Five Ways to Make Your Husband Feel Special

by Erica

Growing up, I specifically remember my cute Mom taking time to make us each feel special. I will never forget dumping out my sack lunch in 10th grade to find a note, attached to a toothpick, sticking out of my shiny red apple. It was a simple note and I carried it in my purse for a long time. It wasn't exactly what was said in that note but how special it made me feel, even as a snotty 10th grade girl. Although I had grown up, my Mom was not about to stop making me feel special. Even now I will randomly find a box of donuts on my front porch with a note from my Mom. Simple acts of kindness that will never be forgotten.

Creating the same environment for my little family is something I have tried to emulate. I want the people in my life to feel special and loved. So for the next few months I will be sharing some ideas on how to make certain people in your life feel special. And guess what, taking a little extra time to make someone else feel good - makes you feel ever better! Win, win people! 

Five Ways to Make Your Husband (or significant other) Feel Special 

1. Leave Hidden Notes

This is nothing ground-breaking or new but is quick, easy and will mean a lot. I love trying to find a new spot to hide them. My favorite is to hide it in his laptop, so when he opens it there is a little something waiting for him. Other fun spots: inside his wallet, on his steering wheel, bathroom mirror, on a random piece of paperwork or in his sock drawer. Sometimes I even leave notes written on his favorite candy and stash them in his brief case! 

2. Do a chore/job that usually he does, a do it! 

Is there a certain something around the house that he always does that he may not love doing? While he is away or before he has a chance to do the chore himself, you do it! I think you'll be surprised at how happy it makes him. And maybe you can gain a little appreciation for that job he always does!! Example: My cute husband doesn't love to mow our lawn. I can promise you it is not his favorite "job" he does. One Saturday I decided to be really nice and do it for him. And if I am being honest, I hated every second of mowing the lawn, but as soon as I saw his face it made it all worth it! He was so happy and shocked that I would do it for him. P.S. He had to take photo of me while mowing the lawn... obviously I wasn't too thrilled about lawn mowing plus a photo and he was loving I would mow the lawn just for him! Next time I will try to have a happier face when he decides to take a photo! 

3. Compliment him. Thank him. 

Bottom line, who doesn't like a compliment. Or a simple Thank You! Maybe he has worked hard on a work or school project - tell him how great it is. Maybe he is trying out a new tie - tell him he looks handsome! Or maybe he has had a bad day and you simply just tell him Thank You. Just taking that time to do so will make him feel good. 

4. Send a random text or email...

Making someone feel special doesn't have to take a lot of time. It can be as easy as sending him a text in the middle of the day, for no reason at all and say, "I Love You" or "I'm thinking about you". Or my favorite is to send a one line email that will pop into his inbox that says something silly that only the two of us would understand. Hopefully he will read it during a really important meeting and he will totally laugh out loud. Or blush. One of the two! 

5. Plan a Special Date Night - Just for Him

Pick his favorite restaurant and favorite activity and go do it with him! You may hate Chinese and hitting golf balls, but if that is his favorite thing - do it for him! One of my husband's favorite things is to go to sporting events. For me it has become not as much about what sport we are going to watch, but rather about being with him while he is doing something he loves. 

Put 'em to the test... Try a few of these out. 

See how the person in your life reacts. See how you feel. 

What are some ways you make your husband or significant other feel special? Please share!

**Disclaimer: I am not a "make your husband feel special" expert. These are just a few of my personal ideas.  xoxo

A Glimpse of Real

by Erica 

I've been pregnant twice. Had two very different pregnancies & complications with both.
I have two amazing boys to show for those pregnancies!
I also suffered from postpartum depression after each birth.

Postpartum Depression is something that a lot of people keep private or don't talk about. I'm not sure if it is the world we live in and wanting to appear like everything is perfect. Or maybe some are embarrassed or ashamed. After both of my experiences I decided I didn't want to do any of those things. I talk very openly about it. I'm not embarrassed or ashamed because I know it is not my fault. Since both of my boys I've written about it several times and have actually had a few of my articles published. One of my articles can be a found in a wonderful book called, The Gift of Giving Life.

Here is a small account after I had my second child:

Two weeks ago I lay in bed wide-awake. It was quiet and the whole house was sleeping, except me. I quietly slipped out of bed and tip toed into baby W’s room. There he lay, peacefully asleep wrapped up like a little burrito. I touched his cheek and patted his tummy softly. My eyes welled up with big alligator tears and for the first time, I felt love for him. Actually felt it. Didn’t force it. Didn’t pretend. I actually felt love.

