Dear friend,

Happy New Year! Yes, I know; it's February already - don't the days fly by so quickly? So, did you make any New Year's resolutions? Have you kept them?

One of my resolutions was to be more proactive and specific about making time for my family. I guess I tend to have a habit of making last-minute arrangements. That's okay sometimes, but it's so easy to let the days go by - without making contact with those who don't live with me, or without doing something pleasurable with my daughter who does live with me.

If I'm not careful, the contact I have with my family can just be about things like, "Where are you going?" or "When will you be back?" or "Dinner's ready". Maybe some of this rings a bell with you too.

Something else I definitely want to do more of is to make more time to relax and enjoy being with my husband, Tony (click on his name if you want to see a photo of him!)

We can get caught up in everyday things: work, or even being with friends - and overlook the value of just being a couple sometimes. So will you join with me in making a resolution to make some 'dates' with your partner? How about starting with a movie night in Marriage Week UK? Find out more below.

In stepfamilies there is often so much to do, and so many demands on our time, so please invest in your couple relationship. (And if you haven't visited this area of the Care for the Family website, take a look at the articles in www.careforthefamily.org.uk/marriage).

God bless you!

Christine Tufnell, Care for the Family
www.careforthefamily.org.uk/stepfamily

PS We have a special offer on for Marriage Week UK (it actually runs to the end of February) - take a peek below.

• Don't force the pace! It takes time for stepfamilies to feel comfortable together.
• Make it safe for the children to talk about their feelings and grieve their losses. Failure to grieve can result in anger and alienation.
• Don't rubbish your 'ex' in front of the children. They want to be loyal to both of you and don't want to take sides.
• Non-resident children need to feel part of the family, not just 'visitors'. Have their school photo, trophies and artistic works on show. Also display photos of your family activities so you can start to build new memories.

In this personal story, Jo tells you some of the ups and downs of being a stepmum...

"My stepdaughters don't live with us. We have them every other weekend and half of the holidays. It never feels enough.

"We are a blended family of five - me and my husband, my stepdaughters (9 and 11) from my husband's first marriage, and our daughter who is 21 months old.

"The girls arrive on Friday evenings tired and hungry (they moved with their mother to another part of the country last year so have a long journey). Then, before we know it, it's 6pm on Sunday and the rush begins to get the girls back to their mum's and we five become three again.

"Our little girl cries when she waves goodbye to her sisters. She cries again on Monday mornings when she remembers they aren't in their bedrooms.

"My elder stepdaughter has always…

Marriage Week UK gives couples a great opportunity to remember - and celebrate - their commitment to one another. And this year it's taking place from 8 to 14 February.

So, what's it about this year? Well, let's just say it's time to get out a DVD and big bag of popcorn (though my preference would be chocolate!) ... yes, it's movie time!

On the website: www.marriage-week.org.uk there's a list of suggested film titles - ones to get you thinking and talking about your relationship; films which both of you can enjoy together. You'll also find some questions to get you talking about some of the issues raised by the movie. Or, of course, you could just cuddle up, like in the back row of the cinema...

By the way, can you guess what my favourite film is? If so, email christinetufnell@cff.org.uk

As part of a national campaign to mark this year's Marriage Week UK, we're offering you 'The Sixty Minute Marriage' book at the special price of just £5.99 - so you save £2 off the retail price.

Give your marriage a boost - read Rob's humorous stories, and realistic advice on topics including: why cutting your credit card in half can save your marriage; 5 myths about sex; and much more.