Halloween Costume Ideas for Couples

Halloween is a fun time of year. Even the adults get to pretend to be something or someone else for a little while. Here are some ideas for both husband and wife to go as a couple. Some are free and others are costumes you buy.



First, Shrek and Fiona:



Costumes at Walmart

Pirates

Other Halloween Costume Ideas

• Halloween Costume Ideas for Couples
• Costume Idea Zone has a lot of fun ideas.
• Funniest Costumes for Couples
  

Free Online Halloween Stuff

Over at slickdeals.net, they have a thread on where to get free Halloween stuff. The list includes fonts, crafts, screen savers and even sound effects. I am sure you will be able to some fun ideas to share with your sweetie and kids. Be sure to check back as the list will continue to grow.

Some other halloween ideas:

• Halloween Costume Ideas for Couples

Sweet Deal: Sweetest Day

I like holidays especially ones that are good excuses to do something for my sweetie. I even make up my own, for no reason holiday. I just found out about another made up holiday, only I didn't have to make it up.

The Sweetest Day of the year is Saturday October 20th. Originally, Sweetest Day was created by the candy industry solely to increase the sales of candy. Sweetest Day now largely involves giving small presents to loved ones.

Isn't that nice? Of course the timing is a bit off because Halloween is just a week or so after, but oh well.

To Be Appreciated

love life, appreciate it, enjoy it
Originally uploaded by Benisdelicious

I will smile at friend and foe alike and make every effort to find, in him or her, a quality to praise, now that I realize the deepest yearning of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.

Og Mandino

Smiling and appreciation, what a powerful pair of concepts.

Romantic Welcome Home Ideas Part 1: Decompress and Destress

Snow Crossing
Originally uploaded by robbroccoli

This is part one in a three part series on Romantic Welcome Home Ideas.

Many couples have a rule that the first 10 or fifteen minutes after getting home from work are for relaxing. This time is used to take a few minutes and decompress from the day. It is a moment spent as friends, no problems, to-do lists nor homework. It need not be long, just long enough for everyone to catch their breath before starting the evening.

Work can be stressful and the commute home even more so. Giving each other a few friendly minutes to unwind will improve the whole rest of the evening.

Sweet Deal: $10 off from Spa Finder

What better way to pamper your sweetie than a nice spa treatment! These gift certificates are now accepted at over 3,800 spas worldwide. They are convenient and practical - ideal for any occasion, or no occasion at all.

Save $10 at SpaFinder on orders over $125 through September 30th and get a Free Digital Subscription to Luxury SpaFinder Magazine!

Romantic Welcome Home Ideas, Introduction

Welcome to San Francisco
Originally uploaded by eee.xeroid

Every so often it is fun to see what searches bring people to this site. The 10 most common are:
* romantic tips
* printable love coupons
* married couples
* free printable love coupons
* hobbies for couples
* romantic bible verses
* foot rub
* romantic idea married people
* shmily
* bible verses for couples
Most of these are not that surprising, although I admit I did not expect to see the "printable love coupons" show up so much. As I look further down the list, other, less obvious search terms appear. These are things like "the 10 cow wife", "an old farmers advice", and "water heater basement flood". A group of these less common ones impressed me because while it is a subject I have written about several times, never have I really pulled it together. The subject is "Romantic Welcome Home Ideas" and people found this site by searching for things like:
* Romantic Welcome Home Ideas
* welcome home surprise party
* sweet way to welcome spouse home

Now, in three parts, how to welcome a spouse home in a romantic way. The three areas to be covered are Decompress and Destress, Attract the Senses and Be a Friend. I firmly believe that one of the most important times of the day is when husband and wife greet each other after work. Those few moments set the tenor of the rest of the evening.

Date Idea: City Council Meeting

Courtroom One Gavel
Originally uploaded by Joe Gratz

If you have never been to a city council meeting or if it has been a long time, make a point of going together sometime soon. It is a wonderful thing to see your local government in action. Attending the meetings lets you get to know the issues in your town and the people addressing those issues. By attending as a couple, each of you will have noticed different things and by discussing the meeting later come to a better understanding of your city and each other.

Happy Constitution Day - Sept 17

I saw in the news this morning that today is Constitution Day.

On Sept. 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by thirty-nine brave men who changed the course of history. Now Constitution Day is a time for us to continue their legacy and develop habits of citizenship in a new generation of Americans.

