Surprise Kiss

Posts Tagged ‘budget’

Your marriage is the best you could ever want and you are proving it by saving $5 a week for a year for a romantic weekend away with your sweetheart.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Saving $5 a week for a romantic weekend away with your sweetheart will ignite the romance back in your relationship once you have that quiet time you both have been dreaming of.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Have you ever checked into a hotel and it ended up not looking like the photos on the internet? We’ve had that happen to us a few times. Thank goodness not very often.

Anthony Melchiorri of the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible” was on the Today Show with Kathy Lee Gifford & Hoda Kobt and gave some great advice on how to deal with a hotel that doesn’t quite meet the standard you expected.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Love the tip about calling the hotel manager and letting them know you are coming and what you have reserved. I will be using this idea from now on.

One time we checked into a room in Las Vegas late at night after an unusually long drive and discovered ants crawling all over the bed. We immediately walked out of the room luggage and all and went directly to the lobby and told them our situation and like Anthony said we were friendly and nice to the front desk and were given an upgraded room minus the ants. We still laugh about the story but it wasn’t too funny at the time. We were tired and hungry.

Remember that old saying “You can get more with honey than vinegar.”

For Men Only: Check in on Friday for a romantic idea to give your wife for Mother’s Day.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

You will be feeding your sense of anticipation when you save $5 a week for a year to go on a romantic weekend away with your sweetheart.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

This week I was talking to a friend from Colorado and she told me what she and her husband, Roger, do on their dates. It has become a tradition and they both look forward to their quite time together. Their dates are not what you typically think of doing. Most people after they are married assume when you are talking about a date it is in the evening. This is not always the case and because this couple thinks out of the box, they have a longer and more enjoyable date than most couples.

Karen is off every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Roger has a 3 day weekend every other week. The Fridays he is off and the kids are in school they go to see the early bird show at their local theatre. When I say early I am talking the 10:00 AM showing and then they go out to their favorite little restaurant for lunch. They finish the afternoon off by running some errands and getting a cup of coffee before the kids get home.

They get to see all the latest films and there are no crowds. The bonus is it is cheaper because they are going to the early show. She told me they try to be fair by taking turns choosing the movies. One Friday they were in line and there was an older couple in their late sixties in front of them and they were going to see two movies. She heard the older guy say to his wife now I chose one it is your turn to choose the one you want to go to. She thought they were cute. When you look at these two couples they were both very considerate of the other.

She also told me that their friends are always a little envious because they see all the latest movies. Karen reminds them that the only way they could do this is because they go to the early bird shows.

This is such a great idea. You may not have Fridays off like Roger and Karen do but you could trade off on a Saturday or Sunday with another couple to watch the kids. Each couple benefits every other week with some alone time and the kids have fun at the other couples house. The couple that is watching the kids could also host dinner for everyone. You get to see a movie, have lunch out and then go to dinner at the other’s house. This makes for a wonderful relaxing day every other week for each couple. If every other week is too much then try once a month.

Plan on having a date on a budget, it will become a tradition you and your husband will look forward to.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

“The success of marriage comes not in finding the “right” person, but in the ability of both partners to adjust to the real person they inevitably realize they married.”     John Fischer

Saving $5 a week for a year for a romantic getaway will help to keep the romance in your marriage.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Did you know it is Pig in a Blanket Day? What??? Don’t know what Pig in a Blanket is? It is a pancake wrapped around a cooked sausage and syrup over the top. Yum!

Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone without cooking up a little romance on a day like today. So plan on having Pig in a Blanket for dinner tonight to celebrate and leave a note for your sweetheart to read privately.

Write inside your card:

Ladies:

“Sweetheart I would like your sausage to be wrapped around my pancake tonight and we will have our own culinary delight.”

Men:

“Sweetheart I would like my sausage to be wrapped around your pancake tonight and we will have our own culinary delight.”

A little romance and laughter is always good for your relationship.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Your marriage deserves a romantic weekend away. Saving $5 a week for a year will give you and your sweetheart that desired getaway you both have been dreaming of for a long time.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Wednesday I talked about cleaning up the clutter in your bedroom. Today I will give you some pointers on how you can have a bedroom that is a refuge for you and your spouse. Once you have cleaned out your bedroom have you and your spouse stand in the middle of the room and take a good look at it. Have a pad and pencil and write down things you would like to change in your room. What would make it feel like your romantic haven?

When you are looking at your master bedroom act as if that is the first room people will see when they walk in. I know most people will never see it and so you have a tendency to throw everything into that room and close the door when the doorbell rings. Find another room or closet that you can throw things into, not your master bedroom!

If you need ideas on how to decorate you romantic haven go on-line and type romantic bedrooms or go on Pinterest. You will find lots of ideas there that you can replicate. Also, look through decorating magazines.

