Audrey Hepburn once said, "If I get married, I want to be very married."

What that means is that you not only have the paper you paid an unreasonable amount for, but you also put your marriage - your relationship, your love and your spouse - first.

So in speaking to all of the married gals out there, here are nine reasons why your husband should be your No. 1 priority:

1. He is your best friend

First and foremost, he is your best friend in the world. You wouldn't have married him if that weren't the case, right? Continue doing for him what you did when you were dating - ignore everything else and give all of yourself to him - all of your mind, all of your body, all of your love.

By putting him in the coveted spot at the forefront of your mind and worries, you will be able to illustrate that he is the most important part of your life.

2. He's got the world on his shoulders

You may not realize it, but your worries, your kids' worries and his neighbors' worries are all his worries. He's concerned about managing the family budget, providing for your family, giving his children time with their father, taking care of you and your feelings, taking care of the yard, ensuring that his church and community responsibilities are taken care of just as much as you are.

It weighs heavily on him.

Help him to see - help him to feel - that you're genuinely concerned about him and you'd put everything aside just for him.

3. He gets beat down at work

You see him leave in the morning to go to work, and you see him at the end of the day when he comes home from it. But, do you really know what goes on at your husband's work?

Here's a taste: He goes into work every morning - a morning that leads to a long day of co-workers who hinder his work; supervisors who are unhappy that he isn't performing; stress related to job security; that same PB&J he's made for himself every day for the last 17 years; and the long commute home.

There is no doubt you'll have had your hands full (most likely even more full than his) all day, but the emotional stress that he carries will leave him when you greet him with a hug and listen to his worries.

4. Mom-and-baby bonding can be a great thing ... and a hard thing

When a woman has a baby, she creates a special bond with that baby. Bringing a child from conception to birth is a lot of hard work that is brought about with an immense amount of love.

But sometimes, that beautiful bond that is created between mother and child leaves dad in the shadows. It can't be stressed enough that taking care of that baby is beyond important, but so is the relationship with your husband. Keep his feelings in mind as well.

5. He does his very best to take care of you

It can't be emphasized enough that all he wants is for you to be safe, comfortable and loved. It's true: He'll clean the dishes with one of your nice towels, he'll reorganize your drawers, and he'll wash your clothes on the wrong setting, but all he was trying to do was to help.

Getting on his case and storming out of the room because he put your favorite bra through the wash and then dried it on high heat is going to do more than just hurt his feelings - it's going to make him feel that his efforts are nothing but an annoyance. Just love him.

Prioritize his feelings - give him the benefit of the doubt - and you'll be able to see clearly that he absolutely adores you.

6. It shows that you value him

It has been said a billion different ways, but it is so true that you make time for what you truly care about. Life can be unbearably busy at times, but coming home to a wife who won't make time for you can be devastating for your husband.

Wives and mothers, quite frankly, are some of the busiest people on earth, but taking time out of your busy day to talk to him about his day will speak volumes about his worth to you.

7. It shows that you put him and your marriage before everything else

Friends come and go, and children grow up and move out. But when we reach the end of time, it's just going to be you and your husband. Making him a priority will show to him that you want to face the world with him and that you value his companionship and his position as your husband and protector.

8. He sometimes can't get the family time he needs

Contrary to popular belief, there are times when your husband would much rather be with you than with "the boys." As insignificant as it may be, hopping in the car with him so you can go to Wendy's together and take turns dipping fries into your Frosty would be so much fulfilling than seeing his team lose Monday night.

9. The chances of him cheating are decreased

The benefits aren't all for him, ladies. In a study cited in a CNN article from 2008, marriage counselor M. Gary Neuman found that the No. 1 reason for infidelity among men is feeling underappreciated - underloved, if you will.

"The majority (of men who were surveyed) said it was an emotional disconnection, specifically a sense of feeling underappreciated. A lack of thoughtful gestures," Neuman said. "Men are very emotional beings."

