How To Win My Heart

Today I’m linking up with Momfessionals’ Show & Tell Tuesday to share the way to win our hearts!  I’m going to focus on my life long Valentine today, my husband!

Ryan can come off as a serious “tough guy”, but the heart in this man is so amazing.  You can always tell how good a man will be to his wife by the way he treats his mother…and this guy treats his mom the way I want to be cared for when my own boys are married.

Here are some things that melt my heart when it comes to Ryan:

1. Words of affirmation.  This is my love language (that I like to receive) and his words can instantly put me in a better mood.  Here was a note he left just a few days ago on our fridge before he left for work one morning.  Ignore the other words on it (this is where I leave notes) 🙂

2. Conversation/Understanding – I wasn’t sure how to word this, but what I mean by this is Ryan’s willingness to really understand where I’m coming from and talk to me about it.  This may seem shallow but if I’m really wanting to change something in the house or buy something expensive (that we may not be able to do at the moment), Ryan will come to me the next day or two and I can tell he has been thinking about it.  Either he’ll tell me the plan for us to accomplish that or explain why we can’t do it at the time (but there’s always a plan to pursue it).  He never lets something that’s bothering me go without acknowledging it.  I’ve been wanting some updates to the house and so he came up with a plan in 2016 to tackle many of the projects so we get them done and can afford to do so.  That shows me he cares and values my desires.


3. He provides for us above and beyond.  This melts my heart all the time.  Ryan’s gift is teaching.  We all know that teachers in America are underpaid.  With that said, he still finds a way to give us a wonderful life and assure an incredible future where we can enjoy the fruits of our labors and live in peace, not worrying about money.  To think I’d be a stay at home mom on a teacher’s salary is pretty unbelievable.  He works a second job in order to provide (luckily he really enjoys this as well) and works super hard to invest money wisely so our kids are taken care of and we can retire comfortably!  I cannot tell you how much this means to me.

4. Seeing him with our kids.  This is a heart melter for many women.  Seeing a dad involved is amazing.  I love when he offers to take them to the park or run an errand to give me some free time.  Specifically with boys, I think it’s extremely important for Ryan to spend time with them.

5. He recognizes my work as important.  The value of stay at home moms has shifted in the last couple of decades.  Majority of moms work outside the home today, which can allow pressure to creep in and think you’re not doing enough.  I am thankful he sees my role as one of the greatest roles I’ll ever accomplish in my life.  I’ve never felt pressured to go back into the workforce and that’s a peace that melts my heart.

6. When he cleans.  This is probably one of the top ways to my heart.  Especially when it’s done without asking.  Ryan is not a cleaner, so when he comes home, especially from reffing late at night, and picks up toys or unloads the dishwasher, my heart melts.

7. His faith.  Of course I love that he loves the Lord, but I really value that he won’t let us skip church sometimes solely for the sake of our kids.  With kids there are a million excuses to skip church, but he won’t do it.  Maddox is sick quite often and has to stay home for obvious reasons, but he always gets B dressed and takes him.  I’d be lying if I said it didn’t annoy me sometimes that we don’t all just stay home (if M is sick)…I don’t want church to be legalistic, but deep down I know we’re instilling good habits.

I’m not big on flowers or jewelry, but these things are sure winners!  If you’re not Ryan, ways to my heart include:
-meals brought to my house
-free babysitting (thank you mom and Glenna)
-Starbucks
-sweet things said by my kids (you know, just reminders that I’m not totaling failing as a parent)
-words of affirmation
-random acts of kindness

Now off to read some of the link ups.  I’ll be sharing my February goals (and how I did in January) tomorrow.