Valentine’s Day Giveaway: Give Some Advice, Win a Date Night
First Annual Valentine’s Day Giveaway: Contest 4
Contest 1 and Contest 2 are now closed, and the winners have been notified. Don’t worry, though… there are still chances to win. Contest 3–a $175 Getaway Package will be running until Friday night. And today’s prize isn’t too shabby…
Contest # 4
Prize: Date Night
One lucky winner will win a $45 Olive Garden Gift Card AND a $25 Fandango Gift Certificate (redeemable for purchasing movie tickets online)
How to Enter:
Leave a comment on this post and give a piece of marriage or relationship advice; good advice, bad advice, funny advice–we like it all.
Contest Rules
- Contest ends on Wednesday, February 13th at 11:59 PM EST (New York, USA). Comments will be closed at that time, and winners will be announced at the bottom of this post.
- One entry per person. Winning this contest will prevent you from being able to win any other prizes for the duration of this week’s giveaway.
- Winners will be chosen by a random number generator
UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Congratulations Kristen!
Stay tuned for more giveaways all week as we Countdown to Valentine’s Day! Be sure to subscribe to our feed so you won’t miss out! (If you’re not sure what a feed is, click here.)
21 Responses to “Valentine’s Day Giveaway: Give Some Advice, Win a Date Night”
Pet Peeves: the wife is allowed them, the husband is not.
In my over 6 years of marriage, I have learned lots of things. The most important of which is that a good marriage is not fair.
Regardless of the relationship, living with someone causes occasional friction. The person you live with will inevitably annoy you in one way or another. It goes both ways, so most of the time you just forgive and forget.
I have learned that the wife is allowed to be openly annoyed by me, but I am not allowed to be openly annoyed at her.
Regardless of whether she always chews with her mouth open, leaves a pile of clothes on the floor after deciding on an outfit, puts dents and scratches in my car when she drives it, spills on any article of my clothing that she borrows, or otherwise invades my personal space, I am not allowed to express annoyance.
She, however, can tell me all day long and twice on Sunday about every annoying habit I have. I have learned to embrace the inequality.
Happy Wife = Happy Life.
By Vatermann on Feb 13, 2008
My favorite marriage advice ever is “lower your expectations” There aren’t very many things that are more applicable than this. Oh and never sleep with your nose under the covers. thats just asking for it.
By kristen on Feb 13, 2008
I’m not getting married until September, so here is my relationship advice. Never settle for something or someone you’re not sure about. I was engaged for over 5 years to a wonderful man, but just knew something wasn’t “right”. After we finally broke things off, I met my prince charming. So, I believe everyone has a special person out there, you just have to wait until you meet them.
By Kayla Pace on Feb 13, 2008
I have been married for nearly three years. Perhaps the greatest principle I can share is the one that was the hardest to learn. Because this principle was apparent so frequently, I decided to name it; I call it the W.E.T Law, or the Waiting Enough Time Law. This law states that when you criticize your spouse for doing something, anything, it is just a matter of time before you end up doing what you critisized her for doing. It happens every time. For example, I got mad at my wife for dropping the phone every one of the 100 times she dropped it, and five months after that I dropped the phone once and broke it! In conclusion-Be cautious when you criticize or you might get a little W.E.T.
By Edgar Cheney on Feb 13, 2008
When I got married, 17 1/2 years ago, a close friend told me that when my husband and I get in a fight, we should “fight naked”.
It’s great being married. You just have to take things that bother you with a grain of salt. Life is just too short to get mad. Live it and love it with the one who means the most to you.
We go on our weekly dates. We are best friends and we love being together….
By Kim on Feb 13, 2008
It’s always nice to keep some listerine strips by the bedside to fight morning breath but still be able to give an early morning kiss.
By April on Feb 13, 2008
I feel like the best advice I have to give is a pretty cliched one. Spend time doing your own thing. Have your own interests and do stuff without your spouse. This may sound easy, but it is always surprising how often people don’t remeber to keep their individuality.
When my husband goes out with his friends I often hear from other people “You are such an understanding wife.” I guess, but I didn’t think letting him do something without me once in a while was such a big deal.
By Nicole on Feb 13, 2008
Don’t take each other for granted and remember to say “Thank you”. We say thank you to people we don’t know all the time (i.e. a waiter, a cashier), but forget to tell the most important person in our life that we appreciate everything they do.
