The #1 thing I said I'd never do as a mom

Oh Yeah......
I did it........
The #1 thing I said I'd NEVER do as a mom......

I am now a mini-van driver.

For as long as I can remember- I have SWORN that I would never drive a mini-van.

I was way too cool....

What is cool when you have 3 kids in car seats in a tiny backseat, spit up on your shirt, boogers on your sleeve and greasy hand prints all over all your clothes?

I'll tell you what it is- It's a mini-van.

I can now Honestly and Proudly say that I love my mini-van.... and it is cool!

Something about....
those bucket seats where no one is touching each other
Or the fact that I can push a button and the doors open (that's what's up!)
Or could it be all that Extra Room?!?!

I don't care that it is 9 years old- I love it.... and I drive it proudly. (If you have a question about the age of my vehicle... pick up a Dave Ramsey or Larry Burkett book- you won't be sorry)

So bring on the soccer mom jokes. I can take it.

So to all you mini-van drivers- Be Proud- You are cool!
Put on the shades- crank up the kid tunes- and roll into those parking lots with style.

and to all my family who might stumble across this post...... don't be too hard on me :) I know I'm eating my words... and they taste good!


What is the #1 thing you said you'd never do as a mom? I'd love to hear. 

A year without TV

Hi Friends!
Thanks so much for stopping by my corner of this wild web!

A year ago our little family moved into a new house that we built... (that story to come later if anyone cares).... This was a huge blessing!!!!!!

Well.... when we moved it was a huge hassle to move our cable with us... extra fees, phone calls, etc.. etc....

So my husband and I talked about it and realized that that we didn't really watch much TV anyway.... We just didn't have the time.

We decided to not move our cable with us on a trial basis. And not just  cable.... but we opted out of an antenna as well. That's right-- you heard me correctly- we have NO channels.

It's been 1 year- and WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
Yes.... I said it.... We have had NO TV for a year!
(We do watch DVD's) (We are somewhat of movie buffs)

Here are some of my thoughts from not having TV from the past year:

It is great!- and I highly recommend it.... There is not much on anyway that is worth wasting your mind on.....

We spend a lot more time doing this

and this

We have found that we spend a lot more time:

• Talking with each other - fun talks, serious talks, long talks, silly talks etc.. etc.. 
• Engaging our minds in more stimulating things
• playing with our kids
• reading with our kids
• fellow-shipping with others
• having more fun
• laughing a lot
• spontaneous activities and outings (This one is my favorite!)

We feel like without our TV we are able to really focus on the people that live here and the relationships around us without the distraction.


At home during the days our kids are:

• playing
• crafting ( aka making big messes)
• going on walks
• using their imagination
• learning 
• building
• ENGAGING THEMSELVES IN LIFE!

We love this!-

There are only 2 things that we miss from not having Cable-

Football and March Madness.... These times of year seem to cause a slight inconvenience for us. But it gives us a great opportunity to fellowship with friends and family and offer to bring a yummy dish to share.....

We have talked about getting cable again- just for those two reasons (Football and March Madness) but the benefits of not having it OUT-WAY the gains from having it by more than you could imagine.

We feel like this past year has completely ENRICHED our family life. Try It! It's fun:)

What else could you spend your extra $$ on?
Here are some ideas:

*Pay someone to help you clean your house once/week
Wouldn't that be nice! You get to be blessed while blessing someone else.

*Sponsor a child

*Support a ministry you feel strongly about- There are so many great things to support to help further the kingdom... Decide what you feel passionately about and pursue it. I have been convicted lately about water.....Do you know how many people in the world don't have clean drinking water?..... Ever since I've learned about this... I've noticed how many bottles of water I dump out, how many clean hot baths my family takes regularly, how many times I fill up the sink just to let the kids play.......... Wow.....
What do you feel passionately about?

*Take that extra $$ and buy something for someone else each month-
surprise lunches for friends? How nice would it be to treat a gal pal to lunch- Bless your friends!

*Great books- Build your family library

*Leave cash anonymously for people in your church body that you know could use a little extra each month..How Fun!!!Seal it in an envelope and tape it to "their pew" with their name on it... Yes we all sit in the same pew every week- I know you do it!

