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Jul 19, 2009

Hush-Hush on The Husband Project ~ Assignment #1

Please take my poll on "creativity" in my sidebar. Thanks!

Just a reminder: If you are doing The Husband Project's 5 Day Mini Project, the "assignments" are supposed to be a SECRET from your husband on the same par as if you were planning a surprise birthday party for him! So don't clue him in on the fact that your are doing something special each day to "bless" him. Now if you want his input, I won't argue with you, but author, Kathi Lipp, designed the project to be a SECRET one.

July 20 - 24 I am hosting a 5 Day Mini Project from The Husband Project by Kathi Lipp. Every afternoon I will post the following day's assignment so you will know before your feet hit the ground each morning what your "secret daily assignment" is to bless your husband. The author, Kathi Lipp, suggests this is one secret you can keep from your husband. Kind of like if you were planning him a surprise birthday party.

But if he finds out, like mine did because he read my blog, just tell him it's for his good and just enjoy it and don't ask anymore questions. It worked for me!



And hey...it will add to the fun if you post a comment on my blog and share how your daily assignment went. So Tuesday, share about Project #1. And Wednesday, share about project #2....you get the idea! And if you don't have a blog, comment as "anonymous."



Project #1 (Monday's assignment)

30 Minutes is All it Takes
Create Some Free Time When He Gets Home
“There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.”~
Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

Your Project:
Focus on your husbands transitional 30 minutes today. Would he like to be left alone to rest and rejuvenate, or does he want some undivided attention from you?
The point is to let your husband know you value what he does out in the world, and that he has a safe loving place to come home and get refreshed at the end of the day.

Getting Creative
There are plenty of reasons why it might not be easy for you to give your husband some transition time at the end of the day. You need to look at what can work for your relationship. Be creative, like the stories listed below. Brainstorm with your friends until you find a situation that will work for you and your guy.


My friend, Joann, purposely scheduled her daughter’s dance classes twice a week at the same hour that her husband gets home from work. That way, her hubby comes home to an empty house. He gets some quiet, and she gets a more peaceful man.


One husband has his workshop out in the garage. His wife encourages him to go and hang out there for a while before dinner. (Since starting this arrangement, her husband has started helping out with the after-dinner clean up. Nice side benefit.)


Crockpots are The Husband Project’s best friend.
Set your crockpot to be finished thirty minutes after your husband gets home from work. Let him know that you don’t need anything until dinner is ready. Don’t know a crockpot from a flower pot?



Check out the recipes in The Ultimate Guide to Man Food at http://www.kathilipp.com/


Does your husband already have a great transition routine after getting home? Find some other little thing to bless that time. Maybe it’s making sure the TV is available, his favorite sweats are clean and ready to be changed into, or there’s a cold soda waiting for him in the fridge. It may be so small that he doesn’t even notice. That’s okay – you’ll know what you did.

What if your husband works from home?
Maybe the best way to help him relax is to ask what he would like the schedule to be. Does he want dinner before or after he gets some time to recharge? Ask him what would make his night better.


Melanie's thoughts: This will be a bit of a challenge for me because my husband does work from home. But I have some ideas that will make his "home office" environment more comfortable and enable him to better relax and turn off work at "quitting time."

7 comments:

  1. This will be a challenge for me as well since my husband is a farmer. He is home, but not in the house. And, his schedule is very unpredictable! However, I plan on asking him tomorrow night about what will make his transition time better for him. Thanks for the advice...and helping me to take the time to focus on my husband. :)

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  2. I would sooooo do this challenge if my husband was still around!! I am going to look forward to reading how it goes!

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  3. My hubby works from home as well. I will ask him what will be helpful to him. Thanks for the motivation!

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  4. Oh, this is perfect! Paul's schedule is CRAZY right now. He definitely could use some transition time. The boys usually attack him when he gets in the door. I'm gonna be brainstorming today.... I'll let ya know how it goes!

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  5. My friend Angela - aka - "Crumbs", has lasso'd me in to this project at a much needed time. I guess I'll actually get out of my pj's before my hubby gets home. Thanks for the kick in the pants! Let me brainstorm about today and I'll post it.

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  6. His day started with trials and errors and the early evening hours were full of fun and fellowship. 'Allowing' him quiet time after 8PM to chill and do computer stuff was my gift. It is not always hectic like today and knowing when to be quiet was priceless.

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  7. I'm already behind - but am brainstorming and looking forward to finding a way to put this into action. Thanks, Mel!

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