Ask Wifey Q&A: To Fuss or Not To Fuss?

Wifey's Q and A

Hi Wifey,

I was just turned on to your blog and I think it's fantastic. I have a question (obviously)! I've been married for 5 months and my husband's birthday is coming up. I want to do something special, creative, and on a budget. He recently commented that my family really celebrates Xmas and birthdays but that his did not so he's not expecting anything but dinner (which I do all the time). My sense is, he would really appreciate a true celebration but has grown accustomed to it not being a big deal. Any thoughts?

By the way he may or may not appreciate going out because he travels 4 to 5 days a week so he really values his time at home.

- Mrs. Birthday Boy

Dear Mrs. Birthday Boy

Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful and wild world of marriage! I’m a birthday lover and believe that everyone should have a cake and some fuss on their day so I might be a tad bit biased when I tell you to trust your senses and give your new hubby a true celebration. Dinner at home sounds like a good idea but make it extra special. Make his favorite meal, have his favorite drink, bake him a birthday cake (or buy one if you’re dangerous in the kitchen) dress yourself up like you’re going out on the town – do the things that you know HE will like. Remember this is his celebration not yours.

Because he’s not used to the fuss you might not want to go too overboard, but do enough to make him happy and set some new traditions for your new family – that would be you and him. Pay attention to his reaction so you know how to handle things moving forward and most importantly, let him know you love him and you’re happy he’s part of your life. My guess is that will be all the celebration he needs.

Winks & Smiles,

How about you? Do you and your husband celebrate special occasions the same way? Feel free to share your Wives Words ... 

The advice on this site is intended to be helpful, but is not meant to take the place of marital counseling, legal advice, financial advice or any other professional service. If you feel you need professional help, it is encouraged for you to get some.

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Back to School: One Week But Who’s Counting?

One week from today my kids start school again. It’s not like I’m counting the minutes or anything, ahem, but the thought of returning to our regular school-year routine is making me want to run around the house doing back flips delightful.

Don’t get me wrong, I love summer vacation and spending time with my children. As they get older each year I enjoy it more, but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Truthful moment, I use every second of that school day to take care of work and family tasks; and I’m much more productive when they’re at school. But, as happy as I am to zip through the drop-off line in the morning I’m just as anxious to see their little faces step off of the school bus in the afternoon.

Who wouldn’t miss these little smiles for seven hours a day?

How about you? When does school start for your children? Are you excited or dreading the moment? Carpool-line Mamas want to know …

Winks & Smiles,

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Ready, Set, Switch

It’s time for me to step out of these ...

My tennis shoes

And switch into these ...

My running shoes

I spent the last four days in Birmingham, Alabama braving the heat with my USTA 3.0 Georgia STATE CHAMPION tennis team playing in the Sectionals tournament. While we didn’t take the whole tournament this time we still walked away winners – and had entirely too much fun, too.

Now that I’m back and have about six weeks before tennis starts again its time to really focus on my running. I’ve managed to juggle the two sports up until now and stay on track with my marathon training – this weekend was the first since April that I missed a long run. Gasp!

I never in a million years thought that I’d actually be excited to lace up my running shoes, grab my iPhone and head out on a 14 mile run, but I am, and there’s no crazy person chasing me, forcing me to do it.

Winks & Smiles,

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No, Really, I NEED My Beauty Sleep

The sign my 7 y.o. taped to her bedroom door - the heart is classic

And the one she taped to her bed above her head

She’s such her mother’s child. And, she's not even a teenager yet.

Winks & Smiles,

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My Favorite Bling: How Do You Reward Yourself?

I ran. Far. Now I’d like a little bling. And, for you to watch my vlog.



How do you reward yourself? Motivated Moms would love to know!

Oh, and after you share your secrets here, head over to my girl LizzieB's.

Guess who today's Get Your Vlog On pick is? Ahem, ahem.

Winks & Smiles,

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Wifey on The Lisa Wexler Radio Show Today

I’ll be featured guest today, July 15, at 4:30 p.m. on The Lisa Wexler Show. We’ll be chatting it up about surviving the first year of marriage. You can listen live at LiveWithLisaRadio.com.

