those outbursts look from the outside.
- Conclusion: Keep Swinging.
Suffice it to say Hal knows a thing or two about baseball. So it’s no surprise he instilled in me one of the greatest life lessons of all time: “Until it’s the ninth inning and the third out, keep swinging.”
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