How do you keep things fresh and exciting when there’s so much routine in the days ahead? Now that we’ve changed the clocks and have long months and nights ahead, we’re faced with a looming question: What do we have to look forward to? Oh, just a loooooong, cold winter. Doesn’t that sound exciting? Well,…
relationships
Catching Up with Friends? How to Be Mindful
Even the questions you think are innocent can sometimes be offensive (and yes, it can be offensive to ask someone if they’ve lost weight!). Here’s a quick guide. It may be while taking a power walk on a country road, on a midnight run to Walmart, or at the local ice cream store–when summer comes,…
Why You Shouldn’t Say “I’m Sorry”
Instead of expressing guilt to your husband, express your apology with an expression of gratitude. Here’s how– One of the top dubious contributions of Hollywood to the art of relationships (coming up right next to “love at first sight” and “they lived happily ever after”) is the wildly-inaccurate-but-cool-sounding aphorism “Love means never having to say…
How to Be There When You’re Not Quite Sure What to Do
You want to help your neighbor or friend, and you want to show her you care, but you’re not quite sure what to say or do. What’s appropriate? What is a misstep? What might be seen as just lip service? Many I have spoken to, both personally and professionally, profess that they don’t know what…
How to Connect with Your Teenage Boy
A BCP Reader asked a question, and we started schmoozing about the topic…and we discovered a lot of important tips on keeping the relationship with your teenage boys strong. While some of the emails you send to hello@betweencarpools.com only need quick replies, some others, including the topics you suggest, we go through when we all…
How to Keep a Connection When You’re Apart All Week
Tips and tricks for wives to keep the connection strong, even when you only see your husband on the weekends. So, you’re up in the country for the summer! What does YOUR relationship sound like lately? Maybe something like this: Sunday: Bye, have a good week! Monday: Hi, how are – Yossi! Not in the…
How to Handle a Disagreement with Your Husband
There’s a bit of strategy involved when hearing what he wants and expressing your own desires. How does decision-making happen in your family? Does it start with a fight? With you explaining why things should be your way? Do you find yourself “being mevater” to preserve the peace? When do you keep quiet? When do…
How To Have Meaningful Conversations, With The People You Love
The key is to come prepared. Sometimes, it just happens, naturally. Sometimes, it just does not. We have all been there. A restaurant outing that just falls flat, a birthday dinner where the conversation just does not flow. You would be surprised, but the key, really, is asking the right questions. Just like a good…
Small Things That Deepen Your Marriage Connection
These baby steps go a long way in moving your marriage forward. When I was getting married, I knew intuitively that it was going to require ‘work’. A bad marriage has fights, after all, and cold silences, and mis-matched expectations. Who wanted that? A good marriage, conversely, was presumably one in which both parties work…
Rephrasing Words in a Positive Way
Often, the same thing said a bit differently–can change everything! A while back Esti asked the team, “What’s a piece of advice you got when you were young that you still refer back to?” One of the pieces of advice that Shaindy shared sparked a discussion. She told us, “Don’t apologize all the time. Instead of…