*Get out of debt


I promise....... What you could do with that extra money would be way more fun than anything you could possibly watch on TV!!!

Are you up for the challenge?


Thanks so much for stopping by to hang with me a few minutes... I'd love for you to like my facebook page and let me come to your inbox:)..... Oh and don't forget if you like my FB page to add me to your interests list.... otherwise you probably won't see my ramblings in your news feed:)

Why I shop at Consignment Events

Why I shop at Rhea Lana's:

Photo Credit: http://consignmentmommies.com/Contests/ECardContest.htm

Hi Friends-                                                            

The Rhea Lana's Children's consignment event is coming up around where I'm from. So today I wanted to share with you a quick post about - Why I choose to shop at Rhea Lana's.

1. Being a good steward
I believe that God intends for us to be a good steward of all the gifts he has given us- Including our finances. Why spend tons of  your $$$ on brand new clothing for you sweet kiddos- When you can shop at a good consignment event and get Great Quality- Cute- clothes for a fraction of the cost?? This just seems smart to me. Basically a no brainier-  I spend less money and get great stuff that I like...... That would cost so much more at retail cost. Which... going back to being a good steward with our finances allows us to do other things with our $$... (See #2)

2. Allows you to be generous
As I said in reason #1- I am able to spend less money but still dress my kids in great quality, cute clothes that I like and are "our style".....
Spending less $$ on my children's clothes allows me to be more generous to family and friends! This is such a blessing! There are so many great deals to be found  shopping at consignment events like this......... I have been able to buy cute outfits for my friends kids and clothes/toys  for nieces and nephews. - And not for any occasion but "Just Because"... Don't you love receiving "just because" gifts?!!

3. Time Management
Okay- I love to go shopping as much as the next gal.... But let's be real and honest here- I don't have time! We live over an hour away from a city to shop in and I have (will have) 3 sweet kiddos 3 and under.... plus my husband has a busy work schedule  Not to mention- We are just busy in general "doing life" and such... (Like I know we all are!) So to take a day to drive over an hour 1 way- shop all day- get a babysitter- etc.. etc... is just not a feasible and easy thing for me to do in this season of my life. (I'm hoping when my toddler girl is a little older we can have lots of Mommy/Daughter days in town!)

But shopping at my local Rhea Lana's consignment event allows me to take control of my life and be a wise steward of my time. I am able to get the majority of my children's clothes for 1 season in 1 shopping day- close to my home. (Did I mention... at a fraction of the cost??)

This is great! Because I am never stressed about my kids not having the next season of clothes ready to go. AND- by getting the majority of it at once I am able to buy cute new outfits for my kids "just because" throughout the year as special treats. So when we do get a chance to go to "town" (Do you other rural peeps call it "town" like I do?) I get to  treat my kids to a special outfit/shirt/ or dress just because I want to and it doesn't break the bank.

4. Smart $$
So you might be asking me - How do you come up with the finances to buy a new wardrobe for 3 kids all at once?... Not everyone (most of us) has those kind of finances just laying around to go on a huge shopping spree on a whim.
I consign my clothes from the last season- With Rhea Lana's in particular you earn 70% of your sales. So I'm able to use what I've made from consigning to purchase the next batch of goodies.

5. Friends/Fellowship
Another reason I shop at Rhea Lana's is the friends and fellowship. At most consignment events like this- You can volunteer to shop early. By volunteering to work at your local event- You get to hang with other cool moms, make new friends, connect with your community, and have a good time while working hard . You never know what kind of relationship you might build through working one of these events.
I have been on the leadership team at my local even for 3 years now and have made some great friends and built some great relationships with others on the leadership or volunteer team- OR just through meeting people who come in to shop/consign.
Can any of you find me in the picture?......

Picture Credit: Zoe Portrait Art

Here are some common questions that I have heard:

Q.Why don't you just shop consignment stores?
A. See answer 3...... I don't have time. I don't have time to go "check stores out" to see "if they might have something" Plus going into a consignment store is a hit/miss opportunity. At consignment events- consignors sell their best items so there are lots of choices in each size. If I have a day to go running around town- Hitting up consignment stores are not my first choice of what I want to do..... I'd much rather be having coffee with a friend......... or shopping for treasures at Antique stores- totally different than consignment clothes shopping for kids!