Our bedroom is very romantic. We have bedside lamps with three way switches on it. There are candles in the bedroom and bathroom. There is nothing more relaxing and romantic than taking showers by candlelight. We have a small radio and CD player. We do have a very old small TV in the room even though it is recommended not to have it in there. We have it on only on in the morning while we are getting dress. We listen to the news. We never watch TV in bed in the evening. We haven’t spent a lot of money decorating it but it does look nice. Towels, accessories, sheets, bedspread and pillows all match. This is our romantic haven.

Here are some things you should consider when setting your room up for romance.

Paint:
Paint is an inexpensive way to update and freshen up a room. Keep the colors calm and relaxing.

Lighting:
Did you know that overhead lighting is very unflattering? A well lit room is not sexy. Your lamps should have three way switches. The lower wattage will put a nice glow on you and your partner. Pink-tinted bulbs can make you look good too. Of course candlelight is the most flattering.

Appearance:
Clean your master bedroom, dust and vacuum everything. Wash everything; Make your bed like a hotel does with the sheets folded back invitingly. Keep your children’s toys and family pictures out of the room. Don’t use your room as a display case for your hobbies. This is your private place as a couple.

Scents:
Buy candles, scented oils and a matching room spray that you both like. Make your room smell good.

Music:
Have a small stereo in your bedroom and play romantic music, soft jazz or whatever your fancy is to put you both in a romantic mood.

Once you have identified everything you want to make it your special romantic retreat then plan to purchase something every payday or put the money aside until it goes on sale. Recently we needed new towels for our master bathroom so every payday I would put our money aside until the towels were on sale. This is how I purchase everything in my home. It is a gradual transformation.

Prepare your room every night so that when you walk in you relax. Turn down the bed, fluff up the pillows, turn on the radio with soft music playing in the background, have the lights softly lit and light a candle. For those special times, ladies have beautiful lingerie hanging in your closet to make it easy for you or your husband to layout it out on the bed.

Enjoy your romantic haven!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

In November of 2009 I wrote this blog and thought it would be good to revisit this. Enjoy!

What does your bedroom look like? Is it a place where you can go to and it feels like a refuge for you and your spouse? Or, do you have clutter and junk everywhere on the floor, bed and dresser? More than likely there is no romance going on in your master bedroom. It is hard to get in a sexy mood with a pile of clothes on the bed. Do you want to clean up your act and set a beautiful romantic retreat for you and your spouse? Today I am will help you clean out the clutter. On Friday I will discuss how to make your room comfortable and romantic. Follow these simple steps and before you know it you will have the bedroom you can both feel welcomed in.

First you need to do something about the clutter. Grab your spouse and explain that you want to have a place where you both can go to and feel relaxed. You need their help to accomplish it. If you are both overwhelmed then take only fifteen minutes a day and start to clean up the room. Start with the floors and set the timer for fifteen minutes. Divide your things into 3 piles: hamper, donate to thrift store and trash. If you don’t own a hamper then put a box in the corner. Over the weekend when you are out shopping look for a hamper that would look good in the corner of the room or closet. Nice things keep you committed to picking up your stuff. You need to start to pick up the floor and see how fast you can do it. If you didn’t complete in fifteen minutes this evening then tomorrow continue for fifteen minutes until it is done.

Then move on to your bed, take everything off your bed and straighten it up. Fluff the pillows and make it inviting to sleep in. If the bedding is dirty then put on new sheets and make a mental note to wash the blankets and bedcover over the weekend. If your bedspread looks shabby, then talk about purchasing a new bedspread over the weekend. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just something that looks clean and is in the colors you both like. Maybe that could be your Christmas present for each other. Let friends and family know what you are trying to do. If they ask what you need give them a list they can choose from: candles, pillows, draperies, bedspread, towels, pictures, new lamps, etc. You could go as far as registering at someplace like Target, Wal-Mart, Pottery Barn or Macy. People can go and pick out what they would like to give you.

When the floor and bed has been picked up then pick up your dresser and end tables. Clear the clutter on top and inside the drawers. On top of your end tables there should be a lamp with a three way switch, and radio alarm clock and maybe a book, nothing else. On the dresser, you want to put your colognes, another three way lamp and a candle.

Lastly, clean out your closet! Don’t keep clothes and shoes you are not using or they are too worn out. Let there be space to hang empty hangers when clothes go into the hamper. Allow room for you shoes. If you have a place, try to hang a calendar in the closet and a couple of hooks for your robe.

Make it a pack that when you get up in the morning things will be put back in their place. And before you go to bed in the evening things will be put away. When you both work at keeping your bedroom clean and clutter free it frees your mind, there is more room for thinking about romance.

For those men who think that it isn’t that important to them so why should it matter to the woman in their lives. Think again! Women are very visual and tactile. If you want more lovin you may want to help with keeping it clean and spend the money on making the room look romantic and peaceful. A happy wife makes for a very happy husband.

So clean up your act and get the romance back in your bedroom.

You can read the second 1/2 on Friday.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

***My free eBook is coming soon! Be on the lookout for it and when it comes out you can be one of the first to get it. ***

“Your marriage is a gift from God; how you treat it is a gift to him.”

© 2013, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.