Grimm Date Night

You know the one thing about Date nights is coming up with ideas! I always want to do something to make the man smile but sometimes my creativity is lacking. This time around I knew I wanted to do something that would allow me to buy him season 2 of Grimm. His obession with this show is entirely my fault as I bought him season 1 but his pestering about getting it is all on him. Regardless I knew he would really enjoy getting it so I decided to make a date night around it.

Here was the problem. What exactly can two people do when the theme is morbid fairy tales? Well I actually came up with something!

The first episode of season 1 was a Little Red Riding hood theme. So that was my starting point. I decided we would have an indoor picnic ( only because we had no where to really have an outdoor one) and we would play a themed game. Hurdle 1 took no time rearing its ugly head. Picnic baskets that are reasonably priced don’t exist! Target has a $100 one with all the bells and whistles. But my thought is if I want to sit on the ground and eat with my hands, I certainly don’t want to spend $100 for it! So I found a substitute at Savers:

I thought it fit the morbid Red Riding Hood theme plus it’ll make a great DIY project down the road (stay tuned)!

Now since I work all the time I needed to have a way to clue him in to the fun when it was ready since set up had to be done with him at the house. So I let him stay in the other room when I set up and he knew everything was ready when he heard this song:

The song is the one that was playing the most in season 1 episode 1. If you have seen it you know why!

Finally the game! I decided to set up a game I saw on Jimmy Fallon called Box of Lies. It looked like fun and I liked that deception went with my theme. The execution was done by my sister since if I created the boxes I would have been cheating. Here is one of them:

 

Basically the game is simply this: Both people get a box and you must reach in and describe to the other person what you have in the box. You can choose to be honest or lie. It is up to the other person to decide if you are being truthful. Can turn into quite a funny little game!

Overall the date night came together pretty well considering I had limited time. What do you guys think? What would you have done for a Grimm date night?

Leave work at work!

As most of my blog readers know I just recently began a new job. Now this job is especially stressful because it is out of my element. For my first few jobs out of college I have worked in the legal field (hoping to eventually be a lawyer) however this job is in marketing. Basically I do my best to get the name of the business known in the area and try and bring in new customers. There is a learning curve for me and so the pressure seems to be a bit more than I am used to.

That being said, bringing the stress home does not help matters. I have learned in the last few weeks that the power of positive thinking really can change how you allow a situation to affect your life. When the job began I would come home stressed and needing to talk. I would then lay all the problems of my day on my boyfriend (who is also dealing with a stressful work situation). We would then proceed to have crappy nights strained with stress and tension.

Neither one of us ever questioned or devotion to each other but the stress was wearing on us. We could both see it very clearly. I knew something had to change. So I changed the way I let the day affect me.

I made the decision that when I left work, I left all the stress, anger and tension at my work desk. Each day I would leave looking forward to the night ahead, determined to not let my work come home with me. And you know what? It helped tremendously!

Our nights became fun again. We were able to laugh with each other and unwind. Just the way it should be.

I am writing this to you bloggers to give you a word of advice. Your relationship is the part of your life that will be with you day in and day out. That is the part of your life you should put the most energy into. Work is just that, work. Don’t let it consume you and affect other areas of your life. The minute you start doing that is the minute you stop really living. Positive thinking and compartmentalizing can do wondrous things for your life. Try it and enjoy your weekend!

Ladies Agree: We All Get A Little Crazy Sometimes…

Alright girls, lets admit it, as a gender we can get a little emotional. Sometimes we get a little too angry over something that really isn’t that big of a deal. Sometimes we ball our eyes out at a chick flick and really can’t explain the reason behind it. Sometimes we get irrationally worried about things that will probably never happen. We as a gender can be an emotional bunch.

That is why it is not surprising for me to learn that many women have tried to inflict harm on their significant other or friend in the heat of a passionate argument. I know plenty of times I have imagined using a kitchen pot Saturday morning cartoon style just to get my point across. However, some women out there have really stretched their imaginations to find the most outrageous way to lash out during a fight. This post goes out to you ladies. The ones who have done something so extreme that the rest of us are left in shock and awe (and in some cases a little disgust). Here’s to hoping none of us EVER go this far:

3) Bond vs. USA:

This woman took chemicals from her work Rohm and Haas Co and sprinkled them on her friends car, door knob and mailbox after learning that her so called friend got pregnant by her husband. This case was so bizarre that it wasn’t even tried as just an attempted suicide but rather has a Chemical Weapons case. I have to say she gets points for thinking outside the box but loses points for getting caught.