An emotional being is right. Even though they wash your clothes on the wrong setting or they organize the fridge or pantry in a way that you don't like, be kind to them. They do everything they do because they love you and only you.

The post 9 reasons why your husband should be your No. 1 priority appeared first on FamilyToday.

Your relationship with your spouse is, hands down, the most important relationship during your life. If you're faithful to your vows, you can be together through thick and thin, to the end.

Every once in a while, you and your spouse will be bombarded by silent but deadlies - no, not that kind - habits that people fall into when they get a little lax in developing a relationship with their spouse.

Here are seven silent killers that could prove lethal to your marriage:

1. Silent socializing

One-third of all divorce cases cite Facebook as one of the factors that led to divorce, according to a study out of the UK.

One of the reasons is that people can connect with old flames - silently. Russell Clayton, the researcher who led the way in linking marital dissatisfaction to rampant social-media use, said that "excessive Facebook users are more likely to connect or reconnect with other Facebook users, including previous partners, which may lead to emotional and physical cheating."

Whether you should have a joint Facebook profile isn't the issue - it's what you're doing on your profile when you're alone.

2. Silent nights

While marriage isn't all about sex, it oftentimes doesn't get the credit it deserves as a vital part of the relationship. In fact, some say sex is the glue that keeps a marriage together. When you go night after night without sharing any sort of sexual intimacy with your spouse, it wears on your marriage. Make the nights "unsilent" by regularly scheduling time for sex.

Scheduling sex may sound weird and, quite frankly, unsexy, but how would it be to wake up on a Thursday, knowing you are going to get home from work that evening and have sex? Anticipation is the unheralded hero when it comes to sex, so if you let that desire well up inside you all day, the planning idea may bode well.

3. Silent scrolling

This is such a big deal that it warranted its own point. It's called "phubbing," or "phone snubbing." (Yes, it's a real thing with science and doctors and everything.) Basically this is the act of ignoring your significant other while you mindlessly drag your thumb from the bottom of the screen to the top, again ... and again ... and again.

You don't even have to be on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to phub. It could simply be using the phone during a meal or a conversation.

When speaking to your spouse please do him or her the courtesy of putting down your phone.

4. Silent solidarity

Once you're married, you're out of the dating stage, right? Wrong. In fact, dating during marriage may be more important than dating before you tied the knot. You've got to nurture your relationship until you die.

From day one, there will be ups and downs and even more downs, so finding ways to date each other will dish out innumerable benefits to the two of you and your relationship.

In need of a date idea? How about making chocolates? The Chocolate Making box, by Unbox Love, provides the ingredients and instructions for making chocolate and meaningful conversation starters. Check out Unbox Love to find out more about their fun stay-at-home dates.

5. Silent spending

Being on different financial pages is going to destroy your marriage. There's no reason why your mister can't go out for a drink with friends or why your missus can't grab lunch with pals. But, if you haven't set a budget and your significant other has no idea that you dropped $450 on an outfit, your finances will be off this month, which you know will cause problems.

6. Silent sloth

Tradition says this: Dad goes to work while Mom stays at home and cooks and cleans and shops and chauffeurs and launders and babysits and on and on.

Marital advice says this: One or both parents go to work during the day (or night). Upon arrival home, the two partners share the chore load equally, a load previously agreed upon.

If your spouse is doing more housework than you, you're silently shirking your share of the service. Guess what: 44 percent of divorces happen because of "lack of equality in the relationship," according to a Utah State University study.

So clean up, clean up; everybody do your share.

7. Plain old silence

Silent silence is redundant, but relationships of all kinds live and die by the art of conversation.

In fact, One of the biggest threats to marriage is Stonewalling, or absolute refusal to communicate. Even if you're not stonewalling, having nothing to talk about will create a gap in your relationship, and couples tend to drift apart when that happens.

"If you recognize Stonewalling in your relationship or just a lack of communication, one of the best things you can do is get curious. Ask yourself and your partner the question, "Why aren't we communicating well? What can we do differently to improve our connection?" Learn to ask the types of connections that will get you talking again.

