Good ole Valentine's Day... Love it or hate it it's coming! Well, you can thank me later, but I have the perfect gift for your hubs! This gift started over ten years ago on our very first anniversary... we were broke, still in school, and oh so in love. Let me tell you it was a hit! So much so, that I just gave the same gift for our 10 year anniversary back in November.
**Disclaimer- This post is written totally from the perspective of a married woman that adores her husband. I'm being honest here ladies, so you've been warned. Also, if you are my mother, STOP reading right now. Thanks!**
The Perfect Valentine's Gift- The Game of Love
Imagine with me for a moment... It's been a long day, you and the hubs are headed to bed. You've put on your favorite comfy, frumpy sweats and a tee for bed. Once your hubs sees your bedtime wardrobe choice he knows there's no shot of romance for the night. He pulls back the covers to hop in bed and... what's this??
You've just pulled off the best Valentine's Day surprise ever. It's time to play The Game of Love! It's a game your hubs will love even more than the Superbowl!
All you'll need for this DIY is some time without your hubby around, some markers, some kind of shape template, and a fitted bed sheet...Seriously mom, if you're reading- Stop!
Ok, you can kind of see where this is going, and I must make a public confession... yes, I used one of my bff's birth announcement as my template! It was an adorable shape- Sorry Mandi!
I spent a lot of time ironing my sheet and then had an idea... I could have just washed and dried it. That would be easier.
Pop on your still wrinkly ironed sheet and you're ready to start making your game board.
If you want nice, straight lines, you can use some masking tape and your template to help with your spacing.
It doesn't have to be perfect (trust me he won't be too focused on your straight lines!)
Start tracing your template. Trace it over and over again. Darn that I couldn't really have a friend come and help me with this DIY... awkward :)
Before removing the masking tape, I added some cute little dashes along the top.
You can add your game's title across the top. Don't you love my cheesy name? The Game of Love... still makes me laugh! Feel free to use it or come up with a less cheesy one!
Now it's time to get creative. I included a few presents, snacks, wardrobe changes, and lots more!
Here are a few of my squares... (if you really want to know what else I added, you can try and read the teeny writing! Ha!) I had a few gifts wrapped and ready to go and a few yummy romantic snacks as well.
Put your mattress back and it's ready to go! (Okay, I have some limits, so I pulled a little censored for your protection action!)
In case you're wondering, here are The Official Game of Love Rules:
1. The player will roll a die, but the highest number can be 3 (so divide by 2 or the game goes too fast!)
2. Each square has a 1 1/2 minute time limit
3. No getting carried away- you have to stop at 90 seconds and roll again (the hubs might fight you on that one)
4. Only one person "plays" your role is just the game "facilitator"
5. The Final square is "Score" and you can't skip ahead (if ya know what I mean)
Okay, now my rationale for posting this. No, it's not my life's aspiration for my personal life to be all over Pinterest (don't worry, I am cool with you pinning it though). I just know that marriage is tough. It takes effort each and every day, not just Valentine's Day. I don't know your situation, but I know that 4 kids takes a toll on the love life. As a woman, I have to be intentional about connecting with my husband and making him a priority (FYI "connecting" is a code word! lol). I wanted to encourage woman to have FUN with their husbands... it's really okay- you're married! I call this the "Perfect Valentine's Gift" because for me, it meant so much to Eric that I took the time to think through this, plan out the surprise, and then have an unexpected evening dedicated to us.
So, will you be using The Game of Love to attempt to "Connect" with your husband this Valentine's Day?
Psssst! We came up with a new version of this game this year.
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Oh my goodness! I love this idea! I will definitely be using this for Valentines! (Sorry I went a little crazy with the exclamation points.)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! So creative...thanks for sharing, I have four kids too. I really want to make this for Valentine's too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a *FUN* idea!! I may just try to re-create this for fun...maybe an anniversary!? So cute! I just won't blog about it...because my grandparents ready my blog ;)
ReplyDeleteChristina @ christinasadventures.com
Great idea! Thanks for sharing! And I too, adore my husband, 98% of the time at least.
ReplyDeleteI am on it. My husband will now support my blog obsession. Clever, very clever. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Marriage is tough and it is so easy for couples to get stuck in the same routine...focusing on work, kids, and not taking the time for each other. This would definitely spice it up and kick the normal routine to the curb! I love the fact that people are talking about these kinds of things...my husband and I made our new years resolution to have one date night a month. Getting a babysitter and going out with friends does not count. And instead of going on our normal dinner and a movie date, we are doing 12 things that we have never done before. We are really looking forward to the alone time and taking our marriage to a whole new level. It is hard work, but it is the best and the foundation to our family! Thanks for being so open and blogging about your great idea! ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is stinking adorable! How did you ever think this up?
