Monday, February 2, 2009

Share Your Love in 5 Minutes Brought to You by Mow-gLee


Welcome to the “Share Your Love in 5 Minutes” series! Through this series, I will give you an idea a day for 14 days in February of things you can do to share your love with someone in a meaningful/creative way, but take very little time. Most of these you can do for anyone you love. A few may be more appropriate for a sweetheart. You choose who will be the recipient.

Below are all the free and/or cheap ideas. When you have completed one, come back here and leave a comment for a chance to win a prize. To easily get back here, click the bridal couple picture on the sidebar. Read through the FAQ’s after the list of ideas to understand what this is all about.

1. Create a candy gram. Get a poster board and do something like this, taping candy bars in place of the appropriate words.
“Don’t snicker at this candy gram. You are such a smartie. Why don’t you swing by one a red vine and keep me company. Reeses pieces aren’t sweeter than you. It was definitely payday when I found you. You’re worth more than 100 grand. You’re worth a mint.”
2. Learn to say “I love you” in 5 foreign languages and then use it. Translation here.
3. Plan a date night. Ideas here.
4. Make a homemade Valentines Day card.
5. Give a massage.
6. Write a Ten Random Things I Love About You list to share with your loved one.
7. Jot down a whole bunch of Adjective Post-It notes and put all over the house for your loved one to find. What are you talking about?? Grab a pad of Post-It notes and write You are so __________. Fill in each blank with an adjective that describes your spouse—smart, handsome, funny, courageous, determined, etc.
8. Put a note on the ice cream in the freezer. “I’m sorry for when I SCREAM at you. Please enjoy this ICE CREAM instead.”
9. Give a small $5 or less gift.
10. Prepare a basket with 1 box of ginger snaps, 1 bottle sparkling cider, and 1 microwave popcorn. Attach a note that says, “Thanks for putting snap, sparkle & pop into my life.”
11. Cut out a whole ton of hearts from pink, purple and red construction paper. (Tip—fold your paper and then trace half a heart cookie cutter. Then cut out and unfold for a perfectly shaped heart.) Put a positive adjective on each one of them. Strew them all over your table. At dinnertime, everyone can take turns picking up a heart and telling something nice about someone else—(ie. An experience with that person related to the adjective, sharing why that word reminds you of that person, etc.)
12. Send an ecard. here or here.
13. Make a crossword puzzle or word search with your choice of related Valentines and/or relationship words.
14. Share with the rest of us your own loving thing to do in about 5 minutes idea and then do it yourself.


FAQ'S:
Why are you putting this on your blog? I thought of doing this mostly so that I can make myself do some of these fun things. By putting it on my blog, I give myself some accountability. Besides that, I thought someone else might want to join me in doing this.


What about accountability for CompleteLee Blog readers? Aha! Good question! My idea for you is this:
**Read over the ideas.

**Decide to do it.

**Do it. (Today, next week, whenever you plan it in)

**Report back here and leave a comment (or email me at blog@completelee.com) letting me know “I did it!” {You can tell me exactly what you did, or how much fun you had doing it if you want, or simply let me know, “Did #2”.} (Click on bridal couple pic on sidebar to return to this post.)


If you follow those steps, I will willingly lavish praise upon you as well as enter you in to a drawing to win one of these items: {If you win, you choose the item you want.}


~~My “He’s the One” CD (digital version or actual CD)

~~My “Childbirth: Preparing for the Miracle” book (digital version only)

~~One dozen homemade rolls or cookies (Continental U.S. only)

~~Three pieces of my “non-free” sheet music (digital copies)


Hmmm. Seems like I’ve seen that prize list before. Yup. It is the same prize list as was available for the “Enhance your Life” series. This was still the best I could come up with. And, who knows, it may be only you and I that participate in this series. I am fine with that. I am hoping that the actual prize will be the fun of doing these things for someone, but I thought it would be fun to throw in a little prize for the thrill of it since it is always cool to win something. {If you have a prize you would like to donate to the cause, let me know!}


Can my name be entered more than once into the drawing? Absolutely! Every time you leave a comment letting me know you got one done, you are entered in to the drawing again.


How many times can I be entered in to the drawing? There are 14 days worth of ideas for you to do, therefore there are 14 times you can comment (or email) to receive an entry into the drawing. If you really, really, really, really want to win a prize, you can also refer your friends and family members to this contest. If you can get them to leave a comment on my blog stating your name (or blog name) as the person who referred them, you will be entered in again!


Why 5 minutes? This is an easy question. I am busy! I don’t have time for more stuff, but 5 minutes out of my day seems do-able.Why 14 days? Last month with the Enhance your Life series, I went with 2/3 of the month. I decided that was stretching things a little for me in coming up with all the tasks, so I am going with 50% instead in order to make it easier on me in coming up with the stuff! So, I can still miss some days, but I have plenty of days that I have a little something to do for someone special.


Any questions? Please ask away!

15 comments:

Lindsay said...

Thanks for the tips, I'll use one for sure!

Jennifer, A Self-Confessed Foodie said...

I sent an e-card! Thanks for the great ideas. There are definitely more on the list I want to do.

CompleteLee Blogger said...

Woohoo! Great work. You are welcome for the ideas.

Jennifer, A Self-Confessed Foodie said...

Today I made him a loaf of blueberry bread that he can take into work tomorrow for breakfast instead of his usual (boring) bagels and peanut butter. I guess that kind of counts as create your own? It took about 5 minutes to throw together (and a whole lot longer to bake!)

CompleteLee Blogger said...

Well, that sounds fantastic! You did forget to mention the how-to part on the blueberry bread, though. ;)

Jennifer, A Self-Confessed Foodie said...

Here's the how-to part for the blueberry bread. Next time I would add some vanilla into the batter. I did sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar before baking. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Bread-I/Detail.aspx

Today is language day. I found a great big page of I love yous and I'm going to learn some of them. Estonian (ma armastan sind) will be first since that's where we were for last Valentine's Day!

http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/iloveyou.htm

CompleteLee Blogger said...

Thanks for the links. I do wish that the I Love You languages page had audio. I don't know how to pronounce a lot of those!

Dianna said...

Those are some great ideas. I love sending ecards to my husband while he's at work.

Jennifer, A Self-Confessed Foodie said...

Today I went for the gift under $5. I picked up a bag of yogurt-covered raisins for him at the grocery store. They'll last all of 5 minutes.

CompleteLee Blogger said...

Wow! You are really rockin' and rollin' with this. Good job!

Sarah J. said...

Those are some awesome ideas! I love the 5 minute idea...it really is the small things that count! Thanks so much for visiting!

Carolyn said...

I went to DI today and picked up a couple of ties for my husband. He has been talking about needing new ties since starting at an office job last year but it's taken me this long to pick up on the hint.

Two ties, two bucks a piece; I think this counts as a gift for under $5.

CompleteLee Blogger said...

Perfect! Gotta love the good deals! Thanks for participating!

Cara said...

My sister-in-love(law) just gave me your blog to look at. Wish I would have seen this earlier, it's AWESOME! Thanks for sharing! oh, and I just sent her an e-card!
Cara Hancock ~ Queen Creek, AZ

CompleteLee Blogger said...

Welcome aboard, Cara! Glad to have you around. Terrific job on sending a card to someone you love.