I have two goals for the next two weeks at home with my husband.
Stay happily married.
Not get pregnant.
We had a pretty lively and familiar conversation on Monday. Both of us had fallen into our own versions of “survival mode.” I got hyper controlling and started to micromanage while Jeff checked out and shut down in his own ways. Neither of us were at our best. The biggest benefit I’ve seen from doing our weekly check-in is the way it reveals patterns (both good ones and not so good ones) and helps us make changes before we go to bed burning with silent rage (or is that just me?). Anyway, I wanted to share a few things we’re doing to stay married and not get pregnant this quarantine season. If you’re also using Fertility Awareness or Natural Family Planning, feel free to steal these alternative activities for connecting with your spouse.
Playing cards
We like Spite & Malice and a domino game called Mexican Train. Playing cards give us something to do with our hands other than, well, you know. Also, it keeps us from zoning out on the couch and provides a convenient excuse for some well intentioned trash talking.
Taking walks
We have some of our best conversations when we’re taking walks. Studies actually show that men are better at communicating side by side than face to face. It’s definitely true in our house, plus it’s a good use of our energy.
Reading
I’m currently reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Jeff is reading The Personal MBA. Neither of these inspire us to do much more than sleep when we’re reading together in bed. 0/10 would recommend reading a romance novel right now.
Watching Harry Potter
What better time to rewatch all the Harry Potter movies than now? I would suggest this is also a great time for your ugliest, most worn out long sleeve pajamas so that no one gets any ideas. If you’re really dedicated, maybe skip the deodorant and apply a charcoal face mask. If that doesn’t do it, I don’t know what to tell you other than I will definitely double tap your pregnancy announcement here in about four months.