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I have teens in the house so you can imagine, romance is few and far between lately.
ReplyDeleteSeriously unbelievable! This was super clever!
ReplyDeleteI kinda feel like I need to pump it up a notch around here though! Geese, my poor hubby...maybe I NEED to make this game, too!! ;)
Such a cute idea! I just had some boudoir photos done to give to hubs. This will be a perfect way to end the night!
ReplyDeletelove this! and I love that you censored butt rub and left 69! lol I love that you kept it REAL! hehehe..
ReplyDeleteDid the sharpies bleed thru the sheet to your mattress?? just wondering if I need to put a backing on mine.. I have a sleep number.. so cant put the mattress up in the air like this.. so gonna have to get even more creative on this one, but really don't want it to mess up whats behind it as I write my game..
ReplyDeletehaha this is awesome! And MAN am i pumped for married life!! lol :)
ReplyDeleteso very very awesome.....p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pinning it!
ReplyDeleteLove it!!
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes married couples fall into a routine and forget we have married our best friend. The rut of life duals our spontaneity and kills the romance. We tend to invest in everything else in life expect in the one who sleeps right next to us. Sorry small soapbox. 15 years married and still feels like a honeymoon. By the way this is written by a husband that is madly in love with his wife. I will be surprising her with this come February. Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea! Thank you so much for sharing this. Now, to come up with my own things to fill in the boxes : )
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cute idea, and yes it's so easy to put everyone else first, before your spouse! I love this game and I am totally making this! Thank you,thank you:)
ReplyDeleteOh this made me laugh out loud many times! So true about marriage & I seriously LOVE your creativity :) I will definitely be doing this for V-Day!!
ReplyDeleteThis is so stinkin' cute. It's the perfect idea for an old (21 years) married couple with 3 kids, a house and jobs! Thank You for sharing, it's inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the inspiration! TOTALLY doing this for this year! You're right...it takes work! 17 years for us and 3 kids but making efforts like this make all the difference!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! And a fun surprise for the hubs when you pull back the covers!
ReplyDeleteYeah! This is awesome! Thanks for putting yourself out there and making yourself vulnerable to share this. This is way too much fun and I know that my marriage will be totally blessed by this.
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome! =) thanks for posting this! I cant wait to get started on it now!! =)
ReplyDeleteThis is great! You're right, any relationship is difficult, married or not, and you need to contribute to your own happiness :) I love that a woman, wife, and mother was not afraid to share this. You go girl! Also, I now know what I will be doing for V-Day this year ;) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLOL 9*8-3
ReplyDeletevery cute, creative and fun! I bet the 90 second time limit is killer
I love it! And I definitely pinned it. :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea!!! I definitely want to do this...I want to pin it too...but I kind of feel weird doing it...hmmm...I might do it anyway! This is great.
ReplyDeleteYou are great! Thanks for sharing such a fun idea.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun idea! Men across the country are thanking you! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is SUCH a great idea! Maybe I'll try something similar on just a piece of poster board and hide it under the blanket? Thanks for the inspiration to start planning something "special" (wink-wink) for valentines day! :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! Thanks for sharing and being so brave about it. Hopefully your mom or mominlaw didn't read:> ha ha. Thanks again for the idea love it!!
ReplyDeletenew follower:>
ReplyDeletewww.blissfulanddomestic.blogspot.com
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! I will let you know how well it works for "other" couples...I am definitely pinning this and doing this for Valentines Night!! Thanks for the awesome cheap idea....Lord knows I need a CHEAP way to celebrate with my significant other!
ReplyDeleteawesome! thank you so much for such a great way to surprise the hubby! really, THANK YOU!!
ReplyDeleteThis is the coolest thing ever. Thanks so much for this awesome idea!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an amazing idea to spice up any day of the year :)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE this!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOh my goah, I LOVE THIS! Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I just thought of something really funny. What if, 70 years down the road, when your kids are cleaning out your old things they find this sheet. Can you imagine the laugh they will have?
ReplyDeleteBTW, 6 kids and 18 years. We are still looking to add fun to our marriage. I am so doing this, and I will giggle my butt off from heaven, when my kids find this sheet.