This article is brought to you by Unbox Love. We work to create one-of-a-kind dates that fit in a box and are delivered to your door. The next time you need a night in with your spouse be sure to order a date box from Unbox Love.

The post 7 silent killers that are destroying your marriage appeared first on FamilyToday.

Your relationship with your spouse is, hands down, the most important relationship during your life. If you're faithful to your vows, you can be together through thick and thin, to the end.

Every once in a while, you and your spouse will be bombarded by silent but deadlies - no, not that kind - habits that people fall into when they get a little lax in developing a relationship with their spouse.

Here are seven silent killers that could prove lethal to your marriage:

1. Silent socializing

One-third of all divorce cases cite Facebook as one of the factors that led to divorce, according to a study out of the UK.

One of the reasons is that people can connect with old flames - silently. Russell Clayton, the researcher who led the way in linking marital dissatisfaction to rampant social-media use, said that "excessive Facebook users are more likely to connect or reconnect with other Facebook users, including previous partners, which may lead to emotional and physical cheating."

Whether you should have a joint Facebook profile isn't the issue - it's what you're doing on your profile when you're alone.

2. Silent nights

While marriage isn't all about sex, it oftentimes doesn't get the credit it deserves as a vital part of the relationship. In fact, some say sex is the glue that keeps a marriage together. When you go night after night without sharing any sort of sexual intimacy with your spouse, it wears on your marriage. Make the nights "unsilent" by regularly scheduling time for sex.

Scheduling sex may sound weird and, quite frankly, unsexy, but how would it be to wake up on a Thursday, knowing you are going to get home from work that evening and have sex? Anticipation is the unheralded hero when it comes to sex, so if you let that desire well up inside you all day, the planning idea may bode well.

3. Silent scrolling

This is such a big deal that it warranted its own point. It's called "phubbing," or "phone snubbing." (Yes, it's a real thing with science and doctors and everything.) Basically this is the act of ignoring your significant other while you mindlessly drag your thumb from the bottom of the screen to the top, again ... and again ... and again.

You don't even have to be on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to phub. It could simply be using the phone during a meal or a conversation.

When speaking to your spouse please do him or her the courtesy of putting down your phone.

4. Silent solidarity

Once you're married, you're out of the dating stage, right? Wrong. In fact, dating during marriage may be more important than dating before you tied the knot. You've got to nurture your relationship until you die.

From day one, there will be ups and downs and even more downs, so finding ways to date each other will dish out innumerable benefits to the two of you and your relationship.

In need of a date idea? Go out for coffee or hot chocolate. Actually, because you're living together, why don't you go in for a drink? In fact, the coffee date box from Unbox Love provides the coffee mugs with some useful conversation starters. Click here to check it out.

5. Silent spending

Being on different financial pages is going to destroy your marriage. There's no reason why your mister can't go out for a drink with friends or why your missus can't grab lunch with pals. But, if you haven't set a budget and your significant other has no idea that you dropped $450 on an outfit, your finances will be off this month, which you know will cause problems.

6. Silent sloth

Tradition says this: Dad goes to work while Mom stays at home and cooks and cleans and shops and chauffeurs and launders and babysits and on and on.

Marital advice says this: One or both parents go to work during the day (or night). Upon arrival home, the two partners share the chore load equally, a load previously agreed upon.

If your spouse is doing more housework than you, you're silently shirking your share of the service. Guess what: 44 percent of divorces happen because of "lack of equality in the relationship," according to a Utah State University study.

So clean up, clean up; everybody do your share.

7. Plain old silence

Silent silence is redundant, but relationships of all kinds live and die by the art of conversation.

In fact, One of the biggest threats to marriage is Stonewalling, or absolute refusal to communicate. Even if you're not stonewalling, having nothing to talk about will create a gap in your relationship, and couples tend to drift apart when that happens.