Q. Why don't you just shop online? I find all my kids clothes online....
A. I do like shopping online..... but I don't always like to just sit at the computer... There are so many other things I'd rather be doing 99% of the time. (unless I'm avoiding the laundry...then computer time looks really fun)

Q. I get all my kids clothes brand new on clearance.  I shop at the right time (when seasons change) and get brand new out of season clothes.  Why don't you just do that?
A..... Again... I don't have time. When you "bank" on getting your kids clothes on clearance- I don't always find things in the right size that I like. And- (again see #3) Since I don't go to "town" (remember the 1 over an hour away) super often I don't always have the opportunity to check the sale rack every Saturday. We have other things to do on Saturdays at our house.... (That are way more fun!) And again- I've always found " like new" quality items at our local event. .....(The brands I love too!)

So basically- I get the majority of my shopping done at once... and spend less money....
So I have more free time during the year to be doing other things.. Use your time and money wisely:)

Anyways-.... These are just some things I've been thinking about and wanted to share them with all of you. There are all kinds of Children's Consignment Events around the U.S. What do you have in your area that you love???

Lets be good stewards with our money, time, and resources -

And be generous and cheerful givers! Bless Someone!

Thanks so much for stopping by to hang with me a few minutes... I'd love for you to like my facebook page and let me come to your inbox:)..... Oh and don't forget if you like my FB page to add me to your interests list.... otherwise you probably won't see my ramblings in your news feed:)

Blessings,

What to do with all your Pictures

Okay......

I've kinda self proclaimed myself as the picture police. It really stresses me out if you don't have some sort of "system" for your pictures.

Are your pictures just thrown in boxes?
Are they unorganized?
Do you just leave them on your phone or computer?

I'm going to share with you what I do with my pictures.

1. Make an Online Scrapbook

This is my personal favorite. It is a little pricey- but it's well worth the money. I've tried several different companies and programs. But I have found Heritage Makers to be the best for my needs and wants.
I upload my pictures to the company's site and work on the book all year long. It is not very time consuming if you keep it simple and don't over stress about making each page super detailed. I only work on it a couple of times per month and I stay caught up.

Every January after I finish up with the Christmas pictures I get my book printed and shipped.
It's like getting a present in the mail! So exciting! Our family makes a special deal out of looking at it together for the first time.

Our lives and memories are bound in a pretty book in chronological order. What a treasure!
You can do this in a Basic (Free) account! (or you can purchase a membership to get access to thousands of art pieces)

The money spent is worth it to me. The quality is excellent! (*Note- I do not receive any financial compensation from this company. I just truly love their product and wanted to share because I don't want your pictures to be in old shoe boxes.)

I've compared the prices with just printing my pictures off and putting them in albums and I've found the cost to be very similar. With using Heritage Makers I choose only the very best pictures instead of printing of 10 pictures of the same pose with only a slightly different tilt of the head.  (Yep.... All moms do that!... Don't Lie)

Another reason I love Heritage Makers is because I tell our family story throughout the pages. On each page I write about what's going on in our lives, what cute things the kids are doing, what we are thankful for, or the story of the picture etc.. etc...

Also the projects are saved on Heritage Makers forever. So my plan is to buy each of my children a set of the albums when they are settled with families of their own. I will buy each child 1 per year  from our past until they have their own collection. (My plan is to have more $$$ when our kids are out on their own so that I will be able to do this... surely that's how it works!!)

What else do I do with our pictures?

2. Make "The Wonderful History of  (insert child's name) boxes"

I wrote about it here.

Each year I make them a small photo album of photos of themselves to go in their box. I also include favorite pictures of them with us (mom/dad) and their siblings. I put their little photo albums in their stockings for Christmas. They love getting to look at their own personal memory book. The key here is to not get carried away with printing off all 300 pictures of them throughout the year. Buy a cheap photo album and PICK YOUR FAVORITES! 

My daughter is 3 and when she is sick or on a special day I allow her to look through her box. She loves it!

This is not time consuming at all.

Another Thing?




