Are you calling me fat?

Aaron: “How was your day?”

Me: “Good, how about yours?”

Aaron: “Yeah, good.  Did you do any Wii Fit today?”

Me: “What? I didn’t have enough time for that today.  What are you trying to say?  You think I need to exercise?  You think I’m fat, don’t you!?”

Aaron: “Um…I was just interested in your day.  Making conversation. Wanting to know if you used the thing you asked me to hook up for you so you could use it…. I don’t think you’re fat. I think you’re sexy.”

Me: “Whatever. You just want me to exercise because you think I’m fat!”

Aaron (flustered): “That’s not what I said at all.”

Aaron and I have those conversations a lot.  Probably because I still have 5.5kgs of baby weight to lose (not bad considering I gained 17kgs whilst pregnant with Daniel.  And Hannah. But I lost the Hannah weight before getting pregnant with Daniel.  In case you were wondering.  And 17kgs is a lot for someone who is five foot two and normally weighs 50kgs.  Anyway, that is so not the point of this post…), and I am paranoid and self-conscious.

And then I read a pre-production copy (yes, I do feel very special!!) of Christina Steinorth’s   Cue Cards for Life: Thoughtful Tips for Better Relationships. 

Cue Card: Do not ascribe your own interpretation to what someone is telling you (there is more information following that headline, but I don’t want to give everything away!!).

Sigh.  I do that all the time.  Aaron always tells me that’s not what he meant when I think he’s calling me fat after merely asking me a thoughtful question about my day.  But I didn’t believe him.  In my mind, anyone who asks me if I’m going to go to the gym, or for a walk, etc., is certainly calling me fat.  Now I actually believe him.  There are no hidden messages in his questions and conversations, it’s just my interpretation.

Cue Cards for Life: Thoughtful tips for Better Relationships is not a book you have to read cover to cover (though you easily can because it’s interesting, and reading a little bit makes you thirst for more).  There are sections for each type of relationship in your life.  Love (your spouse or significant other), in-laws (that one can be very useful for a lot of people!), family, teenagers, events…  It’s all there.  Cue cards are pieces of information that you can immediately apply to help make your relationship problems more manageable; to help you get them under control before they reach crisis point.  Or, to just make interactions much better.  It’s like an encyclopedia of helpful relationship information.  Simple things you can do (or in some cases, not do) to better all the relationships you have in your life, from acquaintances to spouses and everything in between.

I really think this book would be helpful to anyone and everyone.  After all, no one is perfect, so no one has the perfect relationship.  To pre-order your copy, click here

Don’t forget to vote once per day (pretty please) to get me back in the top 3. Thanks!