2) Stabbed with a Squirrel:

A woman from South Carolina got so angry that her husband didn’t bring home beer on Christmas Eve that she beat him and then stabbed him with a ceramic squirrel. At least the man and the squirrel had something in common, they both had a thing for nuts!

The wrong kind of roadkill: We have all heard this story and I am sure we have all used it as a threat at one time or another, but lets face it its way too good and definitely wins the craziest woman fight hands down. Lorena Bobbit you will go down in history as the woman who went the most extreme. For those of you who live under a rock here is what this woman did: Lorena got outta bed in the middle of the night, cut off her husbands penis, got in the car (with severed manhood in hand) and then threw it out the window. Lucky for the man she had presence of mind after this and called 911 and he was able to get re-attached. But man oh man this takes the cake. Best part is I can’t figure out what she was angry about!

So ladies, when your man tells you, you are being too emotional remind him it could be soooo much worse!

Honesty vs Surprise

Relationships are a funny thing. Honesty and communication are key but there is also something to be said for a little surprise here and there. You don’t want to lay all your cards on the table right from the start or there will be no mystery left to unfold. However, when the wedding day is near, there are a few things that the person you are marrying should be 100 percent positive about.

I decided to make a list of the things that should be 100 percent known about your husband before walking down that aisle:

5) Age: Sure they say age is only a number but if your significant other is hiding their age there can be way too many reasons. Maybe they aren’t actually of legal age (in which case run). Or maybe they are heading to the death-bed much sooner than you anticipated. Either way make certain you know your hunny’s birthday- birth year included!

4) Relationship past: Although I was one to always believe ignorance is bliss in this department, I have learned one thing, the past makes us who we are today. Make sure you know why the past relationships went wrong and even some of the reasons they went right for the time that they did. This knowledge will help you both avoid making the same mistakes and will help you hold on to the qualities your loved one finds important.

3) Family: Love them or hate them when you marrying your sweetheart you are marrying their family, GET TO KNOW THEM. Even if you learn that you hate them it is best to know exactly what you are getting into before committing a lifetime to them. Each day head start you have with them before the marriage should in theory make the marriage that much easier to handle.

2) Life Goals: Love cannot conquer all as romantic as that is to believe. Make sure your partner has the same wants and needs in life. Career goals, desire to be a parent, living plans all of that matters. Remember those are decisions you will make together once married, make sure you will be on the same page.

1) GENDER: This should be a given but please oh please don’t make that mistake. I think it is all too sweet to save the blessed even for marriage but there has GOT to be a way to avoid the embarrassing catastrophe that must’ve happened at some point to someone because they waited till that special day and got one BIG (long/ strong) surprise!

 

Although some of the above was said in fun- I do think this list is really important when thinking about marriage or really any serious relationship. Love just isn’t enough. Make sure that everything else fits too before taking that next step.

Dear Future (Or Current) Boyfriend

Starting the year off in a new relationship can be really scary. Of course we all try to start new and not let old mistakes take control of us but of course there are some things we wish we could all tell our new flame right off the bat to kind of warn them early on about what may happen. I came across this letter that a girl wrote to her future boyfriend and I thought this was a great idea. What would we say to our new flame if we could put everything on the table to start out. This way there would be no surprises. Now of course I can’t really write my new boyfriend a letter but I can definitely imagine what I would say…

Dear Future (or current) Boyfriend,

Well if you are reading this clearly you have made it past some serious obstacles. I can be a tough girl to crack. Congrats on getting through my walls. Sad to say my friend but you have a few more bumps in the road before it is easy coasting.

I have been through a few too many bad relationships. Because of this I have major insecurity issues. I will tell you that I am scared I am gonna screw things up at least a thousand times. If I am not saying that to you, be worried, I might not care as much as I am letting on. However, if I am telling you that, rest assured this means I really like you and I am genuinely afraid that this will turn out like all the rest, a train wreck. Best way to handle this? Reassure me as often as you can. Might seem annoying but holding my hand a little longer than normal, sending an adorable text message, or surprising me on a night I wasn’t expecting to see you will help more than you know. It’s the little things that count.

