Kathi Lipp's Blog, page 140

Day #2 of the 5 Day Flirting Challenge Brag on Him

All you have to do today is just brag on him a little.

Let it drop to his mom that he's a great husband. Let your kids know that their dad is the smartest guy you know (or makes the best salsa in the world.) Brag to your girlfriend about how your husband knows how to hang up a towel.

It really is that easy.

Oh and to help you in this department, I'm offering a little special over at the store: buy one of the "My Husband is a Hottie" shirts over at the store, and just for this week they are $14 (usually $18.)

When my assistant, Sunnie wore this in front of her kids, her sons couldn't BELIEVE that their mom would wear such a shirt. Yep – it's the only shirt on the planet that can make your husband blush, your mother-in-law proud, and your kids embarrassed at the same time. Check it out in my store at http://www.kathilipp.com/products/ under OTHER. (They will be on sale through Friday.)

OH – and a head's up! On Thursday, I want you to get your husband a treat – a candy bar, a slice of cake, something (that he doesn't have to share with you or a kid…) so you may want to be on the lookout today for something to give him tomorrow!

Today's winner will get a DVD of THE HUSBAND PROJECT.

Day 1 of The 5 Day Flirt Challenge

Who knew that so many men needed some flirting in their lives?

Over 60 (!) of you signed up for the 5 Day Flirting Challenge. I am blown away! And it's not too late: If you have a friend who you want to challenge along with you, send her over here and she can flirt along with the rest of us!

So how bad did I need this in my own life? Just last night as I was falling asleep, Roger said, "Thanks for all the extra attention this weekend. It's been so nice…" (And all I could think of was that I gave him an extra hug in the morning. Yikes. The poor boy has been way deprived…)

So today, all I want you to do is leave a post-it somewhere where only he will find it (and he doesn't have to find it today.) Write something fun, something flirty. Here are 21 suggestions from the book THE HUSBAND PROJECT

I'm praying for you today.
Those jeans are really working for you…
I love you.
You are the best dad!
You're the kind of husband that makes the other wives jealous.
You rock my world!
Can't wait to see you tonight – meet me upstairs…
Thanks for working hard to provide for us. I appreciate all that you do.
You make me feel beautiful.
I thank God for you everyday.
How did I get so lucky, being married to a guy like you?
You're great!
You make everyday more fun.
Have a great day.
You're hot!
I feel so safe with you.
Smart and good looking – I've got the whole package in you!
You can be very distracting, you know…
Our kids are so blessed to have a dad like you.
That smile I wear – it is all because of you.
God have blessed me in big ways by letting me be your wife.

And once you tell me what you wrote and where you hid it, I will put you in the drawing for a copy of my latest book THE ME PROJECT

And our winner from Friday is:True Random Number GeneratorMin:

Max:

Result:52
Chelsea says:
May 21, 2011 at 9:20 am

 

Are You Up for the 5-Day Flirt Challenge and The Starbucks Winner.

I've noticed while I 've been on my deadline, my ability to pay attention to Roger's needs has gone down dramatically.

Now don't get me wrong,  I still fix dinner, do the laundry, and tell him "I love you," on a regular basis. The basics are covered.

The problem? I'm a little bit out of practice when it comes to the fun part of marriage. So next week I'm putting flirting on my to-do list and I want to know – will you join me.

If you are willing to do something, everyday, to flirt with your husband, I want you to join me. Starting on Monday,  I will give you a little task that will take less than five minutes. By the end of the week, I guarantee your marriage will be just a little bit hotter. (Plus, I will do a giveaway everyday when you put in the comments what you did. So you will have fun, prizes and flirting. Not a bad week.)

And to give you a head start on the winning, if you put in the comments that you are IN for the challenge next week, I will pick a winner and send you a copy of THE HUSBAND PROJECT.

We are going to have some fun next week…

 

Thanks to all of you for sharing your Starbucks orders – I have rarely had that much fun reading about other people's addictions!

And the winner of the Starbucks card is #31 commenter: Erin!!!

 

True Random Number Generator

Min:

Max:

Result:

31

The Best Kept Secret at Starbucks

I'm 13 days away from a book deadline (not that anyone is counting…) and 43 days away from another one.

It's at about this point that showering becomes optional.

I've got a lot of words to write, and then put into the right order. There isn't a lot of fun reading, chatting or other exciting stuff going on. Normally, I would sooth myself with loads of baked goods. The problem with that is that I have once again turned myself into Weight Watcher and there is a price to be paid for indulgence. Oh, and I've given up soda except for twice a month. Sigh…

My last refuge? Coffee.

I wish I were a black coffee kinda girl. But I'm just not. And a latte still has a bunch of calories – even with non-fat milk. But you know what doesn't? A misto.

