marriage Archives - I am Style-ish

My husband and I have been together over 20 years, married for 12 years. We graduated college together, traveled all over and have been through so much.

Nice things a husband can do for his wife

We went from two broke college kids living in small apartments in the city to now having two kids, a home in the suburbs, a successful business (for me) and a thriving career (for him).

Oh and we now basically spend all our time together because we both work from home, virtual school our oldest daughter and wrangle our crazy toddler all day (and night) long!

Even through everything we’ve been through, our marriage is the best that it’s ever been. I honestly can say that our relationship gets better over time and I don’t need one holiday or special occasion to celebrate our love or have him show me how much he loves me, as it is something he shows me every single day.

Nice things my husband does to show me he loves me

I wanted to share through personal experience the nice things that my husband does to show me how much he loves me.

These are things that I truly appreciate and what we do to strengthen our marriage.

He makes me coffee every morning (and brings it to me) – True confession: I love coffee and drink it every day but I don’t know how to use our coffee machine. My husband has made coffee every single morning for probably over 10 years now and I’ve never had to touch the coffee machine! No matter where I am or what I’m doing (usually chasing down the toddler) He will bring me my cup of coffee and let me have a moment to sit down and take a few sips.
He cleans without ever being asked to – my husband and I are not neat freaks but we like to maintain a level of cleanliness and organization in our house which can be hard to do with two little kids. We both have a mutual understanding of cleaning the house and I’ve never had to ask him to help clean.
He listens to me when I just need to talk – He learned long ago, that I just need someone to vent to and to listen. He doesn’t offer up solutions (unless I ask him for it) he just listens and agrees with me, which is all I need sometimes!
We have lunch together – This is a change for us since we’ve been working from home this past year. Even though we both have equally busy days, we sit down together for a quick lunch and just chat. It’s a nice break to the day and I love this time together.
He knows when I need a break – Sometimes, I try to do too much and my mind and body just breaks down. He can see it even before I do and will tell me to go lay down and that he’ll take care of the kids, dinner, etc..
He encourages me and believes in me – as an entrepreneur, I’m always full of ideas and whenever I tell him what I am working on/want to accomplish he’s always encouraging and makes me feel like I can do anything in the world. His encouragement is a huge reason why I have been able to build my business into what it is today!
He tells me I’m a good mom (and wife) – He is great at letting me know how much he appreciates how much I do for him and the kids.
He says “thank you” – He never takes anything I do for granted. Even if it’s something small like taking the trash out, he will notice it and say “hey thanks for taking the trash out” It’s not a big deal if he doesn’t, but I like that he notices and appreciates all the small things that I do.
Grabs the groceries out of the car before I even have to ask – my husband will hear the garage door and be in the garage waiting for me when I get back from the grocery store. I appreciate this so much!
Opens the door for me – This is just something small that I love! 20+ years together and he still opens all the doors for me, even after buckling in our kids, he’ll still come around and open the door for me if I haven’t gotten in the car yet.

I could keep going on about all the nice things my husband does that I appreciate. He’s amazing with our kids, he buys me flowers and gifts just because, he makes me laugh every single day and most of all he just wants to make me happy.

photo: flytographer (use code TIFFANYISH to save $25)

I didn’t write this post just to brag on my husband and what a wonderful man he is (although he is and I feel so lucky to be with him). I wanted to share this as I truly believe that these are the small things that make our marriage work and what makes me happy as a wife.

Most of us don’t expect huge grand gestures all the time. I didn’t need an epic engagement/proposal story (although we did have an epic wedding!) and I certainly don’t need an epic show of love every month or during special birthdays and holidays. I’d much rather have these small day to day appreciations and I know a lot of women do as well!

Small things a husband can do for his wife to show her he loves her

So along with everything above, here’s 20 more nice things that husbands can do for their wife that would make them very happy:

1. Do things without being asked – if there is something that needs to be done, don’t wait for her to ask you to change the lightbulb, just change it!

2. Hold her hand – We take walks with our kids often and my favorite thing is walking hand in hand with him watching our kids run in front of us.

3. Compliment her – Don’t wait for her to ask you how she looks. Just tell her she looks beautiful whenever you can!

4. Give her a back massage – a TRUE back massage. My back always hurts and one of the best things my husband does for me is uses this back massager to help relieve all the tension in my back and shoulder!

5. Chop the vegetables – or other meal prep. Cooking is hard when you have to do so much just for one meal. I love it when he will step in and say, “Do you need me to wash or chop vegetables?” And I always say yes because I’m grateful for just that one extra step that I don’t have to do.