Take a few minutes today and check out the amendments with your sweetie and family. The first ten are the "Bill of Rights" and refer to the rights that citizens of the United States of America hold. Check them all out. If you haven't you might be surprised at what you find. Feel free to comment, I will feel free to moderate the comments.

• Amendments
  • Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression
  • Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms
  • Amendment 3 - Quartering of Soldiers
  • Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure
  • Amendment 5 - Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings
  • Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses
  • Amendment 7 - Trial by Jury in Civil Cases
  • Amendment 8 - Cruel and Unusual Punishment
  • Amendment 9 - Construction of Constitution
  • Amendment 10 - Powers of the States and People
  • Amendment 11 - Judicial Limits
  • Amendment 12 - Choosing the President, Vice President
  • Amendment 13 - Slavery Abolished
  • Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights
  • Amendment 15 - Race No Bar to Vote
  • Amendment 16 - Status of Income Tax Clarified
  • Amendment 17 - Senators Elected by Popular Vote
  • Amendment 18 - Liquor Abolished
  • Amendment 19 - Women's Suffrage
  • Amendment 20 - Presidential, Congressional Terms
  • Amendment 21 - Amendment 18 Repealed
  • Amendment 22 - Presidential Term Limits
  • Amendment 23 - Presidential Vote for District of Columbia
  • Amendment 24 - Poll Taxes Barred
  • Amendment 25 - Presidential Disability and Succession
  • Amendment 26 - Voting Age Set to 18 Years
  • Amendment 27 - Limiting Congressional Pay Increases

Other Constitution Day Resources:

• U.S Constitution On-line
• National Archives celebrates the 220th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution
• Resources to help you celebrate Constitution Day
• Wikipedia
  

Anatomy of a friend

Sundays Ultra
Originally uploaded by Escape Vehicle

Eyes:
Will always see you for the way you really are, your true self.

Ears:
Will always have them open to listen.

Mouth:
To always tell you the truth and give their opinions, tell you when you mess up or do something good.

Shoulders:
Will offer when you need one to cry on and will be your strength when you find it hard to carry yourself. Will always let you lean on them.

Heart:
To love you for who you are and not judge. Will always have a place there for you.

Hands:
To hold yours when you need a little guidance, to lend when you need help, and to help you up when you may fall.

Arms:
Will always make you feel comfortable in them and to offer hugs when you need one. Will try to warm when you are cold.

Feet:
To walk with you throughout your life and be the best friend they can be.

Sweet Acts of Kindness

I stumbled upon a posting of a wife expressing her gratitude to her husband for a "sweet act of kindness:

The Parkits: Sweet Acts of Kindness: "I came home yesterday from a long day of work to some really sweet notes from my husband! He put them in very creative places so I would find them as I went about the rest of my day!! What an amazing blessing the Lord has given me!!!!!"

Go check it out. I'll wait.....

Post it notes: 23 cents
Pen to write note: 23 cents (probably already have one)
Time to write and hide notes: 10 minutes
Instilling a sense of gratitude and appreciation in your relationship: priceless.

As I have mentioned before, it is the small and simple acts of kindness that make a relationship beautiful.

Date Idea: Laser Tag

run
Originally uploaded by dingadingdang

This can be a great night with other couples or with the whole family.

Kind Words

To a so kind flower! / À une si gentille fleur!
Originally uploaded by denis collette

Kind words do not cost much. They never blister the tongue or lips. They make other people good-natured. They also produce their own image on men's souls, and a beautiful image it is.

- Blaise Pascal

Why gripe?

A Droplet Of Time
Originally uploaded by MINDFLAME

I came across this quote:

My days of whining and complaining about others have come to an
end. Nothing is easier than fault finding. All it will do is discolor my
personality so that none will want to associate with me. That was my old life. No more.

Og Mandino

Thing is, my sweetie and I were just discussing complaining and what it does to a relationship. No one likes to listen to a complainer. People would much rather associate with positive people.

There are basically two types of things to gripe about: those you can control and those you can't. If you do not have any control over it, why complain? People do not like listening to gripes and it won't solve anything anyway. On the other hand, if you can fix it, why complain? Stop complaining and start acting.

It is too easy to find faults and to point them out. Rather, find things to praise and point them out. It might be much harder, but most things worth doing are difficult.