At least half the time I order my misto at the inside counter at a Starbucks, another customer will ask me what that drink is (and a couple of times over the past five years, I've explained it to a barista or two.)

A misto is half drip coffee, half steamed milk. If you order it non-fat, it is only two Weight Watchers Plus Points. I add a little sugar-free vanilla sryup and it's a beautiful thing.

I want to have some interruptions to my day here (fun ones, that is…) so if you tell me what your favorite drink is at Starbucks, I'll put you in a drawing for me to buy if for you with a $5 Starbucks card. Post it by Thursday 6:00 PST and I will announce the winner on Friday.

Happy National Comparison Day!

Today is a critically important day for moms everywhere. Because today, is National Comparison Day.

It's the Monday after Mother's Day and you will be going into work our logging onto Facebook and you will see what every other kid, every other husband, has done for every other mom on the planet.

I don't know how your Mother's Day went.  Some year's mine is great. Some years, not so much. (This is not a color-me-bitter post. I had a lovely day.) But no matter how your day went, tomorrow can be filled with challenges…

 

If your day was not all breakfast in bed and hand-drawn cards, it could be hard to hear about the flowers that were delivered, the brunches eaten, but other moms.
If you had a great Sunday, there could be a crash and burn when you realize that it's another 364 days until you have a Sunday afternoon off.

So here is what I want you to do, today, in celebration of National Comparison Day: Something just for you.

I want you to take a moment today to take care of yourself. It is so important that you do not measure the job you are doing as a mom by the number of kids who posted their love on Twitter. It is critical that you do not spend Monday going over the game tapes of how your day went.

Here are just a few things that would count in taking care of yourself and celebrating you as a mom:

Getting a latte
Reading a chapter in a book that not about your work or your kids
Sitting by a lake, a pool, or any other body of water
Buying a $5 magazine that you normally wouldn't buy (Real Simple is my magazine indulgance)
Buying a song on iTunes (May I suggest Sara Groves, Jack Johnson, or Third Day…)
Lighting a candle that smells amazing

Q4U: What are you going today, on National Comparison Day?

Bless you girl. You are doing good work.

Feel Like Writing a Book Today? I'm Takin' the Tom Sawyer Approach

Hey kiddos – Yes – it has been a long time since I've posted. Having two book deadlines and a whirlwind tour of Austin, Spartanburg, and Atlanta tends to make this blogger go underground.

So why am I writing you today? Well one, I miss you. I really do. We get each other and that is a beautiful thing…

And two? I am writing a book and would love your help. Well, some of your help….

My next book is THE GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED PROJECT and I am looking for people who have struggled with organization but have made some progress, or who are still struggling (hey, and I fit into both categories, but things are getting MUCH better around here!) and would like to try out some of the projects.

So why is this the Tom Sawyer approach. Well if you remember the book, Tom has to white wash a fence but wants help in doing it, so he tells his friend Ben how much fun it is, and how much he is enjoying it, until Ben BEGS Tom to let him help.

So all I have to say is that writing a book is SO MUCH FUN and I bet you wish you could help me write this book.

(Did it work?)

So if you are interested, would you be willing to drop me a note at books@kathilipp.com ? I would love to include you in this project, get your insight, and trick you into writing my next book. have you help me write my next book…

Shaky or Unshakeable?

Don't you love when you read something and think to yourself, "Have they been following me? How did they know this is exactly what I needed to hear today?" Let me introduce you to Kathy Howard – my happy accident of the day. Read her words below and ask yourself – what is God trying to tell me?

Yesterday, I prayed with a heartbroken friend. After years of searching for answers, doctors diagnosed her five-year-old son with mental illness and other behavioral issues. Even with a diagnosis, these reputable doctors could not offer them treatment or practical steps to meet the overwhelming challenges. So, what now? Where does she turn?

Recently, many Christian women I love and admire have faced significant trials like life-threatening illness, divorce, death of a child, and financial hardship. These kinds of situations would knock many people flat. But these women are leaning on their faith in God. And He is proving Himself faithful.

I began to wonder how I would do in similar circumstances. Like most women, I juggle the everyday things of life without too much difficulty. But sometimes, even in just a small crisis, my self-sufficiency is shaken. Would I be swept away in the midst of something really difficult? I began to ask God to show me how my faith could be prepared. He pointed me to the life of the apostle Peter.

My new Bible study, Unshakeable Faith: 8 Traits for Rock-Solid Living, will help you prepare for life's harshest storms by applying key "faith traits" found in the life of Peter. Walk with Peter as he walked with Jesus. Learn what Peter learned. Allow God to do in your life what He did in Peter's.

