Cloverton's Hallelujah
Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Merry Christmas
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!! Here are my favorite Christmas songs of this year:
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Dinner and a Movie Again?
We know we are supposed to continue dating our spouse to help ensure a long and happy marriage...we know this right? Tell me you know this...
Okay, but does this happen to you?
Wife: I think we should go out this weekend.
Husband: Hmm. (or some other unintelligible mumble)
Wife: Babe, did you hear me?
Husband: Sounds great, let's do that.
Wife: Cool, what do you want to do?
Husband: I don't know, what do you want to do?
Blah, blah, blah...we all know how this conversation goes and then what do we all end up doing? Yep, dinner and a movie. Tell me I am not alone here:)
Levi and I have been working hard on doing something besides dinner and a movie. We try to take turns planning dates but I will admit to you that the planning still is more me than him. I am learning to be cool with it...the more I do, the more he seems to do even if I still am doing more. Still following me here?
So I found this website and wanted to share with you all because I think it is AWESOME!! A bit cheesy, but so fun. And isn't that what we all want...a little more fun in our lives with our spouse?
www.thedatingdivas.com
They have all sorts of ideas and free printables. Most of their ideas are FREE. We love free around here...they do have some things for sale, but hey, we all have to make a living, right? They have a ton of free date ideas too which is something we could have desperately used early in our marriage when we had no money.
Levi and I are not doing Christmas gifts for each other this year but we are stuffing each other's stockings and I found some cute certificates and date ideas for him to use during the year. They also have cute ideas for kids and family time.
Hope you find something that works for you!
Okay, but does this happen to you?
Wife: I think we should go out this weekend.
Husband: Hmm. (or some other unintelligible mumble)
Wife: Babe, did you hear me?
Husband: Sounds great, let's do that.
Wife: Cool, what do you want to do?
Husband: I don't know, what do you want to do?
Blah, blah, blah...we all know how this conversation goes and then what do we all end up doing? Yep, dinner and a movie. Tell me I am not alone here:)
Levi and I have been working hard on doing something besides dinner and a movie. We try to take turns planning dates but I will admit to you that the planning still is more me than him. I am learning to be cool with it...the more I do, the more he seems to do even if I still am doing more. Still following me here?
So I found this website and wanted to share with you all because I think it is AWESOME!! A bit cheesy, but so fun. And isn't that what we all want...a little more fun in our lives with our spouse?
www.thedatingdivas.com
They have all sorts of ideas and free printables. Most of their ideas are FREE. We love free around here...they do have some things for sale, but hey, we all have to make a living, right? They have a ton of free date ideas too which is something we could have desperately used early in our marriage when we had no money.
Levi and I are not doing Christmas gifts for each other this year but we are stuffing each other's stockings and I found some cute certificates and date ideas for him to use during the year. They also have cute ideas for kids and family time.
Hope you find something that works for you!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Average Married Dad Book Review
I am constantly looking for unique gift ideas as we do not need more stuff in our house and I am going to share some ideas with you this week before Christmas in case any of you are struggling with this as well.
Okay, so in case you haven't figured this out, I am not a dad, or a man for that matter, but I like to read the male perspective. It helps me to relate to my husband...like studying a difficult subject, I immerse myself in it...well, I still don't 100% "get" my husband (and probably never will), but I am getting better...I would give myself a B+.
If you are looking for a gift for the man who has everything I highly recommend Alex Peck's new book (writer of Average Married Dad blog):
Average Married Dad's Guide to Health, Wealth and a Sexy Marriage (there is a link on his blog)
He says his audience is 30-40 somethings but I really think that this book can benefit 20 and 50 somethings as well. In fact, I really think that any man that is about to get married should read it! Then they should keep it to look back to as a reference.
The book is broken up into 5 sections: Health and Wellness, Marriage, Financial Matters, Parenting, and Putting it All Together. I have always gotten overwhelmed at the wealth of information on the internet about eating right and exercising and how it often contradicts itself. I found AMD's research to be thorough and explanation to be easy to understand. His message isn't to go join some ridiculously priced gym or some famous person endorsed eating plan, but is brilliant in it's simplicity. Anyone can do this! He also bravely talks about your mental and emotional health and how stress can negatively impact your life.
