We’re often asked how in the world do we have a hot + connected marriage — let alone work together in business as husband-and-wife while raising young children. That question is often followed by “Isn’t that a LOT of time together?!”
Yes, we spend a lot of time together. And we like it that way. LOVE actually.
Here’s what we’ve found:
Often, the external elements of our day-to-day lives correlate to the internal intimacy we experience with the people we love, especially in our committed partnerships + marriages.
So when challenges related to money, in-laws, career, health or home environment, etc. come up in our life, parallel challenges can manifest in our ability to connect with our partner.
But if we are going to just roll over + surrender to those challenges by accepting that love might always be lackluster as a result of life feeling challenging often, then we are leaving so much goodness on the table.
And really, what’s the point of building a family-centered business if you would not be enjoying that foundational family relationship that started that business in the first place?
Today, we’re sharing a topic that we feel is highly underrated in conversations about intimacy (with or without entrepreneurship) — the idea that small efforts can yield big love in our relationships — plus examples of some of the many small efforts we make in our life as married parent CEOs.
For us, the little moments have been glue during the more challenging times in our everyday life + the icing on the cake during the sweeter times. As a result, we’ll always prioritize small yet meaningful ways to keep our marriage strong.
Let’s dive in!
In our previous posts, we’ve mentioned the idea of envisioning your ideal future in great detail: having achieved true independence + having impactful wealth, what would you want to do with that wealth in the day-to-day?
Think bigger than that one big family vacation you want to pay for. For instance, what does an everyday wealthy Wednesday look like? What would the new rich normal look like?
If your answer includes wanting to share that with people you love, then showing them love needs to be a goal that you’re now working on consistently.
There is no guarantee that people are gonna wait around for the business to succeed, or the kids to finally sleep, or the house to be finished, or the in-laws to change their opinions, or the debt to go away.
What IS a guarantee is this:
“When you stack small intentional actions in your love life now, they can bear big love for you throughout the rich-life-building process.”
So, with that thought, we’re sharing 4 of the many simple ways that we infuse love into the everyday moments for us as parent entrepreneurs that keep that connection simmering.
This strong connection allows us to bring the intimacy to a roaring boil so much easier whenever we feel like it.
No. 1 — Food + drinks
We bring food + drink to the other partner when we serve ourselves. For example, we rarely ever only make 1 single-serve smoothie or 1 sandwich.
Batching drink prep or lunch prep is also more efficient for family life overall. Even if we have some oppositely timed schedules some days, this works as a really great way to high-five + hand-off connection points during those fuller days.
No. 2 — Post-it love notes
We leave little mini love notes — anything from “I love you’s” + “You’re f*cking sexy” to affirmations + motivational quotes.
We leave them as surprises everywhere.
- On the computer monitors
- Inside the laptop
- On the mirrors or drawers where we get ready from
- Inside journals a few blank pages ahead
- On the car dashboard
- In the diaper bags + work bags
- On the side of our coffee travel mugs
Courtney has tucked them into shoes + golf bags + really any place goes — like a fun hide-and-seek game!
No. 3 — Random “I f*ckin’ love you” driveby’s
As we pass by each other in the daily activities — like if Kev’s walking back to the office from the kitchen (likely handing Courtney that smoothie or sandwich) + don’t have time to stop + have a conversation, we’ll transition with this go-to line.
We often couple our drivebys with a slap on the butt — the loving, flirty kind — or a high-five or a kiss (usually that combo of a walking high-five into the butt slap). It’s just our thing!
What also makes this expression so special is its being on-brand for us. We’re simple + funny teammates, so having a driveby handshake tagline that matches + reminds us of that is so affirmative.
Note: The swear is part of the surprise effect. You have to drop the f-bomb for maximum impact! Adding that kind of jolts you out of whatever you’re doing — a startle in the best way (kind of like the butt slap)!
Saving our favorite for last here:
No. 4 — Toothpaste on our toothbrushes
Whoever brushes their teeth first puts toothpaste on the other partner’s toothbrush. We can’t tell you how meaningful this little effort has been throughout the unpredictable new baby years.
Imagine how Courtney, who shuffles into the bathroom after an evening nursing a teething baby, feels when she finds that she was thought of + cared for when she wasn’t feeling like a functioning human all night. Small efforts like this matter so much in the moment.
And what’s so incredible is that putting toothpaste on toothbrushes is taking on a whole new meaning in our house because our 4-year-old daughter is now doing this for us + her baby brother all on her own.
Our daughter is witnessing the joy + thoughtfulness + she’s excited to contribute to that. On the rare occasions we brush our teeth before she does, she’s excited to get to experience the toothpaste waiting for her, too!
So sweet!
Share your “aww” moments with us, too: What is one small way you could anchor a loving moment into your daily routines for you + your partner?
Do you have a loving habit like putting toothpaste on your loved ones’ toothbrushes?
Send us your big-love-yielding moments on Instagram @organicfamilyceo + let us celebrate this parent-entrepreneur life-building with you!
And if you’re interested in learning more about the ways we pursue parent entrepreneurship as partners together, then you might love the exclusive bonus to Passive Income Parenthood™ — The Partnership Masterclass — where we share how being in business with your partner can be one of the best moves for your relationship (+ the step-by-step ways we’ve made that true for us).