Shaky times demand an unshakeable faith that stubbornly clings to God no matter the circumstances. God developed this kind of faith in Peter. God used Peter's relationship with Jesus to transform his weak, fragile faith – that once denied Jesus – into a faith that stood firm even in the face of death. That's the kind of faith I long to have.

Kathi here again! We have a copy of Kathy's new Bible Study to give away. Share with me a way that God recently showed his trustworthyness in your life in the comments below and we will pick a winner on Friday.

Three things I learned from Einstein

As some of you know from my author page on Facebook it has been a sad week around our house. The dog that my first husband and I got together, Einstein, had an inoperable brain tumor and had to be put down on Thursday.

Einstein was almost 11 years old, and even though I have not lived with him for the past eight years, he has still been a daily gratitude in my life.

One of the things that has made this week tolerable (besides kids and counseling…) has been remembering all the gifts that Einstein has left behind in the form of lessons:

1. Love with Your Whole Body When Einstein greeted you, it was without reserve. He wrapped his whole body around you just to make sure that you didn't miss one bit of puppy love (or Golden Retriever hair…) He would dance, hug, lick, and in the cases where he saw Roger, even pee a little.

Einstein reminds me to not hold back. I have to say that with all these grown up kids around here, it became easier to say goodbye without hugs or kisses on the head. No more. I want to love like Einstein loved – without any doubt that the person standing in front of me is the most important person in the world.

2. People are More Important than Work My son Justen works with his dad and would sometimes work from his dad's house, where Einstein lived. On those occasions, Einstein was so glad that Justen decided to take the day to just snuggle with him and would let Justen know of this plan by laying his giant head across Justen's lap and laptop.

Just because I can work from sun up to sun down on my laptop doesn't mean I should. I was to spend more time with my husband and kids on the couch than my job.

3. Dorks make the best kind of people (and the best kind of Dogs) We often called Einstein a dork. He greeted people by peeing (just a little bit) once ate three dozen cookies cooling on the kitchen counter, and, well, really didn't live up to the name Justen gave him. But we didn't love him despite all those things, we loved him because of them.

I spent most of my time before my 35th birthday looking for the cool people to hang out with. Now I like the interesting people. Cool is way overrated. I like the slightly off, those people who are a bit broken and not afraid to show it.

Einstien never really made a name for himself in obedience school, but I don't know of a dog who left a bigger impression on the people he loved.

The Fastest Dinner on the Block: Chicken Cesar Pita

Prep 10 Minutes

Start to Finish 10 Minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Cesar Salad Kit from the Produce Section of the Grocery Store

1 package pre-cooked chicken cut into cubes

4 pitas

Directions

1.      Cut pitas in half and open up pitas. Put pita haves in the toaster. Toast the pitas and let cool.

2.      Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients from the salad kit (except for the croutons) with the chicken chunks.

3.      Stuff the toasted pita with chicken Cesar salad mix.

4.      Garnish with whatever extra goodies (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.)

How to Keep Your Purse Clean and Make Your Butt Look Smaller at the Same Time

I have a giant purse. Huge.

I was even given the cocktail napkins at a retreat after people heard me talk about my undying devotion for oversized bags.

I remember one time telling Roger that I needed a purse with wheels to lug around all my stuff.

Roger told me, "That's called a suitcase and you have a problem."

I will always have a giant purse (because I love them and see the napkin above…) but I don't need to have the back and shoulder pain that go with an overstuffed purse.

So once a week I do my three step method (I use this all over the house, but here it will apply to purses) to keeping my bag from overflowing.

1.       CLEAR IT OUT I simple take my purse and dump it out in a grocery bag.

Anything I want to keep (but doesn't belong in my purse) gets put away. (This is when I go through receipts in my wallet – or the ones that have been thrown in my purse, pieces of paper, etc.)


Anything that is garbage stays in the bag and gets thrown away.

2.       PUT IT BACK Anything that belongs in the purse, stays in the purse. This includes

Wallet (I like the kind that has a place for a checkbook because I still have to write a couple of checks a month, plus, it keeps my business receipts better organized.

Make-up bag

Lipstick and gloss
Eye liner
Powder
Sunscreen stick
Blush and brush
Eyeglass cleaner wipes
Hand sanitize

Sunglasses case

Cell phone

Keys

Weight Watchers Point Tracker

Emergency kit

Needle and thread
Hollywood Tape
$20
Nail glue

3.       KEEP IT UP If I do it once a week, it really is easy to stay on top of it.

Also, have a small bag for makeup, and an emergency bag, it makes it easy to transfer the contents of the purse into my computer bag.

So tell me – do you have any fab tips for keeping your bag clean and light?