Assignment #5 of the 5 Day Mini Project

Edited Friday night to add:

Day 4 & Day 5 were a combo at my house. Today for lunch we went to One Fine Man's favorite pizza place.

I sent him a tm and an ecard. I hope those of you who have participated had a good time with this. If you had to skip a day's assignment or just got busy and felt you couldn't do it this week, why not go ahead and try the 5 assignments for next week? If you do, I'd love to hear how it goes or just your thoughts on the 5 Day Mini Project in general.

And remember each assignment was brought to you via Kathi Lipp. Her website is kathilipp.com. The Mini Project came from her book The Husband Project. Check out my comment section for each day to read how Angela at Crumbs in My Butter succeeded in blessing her husband! If I were the teacher, she would be at the head of the class!

My thoughts: This one will be easy! In fact, I think I'll send email, texts, and why not a hand-written note, too.

Don't forget to leave a comment on how your assignments went. If you haven't commented at all about your 5 Day Mini Husband Project yet, how about a general comment telling me you joined in on the fun ~ no details necessary.

Project #5 E-flirt.com (Friday)
Text or E-mail Some Sweet Nothings

“I turn on my computer. I wait patiently as it connects. I go online. My breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words, “You’ve got Mail.” I hear nothing, not a sound on the streets of New York. Just the beat of my own heart… I have mail, from you.”

Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kennedy in “You’ve Got Mail”

Your Project

Send a flirty text or e-mail to your husband.

Getting Creative
Use an e-card service (hallmark.com or americangreetings.com) to send a cute and flirty note.
Don’t know how to text? Ask any teenager in the general vicinity.
Most phones have a camera feature where you can send a photo message.

Be sure to keep it G rated so that he doesn’t get in trouble at work.

Fourth Assignment ~ The Husband Project

I'll be back tomorrow to give you my thoughts on how Project #3 went!

In the meantime, check out the 5 Day Mini Project's star student here.

Project #4Heart vs. Stomach
A Treat Just for Him

“You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.”

Ronald Reagan

Your Project: Get a food treat for your husband that he’s not required to share with you or any other family member.

Getting CreativeStumped for ideas?

Here are some thoughts:
Get his favorite pint of Ben & Jerry’s and hide it behind the frozen chicken. Even if you buy it on Tuesday, you’ll have it ready and waiting for his special night later in the week.

Is there a certain cut of meat that your husband loves? How about having the butcher cut something just for him? Most supermarkets will even do the marinade for you – one less thing to think about.

Is there a certain candy that your husband loves from his childhood? Check out www.candywarehouse.com. They have all the nostalgic candy you could want (Black Jack Gum, anyone?) while also carrying any modern favorite you could be looking for.

My husband’s family loves something called “noodles and mashed potatoes” (we lovingly refer to it as “The Starch Fest”). I learned how to make this special dish just for him.

My guy loves the smell of baking almost as much as he enjoys eating the treat. Have some brownies in the oven when he gets home from work or working out. (I know, it negates the workout, but isn’t chocolate always worth it?)

Our friend Scott mentioned that he loves cranberry sauce, but eats it only at Thanksgiving. His wife intentionally made the holiday treat for him this past July.

Are you a wife who is an expert at low-cal salads and other forms of chick-food? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Man Food at www.kathilipp.com for ideas

Assignment # 3 "You da' Man" ~ 5 Day Mini Project

How did Assignment #2 go for you? That one may need to be accomplished over the weekend. As for myself, my husband and I used to play cards B.C. ~ before children! Since I didn't grow up playing cards, he had to teach me to play. But it's been a loooooong time since we sat down to a game.

Project #3 (Wednesday)

You da’ Man
Spreading Great Gossip About Your Guy

Your Project:Say something nice about your husband to someone else. Make sure you tell him what you said, and to whom.

Getting Creative

Who are the important people in your husband’s life? Your kids, his parents, his friends?

Be intentional about who you chat with when you brag on him – it’s almost as important as actually doing it.

Having a hard time coming up with something?

I still brag on my guy for things he did years ago.

He loves when I tell the story of how brilliantly he proposed (there were waterfalls and stuffed portabella mushrooms involved…).

Here are some other areas to think about when crafting your brag:
His parenting skills
His patience level
The way he treats your mom
His culinary ability
His job
His loyalty to you

Husband Project Assignment # 2 for Tuesday

So...how did project #1 go for you? Was it "easy-peasy" or trickier than you thought it would be?

It was a challenge for me since my husband works from home. I fixed dinner at 4:30 so he could eat earlier than usual and meet some of his running friends for their group run. Although due to his accident in January he is not able to run yet, so he bikes while they run. I had planned to organize his work area and will try to get that started before I put my head to the pillow tonight!

Project #2 may not be accomplished in one day, but at least try to get it started. Maybe you can give some thought to it and plan something and actually follow-through on the weekend.

So...leave me a comment Tuesday to let us all know how project # 1 went!

Project #2

Back in the Day
Do Something He Enjoyed Before You Got Married
“Lust is easy. Love is hard. Like is most important.” ~ Carl Reiner
Your Project:
Initiate an activity that your husband used to love. Whether it’s his favorite hobby, sport, or pastime, it’s time for you to get involved – be his buddy today.

Getting Creative
Many a man’s hobby has gone by the wayside due to matrimony. Is it possible that it’s time you learned to golf or fly fish? Don’t try to beat him, just join him.

Possibly the only thing your husband would enjoy more than playing chess with you is teaching you how to play chess. Ask for a lesson so he can teach you something that he is an expert at (or really loves). Just your willingness to learn will be a huge boost to your guy.

Pick up a magazine about your guy’s now dormant hobby. Ask him questions about why he loves it so much. Learn a couple of technical terms so that you are better able to discuss it.
Do a little research. Find out what the definitive website is on your husband’s favorite subject. Maybe there’s an event in town, a lecture to attend, or a game to watch.

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."