Relationships

Improving Relationships

On the “Where’s the Lemonade” podcast, improving relationships becomes a playful adventure, much like perfecting a lemonade recipe. Darren & Paige share humorous anecdotes about navigating the ups and downs of connections, adding a sweet and tangy twist to their insightful advice. Listeners are treated to a refreshing blend of humor and wisdom, making the quest for better relationships a zesty and enjoyable pursuit.

Episodes

609 - It's summer time with teenagers
Darren and Paige celebrate summer with a house full of teenagers and young adults, which makes the summer busy and fun. As their kids transition into adulthood, scheduling and managing expectations can be difficult. Listen to their approach to this tricky time for parents and children.

608 - #6.8 Have fun on your work cruise!!! Without me!!
Darren recently returned from a “work cruise” while Paige was left at home to hold down the fort. Darren frequently travels for work and, when not traveling, works from home, so it is all or nothing. How does this impact their relationship? How do they handle the separation? Does Paige party and look forward to Darren being gone?? Does Darren party and look forward to work trips??

601 - #6.1 We're back and we are not stuck in a rut, or are we?
Is your marriage stuck in a rut?? Darren and Paige have been talking recently about being stuck in a rut, kind of bored, and very predictable. When they aren’t traveling or at something for the kids, they watch a show.

510 - #5.10 Marriage Myth: Don't Go To Bed Angry
Ok, so we all hear the saying, Don't go to bed Angry. You probably hear this marriage advice at almost all weddings or bridal showers. Is it that important not to go to bed angry?

508 - #5.8 Spending Too Much Time Together
March 2020 was the beginning of a new reality for most of us—kids at home, adults at home, adult kids at home, everyone at home. As time passed, kids went back to school, but many adults continued working from home, which could be a significant change for many of us.

507 - #5.7 Let's Stay in Love
When a relationship is new, you see the world through rose-colored glasses. Everything is fresh and new. As you look at each other, you see someone who is exciting and perfect. Even the world around you seems brighter and happier than before you found each other.

506 - #5.6 You Asked, We Answered
This week Darren and Paige asked their listeners to submit questions that we have not addressed on the show. Some of these questions were hard to answer but we did it anyway.

504 - #5.4 The Horrible First Year Revisited
The first year of blending families can be pretty tricky and downright horrible. In this episode, we talk about the challenges of throwing two families together and how we dealt with the obstacles we ran into.

503 - #5.3 Why is our Marriage Boring????
Paige approached Darren about a topic for the podcast. Monotony in marriage. He was a little shocked. Is our marriage boring? Is it too monotonous? Where has the excitement and fun gone??

417 - #4.17 Understanding the Differences between Men and Women
Most marriage difficulties center around one fact, that men and women are totally different. There are emotional, mental and physical differences. We can have happier marriages if we make an effort to understand the differences.

412 - #4.12 Success In Marriage
Is there a magic secret to a happy marriage? If we are told to do A, B, and C to make our marriage work would we do it? Do we do it? Or is it different for every single couple? Darren and Paige were curious about the tips that couples would give on how to keep a lasting marriage happy. They asked a lot of their friends and family that have been married for decades to see if there was some advice or if it is entirely different for each couple. Maybe a sense of humor isn't that important to a more severe couple but essential to another.

410 - #4.10 How to handle co-parenting with an ex you don't see eye to eye with.
This week, Darren and Paige discuss tips and tricks to help with a problematic co-parenting situation. This is hard stuff!! You are divorced for a reason, and now you still have to make many decisions together around the children. Let's dive in!

409 - #4.9 Perspective...Hard to Maintain!!
This week Darren and Paige talk about how to maintain perspective when things don't go they way you planned or want. They will talk about the some challenges and disappointment over the past few weeks. How do you maintain perspective??

408 - #4.8 Selfishness in Marriage
This week Darren & Paige explore selfishness in Marriage with a quiz. Are you selfish in your marriage? Is your marriage about you or about your spouse?

407 - #4.7 K-Drama
On today's episode Darren & Paige talk about their excursion into watching Korean Dramas. Ok just one K-Drama Crash Landing On You, but they are considering watching another one.

406 - #4.6 How to Reconnect With Your Spouse
Sometimes in our very busy lives we lose that connection and spark and just get set in the doldrums and monotony of just going through the motions of life. Darren and Paige are somewhat there. They have been through a lot in the last 6 months and need to reconnect in a way that Darren isn't Paige's caretaker.

403 - #4.3 Stop Having Fun Without Me!
How to be happy when my spouse is doing something fun without me???? “Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening.”

402 - #4.2 Expectations in Marriage: What to do with them
Are you effectively communicating your expectations to your spouse? How do you even attempt to talk about your wants and needs in your relationship? Have you just given up on expecting anything? Check out Darren and Paige's discovery of how to navigate this tough subject.

