Surprise Kiss

Archive for June, 2010

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© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Quote:   A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. – Unknown

What a great quote! Being marriage for 43 years I know how true this quote is. No matter how many years any of us have been married most of us can agree there are times we all wonder why we married this strange person we have committed our lives to. Seeing this quote made me start to think how do we make a marriage successful?

1. See the good points!
Your marriage is a lot like how you view yourself. If you view yourself in a positive manner you see your good points. You see your outer and inner strengths and you see yourself in a positive light. Your marriage works the same way. Notice the good points and you will see just how delightful it really is.

2. Give a compliment!
Psychologists have always talked about if we tell ourselves how lovely we are we feel lovelier. When we see ourselves as a wonderful and kind human being other people do too. Well the same goes for our marriage. When we compliment our marriage by looking at the positive aspects we will view it in a more positive manner and so will other people. Compliment your marriage to your spouse and friends. Tell them what makes your marriage so special.

3. Choose positive friends!
We all know that how our friends feel can influence how we feel about ourselves. Spending time with friends who have a positive attitude will help us feel positive about ourselves too. When you hang around couples who have a positive view of their marriage you and your spouse will view your marriage positively.

4. Spread joy in your marriage!
Do something nice for a friend and it improves how we feel about ourselves. It sends our self-esteem soaring. Do something nice for your marriage. You will create an optimistic feeling toward your marriage and each other.

The old saying that “The apple doesn’t fall far from the cart” is so true. People who have been married for a long time stay together because they view themselves and their marriage and partner differently that those who have a negative attitude. They see the good points, give compliments, have positive friends and spread joy to their marriage. When they do this it makes it so much easier to fall in love allover again with the same person year after year.

Don’t forget to get the items I told you to get last Friday “Let’s Get Ready for Father’s Day.”

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

You both are allowed to do nothing but rest and enjoy each other when you are on your romantic getaway. Keep saving $5 a week.

Don’t forget to get the items I told you to get last Friday, “Let’s Get Ready for Father’s Day.”

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Ok ladies Father’s Day is on Sunday, June 20th. Have you decided what you will be doing for your husband on that day? Have you gotten a gift yet? Some of you are saying “He’s not my father. I don’t need to get him a gift!”

Well ladies I didn’t grow up with a father. My parents were divorced when I was six months old. I never met him and he never supported me. Don’t get me wrong I had a good life and was well taken care of by my mother and two male figures, my grandfather and uncle. I was better off without my biological father.  For me, one of the joys of being married and having our daughter was watching how my husband played and took care of her.  Personally I believe it is important for husbands & wives to say thank you for being a great dad or mom to your children. They stayed committed to you and the kids. They didn’t walk away. They are not a deadbeat dad or mother.

Let’s celebrate Father’s Day along with the children and then later give him a gift he won’t forget from you.

Here is what you will need:

• Blank note card
• Massage oil – Sandalwood Is a good male scent
• Candles – In the same scent
• 2 Small balls
• Something sexy to wear

Next Friday I will tell you what to do with the items.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

I had coffee with a friend this week and she was telling me about their Friday evenings after they get home from work. Like us they used to go out to dinner on Fridays but that has stopped. They have found a way to have an enjoyable evening at home now. No hassles waiting for a seat at a restaurant and then being bother periodically by the waiter or waitress during their meal. They have found a more personal way to connect.

When Julie gets home she fixes a simple dinner, pizza or burgers on the grill. Sometimes she will do something in the Crockpot like pulled pork sandwiches or chicken and vegetables then all she has to do when she gets home is make a salad. Mike sets the table and opens a bottle of wine and gets a couple of wineglasses. Now that it is warm outside they sit on their small patio on the second floor enjoying dinner and sipping wine while looking out at the views of the sand dunes and ocean in the distant horizon with their favorite music in the background. After dinner and the dishes are cleared Mike pours another glass of wine and they play Domino’s and tease the other about who is going to win.

What they have found out is they can still have fun and enjoy each other without spending a fortune going out to eat. Julie mentioned to me they seemed to have gotten closer because they have time to talk. They don’t have to worry that other people will hear their conversation. They don’t have to stop in the middle of their discussion because dinner is done and the waitress is taking away their dishes and putting the bill down for them to pay and leave.

I love this idea because they are quietly relaxing and having quality time together. We have gotten so rushed with having to go here and there we don’t stop to breathe. We don’t stop to say how are you doing?  I enjoy your company! I love you! What I hear is I am too tired, stressed, overworked, overscheduled, etc.  Julie and Mike have discovered the importance of slowing down and having a simpler lifestyle.

If you don’t drink alcohol then serve apple cider or a pomegranate and soda mixture in a wine glass. Make it special. If you have kids, send them to grandparents or friends and tell your friends you will watch the kids the following week. If you can’t get anyone to babysit then make frozen pizza for the kids and let them watch a video. Did you know you can get free videos from the library? Take the kids on Thursday and have them choose a video they haven’t seen. Make it a point to find a way to have an enjoyable Friday evening with your spouse. Your marriage will reap the benefits from it.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

What do you typically have for lunch? Did you know by eating certain foods it can help to bring back the passion in your life? We all have heard about eating certain types of food that can help with your sex life but we never remember what they are.

