10 Ways to make your husband feel loved while traveling

When my husband travels, it’s hard on the entire family. Although I usually enjoy the first day or two of easy dinners and a pile of magazines as my bed companion, the novelty wears off, and we all want daddy back. He used to travel a lot!! I remember having a newborn, and my husband was out of the country for 3 weeks. I felt physically exhausted and assumed he should return refreshed from his “time away”. I acted like his business travel was a mini vacation. I could not have been further from the truth.

When he would return home, he would cling to me. The look in his eyes said it all. The travel schedule was rushed. The hotel room was lonely. The airplanes delayed. The meals quiet. His heart longing for the chaos of our home and warmth of our love. It was at this point, I made an intentional decision to start sending a little of that warmth with him. Here are a few ideas and ways to make your husband remember he’s loved on the road.

Get him a voice activated Alarm Clock – Record a sweet message that he will hear when he wakes up. “Good morning sweetheart. Time to wake up. Have a great day!” My kids would record messages “I love you daddy”. Could you imagine a better way to wake up in a lonely hotel room?
Text him pictures of you and the children at fun activities. We were at a Fall festival in this picture and took 5 minutes to write daddy a note and text it to him. He loved knowing that even admist cotton candy and music, we were thinking of him.
When he calls, DON’T COMPLAIN! I’m not suggesting to pretend everything is perfect, but you can discuss things without whining, nagging, or feeling entitled to a different set of circumstances. If you need to vent when he’s away, call a girlfriend, write in a journal, pray, go for a run.
Call the hotel and order him room service (even just a beer is fun).
Make him laugh… or cry- Hide ridiculous things in his shoes or dobskit. Be funny. Make him miss you. Humor is extremely underrated. You can also write encouraging notes, the ones that communicate your respect and appreciation for him. My son has even hidden his very special lovely in the suitcase – if that doesn’t say ‘i love you’, nothing will.
Enter ‘reminders’ or ‘alerts’ into his phone that will pop up throughout his trip.
Comfort food – Stick in some of his favorite power bars or his favorite candy. You can even wrap them for an element of surprise.
Hide a pair of your panties between his boxers – No judgement..
Download a romantic but cool song or playlist onto his phone. Halfway through the trip, tell him about it.
Facetime or Skype – Technology has made eye to eye contact possible. Little kids can actually believe they were with daddy….and I, sometimes just need to see my man.

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April 18, 2013 by Allison Hendrix

You know you are a mom of boys when…

Funny ways you remember you are a mom of boys

You have rules like “No peeing on your brother in the bath tub.”
You find a matchbox car when you reach into the bag of pita chips.
You distract your neighbor in conversation, so she doesn’t see your son peeing in her bushes
The smell of sweaty necks and stinky feet is oddly endearing.
You have to swing by Chick Fil A for a snack on the way home from dinner.
You’ve actually spoken the words “New rule: you are not allowed to stick your pinky into the electric pencil sharpener”.
You have way too much fun watching your kids play with a whoopie cushion.
Whenever you sit on the potty, your tush gets wet.
Shooting squirrels with a nerf gun is an acceptable pastime.
You suggest Super Mario as a name for the pet bunny.
You tell a babysitter they read better when they are upside down.
The noise in the car is louder than your own thoughts.
When the house is perfectly quiet, you know something big is wrong.
You don’t ask about the bloody nose and scraped up knees when your son shows you his new trick on the scooter.
Laying on the floor is never relaxing because there is always fear you are about to be jumped upon. “Incoming!”
Your friends with just girls stare at you all with their mouths hanging open.
You find his reference to “the Force” in Star Wars a brilliant parallel to the power of God.
You don’t scream when your 4-year-old proudly shows you the Bb’s he drew…with the back of a hammer on your car door.
When you meet a little boy, you stick out your hand…for a high 5.
You have both a Lego and Star Wars font saved on your computer.
You can’t imagine the day he falls in love with another woman.