"If you recognize Stonewalling in your relationship or just a lack of communication, one of the best things you can do is get curious. Ask yourself and your partner the question, "Why aren't we communicating well? What can we do differently to improve our connection?" Learn to ask the types of connections that will get you talking again.

_Unbox Love works to create one-of-a-kind dates that fit in a box and are delivered to your door. The next time you need a night in with your spouse besure to order a date box from Unbox Love.

The post 7 silent killers that will destroy your marriage appeared first on FamilyToday.

So does that mean those few moments will never happen again? No. It doesn't mean that at all.

Romance can be found in the heat of a candle-lit dinner or a kiss from cold lips while looking at the stars.

Here are six things that remind you of the deep, pure and passionate love you share with your spouse:

1. When your spouse bypasses a peck on the cheek and gives you a soft kiss on the neck

Most couples get to a point in their relationships where everything moves so quickly: hugs become fewer, conversation topics turn from flirting to plans to repair the deck and kisses become standard equivalents of shaking hands. It's not because there's any less love, rather a lot less time.

So when your spouse embraces you tightly and gives you the chills with a soft kiss on your neck, the amount of time that you have at your disposal has now become irrelevant - because time has just stopped.

2. When you take a walk to a quiet spot and reflect on where you've been and where you're going

Relationships take effort. Every couple has a unique story with ups and downs throughout the journey.

You've accomplished so much; you've overcome so much; you've improved so much; you've unified so much. Taking the time to reflect on the victories, great and small, throughout your time together is sure to take your breath away.

Nothing can bring more of a thrill than making life-changing plans with the person you love more than anything else.

3. When you reflect on memories from your wedding day together

Think back on your wedding day.

For the men, think back at how breathtaking she looked when you saw her nervously, yet beautifully walk down the aisle, arm in arm with her trusting father. Think of the moment her father entrusted her to you. Think of the bliss you both felt as you took vows to each other - vows of trust, love and safety.

Or for the women, think back on how he reacted when he saw you approach him at the altar - how his eyes welled up with absolute adoration for you.

4. When you lie down in bed at night next to your love and admire their trust in you

It takes a lot of trust and love to open up and become vulnerable to another person - to give them your heart, your body, your mind and your future. Guess what! They have given you the same thing. The person you lie next to at night trusts you with his or her every breath, and that devotion should steal your breath away.

When you're alone with your spouse at night, you have the chance to think about how much you love and trust him or her. You have the chance to reflect on the mutual concern and desire you both share for the other's well-being, safety and happiness.

5. When you take the time to cherish all the little things your spouse has done for you

The memories of the small things may get lost as time ebbs on, but each effort has sewed one more stitch, knitting both of your hearts together. It may have been an impromptu date you two shared together or the moment he surprised you with a bouquet of flowers with a love note attached.

The happiest couples have a high ratio of positive to negative exchanges. Noticing and expressing your gratitude for the little things your partner does for you is like rocket fuel for your marriage. The more gratitude you express, the more passionate, loving and enduring your love becomes.

Don't take for granted those small moments. Every little act can be as a breeze of love building into a gale of love, taking the breath right from your lungs and filling them again with an undying passion for your spouse.

6. When you make unified decisions that move your lives forward

Some people say that marriage is just a piece of paper and that living together is the same thing minus the $85 you have to spend on a marriage license.

But that may not necessarily be the case.

Joining bank accounts and filling out name-change forms at the DMV may not seem romantic, but it's a very visible act of devotion and trust. Talking about starting a family, changing jobs or volunteering together from that time on, you are a family unit; you are one. To take a moment and think what lies ahead could be daunting, breathtaking even, but you'll do it with love.

There's nothing more romantic than that.

Unbox Love works to create breathtaking moments for you and your spouse by delivering one-of-a-kind date boxes to your front door. Click here to order your date in a box today.

The post 6 moments that will take your breath away in an everyday romance appeared first on FamilyToday.