6. Get her little gifts that make you think of her – even if it’s our favorite candy from the gas station! The small things will let us know that you thought of us.

7. Send her a nice text during the day – if you are anything like us, our texts usually consist of what to add to the grocery list. To get a “I love you” text or even a cute GIF is a nice surprise that will make her smile.

8. Take pictures of her with the kids – moms are rarely in pictures with their kids because they’re usually the one taking the picture, but most moms love photos with their kids. They don’t always have to be posed photos! If you spot a cute moment with your kids snuggled up to her, snap the photo. But if you all are going to an event and everyone is dressed up, just offer to take a photo of her and the kids. She will love it! And also, take a picture with her! She wants to have pictures with you too!

(If you want extra brownie points, print them out into a photo album and surprise her with it! Chatbooks is my favorite and you can save $10 if you click on this link to order.)

9. Take her car to the car wash and fill it up with gas – This could also be filed under “do a task for her that she hates to do” because I don’t like to do either of these things, but when he just takes my car and does this for me, I am so grateful.

10. Give her a hug – A random hug in the middle of the day will do wonders for our stress and anxiety.

Overall, we don’t expect husbands to go out and rent a hot air balloon to tell us how much they love us. Small, simple things really go a long way!

Now tell me what your husband/significant other does to make you happy! I would love to hear!

We’re a family that loves to travel and we’re not afraid to bring the kids. My oldest has been traveling since she was 3 months old and with our second, we traveled to Hawaii when she was only 5 months old. And while traveling with children is so fun, it can be exhausting as well.

I recently booked a stay at the luxury all inclusive resort, Grand Velas Los Cabos for my husband and I, and it was one of the best vacations we’ve taken in a really long time. It really made me realize why it’s so important for all parents to take a child-free vacation every once in awhile.

Let someone else cook for you, all day and night

If you’ve ever been to an all inclusive resort, you know how good it is to have all meals and drinks included in your stay. But Grand Velas takes it up several notches. They have 7 incredible restaurants that serve all different type of cuisines. My favorite had to have been Cocina De Autor which is a 2 star Michelin restaurant with an 8 course tasting menu and wine pairings. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in my life! I also loved Velas 10, the seafood and steak house.

Room service was available 24 hours and even the minibar was stocked with drinks and snacks that was all included in your stay.

I never felt hungry that’s for sure! But the best part is that since there are so many options on the resort there is no need to worry about getting a car or taxi and figuring out where to eat every night. It just makes it so easy which is exactly what I needed on this vacation.

Sleep better than you do at home

I have a one year old who doesn’t sleep well so of course I’m always happy when I get to sleep without being woken up a million times a night. But what I loved about the suites at Grand Velas is that they simply made you feel like you were home. It wasn’t the typical cramped hotel room, it was spacious with a comfortable king bed and more seating.

Get some peace and quiet even by the pool

I loved that even though the resort was pretty full, it never felt crowded. We were able to get a seat where we wanted and although there were lots of families and kids around it wasn’t loud or hectic.

There is an adults only pool which is a great perk, but even at the other pools I always felt like it was pretty quiet and chill.

Get that drink that you deserve!

I enjoyed all the margaritas I could knowing that 1) I didn’t have my kids there and 2) I didn’t have to drive anywhere. Plus all the drinks were delicious! My favorite was the mango margarita on the rocks (as shown above.)

There were also a few bars that you could go to before/after dinner! Along with my husband, I was there with my sister and her friend and we all had a blast!

Relax, without feeling guilty

Leaving your kids at home can be hard, but I knew my kids were in good hands with their grandparents and I also think it’s important for them to have some good one on one time with them. At home, I can never relax without feeling guilty because there is always so much to do. It was so nice to go on vacation and let go of that guilt and just relax!

Re-connect with your spouse

My husband and I have been together 20 years and we’ve always had a great, stable relationship but having 2 kids really does make life hectic. We do date nights, but nothing compared to have a week to just re-connect and really spend time together. I think we both came home appreciating each other and our relationship that much more.

I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation and highly recommend Grand Velas Los Cabos as the best los cabos all inclusive resort. There is a reason why it’s #1 on tripadvisor!

And even though my post is all about a child-free vacation, I did want to mention that I will definitely be bringing my kids here as well! I loved that they had kid’s items on the menus as well as a kid’s club, teen club and even a splash pad for the little ones. It’s a great spot for a family vacation as well.