On that note, trust issues, I have those in bulk. But I do try. I will worry if your ex was prettier than me, I will worry if your super awesome best girl friend is just a little too awesome and I will worry if a text message just doesn’t seem quite cute enough. Don’t worry though, this will pass. Prove to me I can trust you. Be honest with me about your past and keep me in the loop on current events in your life. Once I know there is no reason not to trust you, I will let you in. Just be patient with me. Trust with me is earned.

Another thing you should know, you are not my only love. I am sorry but Eeyore has had a place in my heart long before you came and I refuse to let him go. He takes up much of my apartment and he will continue to devour my free space. Learn to love him. He will become a big part of your life if you want to become a big part of mine. Want to make me smile? Find an Eeyore I don’t have on Craigslist or something and take me on a day trip to get him and explore a town we haven’t been to before. Trust me, this would literally make my day.

Mostly what you need to know is I am a kind hearted girl with a wall around my heart. If you are willing to take the time to break down that wall you will find a caring, funny, sweet girl. If you want easy, move along because you won’t find it here. Nothing worth having is easy, you gotta fight for the best things in life. So fight for me and I promise you it will be worth it.

Hope this little road map helps you out as you start your journey with me!

 

Now of course I would never send this to any boyfriend current or future but oh what a help would it be! If you could write a letter to a future or current flame of yours what would you say?

A Letter To a One Night Stand- The Male Perspective

I am going to start this post by saying I know it is going to get a lot of heat. I am a girl writing from a guys point of view but please let me explain. I read this letter which I will be responding to 4 or 5 times. And I noticed the signs of a typical girl I see all the time and I really felt I needed to write something about it. As I have stated on this blog before I am a girl with a million guy friends and I hear all about the different women they take home. Girls, we can’t play victims we know the game. If you don’t want to be disrespected don’t disrespect yourself. Here is my fictional version of the Male side of the story. Note this is meant to be humorous but it is based in reality.

To Mrs. Last Weekend,

I want to start off by telling you my name Derek Davis. You start your letter off to me but acknowledging that you did not tell me your last name. However please think about this for a minute. Did I tell you yours? Well I must have because you were able to locate and friend me on Facebook. Did you ever think I may not have accepted it because I didn’t know who you were? Just a thought.

Also, you mention that every time you make eye contact I look away. Did you consider the possibility that the one night stand you speak of was not my proudest night? I am not the guy who goes to the bar and takes a girl home for fun. But since you didnt get a chance to get to know me you wouldn’t know that. Hopefully this letter fixes that.

Now lets speak to your “slut” definition. You ask if the clothes you wore made you into a “slut” in my eyes. The answer to that is no. If you look up the word slut in the urban dictionary you will see the first definition is “a woman with the morals of a man”. Honestly, that is how you portrayed yourself. You seemed casual and cool about the idea of a one night stand. You talked tirelessly about how much “you don’t care” how you feel in the morning and how the tequila is taking over and you “kind of like it.” I figured this was something you did pretty often and knowing many other girls like you I didn’t think it was a bad situation.

Please understand there are girls out there who will sleep with a guy once and not play victim the next day. I did not tie your hands behind your back and throw you in my car. You came willingly. You pursued me. I never promised anything for the next day. In fact in your little letter you even acknowledged that I told you where my heart was. As you so eloquently put it, “You didn’t want me to be at the party. You were hoping you’d be able to hangout with the girl you actually like who doesn’t give you the time of day, the girl who definitely isn’t sleeping with you and probably never will.” And you are right. I wanted to be with her but she doesn’t want to be with me right now. And no it doesn’t feel awesome but I can’t just sit around waiting can I. So I went out and I met you. I let my mind wander for a little bit. But you knew exactly where my heart was and you still wanted to move forward.

You make a claim that maybe part of the problem is you went home with me on the first night, but see this is where you are wrong. I could’ve respected you for that. We were in the same boat. Lonely and looking for companionship. What I couldn’t respect you for was playing the victim after and acting like I was a bad guy for not wanting to head down the marriage path afterwards. We didn’t exchange numbers, we didn’t make future plans, either one of us- to then put it on me the next day in such a public forum, that’s what I can’t respect you for.

