Hello A Martha Heart Friends,

A few weeks ago I was listening to the Focus on the Family talk radio program, and I heard author Kathi Lipp talking about one of her books, The 21 Day Husband Project. I know the title of the book seems kind of strange, but as I listened to the program I was so intrigued.  Kathi talked about how we honor God when we serve our husbands, and I agree as the Lord has been teaching me that lesson over the last decade.

Later that night, I went online to look up information about Kathi’s book. Basically, the book is a 21 day Challenge/Project for a wife to love her husband through acts of service, affirmation and other ways.  I quickly decided that I wanted to buy the book because my husband has really been going through a difficult season, and I knew that he could use the encouragement and affirmation.

While online I visited Kathi’s blog and found a mini 5 Day Husband Project that anyone could post on her blog/website.  So before I bought the book, I decided to try the 5 Day project on my blog and with my Facebook friends.  So far, the project has been well received and it has been great to hear about wives finding ways to love their husbands through Kathi’s “projects”.

I asked the editors of the A Martha Heart website if I could post the 5 Day project here as well.  They agreed quickly and I am so happy to let you get a little glimpse of what the “21 Day Husband Project” is all about.  If you complete the 5 days and you want to keep going,  you can purchase Kathi’s book The 21 Day Husband Project (visit www.kathilipp.com ) and complete the entire project.

The project is meant to be completed consecutively for 21 days, but for our trial run here I will post a new “project” every 3 days or so. That way you will have a little time to complete the project and then come back here to the AMH website and let us know how it went. I will also keep you updated on how things are going with my husband

So are you ready?  Below is Day 1′s project…

30 Minutes is All it Takes

Create Some Free Time When He Gets Home

“There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.”

~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

Your Project
Focus on your husband’s transitional 30 minutes today. Would he like to be left alone to rest and rejuvenate, or does he want some undivided attention from you? The point is to let your husband know you value what he does out in the world, and that he has a safe loving place to come home and get refreshed at the end of the day.

Getting Creative
There are plenty of reasons why it might not be easy for you to give your husband some transition time at the end of the day. You need to look at what can work for your relationship. Be creative, like the stories listed below. Brainstorm with your friends until you find a situation that will work for you and your guy.

• My friend, Joann, purposely scheduled her daughter’s dance classes twice a week at the same hour that her husband gets home from work. That way, her hubby comes home to an empty house. He gets some quiet, and she gets a more peaceful man.

• One husband has his workshop out in the garage. His wife encourages him to go and hang out there for a while before dinner. (Since starting this arrangement, her husband has started helping out with the after-dinner clean up. Nice side benefit.)

Crockpots are The Husband Project’s best friend. Set your crockpot to be finished thirty minutes after your husband gets home from work. Let him know that you don’t need anything until dinner is ready. Don’t know a crockpot from a flower pot? Check out the recipes in The Ultimate Guide to Man Food at www.kathilipp.com

Does your husband already have a great transition routine after getting home? Find some other little thing to bless that time. Maybe it’s making sure the TV is available, his favorite sweats are clean and ready to be changed into, or there’s a cold soda waiting for him in the fridge. It may be so small that he doesn’t even notice. That’s okay – you’ll know what you did.

What if your husband works from home? Maybe the best way to help him relax is to ask what he would like the schedule to be. Does he want dinner before or after he gets some time to recharge? Ask him what would make his night better.

“Lust is easy. Love is hard. Like is most important.” ~ Carl Reiner

OK, you have Day 1′s project to complete.  Make sure to come back here to the AMH site and let us know how everything turned out.  I can’t wait to hear your stories.

Oh,  and by the way, don’t tell your husband you are completing a “project” on him.   Just let him be the recipient of all your loving kindness and encouragement

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