3. Shutterfly Calendars

To keep my pictures stored I
1. Upload them to my computer
2. Upload the ones I'm going to scrapbook to Heritage Makers
3. Upload them to Shutterfly



I create Monthly folders in my Shutterfly account to store the pictures. To stay on top of it I upload about once or twice a month to my shutterfly account. Also several members of our family  have Shuttefly Share Sites where we look at all the cute pictures of everyone's kids. I post mine monthly to the site for everyone to look at. (You can set this to private so only your family can see)

 Every December I make myself and family members (Christmas presents!) a calendar for the next year. Everyone loves it! You are able to put pictures on the actual Birthdays of loved ones. (Maybe this year I can manage to get some Birthday Cards out to nieces and nephews.... ahem.. hopefully)

All the pictures are already stored and ready to go.




4. 50 Year Anniversary Book

I purchased a $5 photo album from TJ Maxx that only has 50 picture slots.
Each year put 1 picture of you and your spouse in the book. Write the year and a small description of what you are doing. (This is easy to catch up on!)

For your 50th wedding anniversary you will have a book to showcase your 50 years of change together! (not to mention you will have your story from your online scrapbook) (Maybe our kids will throw us a really cool party and the book would come in handy) ..... If you hadn't noticed I really love Celebrating!


Last thing......

5. Random Loose Photo Box

Do you guys somehow end up with random loose photos throughout the year? I do... This happens when people give you pictures, you replace pictures in frames, you print off a couple extra every now and then, etc.. etc...

What do you do with them!?!

I put mine in a decorative box that I have easily accessible on a shelf in our living area.

A couple times a year I go through it. The pictures either go 1. In the kids "special boxes" or 2. in a photo album that I keep stored on a top shelf in a closet.

I only go through the box a couple times/year and it is not time consuming either. Because... Most of my pictures are online in my Heritage Makers scrapbook waiting for me to print off in January. This box is just the "catch all" for those random pictures we all end up with.



I hope this helps you to get organized and do something with your pictures........
If I knew that you just kept them on your phone or in an old shoe box----- I really might cry. I don't want you to lose them!


Thanks so much for taking the time to visit me! I'd love for you to like my Facebook Page, Follow me on Pinterest, and Subscribe by email.  

How can you Serve this week?

Hi Friends!

Serving..... Serve.... Servant.......

I think sometimes we get the wrong idea about what being a servant means..... or what it means to serve someone........

⁶ not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart ⁷ with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free Ephesians 6:6-8

Sometimes.... even though we would never admit it out loud- I think we seek and want some sort of positive acknowledgement or glory for the ways we are serving. Whether it be in our job, family, friends, or church body.

We are typically quick to serve in those grand accomplishment sort of ways.

We aren't as quick to serve in those mundane unnoticed serving area such as cleaning a toilet or picking up the trash.

Serving is not always this grand endeavor that is going to get you lots of recognition and a pat on the back from your friends.... Sometimes.... it's just seeing a need and filling it.

It's not always going to be easy. It will cost you your time, mental effort, and body.

^{26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.27} For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. Luke 22:26, 27

For the past several months our Church Body has been looking for a teacher for the 3 and 4 year old class.

We have all sat back and waited and waited for someone to "feel the call" or "feel led" to serve in this way in our church body.

But as I began to ponder and think about being a true servant and the heart behind serving..... "Being Led or Called" is not always what it's all about. 
It is work. It is action. It is obedience to God. 

Taking out the trash after church potlucks, letting someone else have that closer parking spot, waking up early to cook your man breakfast, folding a load of laundry when you don't feel like it, ...... These are all ways to Serve that you don't always necessarily feel a great Divine Calling to do.... But they are needs that need to be met.  Fulfilling them is serving. Doing them with a cheerful heart is being a servant.

⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

I say this to encourage you (and myself!) to think of ways that we can be serving others in our life......

 Do you have any friends that have some needs you could meet? How about bringing them dinner, offering to watch their kids for an evening, or helping clean their house one afternoon?

Does your church body have any needs? cleaning? nursery? Sunday School Teachers?

What about your husband? Could you help him clean out his vehicle? Laundry? Food?

A family member? Could they use a visit?

There are many ways to serve that receives absolutely no recognition. It is just out of your obedience to serving and loving others as Jesus commanded us to do.