Oh and should we discuss you sneaking out early? That was really the pinnacle of class. If you really wanted something to come out of this would you have elbowed me in the face at 4 am so you could sneak out before the sun came up? Sure you had “something to do” but it felt more like a routine you had practiced and mastered. Don’t play victim with me when its your own game you are playing and as far as I can tell from all the support you have drummed up you are winning. So congrats at that.

So next time you embark on a one night stand because you want to “kiss hot guys” and “feel attractive” remember that a guy won’t respect you until you respect yourself. Please don’t expect us to treat you any better than you treat yourself. It is unfair and uncalled for. We want to find that girl to marry as well and when we see her doing everything she can to get attention from the first guy that looks her way at the bar we see a wife who is never satisfied. If you want to be “wifed up” get your priorities straight. Having lots of men find you attractive doesn’t make you sexy. What makes you sexy is not caring what anyone else thinks. Focus on you. Be happy with you. Then the right guy will come your way.

Derek

P.S I am sorry I did not answer the 1 million text messages you sent my way. Please re- read this letter for clarification.

Bloggers, let me have it. Did this letter go to far for you?

Seduce Her With Bacon?!

The other day I was looking through a Men’s Health magazine and came across the headline “Seduce Her With Bacon.” Now lets overlook the obvious issue with the fact that I, a single girl, was flipping through a Men’s Health magazine and focus on the issue at hand. Seduce her with bacon. My mind went wild considering what this article could be about. Chocolate covered bacon since we all know girls love chocolate and bacon? Maybe bacon scented cologne to give your lady the smell of the kitchen in the bedroom? What about bacon patterned boxers? The possibilities are endless!

Alas, to my dismay the article was not about any of this. The article was about impressing your date with food and dining etiquette. Ho hum. So I decided to make my own Seduce Her With Bacon article that would showcase what I wanted to read. Here are the top 5 bacon related tips to seduce your woman (or man really this could work for anyone because bacon is ahhhmazzinng!).

1) Chocolate Covered Bacon: Yes it was mentioned above but because it is such an unsung food. I think the technical term for this is Pigs in Mud but whatever its awesome. I just heated up some fondue chocolate and got to dipping. This would be a fun fondue date night addition 🙂

2) Bacon Flavored Soap: Yes it does exist and you know what? I kinda like it! The smell of bacon right out of the oven is calming and powerful. Having my man have that aroma on him when he lays next to me in bed? Well I wouldnt hate it!

3) Bacon and Eggs Costume: Maybe you are a roleplaying couple? This costume will really help set the mood and get you in character!

4) Bacon Dress: Not into roleplay but still want to set the mood? This hott bacon dress will make her smile and get him excited!

5) Bacon Condoms: Nothing says sexy like playing it safe. There are bacon style condoms to make sure this safety precaution doesnt deter from the mood.

Hope this post helped start your day with a little bacon flavored laugh 🙂

So bloggers, any bacon items you would use to seduce your date?

Bitches Be Crazy!

Alright we have all heard the phrase, “Bitches Be Crazy!” As a girl I have taken the proper amount of offense to this phrase and really tried not to give it any encouragement. But as I creep up in years and I watch my male friends navigate through many relationships I see more and more truth in this phrase. While I agree many girls get their crazy ways from a man who treated them wrong, I think its time ladies for us to put aside the excuses and get our shit together.

This post is inspired by trend I saw on twitter. The hashtag was “#ExGirlfriendsBeLike”. I know many of my followers aren’t twitter savvy so I will explain what this means. When a hashtag trends it means lots of users are tweeting to this hashtag. When I saw the trend I clicked on it only to reveal so many crazy stories about exes. I started thinking about this and realized that I know of quite a few crazy stories myself.

I’d like to share one such story. A recent ex of mine had who he called “the crazy ex”. Knowing he’s a guy I didn’t put much faith in that nickname until I saw her in action. Not only did she proclaim her love to my then boyfriend (they dated a few weeks) but when he tried to cut contact she stalked him, texted him, Facebooked him- you name it she did it. And she wonders how she got the name the “crazy ex”.