I have always tentatively explored blogs in the "manosphere" and often do not return. AMD's blog is different in that he shares the realism of male/female relationships and interactions without the bitterness that is often seen. It is obvious that this man loves his wife and kids and he is not carrying around the "I hate women" chip on his shoulder. The section on marriage gives a man a sense of what his wife will find attractive and how he has been misinformed all his life. He delves into some difficult subjects such as divorce, sex, infidelity, porn and how self-improvement goes a long way towards creating a happy, healthy relationship.
In his section on Financial Matters, he shares his personal story about some of the financial mistakes and pitfalls in his own life and lays out a plan for financial success. His ideas on staying out of debt, making good consumer choices, and saving for the future I found very interesting. I will admit to you that while reading the investing section, my eyes sort of glazed over, but Levi has found this section to be very informative. Obviously Levi does the investing in our house...Thank the Good Lord above!!!
We have very similar views on parenting and I enjoyed reading about parenting from the father's perspective. So many of the books that I read focus on how to mother your children, but don't focus on the father's very important role in the your child's life. He also discusses how parenting must change as your child ages and the lifelong lessons that need to be taught.
His Putting it All Together section is really just a sum up of the book. I think it is worth the investment and recommend reading his blog as well. His audience is probably mostly men but he never discourages a female perspective. I assume that most of my readers are female...so buy this for your man:) It would make a great Christmas gift.
Okay, so in case you haven't figured this out, I am not a dad, or a man for that matter, but I like to read the male perspective. It helps me to relate to my husband...like studying a difficult subject, I immerse myself in it...well, I still don't 100% "get" my husband (and probably never will), but I am getting better...I would give myself a B+.
If you are looking for a gift for the man who has everything I highly recommend Alex Peck's new book (writer of Average Married Dad blog):
Average Married Dad's Guide to Health, Wealth and a Sexy Marriage (there is a link on his blog)
He says his audience is 30-40 somethings but I really think that this book can benefit 20 and 50 somethings as well. In fact, I really think that any man that is about to get married should read it! Then they should keep it to look back to as a reference.
The book is broken up into 5 sections: Health and Wellness, Marriage, Financial Matters, Parenting, and Putting it All Together. I have always gotten overwhelmed at the wealth of information on the internet about eating right and exercising and how it often contradicts itself. I found AMD's research to be thorough and explanation to be easy to understand. His message isn't to go join some ridiculously priced gym or some famous person endorsed eating plan, but is brilliant in it's simplicity. Anyone can do this! He also bravely talks about your mental and emotional health and how stress can negatively impact your life.
I have always tentatively explored blogs in the "manosphere" and often do not return. AMD's blog is different in that he shares the realism of male/female relationships and interactions without the bitterness that is often seen. It is obvious that this man loves his wife and kids and he is not carrying around the "I hate women" chip on his shoulder. The section on marriage gives a man a sense of what his wife will find attractive and how he has been misinformed all his life. He delves into some difficult subjects such as divorce, sex, infidelity, porn and how self-improvement goes a long way towards creating a happy, healthy relationship.
In his section on Financial Matters, he shares his personal story about some of the financial mistakes and pitfalls in his own life and lays out a plan for financial success. His ideas on staying out of debt, making good consumer choices, and saving for the future I found very interesting. I will admit to you that while reading the investing section, my eyes sort of glazed over, but Levi has found this section to be very informative. Obviously Levi does the investing in our house...Thank the Good Lord above!!!
We have very similar views on parenting and I enjoyed reading about parenting from the father's perspective. So many of the books that I read focus on how to mother your children, but don't focus on the father's very important role in the your child's life. He also discusses how parenting must change as your child ages and the lifelong lessons that need to be taught.
His Putting it All Together section is really just a sum up of the book. I think it is worth the investment and recommend reading his blog as well. His audience is probably mostly men but he never discourages a female perspective. I assume that most of my readers are female...so buy this for your man:) It would make a great Christmas gift.
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