311 - #3.11 The Over Communicative Ex
Does your spouse spend too much time on the phone with their Ex? Does the Ex just walk into the house and help themselves to food? In this episode Darren & Paige look at the Over Communicative Ex. The problem is not the Ex it is your spouse. They cover some practical tips to establish boundaries.

310 - #3.10 Kindness in Marriage
Darren & Paige look at how kindness or lack thereof can shape a marriage relationship. It does not mean that they don't have disagreements, but they show how kindness can still be a part of everything.

308 - #3.8 30 Day Relationship Challenge
In this episode, Darren and Paige look at a 30-day relationship challenge calendar. Find out what they think works and what doesn't work. We used the calendar from the website www.endlessblissblog.com.

306 - #3.6 Valentine's Day Reboot
Have you ever wondered why Valentine's Day is so stressful? We can tell you why. Expectations vs Reality. Listen to the latest Where's the Lemonade? to hear how Darren & Paige handle or don't handle this curious holiday so well.

304 - #3.4 It all began in Panama
We recently had facebook and google give us reminders of where we were 2 years ago today. What came up is the inception of our podcast. On a trip to Panama for a getaway of time alone together, we dreamt up a crazy idea of podcasting our experiences of blending a large family. In today's episode, we went back and listened to our first episode, and wrote down what we thought.

303 - #3.3 Pass the Xanax : Dealing with Anxiety in a Blended Family
Blended families bring lots of new stressors into a relationship. Anxiety is high and sometimes your attempts to help your family to blend just increases the anxiety for everyone. In this episode, Darren & Paige talk about causes of anxiety and how to deal with anxiety in your family.

222 - #2.22 Don't Judge Me
Blended families get judged. No doubt about it. The kids get judged, they come from a broken family, they are going to have issues in school, and in relationships in the future. And the adults do too. They didn't try hard enough in the previous marriage, they gave up too easily, or be careful around them. In this episode, Paige and Darren explore the judgment they have made and have been victims.

220 - #2.20 Resolving Conflict in Marriage
In this episode, Darren & Paige discuss how to resolve conflict in marriage. Sometimes things work, and sometimes they don't. Not every resolution results in a WIN-WIN solution, sometimes it is just good enough to push the answer until later. Find out how we navigate this part of our marriage.

219 - #2.19 Unity not Equality in Marriage
In this episode, Darren and Paige discuss how things in a marriage are not always equally balanced, but focusing on unity in a marriage can overcome the ups and downs of the equality equation. How do you balance the leadership roles with household management, discipline of kids, managing money, fostering romance, and providing for the family.

214 - #2.14 Fighting the Stereotypes of Divorce and Blended Families
COVID-19 and the corresponding quarantine has brought out some interesting stereotypes that we have seen over the last 3 months. This recognition of stereotypes has given Paige and Darren an internal look at stereotypes that they have had about divorce and blended families. In this episode, we expose the different stereotypes of divorced people, their blended families, and how to overcome those stereotypes.

208 - #2.8 Money, Kids and Blending Families
Money and kids can be hard in any family. When you throw two families together with different histories and expectations Money can be a tough issue to navigate. In this episode, Darren and Paige reveal some of the hard money issues they faced when they first got married and even pop up today. Everything is up for debate when it comes to money: College, Cars, Cell phones, Soda at restaurants who pays for what and when.

207 - #2.7 How to Destroy Your Marriage
In this episode, we talk about the key things that you can do to destroy your marriage. We researched some articles and found some interesting things that we need to work on to have a stronger relationship. Check out these great ideas.

206 - #2.6 Valentine's Day Expectations vs Reality
Valentine's Day is always a stressful time for people. Expectations of the perfect romantic day never match the reality of the day. In this episode, we talk about our successes and failures of Valentine's Days past. It is a funny look at a difficult time of the year for many men and women throughout the world.

204 - #2.4 Using Counseling to Strengthen Your Marriage
We had to go to marriage counseling to resolve a problem that has bubbled up over time. In this episode, find out how we have used marriage counseling to strengthen our marriage and help us feel like we can tackle the problems thrown at us (with some help, of course).

203 - #2.3 Dating your Spouse
After years of marriage, our date night consisted of finding a rom-com and falling asleep on the couch. We freshened things up with new date ideas including trying to find something open after 9pm in Folsom. We ended up going to a grocery store and making more healthy brownies. Check out our episode about how to spark excitement in your marriage.

139 - #1.39 Managing Christmas Stress
Christmas is a wonderful time to reflect and give thanks. But it is often a time of stress, college kids returning home, and in-laws visiting. All of the normal pressures of Christmas Expectations is compounded when you add a blended family. Sharing time with your kids, duplicate presents, and who gets to take the kids to the latest Star Wars are just some of the things you have to worry about.