²⁶ If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. John 12:26

Let's quit waiting on the divine text message from God before we do something that needs to be done. Let's take the initiative and CHOOSE to do it unnoticed and because it needs to be done. Let's do it out of our obedience and love for Christ.

Don't be afraid to volunteer. Don't be afraid to give up your time.

¹⁰ As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God 1 Peter 4:10



How are  you going serve someone this week? I'd love to hear your plan of ACTION! :)


And.... if anyone is wondering... A few of the parents in our church have gotten together to take turns teaching our sweet toddlers :) We will each be taking a 3 month rotation.

Thanks so much for stopping by to hang with me in my small corner of this HUGE BLOGOSPHERE.....
Would you consider liking my Facebook Page and Following me on Pinterest so we could hang more often?
 

Valentine Gifts for a Friend

Happy Valentines Day!

Have you ever thought about why we celebrate Valentines Day?...... Well there are several different legends surrounding Saint Valentine and the way the day has evolved into the modern day "Valentines Holiday". But the one thing they all have in common is Love.

 Showing love, affection and appreciation to our loved ones. But as I began to think about this....... It made me think about God's love. God is love and commands us to love one another.

John 13:34   A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Why not show love to someone who does not expect it this year for Valentines Day? Let's move past the cliche'  chocolates and roses for the romantic relationship. And let's show and practice Love to all of those in our lives..... How about a friend?

For a Friend:

A man who has friends must himself be friendly. But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV, KJV)

Do you want good friendships? Then you yourself must be friendly as well.

In John  Jesus tells us
"This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. John 15:12-14

Jesus is telling us to LOVE one another and to lay down one's life for his friends.

How can we practically do this? We all want to feel loved, appreciated, important, and that we are worth something. Let's make someone else feel that way this year! 

Let's make someone who does not "expect" a Valentines gift from us  feel God's love. Those unexpected gifts and  gestures of kindness are the best kind!

Do you know a weary Momma? How about a busy friend? What about just a gal pal  who could use some encouragement?

Let's shower them with love this Valentines Day!

8 Valentines Day ideas for a friend UNDER $10

Love Wreath: Make them a homemade Love wreath. Attach a sweet note to it letting them know who much you appreciate them or ways that they have shown you love.  What a great gesture from a friend! I love getting pretty stuff from my friends. (especially since I am not naturally crafty)

Dinner:   mmmm...YUM.....  Who doesn't like this?! (That's one of my favorite things about having kids...all the sweet dinners brought over after the baby gets here.. hehehe) (Okay... I feel like I should say that I'm just kidding and that it's not one of my favorite things... but just a perk of the first couple of weeks) Anyways ..... Back to Valentines Day- Bring your friend dinner with a note attached saying: You show so much love to your family by serving them faithfully. Let me serve you today and shower you with love. Happy Valentines Day! You are appreciated! (Heart Shaped sugar cookies are a MUST with this meal)

I made this tortellini and sausage soup with french bread for my family and they loved it! It made enough for two families. Make it- Eat it- Deliver It!

Handwritten Card:  Just a simple, pretty, handwritten card that goes through SNAIL MAIL. What a fun surprise this would be for a friend to receive something in her mailbox reminding her that she is loved and thought about this Valentines Day. It's not hard.... It just takes ACTION. Make homemade cards for a Family Tea Party and then deliver them to friends!

It doesn't have to be something that took you hours to make. You can even just buy it! I got this card in the mail a couple of weeks ago. Completely made my day. Now I have it tacked onto my Quote Board so I can enjoy it everyday. 

Flowers for a Friend:  You can get a bouquet of flowers from your local grocery store for fairly cheap. ($3.99) Put them in a mason jar, throw on some burlap and a homemade tag. What a beautiful reminder that your friend could enjoy for several days.... (My personal favorites are cheesy "play on words" taglines such as: "I couldn't have "picked" a better friend... (hehe)

We used our bouquet of flowers for our Tea Party.... and then were able to deliver them to a friend.

