Tim and Olive's Blog

Thoughtful marriage, parenting, and life.
  • The eyes in my fridge 6 Hilarious Pranks on Video
    Happy April Fool’s Day! Last year I played a prank on my wife on April 1. I recorded it on video, just in case it turned out to be a super funny clip that would go viral. The prank backfired, and she got mad at me. Really mad. And I had no clue why. Needless to say, that clip never made it to YouTube. Fortunately, not all my pranks have backfired like this. Read More
  • The Inside Scoop on Self-Publishing a Book The Inside Scoop on Self-Publishing a Book

    With the release of our second book this week, I’ve gotten many questions about what it is like to self-publish a book. This blog post is a preview of a guest post with Salt+Light and interviews with The Bucket List and Daddy Blogger TV about self-publishing.
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  • 6 Things That Shocked Me About New Fatherhood 6 Things that Shocked Me about New Fatherhood

    [This is a preview of a guest post I wrote for ESL Marriage]

    Before I became a first-time father, I prepared. I took a pre-natal class with my wife, asked other parents what their experience was like, and read numerous blog posts and books about the subject. But even with all that preparation, there were many things about being a new father that surprised and shocked me. No one warned me about these things (or maybe they did and I wasn’t paying attention).
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  • Then Came The Baby: The Wonder, Mayhem, and Hilarity of Our First Year as Parents 3 Reasons to Buy Our New Book Now

    Today we are launching our new book, Then Came The Baby: The Wonder, Mayhem, and Hilarity of Our First Year As Parents. To celebrate, we are giving away three bonus gifts worth $23 to everyone who buys a copy this week and emails me the receipt. I’ll share the details in a moment.
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  • How I Proposed With a Goat (and no Diamond Ring) How I Proposed with a Goat (instead of a Diamond Ring)

    Exactly 5 years ago I asked Olive to marry me. Rather than popping the question with a diamond ring, I planned to propose to her with a goat. It wasn’t a pet goat for her to keep in the yard and take for walks in the park, it was a goat to give away to a family in need. It was what she wanted, and it was one of the reasons I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this particular girl.
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  • When Half a Night's Sleep is Still Enough When Half A Night’s Sleep Is Still Enough

     [This is a preview of a guest post I wrote for SheLoves Magazine]

    “Why do you keep thinking you don’t have enough energy?” my husband asked me one night. “You made it through today. You made it through this year of being a new mom. Why do you insist that you’re in deficit?”
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  • what-my-baby-teaches-me-about-being-human What My Baby Teaches Me About Being Human

    One of the best gifts of becoming a mother is that I have the privilege of watching the process of human development unfold before my eyes. As I’ve observed Allie, I’ve come to (re)learn some basic truths about what it means to be human. As an adult, I find it easy to lose sight of the fundamental qualities of my humanness so I’m grateful that my baby, in her unfiltered and uninhibited way, shows me and reminds me of these things.
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  • How to Live with a Highly Sensitive Person How To Live With a Highly Sensitive Person

    When Tim proposed to me, he had no idea he was signing up to live with a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). I didn’t even know I was an HSP. We were both aware that I was more sensitive than your average person. I was sensitive emotionally, yes. But I was also sensitive to my physical surroundings. Certain places would be too loud, or too bright. Most perfumes and colognes would give me headaches. I would notice the slightest changes in my environment.
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  • How to choose a spouse like the new pope was chosen How to Choose a Spouse like the New Pope was Chosen

    The Roman Catholic Church as a new pope. The former Cardinal from Argentina was elected to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics this afternoon, and has chosen the new name of Pope Francis. While reading the news articles, I wondered if the qualities of a new pope were similar to the qualities you would look for in a person to date or marry.
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  • Help Us Choose our Book Cover [Plus, How to Get an Advance Copy of our Book]

    With 2 weeks until our next book releases, we would like your help in choosing the best cover out of these cover concepts! Plus, we are releasing a limited number of advance copies of our book. Continue reading to find out how you can receive a FREE advance copy before the book officially releases.
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