138 - #1.38 An Attitude of Gratitude
In this episode find out how gratitude helps fight depression and anxiety by re-wiring the brain. Find out how we have tried to teach our kids real gratitude, what works and what we did wrong.

134 - #1.34 Retrospective on 8 years of Blending families
In this episode learn why it is important to take time to frequently renew your relationship. In our recent time away we recorded this podcast about the last eight years of our marriage. Find out our highs and lows and what we learned from it all.

133 - #1.33 Decorating for the Holidays with going Insane
Decorating for the Holidays is a great tradition that turns a house into a home. For Paige and Darren, this was critical to helping their kids feel somewhat normal after blending the families. Even though we love the way our home is decorated, Darren's aversion to a disaster of a garage and piles of boxes made this time a year a time of dread and anxiety. Find out how we made our way through this.

132 - #1.32 Making your own Lemonade, Overcoming hardship
Many times we are searching for the perfect lemonade when we are dealt lemons. We know if we are positive enough and with enough sugar, we can find good in anything thrown our way. But sometimes we need to adjust our expectations to fit the current situation. In this episode, we talk about finding our own lemonade in these tough situations.

130 - #1.30 Managing Unsolvable and Solvable Problems
This week Paige continues to teach Darren what she learned at Education Week. This episode we tackle managing problems, not solving problem, managing them. Some problems, like putting socks in the hamper, take a long to solve, but all problems can be managed.

129 - #1.29 Girl's Trips? Heck yes!
In this episode, Darren and Paige cover the importance of Girl's trips, the emotions of the husband left behind.

128 - #1.28 Identifying and Avoiding Toxic Behavior
Paige went to Education Week and attended several marriage relationship classes. In this episode, Paige talks to Darren about what she learned on how we can avoid toxic behavior in our relationship and strengthen our marriage.

126 - #1.26 Protecting Your Marriage when You're Apart
Time apart can be hard and taxing on a marriage. But there are many situations where it is inevitable. Time apart comes in many forms, work travel, traveling to see kids, a spouse in the military, it all takes a toll on your marriage and your relationship. In this episode, we talk about the dangers of being apart and some tips to overcome the side effects.

125 - #1.25 Friends and Divorce
Friends are yet another tricky subject in divorce. Who gets what friends after a divorce? Does your new spouse make friends with your friends? What happens if you are in the same social circles still? Are there people that want to be friends with both you and your ex? It gets complicated really fast. In this episode, we talk about the pitfalls and traps and how to avoid them.

121 - #1.21 Open Communication with your Spouse, Kids, and Exes
Open communication is important to any relationship. Don't mistake open communication for transparency like we did. Transparency is about visibility, open communication is more about how, when and where you communicate. In this episode find out how Darren & Paige muddle through their journey to open communication in their marriage.

120 - #1.20 Triggers, How to Avoid and Deal with Them
Triggers exist from previous marriages, childhood trauma and just living life. In this episode, we discuss how we have been able to navigate triggers, sometimes successfully sometimes not so much. Find out how to handle triggers, avoid them and recover from them.

115 - #1.15 From Bad to Worse. Still Found a Couple Lemon Squares
This was a rough week for Paige & Darren, as Paige's mom is checked into the ER and while there her dad suddenly passes away. Darren was 3000 miles away on a work trip and Darren learned how to rely on friends to help out in the hopeless situation. A thousand-mile roundtrip, a broken down car and an emotionally and physically exhausting week led to many lessons learned.

113 - #1.13 Your Previous Life in your current marriage
Your history has a profound effect on who you are. When you are in a second marriage that includes your relationship with your previous spouse. Sometimes learning about your spouse's previous relationships can be difficult, but we have found over the years that it has given us a better understanding of each other, where we have come from and what has shaped and molded each of us.

109 - #1.9 Working together thru Depression and Anxiety
We thought the topic of depression and anxiety was important to cover because Paige suffers from clinical depression and Darren has suffered from situational depression in the past. In this episode, we talk about tools to help your spouse through their depression, how to identify the difference between the situational and clinical depression, and how to decrease the triggers that contribute to depression and anxiety.

108 - #1.8 Transparency or Privacy in Marriage
Transparency in Marriage is a hot topic in social media right now. The constant pull between personal privacy and sharing everything with your spouse has several couples at odds and is lighting up the blended family social groups. In this episode, we discuss how we tackle this hard issue.

106 - #1.6 The Horrible First Year - Overcoming obstacles when blending families
The first year of blending families can be pretty difficult, downright horrible. In this episode, we talk about the challenges of throwing two families together and how we dealt with the obstacles we ran into.

102 - #1.2 Spending Time Alone (Together)
Spending time as a couple (no kids) is very important when you are married for a second time. In this episode, Darren and Paige go to Panama for a week.

101 - #1.1 When life gives you lemons
The first episode of the Where's the Lemonade podcast where we talk about why we are podcasting in the first place.