So here is my task for you ladies. We need to turn this around. We don’t need a negative hashtag trending about us. We don’t need other ladies scowling at our actions. We need to make a good name for girls. We are all someone’s ex lets just be an ex and strip the crazy part.

How do we do that? If he is your ex. MOVE ON. Don’t text, tweet, Facbook, Skype, drive by, use binoculars at his window, *69 him…just don’t contact him. Leave the memories in the past where they belong and find a new man to move on with. I know how hard it is but let’s do it for the ladies. No more craziness out there ladies let’s get our act together!

Cestlavie’s Twisted Mixtape

So recently I became blogging buddies with Jen Kehl. On her blog she hold something called “Twisted Tuesday Mixtape”. She also encourages her blogging buddies to participate by posting their own “mix-tape’s” on their blog. I have read many people’s mix tapes. Some are dedicated to a friend, some a lover, some a family member and some a time in their lives. I dabbled with many different ideas for my mix-tape. I thought of making one for my 13 year old sister and all we have been through, I thought of making one for my best friend. But, none of them really excited me. But then it came to me!

I decided to create a “Relationship” mix-tape. This would be the tape that runs the gamet from the beginning of the relationship to the bitter end. This is for any girl who is still in the dating world. Without further ado- my mix-tape:

Relationship Mix-Tape:

Mandy Moore- Crush

Alright girls, this is that first feeling you get. You know this stage. When you look at him but quickly look away because you aren’t quite sure he feels the same. Just the thought of him makes you smile. But, nothing has really happened just yet. You are basically an admirer for now. This is where it all begins 🙂

 

Taylor Swift- Our Song

Now you have hooked him and you are finally dating. You are in the honey moon stage here. Everything seems promising and you are both blissfully looking towards the future!

Brad Paisley- Then

This is the moment when you believe he is the guy you are going to marry. Everything has just gotten better and better and you can’t imagine your life with anyone else. But, don’t get comfortable ladies- what goes up must come down.

Brandy and Monica- The Boy Is Mine

You are still head over heels in love here but some other girl is starting to encroach on your territory. This is where you make your claim for your man and get prepared to fight. But the groundwork for distrust is laid and things are starting to fall apart.

Luke Bryan- Do I

Alright, this is the moment where you start questioning everything. He just doesnt seem to care as much anymore and you begin to wonder why you are even fighting. Is it worth it?

Band Perry- Done

Nope its not worth it. You can’t fight for both sides. A relationship is a two way street. Moving on. He will miss you. His loss.

I hope this made you smile at least a little. Of course there are amazing relationships out there and this in no ways means I dont believe in true love. But I think every one of us go through this kind of relationship before we find the right one. I’m still on that journey.

So ladies (or fellas) what are the songs you listen to during the various stages of your relationships?

Who am I breaking up with?

So we have all had break ups. We have all had that awful after shock where we have to remove their clothing, pictures and other random items from our lives so we can move on. However, the question I have is what about the family?

Alright if this is his family- maybe you should break up with them too…

When two people have a long term relationship, the family gets involved. You may become best friends with his sister. You might become shopping buddies with his mom. Maybe you are a tutor for his younger sibling. So when the two of you call it quits, is it also essential for you to break up with the family?

 

My wildly unpopular opinion is, NO! You are both adults (well o.k this opinion is under the assumption you are both adults) and you can make friends on your own. Sure, you former other half introduced you and happens to share blood with this friend of yours but they do not share a brain. If the family member is willing to keep you in their life after the break up I say go for it! There was a reason you guys bonded and I don’t think a romantic misstep should mean the ending of a friendship.

So this begs the question, how will this friendship work? Well there is one golden rule. Never and I repeat NEVER bring up your former boo with their familial relation. This means not asking how their new flame is working out no matter how badly you want to know, this means not asking if they are spending their days in a dark basement pining after you, this means not asking if they mind slipping cyanide into their morning coffee as a special gift from you. The topic must be completely out of your conversations at all time. If this rule is followed I think a continued friendship is healthy and completely O.K.

 

 

So bloggers what do you think? When you go through a break up do you break up with the family as well?