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April 11, 2013 by Allison Hendrix

20 ways to fill your child’s love tank on their birthday

It only happens once a year, so why not CELEBRATE! In my experience, it is rarely the gifts my children remember. It is the feeling of excitement when they get out of bed, the element of surprise throughout their day, and the enthusiasm surrounding them. This week, my baby turned 6. We each need two hands to share our age and I’m not sad at all; I’m thrilled.

With 3 kids, I’ve accumulated a variety of birthday ideas with the hopes of filling my children’s love tank on their birthday. I think we should pool our ideas, borrow freely, and be inspired to make those we love feel special. Isn’t that our goal? I slightly cringe when I see a mom relishing her recent DIY project while another looks on, feeling defeated by her sense of inferiority. I tap into my sister’s bag of tricks all the time when I am just not feeling it. So, here’s what’s in my birthday bag this week: 20 Ways to fill your child's Love Tank on their Birthday [the House of Hendrix}

Build the excitement with a COUNTDOWN. There are many ways to do this. This week we counted down with a chalkboard.
Decorate the Bathroom Mirror. Use a window marker, dry-erase marker, or lipstick. Balloons, streamers, it’s all good.
Window Marker your car with “Honk! It’s Lily’s 10th birthday!” This has delighted my children for years. With every honk, we all cackle with joy. (You can buy them at here for a few dollars).
While they are sleeping, decorate their room with streamers and balloons. Even just the doorway makes a big effect
photo by Sidetracked Mom
Candles in their breakfast, why not?
photo by lilmissbossy
Put Water Balloons in their bath
photo by Learning4Kids
Use the special “Celebration Plate”. We made one years ago at a painted pottery place. We’ve used it on birthdays, potty training milestones, soccer goals, and when loved ones visit.
Declare it a Screen-free Day for the parents. If the child is awake, put your cell phones down and turn off the tv/computer. Be present, not distracted.
Wrap each food item in their lunchbox. Throw in a balloon if it will fit. Pure delight.
Measure them. We have a very messy wall with dates, ages, and heights of our children, nieces and nephews, and neighborhood children. Kids loved to be measured!
Retell their birth story. Even get their baby book out. My baby books stopped after the 1st child, but they delight in hearing about their first cry in the delivery room. My mother still calls me at the exact hour I was born with “Oh, I feel a contraction. Ouch. I think you’re coming today Allison.” I love it.
Make or buy them a special shirt or socks with their new age on it.
Get a pair of socks that say, “I AM SPECIAL”
Allow your child to pick the dinner for everyone.
Eat at the fancy table. We have a formal dining room table we NEVER use. Last year we used it to eat the delivery pizza for my daughter’s birthday. We light candles and the kids knew without doubt, that day was SPECIAL.
Have siblings serve them, clear the table, and do their assigned chores for the day.
It is a tradition in our family to play “My favorite thing about Palmer is…” and we all go around share. Our cousins even call in with their favorite thing
Celebrate the Waiting – in a world where we get everything right now, it’s tough to teach kids to wait, especially for good things. We thought we’d give them some practice in small areas (chewing gum, makeup) so they’d have some experience waiting for the bigger things like intimacy. We make our kids wait until they are 10 to drink soda, then have a cooler full on their birthday. We celebrate those Waiting Milestones big time.
photo by Michelle March
Fill their closet or the kitchen cupboards with balloons. When they open them, they will fall out. Delight!
photo by A Subtle Revelry
Teach siblings that the most important thing on somebody’s birthday is making them feel special. When we go to a birthday party, our goal should be to make the birthday person feel special. This can be especially difficult in a society when the party favors are sometimes nicer than the gift brought.
Make a party hat for your pet. I’m kinda kidding on this one, but kinda not. It doesn’t make your child feel special, but it sure is funny.
Let your child know that your greatest joy in life is that you GET TO BE THEIR MOMMY! They need to hear it…and often.

Click here for 14 More Ways to Fill your child’s Love Tank on their Birthday

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