Parenting Marriage

At last, the full story behind Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman's epic romance, including stories, portraits, and the occasional puzzle. How did they do it? They came from completely different families, endured a significant age difference, and were separated by the gulf of several social strata. Megan loved books and art history; Nick loved hammers. But much more than these seemingly unsurpassable obstacles were the values they held in common: respect, decency, the ability to mention genitalia in almost any context, and an abiding obsession with the songs of Tom Waits.

Men: Are you in a sexless marriage? Divorced and don’t want to go through that nightmare again? You're not alone. There are a lot of men out there not happy with their sex lives. What is going on? Is the tried-and-true stereotype of the undersexed husband and the cold, bossy wife inevitable? Are monogamous relationships doomed to such a pitiful state? Is that just the way marriage is? I don't think so.

Most couples - because they watch so many of their peers divorce and are themselves the products of failed marriages - don't have many successful long-term-relationship role models. Parenting and communication issues are perennial, while some challenges, like increasingly 24-7 work lives and economic hardships, mark the current decade. Despite all this, psychotherapist and clinical social worker Marcia Naomi Berger asserts that most couples can make love last - they just need to learn how.

"Life changes fast....You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends." These were among the first words Joan Didion wrote in January 2004. Her daughter was lying unconscious in an intensive care unit, a victim of pneumonia and septic shock. Her husband, John Gregory Dunne, was dead. The night before New Year's Eve, while they were sitting down to dinner, he suffered a massive and fatal coronary. The two had lived and worked side by side for nearly 40 years.

Polyamory is not always easy. With multiple partners often come more complex relationships to navigate. This practical guide looks at the common causes of polyamorous breakups, identifies strategies to avoid ending relationships, and provides you with the toolkit to survive a breakup. Kathy Labriola uses real-life examples and expert insight as a counselor and nurse.

In this revised and expanded edition of his best-selling book, well-known Bible teacher Derek Prince and his wife, Ruth, reveal God's true plan for you and your future spouse. In addition to sharing their own real-life love story, Derek lays out seven biblical steps to finding your mate.

Feel disconnected from your spouse or partner? Struggle to keep your relationship fresh? Worried that everything will end in heartbreak? It's easy to fall in love. The challenging part is keeping that spark alive while you and your partner deal with "the real world." Your relationship can often seem less urgent than the day-to-day emergencies that you deal with - your job, finances, children, and that to-do list full of chores. They all demand your immediate attention. So how do you find the time to nurture your love and intimacy?

When a looming career funk, a growing drinking problem, and a challenging trek through therapy battered Dave Hollis, a Disney executive and father of four, he began to realize he was letting untruths about himself dictate his life. As he sank to the bottom of his valley, he had to make a choice. Would he push himself out of his comfort zone to become the best man he was capable of being, or would he play it safe and settle for mediocrity?

Frame is the first in a series, descripting the work of thousands of men over a decade who have learned how to create a positive male identity in a world that not only lacks it, but punishes it. This first volume describes the tetrahedron of frame, and how to use it to calm the chaos in a suboptimal life, and drive towards something better: self actualization.

Why can't he commit? Many women find themselves asking this question when in love with a man who won't get married, won't stop womanizing, or refuses to give up his sex addictions. Often this kind of man is bound by an unhealthy attachment to his mother. This phenomenon is called mother-son enmeshment. In When He's Married to Mom, clinical psychologist and renowned intimacy expert Dr. Kenneth M. Adams goes beyond the stereotypes of momma's boys and meddling mothers to explain how mother-son enmeshment affects everyone: the mother, the son, and the woman who loves him.

Gary Thomas, pastor and best-selling author of Sacred Marriage, believes that one simple word can bring hope, light, and life into any marriage: Cherish. Most marriages survive by gritting teeth and holding on. But what if surviving marriage wasn't the goal? What if we aimed to thrive instead? In Cherish, Thomas teaches us that although there are a countless number of marriages consisting of two people just going through the motions, there are real ways this pattern can be reversed.

Imagine what it would be like if you could maintain the honeymoon effect throughout your whole life. Dr. Bruce H. Lipton describes how the honeymoon effect was not a chance event or a coincidence but a personal creation. Here, Dr. Lipton reveals how we manifest the honeymoon effect and the reasons why we lose it. This knowledge empowers listeners to create the honeymoon experience again, this time in a way that ensures a happily ever after relationship that even a Hollywood producer would love.

The phrase "broken heart" belies the real trauma behind the all-too-common occurrence of infidelity. Psychologist Dennis Ortman likens the psychological aftermath of sexual betrayal to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in its origin and symptoms, including anxiety, irritability, rage, emotional numbing, and flashbacks. Dr. Ortman sees recovery as a spiritual journey and draws on the wisdom of diverse faiths, from Christianity to Buddhism. He also offers exercises to deepen recovery, such as guided meditations and journaling.

Unpretentious, upfront advice for perpetual man-pleasers who want to stop repeating the same mistakes over and over but don't know how. Have you ever cried, begged, and bargained for a man to take you back after a breakup? Have you been called the crazy ex? Have you ever had a breakdown after a breakup? If so, Bitch Up! Expect More, Get More is a must-listen to help you through a breakup to get you ready for a future relationship better than you could ever imagine.

Raised in figure skating, Ashleigh brought the quest for perfectionism into marriage and motherhood, striving for the highest level of difficulty while trying to make it all appear effortless and beautiful. Hilarious, heartbreaking, and hopeful, what will she do when she realizes she has taken "doing it all" to a level she never intended?

After miraculously surviving a near-fatal brainstem stroke at age 26, as told in their memoir, Hope Heals, life for Katherine and Jay Wolf changed forever - and so did the way they viewed God, the world, and themselves in it. There was no going back to normal after such a tragedy. Yet Katherine and Jay learned that suffering is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new story. In Suffer Strong, they invite us into this new story as they share universal lessons and helpful practices.

After twelve years of marriage, twenty years together, and four kids, Devale and Khadeen Ellis have been through a lot. They’ve loved their way through a long-distance relationship, financial instability, parenthood, Khadeen’s near-death, and their near-divorce, chronicling their day-to-day life with their boys online. After much trial and error, they hit upon one surprising, essential truth: If you’re looking for a healthy relationship and a fulfilling life, focus on your partner’s needs instead of your wants.

Peter Fraenkel presents a practical, creative, integrative approach that combines action- and insight-oriented techniques to help last-chance couples manage conflict, modulate intense negative emotions, address power struggles, develop mutual compassion, and restore emotional intimacy and pleasurable connection. Special attention is paid to developing a collaborative therapeutic alliance when partners have little motivation for therapy or faith that it can be effective. Through engaging in "nonbinding experiments in possibility," partners can then better evaluate whether to "stay or go."

Filled with relatable examples, actionable tips, and a dose of humor, The Couples Communication Handbook will help you learn the communication skills you were never taught you so that you can have the marriage you always wanted to have.

Many of the clients who end up in our respective therapist offices thought they were doing relationships right—avoiding the white picket fence, focusing on careers and experiences over babies and legally-binding documents, choosing someone after they “found themselves” first. However, like clockwork, around their early to mid-thirties, these clients show up at our door. Why? For the first time, they realize that they dislike their relationship and are frustrated by their partner but know that another break-up won’t fix things.