ReplyDeleteI think this would even be an awesome wedding shower gift (depending on the shower and bride :-D)! Awesomely creative idea!
ReplyDeleteahhhh i LOVE this!!!!!!!!!! wish may 12th wasn't so far away!!! finance will just have to wait :) or maybe i could come up with a G (pre married) version??
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this idea!! I totally love it and will definitely be trying it! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi - thanks for the great ideas! I linked to your post today on my blog! I'd love for you to check it out! Melissa
ReplyDeletehttp://www.polka-dot-productions.com/2012/02/valentines-day-inspiration.html
I just finished making mine for V-day!! (I n-e-v-e-r make things I see on Blogs, I always think about it, but I never follow through, so this is a big deal!) Thanks for the fun idea- especially since my hubbie is headed back to Grad School and we are broke this v-day, it is the perfect low budget- high entertainment gift;) thanks again!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Might try washable markers . . .
ReplyDeleteJust made a "new" sheet from an old dark blue sheet. I used a few bleach pens with no problem (just draped it over the kitchen table). Still can't believe I'm really going to do this...Eeeeekkk!!
ReplyDeletehonestly, one of the best ideas i've seen in a long time! bummed i didn't come up with it! :) my hubby will love this!!! so personal, fun and "connective" haha
ReplyDeleteIngenious!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on getting crafty and playful with your romance. It is certainly an idea I would like to try as well.
This is absolutely perfect to go with the date night I had planned the weekend after Valentines! thanks for posting this! I LOVE it!!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Thanks for being able to post this. Did you have trouble with the pen bleeding through to your mattress? Thanks for the great idea.
ReplyDeleteI made this into a board game because it was free and would take me less time to make. I look forward to playing The Game of Love on my first Valentine's Day as a wife! Thanks!
ReplyDeletehysterical! love this idea!
ReplyDeleteWish I'd seen this sooner than the day before Valentine's Day! Then, again... our date night isn't 'til Thursday.... hmmm...
ReplyDeletei'm making this right now for tonight!!!!! <3
ReplyDeleteMy sheet isn't done
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling uptight
I really wanted tomorrow
To be a great night.
But you see, I have had some dental work done
And my face is swollen and so is my tongue
Seems an infection has taken over my face,
and vicodin is winning over sex, in first place.
I go back tomorrow to remove the packing,
so, some sexual desire is a bit lacking.
I have promised the hubby a night to remember,
but not tomorrow, as my face and jaw are quite tender.
Thanks for the ideas, I'll keep checking back.
And if I get my sheet done, I'll let you know, it's a pact.
Happy Valentine's day to you and your man
I'll be laying in bed with drugs in my hand.
Hilarious!!
DeleteSuch an awesome idea...I will be making this for our anniversary! We agreed no gifts this year bc things are tight so this will be a big surprise!!!! YAY!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Thank you for sharing! I found it on pinterest & so glad I did because I found your blog & am now a follower :-) love the code word ha ha!
ReplyDeleteI just finished mine for tonight! I used an old red satin sheet I had and black sharpie. Our colors are red and black. I'm so pumped! thank you so much for sharing. You are one awesome lady! God bless!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I just found this on pinterest and I'm totally going to do this for our anniversary, or maybe just because sometime! After being married for awhile it can take some creativity and ingenuity to keep things exciting... this is perfect!
ReplyDeleteOMG! I'm like bawling like a crazy person right now! This is the most thoughtful and romantic thing I've ever seen. Being a woman that has been with my mate/best friend/husband (10yrs total - married almost 3) this is pure genius! And we've had so many life changing things occur since we've married that I've yet to feel like a newlywed... we own our own business, we've sold a house, bought a new house - moved, lost friends/trying to make new ones - it's been stressful! I know that it could be worse and others have more going on but this idea really has made my day because the hubs and I are really having an issue "connecting" since we obviously are allowing all the outside stresses outweigh everything else. I plan on using this tool to help turn that around for us. A million zillion thanks to yoU!
ReplyDeletevery creative...LOVE IT! will definitely be surprising the hubby with this!
ReplyDeleteSizzle! I may have to try this one. He'd love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic idea! Thank you very much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJust did this for our anniversary and..WOW! It was a winner. I made an extra sheet to fill in at my best friends bridal shower.
