Marriage is really hard….and takes a lot of work. Even after all that hard work, I still mess up. I mean, I want an awesome marriage, but I still DO the things I shouldn't, and DON'T do the things I should. One day I praise her, the next I put her down. One day I'm happy with her, the next I'm angry. So, what can I do? Sure, I'll ask for forgiveness, and I'll work to handle it the right way next time. But...

Here's what I mean. When we get married it seems like the niceties of dating go out the window. She stops shaving her legs every night and he stops covering his mouth when he belches – the whole neighborhood can hear him. Sure, it's great to be comfortable with our spouse, but we still need to work at keeping the magic alive. So as you're going through your daily routine, think back to the nice things you used...

It's the gift of L.O.V.E. L stands for listen… pay full attention when your partner talks. Stop what you're doing and don't interrupt. O is for observe... make getting to know their likes and dislikes a priority. V is for value… value them for who they are…what makes them unique. And E is for encourage…build them up with your words and actions. Four little letters that spell out lessons in love. It's the...

Does it sound something like this? "What do you want to do tonight?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?" "I don't know… is there anything at the movies?" Then you find yourself sitting in a dark theater, not talking to each other, watching a movie you really didn't want to see anyway. Instead, do something different. Go for an evening picnic at the beach or lake. Play tennis. Go bowling. Check out your...

Instead of just letting your kids hunt for eggs this year, let them hunt for compliments. Buy some plastic eggs and assign each of your children a color. Then write some nice things about your kids on slips of paper, and put them inside. Like, "I love the way you treat your sister so kindly," or, "You're a great Monopoly player." Once they've found all of their eggs, let your children read what's inside. We have...

There's a controversial new television show called Bleep my Dad Says. It's based on the colorful and irreverent exchanges between a father and his son. What began as a Twitter feed became a book, and now a syndicated sit-com, of profanity-laced life-lessons. Your children WILL repeat what you say, good and bad. So be mindful of your conversations, not only when you talk to them, but also with others. Will you...

I'm doing some rehab for my injured shoulder. One exercise I do is to grab a PVC pipe with both hands. I have to struggle to hold on while my physical therapist jerks the pipe around. Why? It makes my shoulder stronger. We should welcome struggle in everything we do. Not because we like it, but because it makes us stronger. I struggle through disagreements with my wife. If I handle it the right way, it...