Book: I have read so many great books over the past year that have really encouraged me in my Christian walk. Why not get a book for a friend with a homemade Valentine note attached to it?
OR.... If it is a friend with kids- throw in a children's Valentines Day book. Mom's LOVE reading and snuggling with their babies. Again.... Come up with something sweet and cheesy to write in your note.
Here's a quote that you could attach:    

“Good books, like good friends, are few and chosen; the more select, the more enjoyable.”

- Louisa May Alcott

Magazine Subscription: Again.... these are fairly cheap and frugal. Wrap up a magazine that you know your friend would enjoy from the current month . Attach a homemade Valentines note card explaining your gift. If you don't have the funds to buy her a whole year.... Just go pick one up at Hastings or Lowes that would fit her interest area. Lowes has some really cool magazines that are a little expensive for just 1- but as a simple gift they'd be great! Does anyone else stand at the front at Lowes and flip through their really cool magazines?  I would love this as a 1 time gift! (I would also like Runners World)

Sweets:
Who doesn't love to get some homemade goodies!?!?! I know my family does. There are so many cute homemade festive Valentines day foods to make. Check  Pinterest for some ideas. Make them for a friend. Attach a card simply stating that you love them and appreciate them. Make them with your toddlers for a family devo party and then deliver.

Happy Valentines Day Sweet Friend!

Storkville Earrings:

Who doesn't love to get cute little things from a friend?  Check these cute earrings out from Storkville- Under $10! Get them for a friend and attach the note saying: " I love being gal pals! You're the best!" 

Storkville Etsy Shop

Showing love to others is being a servant, sacrificial, and an active choice.
Why yes.... all of these ideas are frugal and simple.

  They still take the CHOICE by you to make the decision to 
SACRIFICE a little time to SERVE someone. 

Let's do it!

8 Gifts for a Friend

Which one are you doing to do? I'd love to know!
Are you going to celebrate with your husband?


Thanks so much for stopping by to hang with me :) I'd love for you to like my Facebook Page, Follow me on Pinterest, and subscribe by email.

Blessings,

Valentines Day for your husband

Happy Valentines Month-

How can we Celebrate Valentines Day with our Husbands?

TAKE INITIATIVE and LOSE SELFISH EXPECTATIONS


Do you love Valentines Day? I love any reason to Celebrate Life! But.... I've had to learn a few things about my husband and Valentines day :)


Do something that he likes.

Don't stress over making sure you have the most creative "pinterestable" gift out there.

Just love him.

Keep it Simple.

Take the Initiative and plan a day that you know he would enjoy!



Here's what I've learned in the past 8 years...

1. Show your MAN love the way he wants/needs to be loved.......Little heart shaped construction paper is not my husbands LOVE LANGUAGE. I've learned that showing him love is not about what I want. But it is about keeping his needs/wants first priority.

2. LOSE YOUR EXPECTATIONS   We are all human sinners who mess up daily. We do not live in a Disney Fairy Tale princess story. To truly LOVE someone is to Love Actively without expecting something in return. That is unconditional, sacrificial love.

So with that being said........
What am I going to do for my husband this Valentines Day.
How will we celebrate our Love for each other?

By keeping it Simple- Not falling into the "commercialism trap" and simply enjoying each other.
Don't Stress! Just have fun :)

DATE NIGHT:

• What better way than to go out on a date and just hang with your best friend? Celebrate enjoying each others time, company, and conversation. 

MOVIES:

• I'm going to take him to the movies. This is something he loves to do..... But never has time to do.

EAT:

• I'm going to take him to eat at a place he likes to eat... Buffet's... (GAG! I HATE buffet's... but he loves them)

BREAKFAST:

http://kimskandykreations.blogspot.com/2012/01/10-valentine-party-food-ideas.html

• I found this on Pinterest and plan to do this! He will love it! I will set it out by the coffee pot for him to find in the morning. I love Play On Words with Food :)  I do stuff like this often at our house. I know... I'm cheesey :) 

RESPECT:

• I'm going to Respect him and pump his ego :)... Have you ever read Love and Respect?... It's a good one! Men want to be respected...... not necessarily pampered. So I will let him know what a great husband, provider, friend, father, and man he is. Here's how you can do just that-

• Send Text Messages 
• Emails
• Tell Him Face to Face
• Praise Him at Dinner in front of the kids
• USE SPECIFICS "Thank you for being such a hard worker and providing for our family" "Thank you for being such a good daddy", "You did a really good job_________ today" 

GIFT:

• There are a number of gifts that you could get your husband to try and say "I Love You".... but ........ most of those seasonal gifts my husband personally doesn't care for. So I will just get him something he has been wanting.