I wasn’t going to write about this. But I find great strength in writing, putting my thoughts on paper and getting it out of my system. I also like when people are real. This is me being real. Very real. Life isn’t perfect and sometimes I think we view people from the outside and think they “have it all.” But I’ve realized that everyone has his or her “things.” Everyone. I also know this is a subject that isn’t talked about much. But I want to talk. Because maybe you've felt some of this or maybe you have sister, friend or neighbor that has experienced this.

After all of W's scares while I was pregnant, his birth went wonderfully. We spent a few days in the hospital, all of which I felt great. But just like with my first pregnancy all of my hormones and emotions hit – all at once. Only this time around it was much worse. We had taken every precaution we thought to prevent the postpartum depression from being so bad this time. We were blindsided when it hit. Well, I was at least. I was totally unprepared and when those feelings started to creep in I knew I was in trouble. The first night at home was terrible. Both my husband and I were up every hour with the baby. Honestly, I forgot what it was like to have a newborn baby. I felt overwhelmed. I felt like I was in a dark hole. It is the very worst feeling in the whole entire world when you don’t want to hold your baby. When you don’t want to be in the same room as him. My heart was broken & all I could do was cry. And that is really all I did. Anxiety and panic is what set in first. The rest of the details are really quite blurry. Lots of tears. Concern from so many family members and great friends.

My mother-in-law ended up taking my oldest boy for a full week. We tried not having the stress of him around to see if it would help. It didn’t and only made me feel worse that I couldn’t be with him. More panic & more anxiety. It felt like I was choking and like it would never end. Mother’s day was probably the worst. I felt so guilty that I didn’t want to be with my own kids on Mother’s day. I wanted everything to go back to the way it was.  Obviously, change isn’t my strong point. On Mother’s day morning, after a few phone calls, my parents were in my kitchen along with my brother-in-law. I needed more medical help than I was aware of. My husband took me to the hospital and we thought we were on a good road. The next day I was worse. At this point I hadn't seen my kids in about a week. Not even my sweet new baby. I was pale as a ghost with big black circles under my eyes. I was loaded back into the car and we were at the hospital again. It honestly is all a blur. I remember the rain hitting the car windows as we drove and feeling like I wanted to be washed away with the rain. The medicine I was pumped full of made me feel numb. At that point they admitted me and I stayed the night. I honestly have never felt more alone & scared. I was alone. They wouldn’t let my husband stay with me. I learned a lot that night, in my hospital gown alone in my room.

I’d be lying if I said I’ve been fine since. This postpartum depression thing is hard and so very, very real. I’m not ashamed about it because I know it is my hormones and how my body reacts after having a baby. I know it is real and I know that it isn’t my fault. I have good days and I have bad days. Luckily with lots of help from many people we have survived and weathered this whole postpartum depression thing again. I’m luckily feeling much, much better. We are a little over six weeks out and the skies are looking sunny again.

I have learned so much through this experience & I know I go through all of this for a reason. If anything I have learned that asking for help is okay. It doesn’t mean you are weak, it means you just need a little help right then.  I have learned that my Heavenly Father loves me. He wouldn’t put me through things I couldn’t overcome and without reason. I’m stronger because of this. And maybe one day I will see clearly why I go through all of this.

------------------

Reading this gives me a huge lump in my throat. It's been two years since that experience and it still makes my heart hurt. But here I am excitedly pregnant for a third time (It's a girl!!) and I won't lie - I am terrified all of this will be a reality again after baby girl is born. Like I am staring at a tornado that is coming straight at me and I am unable to move. But it is okay. I am okay and will be okay. Although it is so very hard to see while I am in it, I know I will come out the other side stronger. Stronger, better and a mama of a sweet baby girl.

Doe Feature: Caravan Shoppe + A Giveaway!!

Life can be a balancing game but today I want to make that game fun for the little ones in your life! (And fun for you too!) 

I recently discovered an online shop that I fell head-over-heels for. Today I am very excited to feature Caravan Shoppe.  Not only is this shop oozing with creative and beautiful products it is also very affordable. Double whammy!! 