ReplyDeleteWhoa -- I just got here via Pinterest. This is awesome, you are my heroine! thanks for sharing ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is freaking awesome! Wait until Valentine's Day, you say? Uh...no...I'm going to make this happen tomorrow!! Lol. Love it, such a great idea and I think it would be a good funny gift for couple friends of ours...is that weird? I tend to give dirty gifts for wedding presents too. hehehehe. Thanks for sharing-LOVE it!!
ReplyDeleteMy second anniversary is next week and the traditional gift is cotton. I've been stressed trying to figure out a meaningful cotton gift and this is perfect!!! And an excuse to buy some more sheets! Thank you so much! This is a great idea!!!
ReplyDeletewhat a great idea... I also it might help any "shy" wives out there who may find it hard to ask for what they want. My question is did you lock it away in a safe after wards so the kids never see it? I mean after all you might want to play this game again!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this! So creative! So much more fun than "strip go fish!" (yes, we really do that) lol!
ReplyDeleteI just found this on Pinterest tonight and it is the BEST idea ever!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Thank you for putting your self out there. Being this vulnerable was courageous. My husband and I have both lost our fathers, my job and our newborn twins...in 8 months. We almost lost ourselves in the process. We haven't smiled for a long time. I did this a couple if nights ago. The look on my husband's face was priceless. He laughed and then cried...and looked at me with such confusion on his face. This was the first time we were able to connect. We laughed and cried and talked and hugged. When you are young you don't realize what love is. I'm so grateful that I have been through the refiner's fire and now I do know what love is and so thankful to have it. Much blessing to you and your loved ones
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI invented a self-sterilizing bed. I’m an entomologist. I unfortunately lost my cheap bed sheets
sniffing dog to a large nose tumor at 3 and a half years old! We retired our second dog
because we believe this is too dangerous for pesticide exposure.
Much of the postings provide valuable information. Gijyun offered some very good tips.
DE is a very valuable product.
you know who just loves this? no man. none. not ever. if i came home to this i would burn those sheets right quick. you want to turn a man on, make him a sandwich. you really want to get him hot? offer him a three way with one of your friends. and not one of the big giant ones, oe of the proportional ones.
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!! My husband is going to die. This has him written all over it. Thank u!!
DeleteSince we have non-romantic plans for the weekend of Valentine's Day, I decided to do this tonight. My husband said "make sure we keep these sheets" "can we play best two out of three?" and more than once he said "best game ever!" Thank you for such a great idea!
ReplyDeleteim kind of confused about how to play.. like i dont get the dice, i mean arent you pretty much gunna do all of them and for only 1m30s? can someone explain what im obviously not getting :)
ReplyDeleteYou are not going to do all of them. Use something to keep track of your position. If a 6 is rolled you divide by 2 and get 3. You move your token 3 squares and do what is in the square that you landed on. After the 1m30s you roll and move again.
DeleteNext time you play it will be different since the rolls of the dice will not be the same.
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ReplyDeleteI think this is such a great idea...just that I'm with jayna219...glad I'm not the only one...plz help by explaining? Thank u
ReplyDeleteAm I the only person on the planet who doesn't understand the rules? What do you do with the dice once you've rolled it? Divide by 2? What?? lol
ReplyDeleteI found this searching for Valentines ideas for my hubs. I love this! Thank you SO much for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteYippee thank you so much for sharing! We love to play games in bed, even if it's Rummy or Yahtzee. This is going to fit into our Valentine's Night perfectly!
ReplyDeleteYippee thank you so much for sharing! We love to play games in bed, even if it's Rummy or Yahtzee. This is going to fit into our Valentine's Night perfectly!
ReplyDeleteI did this for my husband this valentines day and it was a big hit
ReplyDeletei made a cardboard version of this game and it was great. we both rolled dice so it lasted longer. and i like that we can add things to the board and change things around when we use it in the future. definitely using this again!
ReplyDeleteThis was fantastic! Made it for our 25th Anniversary! For the last year my husband has worked so hard taking care of me and my father through our cancer diagnosis and treatments. He was so excited to have my attention on him. It was a blessing to be able to do something for him...and fun too! I made a spinner with 1's and 2's and one 3. It worked pretty good but I think we had too many 1's....game took 2 hours!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am getting married in a month (today!!) I looooove coming across ideas like this. Thank you for posting this. I can't wait to have fun with my husband doing stuff like this. :)
ReplyDeleteI am getting married in a month (today!!) I looooove coming across ideas like this. Thank you for posting this. I can't wait to have fun with my husband doing stuff like this. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! I love fun surprises, and so does my husband! Definitely trying this out for our 1 year anniversary in August! :)
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