Winks & Smiles,

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Running in the Wild, Wild West

I’m still smiling from my wonderful trip out west to Utah for EVO ’10, The Evolution of Women in Social Media. Since I’m in training (I love saying that – it sounds so official) I had to get some runs in while I was there. I originally flew in early to take part in their 5K race but it was cancelled, so I decided to get up that morning and still get my run on.

I didn’t want to mess with the altitude on the first day so I found the Fitness Center

They had plenty of treadmills and Sportscenter on the flatscreen

I did my own 5K

My classic post run pic

After a couple of days I adjusted to the altitude and couldn’t dream of leaving Park City without a quick run through The Canyons.

Yup, I hit High Mountain Road

And saw this was the gorgeous view

And this

And this

I even saw a moose

Beautiful, right? It’s a far cry from running through my Atlanta suburb. Much more scenic, although, I did see someone get arrested on my 4.5 mile trek today, but, ahem, that’s a whole other post.

Winks & Smiles,

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Weekend Warrior

This past weekend I ran 12 miles, played two tennis matches, became a Godmother to my adorable little niece and celebrated my favorite (and only) Husband’s 42nd birthday.

I think I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

My beautiful niece and sister

My darling husband

Now I'm off to nap work the day away ...

Winks & Smiles,

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Are You Maximizing Your Time?

As many of you may know I’m training for a marathon. Yes – gasp, 26.2 miles (can’t forget the .2). My kids think this is “really awesome” as long as it doesn’t disrupt their daily lives. Humph. That often boots my to-do list right out the door leaving me here …



How about you? Are you maximizing your time? What tricks do you use to get your things done? Time-cravin’ mamas want to know.

Winks & Smiles,

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2010 Peachtree Road Race Recap

This past Sunday me and more than 50,000 of my closest friends ran in one of the world’s largest 10K’s – the 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race. Oh, and I rocked it. My official time 1:11:03. That’s a PR for me. This is my fifth time running the Peachtree but never have I paid attention to my time since it was, hmm, let’s just say really slow. OK, I realize that an 11+ minute mile is creeping to many folks, but it’s all relative, and exciting for me. Especially since I played tennis, swam and celebrated The Fourth of July, ahem, the day before. That probably wasn't the wisest pre-race day plan since I woke up the next morning at 6 a.m., sluggish, and hadn't laid out any of my race day necessities.

After finding my running shoes, gasp, and pulling some safety pins off of a previous number I headed out the door to park my car downtown near the finish line and hop the MARTA up to Buckhead for the start. I quickly found my father, my cousin Nancy and her girls. We snapped a few pics, found the porta-potties with the shortest lines (always a mission for me) and joined the masses in our starting waves.

My pre-race pic sporting the new shades I got at the expo

Me and my pops. So proud of him, it’s his first race in several years.

The gals getting ready to go

I was in Start Wave T – we took off around 8:45 a.m. The winners started at 7:30 a.m.

Now that's a flag! We were celebrating The Fourth of July

Seconds before my start

Seconds before my finish

Nancy and I feeling good in Piedmont Park after the race

The coveted Peachtree Road Race T-shirt

Yes, I did slip into my T-shirt when I got home ... and into a really comfortable spot on my couch.
 
Winks & Smiles,

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And the Winner of a Brand New Kodak Zi8 Video Camera is …

That’s right, I won a brand new Kodak Zi8 video camera at EVO ’10. I attend the Vlogging breakout session and walked away with some informative tips (don’t forget your lipstick gals and no chopping off any chins); and one of these bad boys.

Photo from Kodak.com

In the comments of my Evolution of Me post Kadi Prescott said I forgot to mention the camera. Oh no, dear Kadi, I did not forget I was just gearing up for my debut vlog with my new toy. Hmm, and finishing up my acceptance speech …



Seriously, big thanks to the folks at Kodak, EVO ’10, and the wonderful Vlogging panel: Danielle Smith, Kadi Prescott, Kim Orlando, Meredith Sinclair and Lizzie Bermudez.

I’m not sure if they know what they’ve just unleashed.

Winks & Smiles,

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