Comments on: The Happy Couple Cheat Sheet: 15 Steps to a Balanced and Happy Marriage (Relationship)

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:12:57 +0000

Welcome to Balance In Me Raymond!
I am glad that you’ve enjoyed my blog. I hope to see you more often here in the future:-)

By: Raymond Anderson

Raymond Anderson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:07:30 +0000

I love your blog. Very informative and well done! I couldn’t help laugh at the scuba stuff as I also love diving. However, I don’t buy a bunch of equipment. Being from New Mexico, I don’t have a great amount of water around, so I don’t get out much.

Again, I really do like your blog – you are inspiring!

By: Make It Happen in 30 Days – Just Go On An Adventure! | Arvind Devalia's Make It Happen

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:14:19 +0000

[...] Also check out these 15 steps to a balanced and happy marriage or relationship. [...]

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:49:30 +0000

It’s nice to see you on my blog again Stacey

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:49:04 +0000

That’s a very good point Belinda. Thank you for mentioning it.
I agree that it is extremely important to stay who you are in a relationship and to give each other some room to be yourself.

By: Belinda Munoz

Belinda Munoz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:40:31 +0000

Very nice list, Anastasiya. I’m guilty of not doing #6 consistently. I would add, if I may, one thing: Allow each other space to retain your individuality. Each person’s identity and interests should remain intact.

By: Stacey / Create a Balance for Moms

Stacey / Create a Balance for Moms — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:56:06 +0000

It’s inspiring to hear about the love you and your partner have for each other.

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:00:18 +0000

Charlie, I can’t imagine having triplets:-) Twins is tough enough for me and you and your wife are my heroes. I think that having kids (especially more than one, LOL) is a real test for any relationship. If you can still stay sane and love each other no matter how little time and sleep you get then you have a perfect marriage!

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:57:02 +0000

Congrats on your great news Sarah! That’s wonderful and I hope that you will enjoy being a mommy in the future. Just use every minute of independence and freedom that you have now For a while you will have to forget about freedom and sleep. Just be prepared (actually I was not quite ready for that when my twins arrived I also hope that your boyfriend will be helping you a lot. He seems like a good guy from your words and I really hope that you will have one of those happy ever afters

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:57:14 +0000

Wonderful list so many people could benefit from this! Honesty (and TRUST) are just SO important in a relationship, I couldn’t imagine being with someone myself who wasn’t also my best friend and someone I was comfortable with. OMG to that man hiding that from his wife – finances, interests, friends – to me, if you need to conceal a relationship or an activity from your partner then it probably isn’t something you should feel comfortable doing. I would have divorced him too – yes, scuba equipment is VERY expensive, I’m even wondering how long he could have kept that from her (among other things probably if he is doing that) WITHOUT expecting it to lead to divorce.

As someone who is not married, really, the same rules apply to any domestic partnership. I have also been graced with a wonderful guy who is a great friend, contributes around the house, and who I can talk to about God knows what for hours. I really hope you share this list and plenty of people see it, the divorce rate in this country is abysmal and a little appreciation for what you have goes a really long way. At the end of the day, I think appreciating your partner, enjoying your relationship, and recognizing that you have someone you love who also loves you is one of the most important things you can have in life.

I would also include being honest with one another about your expectations from the get go, before even discussing your future. I have been in previous relationships where men, to get my attention, made up goals and even ideologies that they didn’t believe in. I actually had one ex., who was evidently Christian, tell me he wasn’t religious and regularly bashed his own faith to stay in our relationship (I’m not religious, but that was still not ok with me, I respect people so much more when they are strong in their beliefs, mine aside). Yup, honesty is one heck of a thing and things are found out one way or another, it really is a small world. I would also add in, for sure, to pick your battles – sometimes the small stuff and irritating mannerisms turn into more than they need to be (guilty of this myself sometimes).

Btw, we’re about to test my “independence” – found out I am indeed going to be a mommy today. Quite a big surprise, any advice from someone that has been there on what is about to change?