• We have a sheet of paper taped up secretly in our house title "Secret Surprises for Each Other"  As we think of something we might want/need we add it to the list. It makes gift buying so much easier! There are also small things on the list for "just because surprise gifts" (my personal favorite!) We always have a reference sheet of ideas. This has been extremely helpful for us! My husband puts stuff on this list that I've never heard of, new existed, or would even think about getting him on my own.
• Gifts are always still a surprise because we never know what might come off the list! (and we don't always follow it) 

I'm going to show him Love the way he likes to be loved.... Have you ever read the 5 Love Languages? I recommend it... My problem was that I was showing Love the way I liked to be loved... Not the way he liked to be loved.


Sounds simple doesn't it? 
It's nothing extravagant and crazy. But it's what he enjoys, likes, and appreciates. Something doesn't have to take LOADS OF TIME AND EFFORT to be special. It just takes putting the other person's thoughts and interests first.....

Honestly all the great ideas on Pinterest to do for your husband ... You know all those crafty little things .. Honestly would take me a long time to do and My Sweet Man wouldn't even care. So why waste my precious time.... Instead do something that HE LIKES and will actually enjoy!


Let me just tell you the story of our First Year......


Our first year of marriage I spent almost 4 hours decorating our apartment in cheesy signs and notes.... I posted them ALL over our tree house college apartment.  I expected my husband to come in Wowed and in AWE of all the work and effort I had put into hanging up heart shaped construction paper all over our apartment (and not with the goal of making it look tacky lol) I wanted him to feel loved and special. I wanted somehow the time and effort I put into all of that to just scream to him "I love you and you are appreciated"...... But all he said was "cool". He did not spend the next couple of hours telling me how glad he was that I spent all that time doing that for him. He did not give me the "response" that I was hoping for.  I subconsciously expected him to go on and on about how much he appreciated my time and effort. Somehow I was thinking that spending several hours using decorative scrap-booking scissors to make cheesy notes all over our apartment was going to let my man know how much I loved him...... Oh how much I've learned these past 8 years of marriage!!! lol lol!!! (Can I just throw in a disclaimer here that I was 19 and a sophomore in college at the time.... Does that excuse any of my cheesiness???? )

And..... to go on with the story... He did not even acknowledge the day!!!! My first Valentines Day as a married gal.... My expectations were HIGH. I expected it to be so romantic. Flowers delivered to class, a surprise romantic trip... (that he packed my bags for and just whisked me away too), special dinner reservations with an extravagant surprise thoughtful gift........ But wait!... What!?!? None of that happened.... I was in our apartment that afternoon (between class and work) putting together my notes everywhere while he was at his job. I was day dreaming of all the sweet things he had up his sleeve.... 9pm passed, 10pm passed...... Still no call or acknowledgment of the day.. But I wasn't worried I knew he had something magical up his sleeve. Finally he comes home.......
Still no acknowledgment.... WHAT!

So I did what every mature,  young married girl would do. I threw an embarrassing fit.
Happy 1st Valentines Day!

Do you see a problem with this picture? Yes... Me too...
The problem was me. 1.  I was trying to show love to my best friend/husband in a way that really didn't speak to him and 2. I had expectations of what I should be getting. I was all about me. (in the deep corners of my true heart)

** (Let me just throw in a disclaimer that he had something great  planned for us on February 15th that year.... since we were both off work that day. I really showed my immaturity by jumping to conclusions and not being patient. I felt terrible!)** Now it's a joke at our house that we celebrate Happy February the 15th Day.





Put your man first this year and take the initiative to celebrate your love for Him.   Don't just sit around and wait for him to do everything for you.

Do something that he likes.
Don't stress over making sure you have the most creative "pinterestable" gift out there.
Just love him.


 Take a proactive UNSELFISH role in letting him know that you love him. 
Keep it Simple- Plan a Day/Afternoon that you know he would like!