MSN.com posted an article that was originally in Oprah’s “O” magazine, written by Rita Wilson (wife of one Tom Hanks, in case you were not aware). In the article she talks about a time when they were riding in the car the her parents and the question, “Would you marry the same person again?” came up. One of her parents threw out a “Not me!”

It’s a good article that got me thinking. We’re coming up on our ten year anniversary and the question “If you knew at 25 what you know today about your spouse, would you still marry the same person?” made me think I should address it.

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I have to admit that my husband and I do not watch a lot of TV, nor do we watch many movies. People often ask me how I manage to get all that I do done and I point to that fact. When the kids are in bed my husband will often putter in the shop and I will typity typity type to get my work (and play) all wrapped up.

Then there are nights where we 1) Need a break, 2) Need a break and 3) Need a break. Sometimes we curl up on the couch and see what our PVR has to offer. Sometimes we will go to a place called a theater and watch something called a movie. It’s neat.

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I read an article on CNN titled Jon and Kate plus hate? Ways to deal with common relationship stress (It’s a great article; I suggest you go read it). I thought that the points shared were worth discussing here. Marriage is hard enough as it is, but there are certain things that trigger stress and can make things even harder on the both of you.

1. A growing family

No kidding! Bringing home your very first newborn is a very stressful time. Are they eating enough? Are they eating too much? Are they sleeping enough? Are they sleeping too much? You’re likely getting your sleep in one to two hour increments (If you’re lucky) and we all know that sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your emotions.

Each stage of childhood brings its own stresses and when you keep adding kids to the mix, the stress level can rise. Keeping your marriage relationship strong through communicating and spending time together just the two of you is vital.

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Going into this past weekend, I was a little smug in my plans. I am the one who always goes away for work (And also, fun), thus leaving my husband to manage our three small children. To appease my guilt let him experience the wonder of a weekend away, I encouraged him to make plans for his own excursion sans kids or wife.

His being away did not mean that I was left at home pouting. I made plans with my girlfriends which turned out to be more fun than I had imagined (apart from the whole flat tire episode).

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One of my favorite bloggers (and people; I spent time with her at BlogHer last year) is the ever-lovely Kyran Pittman. She blogs at Notes To Self and is one of the editors over at Good Housekeeping.

This past week, one of Kyran’s posts made it onto MSN.com and it was a good read: “Keeping Your Marriage Thick In Thin Times“.

I thoroughly enjoyed the article and it caused me to think about the strain that finances can place on a marriage. We are feeling the financial pinch in our house as well. My husband’s industry (lumber) is in the pooper and I am taking on more accounting work to cover the divide. We’re keeping a closer eye on what we spend and talking more about the smaller purchases as well.

Is the economy affecting your marriage for better or for worse? How are you working through it all?

I read this article about the eight sexiest movies of all time, and thought it would be a great link to share in time for the weekend.

I have not seen all of the movies on the list, but I have seen The Notebook.  It is one of my all-time favorite movies.  An Officer and a Gentleman is another classic (I love me some Richard Gere).

I am thinking I may need to check out some of the other titles on the list.

How about you?  Is there a date movie that is a must-see?

When I first started this column (Oh, a month ago), I thought that choosing topics would be easy. I am married to the man that I choose to spend the rest of my life with. He is also in this for the long haul. Forever is the destination. Anything short of that is simply not an option.

I have a wide array of websites that I peruse on a daily/weekly basis. When trying to come up with a topic for this Friday post, I came up short with a marriage-related post that I could write about.

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