Top 10 Ways to Romance Your Wife

Adam always asks me, "What do you want me to do?"

At the moment he asks me, I am usually upset or frustrated and unsure of what to say.  Not because I don't know what I want, but because it is at that awkward moment where telling him what I want makes it no longer romantic.  Then, it seems to feel forced.

Most women have a beautiful fantasy of romance.  At least I do.  I immediately think of flickering candlelight and sweet smelling roses in my favorite color.  (Maybe even elegant violin music in the background.)   I am a sap, I know.

After much thought, I figured that most men don't have this fantasy and they probably have NO idea of what this fantasy looks like or where it came from.  They think romance and think kissing you.  (Which is a part of it, but that can't just be it.)

So here are my own personal 

Top 10 Ways to Romance Your Wife (or for my husband - Me)

1. Bringing home flowers - It's always a good idea. They don't have to come in large quantities or be the most expensive, but don't ever bring carnations.  They scream cheap and funeral all at once. (Unless this happens to be your wife's favorite flower. If so, then have at it. It isn't mine.)  Also, you can't just bring home the flowers, throw them at her, and expect her to fall over weeping at your feet with gratitude (even though she is grateful).  A good way to bring home flowers is to walk in and hand them to her and tell her something like, "I couldn't stop thinking of you all day." or "I wanted you to know that I am so grateful for everything you do."  Then, ask her about her day and spend 5-10 minutes talking with her before continuing your after work habits.  I am not talking an hour question and answer time. Just 10 minutes to focus on her right after handing her the flowers.

2.  Write her a note or poem - It's free!  It doesn't have to be a book.  Just a little note telling your wife that you love her and cherish her.  Remind her that she is the one that you chose and still choose.  Don't hand it to her and walk away.  Sit down with her and offer to read it to her or hold her as she reads it.  Then, it is a special moment for you as well because you can capture her facial expressions with each word.

3.  Have a candlelit dinner - Switch things up.  It doesn't even have to be some special meal that took hours to make or maybe your wife made it.  Just add candles to the table and make dinner more intimate.  I know at our house we eat dinner with Kaylee and I think that it is fine if the kids are there.  I think it makes it even better. Your kids get to see what romance looks like and see that their parents are in love even this many years into their marriage.  After dinner, help clean up.

4.  Tell her she is beautiful at least once a day - She needs to hear it.  I don't know about every other woman on the planet, but I do know that I struggle with my personal appearance.  If I spent the whole day feeling ugly, then I am not going to feel any different once I see Adam.  To be completely honest if you don't feel pretty, you don't want to be in anything but your sweats.  So, if you want more than sweats, tell your wife daily that you think she is beautiful.  (Try to do it when you are out of arm's reach that way she doesn't think you are saying it with an ulterior motive.)

5.  Dance with her - It relieves stress!  Wait until the kids go to bed.  Turn on some music and dance.  Maybe even light some candles. This is one those "sweet nothings" come in handy.  Whisper your love for her in her ear during a slow song.  Make her laugh by being goofy during a fast song.  Have fun!

6.  Play with her hair - She styles it the way you like it.  I don't mean pet your wife.  Just touch her hair.  Maybe push it behind your ear while you are talking to her.  Run your fingers softly through her hair while you are watching a movie.  It screams intimate.  It shows her that you are devoting all of your attention to her.

7.  Rub her back - You know you like it when she gives you one.  She feels the same way.  The difference is that she most likely will see it as romantic.  Let me clarify.  She comes in from a long day and you offer to rub her back. She will be completely surprised at the thought and the offer!  It's not as romantic if you have to ask for it.  The same can be said for rubbing her feet.

8.  Call or text to let her know you miss her - Everyone likes to feel missed.  Most of the time, the woman is the one to say, "I miss you."  The man typically may miss her, but doesn't see the need to say it.  Ladies like to feel missed.  It means they are important to you and that you have been thinking of her.  Call her. Text her. Let her know.

9.  Kiss her goodnight and good morning - It's a great habit to have the rest of your life!  Thinking of your wife before bed and after you wake up by giving her a kiss is a way to show her you cherish her.  This is one that Adam is excellent at.  There are some mornings that I sleep through his alarm and his getting ready, but I know when he kisses me before he leaves.  It makes me feel extra cared for and loved.  He takes time every day to make sure he does this before he leaves for work - even when he is running late.

10.  Find something she enjoys and do it with her - Even if you hate it.  Men love doing things together where they don't have to just sit and have one on one conversation.  This is the perfect way to connect with your wife.  Find something that she likes to do that you have never done that you are willing to try with her.  Make the effort to set aside time for it and show her that you are genuinely interested in doing it.  Don't make fun of the activity or complain about it while doing it.  She will be excited to have you interested in something she is interested in.  Just enjoy the time that you spend together doing the activity.

While my list could go on and on, I will stop it at 10.  Some men probably quit reading at number 5.

The point is that wives want to be romanced.  This is just a list of things that I personally would like.

If you really want to know what your wife wants, ask her to make a list of her top 10.  Then, surprise her and do them spontaneously throughout the next few months.  She won't know what to do!

Joyful Moment of the Day: Kaylee giggled all through lunch today.  I don't know what got into her, but it was super cute.

Normal

Things are finally getting back to normal.  We are all better and I am so grateful to God for that!

The baby has been moving a lot lately and I love having that feeling again!  With all the movement, I have been really itching to find out what I am having.  Boy. Girl. Boy. Girl. Back and forth. I am so ready to know!

Kaylee is growing up so fast!  She is 15 months now and walking like a pro!  She has been getting into everything and I feel like it is only the beginning.  Adam is not thrilled with all that she is learning to do. He caught her helping herself to a loaf of bread tonight right before dinner.

