The Valentine a Wife Really Needs

In the book, He Said, She Said : Candid Conversations about the Making of a Great Marriage, Bill & Anabel Gillham listed some of the top ways women finish this statement:

I wish my husband would love me by …

1. Listening to me.
2. Taking my “petty problems” seriously.
3. Noticing me more - not just when he wants sex.
4. Saying “thank you” for the things I do.
5. Being interested in my life … at least acting like you’re interested.
6. Showing affection when other people are around.
7. Sharing his goals and values with me, talking his business over with me.
8. Taking me out without the kids more - maybe just for a ride.
9. Including me in the things he does.
10. Just holding me in his arms and talking to me.
11. Being tender - using kind, tender words.
12. Helping in the discipline of the children.
13. Accepting me just as I am.
14. Spending more time with the family.

Guys like this...aarrgh

I read this post on a Promise Keepers blog and realized that I have a lot of work to do if I'm to get anywhere close to this. I'm lucky if I remember Valentines and other 'romantic' things and rarely think of something appropriate to do! Men like this guy below make life tough for the rest of us. Read this story as told by his wife...I'm going out to bang my head on the wall.

My husband Chris and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day this year. It has been just the best 20 years of my life and I'm so blessed to have him as my husband. The most romantic thing he's done for me during that time is written to me each week of our marriage (yes, every single WEEK) telling me how much he loves me and about the things that have happened to us during the past 7 days. He started this on the day we were married and it has now grown into what we call the "Journal of our Marriage". He's written about the good times, sad and bad times, and even just the plain boring times. What makes this even more special is that we both work - he does permanent night shift and I work during the day, so we don't get to spend an awful lot of time together, but this is his way of making a few special moments where all he concentrates on is me and our life together. So often men have trouble expressing their love in verbal form, let alone written, but I feel so cherished as I read each one.
Could anything be more romantic?

Top 5 gifts under $25...

In these challenging economic times, it is important that we do our best to stretch our money as much as we can. Now, more than ever, it is important to not overspend and overstretch out budgets. Here's the top 5 gifts UNDER $25!


Simply Colors Personalized Long-Sleeve T-shirt This is a Canadian company that does a great job on a unique product! Kids love the bright, fun colours and having their name or favourite image on the punchy, personalized shirts (there are 10 colors of shirts, 17 different fonts, 24 ink colors and 34 different illustrations which means the sky’s the limit when it comes to the creative process) Custom-design at mass prices—you ‘simply’ can’t go wrong.(from $16.90, available from www.simplycolors.ca)

BRÄDA laptop support

If you're like me, you can't resist using your laptop in bed, ignoring pesky thoughts of impending carpal tunnel syndrome. This laptop lap desk has a sturdy, heat-resistant surface and a pocket on the side for your cell phone or MP3 -- perfect for web surfing or e-mailing in a non-desk environment.

($19.99; Ikea; www.ikea.ca)

Diaper Dude Diaper Bag

This is the option for the man that doesn't want to carry a diaper bag with pretty flowers and lace. It looks a bit more like your classic 'man-bag' rather than a pack to carry diaper wipes, diapers, and lilac smelling cream and bottles of breast milk.

1500 Live LadyBugs - GOOD BUGS!

Ok - I'll admit that getting bugs for Christmas is a little odd. For the gardener on your list, this is a great gift. For under $20, you can get these bugs to help out in their garden. Rose gardeners in particular will appreciate the aphid eating Lady Bugs... check out Amazon for details.






Perfect Solutions Shower Clock with Radio

For the music lover or the techno geek, this could be the gift you need! You can pick this up at Sear Canada website. With a full AM/FM radio and a clock, they can sing along to your heart's content and still be on time for work!