Article: Take the time and talk to your partner, and more importantly, listen. Engage your partner by asking open-ended questions, then leisurely reflect upon what he or she says. Be open with sharing your feelings, and allow your partner to do the same. You can practice reflective listening by saying, "I hear you saying that things are difficult between you and your parents" or, "It sounds like you're feeling really stressed about work." With jobs, families, and other issues that require your time, sometimes the relationship is the part that suffers the most from time taken away. Stress is a normal part of life, but chronic stress causes a spike in cortisol, a hormone that can reduce the desire for physical intimacy. Needless to say, this can cause damage to your relationship in the long run. Eliminate stressful elements from your life if possible, and combat stress by exercising regularly, doing yoga, or meditating. Encourage your partner to do the same, especially if he or she struggles with stress. Manage your time to avoid the stress caused by rushing to meet a deadline. Take care of tasks as they come up rather than letting them pile up, and use a planner to keep track of obligations. Spend more time doing things that you enjoy. Life can't be all work and no play, so make it a point to devote at least one day each week to doing what you love. Find something that will interest both of you and work toward it. Having a long-term goal assures that you will spend time together during your week and can lift you out of the work-family life rut. Some possible projects might be: Train for a sporting event together such as a triathlon. Learn a new language together, then visit a country where it's spoken. Build something like a boat, a shed, or a garden. Trying something novel can increase intimacy. Choose an activity that neither of you has done before, and maybe even one that's a little scary. Sharing the experience of having trepidatious misgivings and then going through with an activity anyway will probably bring you closer in ways you never imagined. Plus, the experience will provide a great conversation topic among your friends. Try rock climbing, skydiving or paragliding. Go on a backpacking trip. Take a wild and native foods cooking class. Being in a long-term relationship can lead to focusing only on yourself and your partner. To rekindle your relationship, it may be necessary for you and your partner to get out of this mindset. You may need to find a way to expand your horizons and connect through this experience. Try to engage in a spiritual practice together. If you and your partner share a spiritual belief, then you could attend services together. If not, then perhaps you can explore spiritual beliefs together. Engaging in a spiritual practice may help to reignite the spark between you and your partner. Consider volunteer work. Volunteering with your partner may also help you to get out of yourselves and bond over the experience of helping others. Try volunteering at a local food bank or animal shelter. Work together to raise money for charity. You and your partner might also be able to change your focus by working towards a charity's financial goals. Consider helping out with a telethon or run a charity 5K with your partner.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Be a good listener. Manage stress. Do a long-term project together. Try something new. Find ways to focus on the big picture.
Article: Plug in your air fryer and heat it for about 2 minutes before you put the fries in the machine's basket. Preheating the air fryer will help the fries reheat evenly. Put 1 to 2 handfuls of fries into the air fryer's cooking basket and spread them so they're even. Try not to fill the basket more than half full or the fries won't crisp up as they reheat. If you want to reheat a lot of fries, consider reheating them in batches. Set paper towels on a plate and turn off the air fryer. Carefully turn the reheated fries out of the basket onto the paper towels, which will absorb excess grease. Then, enjoy your hot and crispy fries!
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Turn the air fryer to 350F (177C). Arrange the fries in the basket. Spread the fries on a paper towel-lined plate before you serve them.
Article: Take the crust off the bread when you slice it into cubes. Before putting in the oven, brush it with melted butter and add seasonings like garlic and parmesan if you would like. Otherwise, bake the cubes like you normally would and throw them into your next recipe for texture and flavoring. Croutons go well in dishes like French onion soup or chowder. No one will blame you if you eat the croutons straight out of the bag, though.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Turn dried bread into croutons for soups and salads.