Adam has been such a trooper with me being back at work and him having Kaylee in the afternoons until I get home. I know he enjoys his time with her, but I also know that she is pesky at times so she can be hard to deal with after a full day's work.

Energy seems to still be something of yesterday, but I am still holding out hope that it will come during this second trimester.

Work has been crazy for me.  I am still learning all of my new responsibilities.  It is not a huge change from last year, but there are small things that come in the day-to-day that throw me off sometimes. I do miss being home when Adam gets off and having some family time.  And eating dinner at 5.  I love my kids this year though and am excited about seeing how much they grow in learning English over the next several months.  On a side note - one of my 1st grade girls is finally warming up to me.  I made her smile twice today which is a huge step!  She does not speak or understand English at all and she is super adorable.  Anyways, it made my day that I got her to smile!

I think that about catches you up on how things are going here.

Joyful Moment of the Day: Chatting with Kimberly before work today!  Our conversations always have me laughing!

The Sickness Never Ends

I will try to keep the complaining to a bare minimum here.  I have officially joined my sick little family in their endeavors.  It started last night as Adam's poor friend K4E was leaving.  I hustled to the bathroom and lost what I thought was everything I had eaten that day.  I realized I was wrong when around 6 this morning I finally gave it my all after throwing up every hour before that. 

Kaylee also woke up puking a little this morning and then the nasty poops the rest of the day.  Poor thing slept most of the day.

Thankfully, Adam has completely recovered and was able to use some sick time today to stay home and take care of us.  He was my knight in shining armor all night long as he would come in and rub my back even late into the night.  He continued taking care of me today by letting me rest and by running to get me some 7-up when I was starting to keep food down.  He also dealt with our cranky sick little Kaylee all day and never complained.  I am so very grateful for my husband! 

So, as I head to bed in hopes to stay there for the night, and my tummy is still gurgling, I think of my wonderful husband and how much I love and appreciate him.

Joyful Moment of the Day: I actually have 2. 1)My friend Meggan called to check up on me a have a short chat.  It was nice to be thought of!  2)Tonight I ate some chicken pot pie and it was the yummiest thing ever! Not just because it was the first real food besides crackers I have had all day.  It really was good!

Sick

This day has been quite eventful.  I have decided that I have special sonic Mom ears. I heard my poor little girl cough at 5:50ish this morning and then start crying. I knew she had puked based on those sounds. It was only the first of 11 times over the next 4 and 1/2 hours. Adam had gone in at 6 for overtime and I had him come home early to bring Kaylee some pedialyte and crackers.  Kaylee finally was able to sleep around noon so I took a nap as well.

Adam and I have both been sick to our stomachs and so far I have not had any issues.

About an hour ago, Adam was not able to say the same.

Either way I think it was the alfredo I made last night for dinner. It was a box meal that we had never tried before and after eating it Adam and I both grimaced at our bowls. Kaylee enjoyed it so I saved the rest for her.

I will be throwing the rest away.

Joyful Moment of the Day: Kaylee has not puked since 10:30 this morning. I think she is past it. :)

It's Been A Rough Week

So, this week has been soooo difficult! 

It started off with two of my kids pulling the fire alarm at separate times and the fire department coming out both times. I did not realize that I was in charge until this happened.  It was eventful and the fire department, rightfully so, was not happy.  Needless to say this is the first time we have had this issue with the fire alarm in the 5 years we have been at our location.  Oh and the problem - these kids do not speak or understand English. With a translator's help the next day we scared the kids into never wanting to pull the alarms again.  Hopefully.


I made all of my chicken lasagnas this week for the meal exchange and it took a lot longer than I ever thought it would. I ended up doing it over several days rather than just one day. It took a while. I wore me out and put me on my feet for too many hours. 

So, the week continued with sore feet and sleepiness.  I am exhausted.

I went into today thankful that it was the end of my work week. Tonight I went to a friend's house for a jewelry party. I had to run to get my purse from the car, emphasis on run, and I stepped on a wood chip the shape of a dagger.  It went through my shoe right into the pad of my foot.  I had to go back in with my foot bleeding all over the porch and sidewalk.  It was so gross and  I felt pretty embarrassed that I had to go into the house for the party with my nasty foot. After a band-aid  and some alcohol, things quieted down for me.

So the week ends with really sore feet and sleepiness. Did I mention that I am exhausted?

Sorry for complaining. It's been a rough week.

Joyful Moment of the Day: Sitting on the couch in my quiet house right now in my pajamas writing this blog.

Meal Exchange

Some of my friends and I do a meal exchange.  There are 6 of us total and we each make 2 meals so we end up with 12 meals total in our freezer to pull out whenever we want.  Trust me - if you don't do this, you should.

This is how it works.

One person picks out recipes for all of us and emails them and the completion date to us.  Then, we meet and exchange dishes if need be.  Some meals we try to put in zip-locks so that they take up less space.  Then, off we go!  You purchase what you need for your 2 recipes and then make 6 of each of those meals. Total up the meals per person and then let everyone know what they owe you via email. By the completion date, drop off your meals in the freezer at church and pick up the meals that belong to you.

This time around, I am really excited about the meals we are getting.  My two meals that I have to make are chicken lasagna with white sauce and chicken pot pie.  I made all of the pot pies today.  I sampled the filling and it was DELICIOUS!  I will be making the lasagna in the next few days.  Hope it is yummy too! 

Joyful Moment of the Day:  Getting to hang out with Krista and Elliana for a bit today.  It is always so good to catch up with friends that you haven't seen for a while!  It was a very good, very productive day!