By Linda~ on Feb 13, 2008
Instead of asking immediately where your spouse has been when they get home 5 minutes late, ask how their day was. This will save a lot of arguments from you supposing where they were & them feeling like you’re attacking them when really traffic could have just been bad.
By Suzie on Feb 13, 2008
Always go to bed talking nice to each other, not mad, even if you have to talk all night long!!
By aawwmom on Feb 13, 2008
First we love your blog, my wife and I read it regularly especially when we are have a bad day. As for my advise it is best stated in the following story.
The other night at dinner my 11 year old daughter asked me “why do I call it Shaun and Denise’s blog when I am the only one who posts on it”? In an effort to present a united front to our children I replied it doesn’t really matter who posts as your mother and I are one. If I do it is the same as your Mom doing it and visa versa . To which my wife replied by hitting herself lightly and saying Anna quick call the police your Dad is hitting me, and then burst into load laughter.
Lessons/advise:
1) Let your wife do the talking it works better this way.
By Shaun on Feb 13, 2008
My best advise came from my mother. NEVER talk bad about your spouse to others. This has seriously been some of the best advise we received. It is disrespectful and can cause serious backlash.
My ex sil did this and it caused serious damage to their relationship. If you have a problem, talk to your spouse about it, not anyone else.
By Amy on Feb 13, 2008
Something that I love trying to do right now is talking to my husband about things outside our life. All too often our conversations only revolve around his work and the kids. I love when we have conversations about politics or good old celebrity gossip. It’s fun to think of him as a real person with opinions instead of just a husband and father.
By chelsea on Feb 13, 2008
I only have one advice and that’s worked out the best for me. “Be Yourself” right from the start. If they stay, start dreaming about the long run. If not, no loss. They’d have run anyway when the real you is revealed.
By aBookworm on Feb 13, 2008
As Ryan and I discussed what we have found to strengthen our marriage we agreed on a few things…
Selflessness. If both of you are caring for the other person’s needs and wants you’ll find less need to think of yourself. It’s a win-win situation and it feels so nice to be taken care of by one another.
Share the house chores. Ryan began something from the 1st day of our marriage that I greatly appreciate. If I cook, he cleans up and visa versa. Household work is not the sole job of either spouse. There are some times where because of work/school/etc… one person might carry the brunt of the work and that’s just life. The feeling of unity and equality that comes from working together is essential for a good marriage.
Say I love you. Who gets tired of hearing that? Even if you expect the other to know you love them sometimes we just like to hear it.
By Emily on Feb 13, 2008
Many people will say “never go to bed angry”. But in my experience, sometimes that is the best thing to do. Late at night when you’re both exhausted is NOT the best time to be trying to solve big problems, so often the best thing to do is simply say “Honey, I’m mad right now but I do still love you. Let’s go to bed, sleep on this, and try again tomorrow.” Seriously, whatever it is will keep and you’ll be better equipped to work together to fix the problem.
By Emi on Feb 13, 2008
Before I got married, I met with a man who knew my family well. He said that I was lucky to be getting married considering my family’s history–the odds were against me. I knew this was true and listened closely when he then decided to give me marital advice so I could increase my chances of happiness in my marriage. He said when you fight or feel angry with your spouse, do not ever vent to your mother, father or other close family members. He said that because we love our spouses we are can forgive and forget. Our relatives, on the other hand, are so invested in us that they cannot forgive the spouse as easily. Advice: Vent to your therapist, a friend, a stranger…but never you parents.
By Brittany on Feb 13, 2008
Never tell your wife that she does something “just like her mom”.
By Andy on Feb 13, 2008
I always like to keep the following quote in mind with regards to marriage and extended family/in-laws:
“Happiness is having a large, loving, close knit family…in another city.”
I think that George Burns said it.
By MityMommy on Feb 13, 2008
Pick your battles. I try to think: Will it matter tomorrow? In five years? In 50 years?
By Rachel on Feb 13, 2008
Spend time together and do things to make your spouse happy. Play a game your spouse likes, even if you don’t like it. Watch a movie that he likes and pass on the chick flick you know you want to watch. Time together is key!!
By Jennie on Feb 13, 2008