Heat up your marriage with a bag of rice

Oh Happy Marriage Monday!  Need to heat things up?  Try a bag of rice.

Here's How:

Take some rice and some fabric.  Do a little sewing then throw the rice inside.  Heat it up in the microwave then place it at the bottom of your bed and snuggle up close to each other.  No need to wear knee-high socks to bed or worry about cold toes.

BTW:  Click here for more detail instructions or you can buy one.  Try shopping etsy.

Get Happy

According to Oprah & her people  here is how you can get your HAPPY on:

Change your DNA:  Apparently the smart people at Berkeley found that up to 50% of your happiness is genetic.  40% is your choice and 10% is life circumstances.

Get Real Quiet:  Spending 10 minutes a day doing nothing can bring on the happy.

Get Married & Intimate:  You can figure this one out.

Then have some Babies:  Although they will make you crazy, it will be a crazy love that amps the happy factor.  Research suggest that children are stressful and the happiness rises after the child turns 18.

Take your Neighbor's Cookies:  More neighbors you know the more happier and safer you feel.  Why cookies?  If your neighbor is happy it ups your happiness by 34%

Turn off the tube:  Just one episode of modern family is all you need.  Happy people watch between 1/2 hour to 1 hour TV per day.

Make a new BFF:  You need at least 2 and 9 is recommended so get friendly.  Once you are out of elementary school it is ok to have more then one BFF just don't rank them.

Aim for $75,000:  For a family of 4 happiness maxes out once you earn $75,000 per year so work hard but don't spend all your time working.

9 months vs. forever:  Experiences last a life time.  Material purchases fizzle sometime between 1 minute after buying and 9 months SO invest that extra cash & extra time on an adventure.

BTW:  this is my own interpretation for the actual information provided on the Oprah show.

Shockingly NOT Simple

Save your $5 here is everything you need to know from this month's REAL SIMPLE:

• Your house is NOT clean
• Wear Galoshes, cheerful stripes, and flowered prints
• Use your cereal bowl as a speaker.  Stick your IPhone inside, crank it up the volume and dance away.
• Rice is too plain.  Jazz it up!  Search your pantry and throw some extra goodies in it.  
• Buy an area rug.  Your floors will thank you.
• Stop procrastination: bottom line follow nike and JUST DO IT!
• Eggs are good anytime of day, cooked anyway.  Try them with smoked salmon, make a curried egg salad sandwich, throw them in a salad, bake them, poach them, scramble them or omelet them.  

BTW:  Unless you LOVE to CLEAN avoid feeling discourage and don't read, look at the pictures or touch Real Simple April 2011.  They explain how to clean curtains, upholstery and close your eyes your mattress.  We have had our bed for over 8 years and sure I might vacuum it on occasion but I have never dusted it with baking soda to draw out dirt and moisture.


More BTW:  If you don't like eggs then head to IVARS for dinner tonight.  To celebrate Ivar's birthday if you buy one entree you get the 2nd entree for $1.06

Go to Bed Together

Monday's Marriage Tip:

Go to bed together.  Honestly, I have seen worms on the side walk at night and I have seen owls awake in the morning (at the zoo) so I know that despite your schedule preferences you can make it work.  So get your teeth brushed and your recycling out and hit the hay at the same time tonight.

Go Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I challenge you to GO GREEN today.  Yesterday, I had a full thing of green food coloring and now it is almost gone.  We have had green eggs, green chicken, green rice, green coffee, green peanut butter, green water and green milk.   On the menu tonight is green biscuits and green gravy.  Green food looks gross so I am sparing you the pictures since I don't want you to lose your appetite.  However, here are a few non-food items we have dyed green.

BTW:  Don't worry mom Wesley is still creamy white.  The green bath did not effect his skin, the bath tub or my white towels.

Texting

Goal of the week is to become a faster texter.  In order to achieve my goal I decided it was time to learn some texting abbreviations.  They are hard to remember so I have the G8 idea of printing them and taping them to the back of my phone but I don't have a printer.  Below is a list of more common texting abbreviations and I also made up a few of my own that you can use if you want.

Common Texts

411           Information

2moro       Tomorrow

CWYL       Chat with you later

G1            Good One

GR8          Great

LOL           Laughing Out Loud 

NIMBY       Not in my back yard

OIC            Oh, I see

BTBY         Bummer to be you

SWAK        Sealed with a kiss
UOK           Are you Okay?

VBG           Very big grin

WRUD        What are you doing?

WYWH        Wish You were here

I tried to make up a few of my own

WTBHo        What time will you be home?

PDS             Playdate soon?

NCN!            Need coffee now!

M@*$           Meet at Starbucks

HowdayG      How is your day going?

BTW:  Tomorrow is St.Patrick's Day.  For a fun surprise try putting a few drops of green food coloring in the toilet.

Make a Friend

Best way to make a friend is to be a friend so put on a smile and show some kindness.


Here are a few ideas:
Wave Hello
Offer to buy someone coffee
Make a joke (make sure it is appropriate)
Hold the door open for someone
Let them talk about themselves (see questions below


I want to get know you questions.

What was your favorite musical group when you were in middle school?

What do you like about where we live?

When are you most frustrated?

What new tradition would you like to start this year?

What is your favorite smell?

Name one thing you love about being married/single/dating (whichever is their current relationship status)?

If you could add a single option to your car, what would you add?

What's one thing you admire about your parents?

What's one item on your wish list?
What is your favorite room in your house?

Do you want to be my friend?

BTW:  If this doesn't work these techniques don't work for you don't get discouraged!  Jesus will always be your friend and I will be your friend too if you want.


BTW Again:  Wash your hands and don't touch your face!  There are tons of spring germs flying around.  Quickest way to make people not want to sit next to you is coughing so stay healthy.