After scouring their site I decided I really wanted to make the Olliblocks for my two boys. How could you not want to make these blocks?! After following Caravan Shoppe's easy printing directions I got some of my girlfriends to join in the fun and one afternoon we pulled out our mod podge and got to work. These blocks instantly became one of my boys favorite toys. They love to balance the blocks to create all different characters. They have shown me with these cute blocks that the "balancing act" can sometimes be fun!  Wink!

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These Are a Few of My Favorite Things... PARTY STYLE!

by erica
 

Growing up, I had a friend whose Mom always threw amazing parties. I remember a birthday party of hers… she invited 30 girls and we all sat on the floor around big long tables and ate Chinese food. I was impressed. I remember mine that same year, my Mom bought a few balloons, made a cake and let me invite two friends to Round Table Pizza. I’m pretty sure she used a buy one get one free coupon too. I was equally as impressed.

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A Week Full of Love

A (quick & easy) Seven Day Countdown to Valentine’s Day!
by erica

Growing up my Mom always made holidays a lot of fun. From special presents wrapped up in holiday-coinciding paper to dying our milk and eating on special plates. Even through my “I’m too cool for everything” stages of growing up, I was never too cool for holiday presents and red milk. Never.

It’s the little things I remember most and I think that is why I like to go all out for holidays.

This past Christmas season, my little four-year-old was obsessed with the cheap chocolate advent calendar my mom gave him. Every day, he was over the moon with excitement as he found the correct number and opened the little door to find the chocolate inside. After watching his excitement I decided that I wanted to come up with another fun advent for Valentines. Advent calendars don’t have to be just for Christmas, do they? Okay, good! 

When thinking about putting an advent together for my boys, I had a few things I wanted to include. Frist, I wanted it to be something I could easily store and use for years to come. Second, I wanted large numbers to be on the bags since my boys are young and still learning numbers. And third, I wanted to include a few candy treats and a few non-candy surprises.

The only restriction I gave myself was that I could only take one hour to put together and I would use supplies I already had around my house. Bam!!

Supplies:

• Printable “I love you because..” tags 
• Brown paper bags
• Card stock
• Ribbons
• Washi Tape
• Craft paint
• Sponge brush
• Glue stick
• Numbers Printed on Card Stock (font used: clementine sketch) 
• Honestly, you can use anything to jazz up a brown paper bag!!

I wanted my bags to have a little variety so I painted some with a little craft paint and painters tape. On the others I used washi tape, ribbon or some I kept simple with just card stock and a sharpie!

Once they were done, I filled them with treats and surprises that I knew my boys would love. (most of which found in the Target $1 isle!) and closed them up with small wooden clothes pins. I printed out the “I love you because…” tags, filled them out, numbered them, and put them all in a little red glass. That way, each day my little guys can pick one out of the glass and find the correct number for the day! I can’t wait for Valentine’s week to come so I can share these with my littles.

** Don’t have time to make a whole advent. Don’t fret. I’ve got two ideas for you.

• Print out our little “I love you because…” tags and place them in spots for your loved ones to find: On bathroom mirrors, in packed lunches, under pillows or even car windows!
• Or do you have older kids? Have them fill out the tags for their siblings. Do an act of kindness for them and leave the note behind for them to find!

Erica

I am a wife and stay at home mama to two little guys. My husband and I were married in 2006 and for three years lived in Washington DC while my husband attended GW Law school. While living back east I taught at a private school for children with learning disabilities. Some days teaching I was filled with awe as I really felt like I was changing the world. While other days were filled with frustration and chaos.  Even with the few hard days here and there it was one of the most life changing experiences being able to teach at such a school. So much of my time there really has shaped me as a mother. After graduation my husband and I moved back to Utah with a sweet little baby boy in tow. A few years later another bouncing baby boy joined our crew.

There are many things I love about living in Utah… of course being close to family and the changing seasons. But another is our avid love for University of Utah sports. In the fall season you will find us every Saturday at the football stadium cheering on our Utes and in the winter you will find us with some red vines cheering on our basketball team. I love sports and enjoy having that in common with my husband. I may not be the type who can play them well but I do enjoy watching and cheering for my team!

Being a stay at home mom keeps me on my toes but I always enjoy having a project! From constant thrift store outings, to painting walls, sewing, refinishing, collecting, decorating and flower picking. I love flowers in vases, fashion, naps, sunshine, high heels, yoga, chocolate, snail mail, surprises, baking, instagram & of course some good reality TV! Admit it, you watch it to?!!


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