I recently read a tuna sandwich is a great mood booster! The omega-3 fatty acids in tuna can clear away the artery-clogging plaque which improves circulation. Did you know decreased blood flow can lower your libido? If you eat tuna it can help to increase your blood flow and improve you libido. Other sources that have omega-3s are salmon, sardines, mackerel, walnuts and flax seed. 

I got to thinking about adding as many of these omega-3s to my tuna sandwich as I could. Here is what I came up with:

Passion Tuna Sandwich

1 – 7 oz can water packed tuna
Light Mayonnaise added to your taste
1teaspoon flax seed
½ cup chopped walnuts lightly toasted
1 green onion chopped
¼ cup shredded carrots
¼ cup chopped celery
4 slices of whole wheat bread
Tomato sliced
Lettuce leaves

Mix all ingredients and put on bread top off with lettuce and tomato. Makes 2 servings

I added other ingredients to the recipe to make it as healthy as I could. Carrots have lots of vitamin A which is great for eyesight, “The better to see you my dear.” Green onions, celery, tomatoes and lettuce has vitamin C which helps keep your heart healthy. When your heart is healthy the more passionate you are in bed. Whole wheat bread can reduce the chances of cancer and heart disease. Eat healthy and you could have a longer love life.

Why not whip up your own recipe of tuna salad sandwich and you might just whip up more passion in your love life.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Do you and your spouse enjoy going to a museum or planetarium together but haven’t attended one recently because budget is tight? What if I told you that you can go to a museum or planetarium for free or at a deep discount! So if you both miss visiting your favorite museum or planetarium then give them a call and see if they have a free night.

The middle of the week is when museums are least visited which means free admission or discounts. No matter where you live there are usually some wonderful museums available to you that you may never have thought of visiting.

I Googled “Free museums in the ………area and got lots of places in the major cities and small towns across the United States. When we lived in Los Angeles we would go to the planetarium at the local junior college for free. Since we now live on the Central Coast of California I check out the planetarium in Santa Barbara. Their schedules and prices were offered on their website and I was surprised at how reasonably priced it is without any discounts. For members, cost is free and up to $3.00 per person depending on show and time. Non-members pricing is $4.00 to $6.00 per person. That’s cheaper than going to the movies! Also, if you are in the military lots of museums will let you in for free or at a minimum price.

If you are looking for a fun and an inexpensive date that is a little different than what you normally do, you may want to consider going to a museum or planetarium. It will open a whole new world neither of you had thought of before. Imagine the conversation you and your spouse will have after visiting the museum or planetarium over coffee.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

You will be going to a special romantic place together if you keep saving your $5 a week.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

This week I was in a local craft store looking for some flat stones to write something on. One of the employees asked me if they could help me and I said yes I needed help with locating these stones. We started to talk and the employee told me something he did for his girlfriend and now it has become something they do every so often. I thought it was a great idea and asked him if I could pass it on to you.

One day he was walking by one of those machines that will imprint what you want to say on a blank coin. He decided to surprise his girlfriend. He put his money in the machine and spelled out what he wanted written on it. Later that day he and his girlfriend were together and he handed her the coin. She looked at it and began to read it. To her surprise it said “One Free Dinner of Your Choice.”

His girlfriend loved the idea so much she kept the coin and now they pass it back and forth every so often. I really liked this idea because it brings in an element of surprise in your relationship when everything else is so predictable. Doing things like this makes your marriage interesting because you never know when it is going to happen.

If money is tight and you can’t afford to go out to eat then along with the coin hand a list of dinners you can make that you know your spouse enjoys. If you have a little bit of money you could write a list of inexpensive places you can afford and of course if you have the money go ahead and splurge. Just the thought and surprise will make it special no matter if it is a dinner at home or you went out to eat. You are saying you care enough to surprise your partner.

If you can’t find a coin to imprint then write on a wooden disk or small flat stone

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

So how rich are you? When you think about people who are rich do you immediately think about money? Do you wish you had more money? Do you think if you had more money you would be happier? Well I know lots of people who are wealthy and people who are very poor and what I have observed in life is money doesn’t guarantee you happiness. You can’t judge people by their wealth; it doesn’t give them instant happiness. Happiness is how you choose to live your life whether you are rich or poor.

Five years ago Larry and I had what was considered an upper middle class income but like most people due to the economy our income has been reduced by more than half. We used to shop at higher end shops and bought what we wanted, when we wanted. Went on trips and never thought about how much it cost us. Since I was laid off we are now on a serious budget and shop at discount shops. We ask ourselves is this “a Want or a Need.” Were we happy with the higher income? Yes. More importantly, are we happy with the lower income? Yes. I know you are asking how you can be happy with your income being reduced by more than half. Our answer to this question is we realize money doesn’t buy happiness. We choose to be happy not by money but by our life. We choose to enjoy life no matter what the situation may bring, not by what we have but by the love we have.

This is why I write this blog. In the 43 years we have been married we have learned rich or poor we are the riches people in the world because we have the love of each other, family and friends. We have health. Money cannot buy that! This blog is about finding your $5 a week for a romantic evening away, having fun inexpensively, being childlike and enjoying the moment and each other. It is about what Larry and I do everyday. The silly funny things I tell you to do we have done. We enjoy our life together.

So…….are we rich? Oh…….. YES! We are the riches couple in the world! What about you?

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.