Today’s Project: Let him win the media wars as you suggest an action-packed-car-chasing-things-exploding thriller – a guy movie.

“What is it with men and The Godfather?” wonders chick-flick princess Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail. Tom Hanks’ response? “It is the I Ching. It is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather answers all of life’s questions. What should I pack for my summer vacation? ‘Leave the gun, take the cannoli.’”

One of the most marriage-testing conversations a couple can have takes place in the aisles of your local video store (or on Netflix, or on Amazon…). You want romance and subtitles – he wants guns and grunts.

            Movies are an important ingredient of “The Husband Project”. There are many projects where you, as the wife, are called upon to put your husband’s wants and desires before your own, and in no area of marriage is it harder to “die to self’ than when picking what you’ll be watching on a Friday night.

The good news? Choosing to watch a “guy flick” with your man reaps double benefits – not only are you loving on your husband in a tangible way, you’re also doing research at the same time. The more Rambo-esqe cinema you take in, the deeper a peek you’ll have into your man’s inner life.

If you ever doubted that your husband’s deepest desire was to be your hero, just check out the kinds of movies he watches. Most male-movie fare is all about being a stand-up kind of guy, doing the right thing, no matter the circumstances. (Think Bruce Willis in Die Hard and Mel Gibson in The Patriot.)

Here is how my pastor, Scott Simmerok, put it when I asked him why he likes the kind of movies he does:

“Action thrillers and motivational/inspirational are the way I roll.  Not scary stuff but suspenseful, who-done-it, and also underdog type movies when the little guy wins. Except I wasn’t a fan of Sea Biscuit and I’ll never admit to shedding a tear in that flick.”

So in the interest of public service to the wife community, I’ve compiled a list of guy movies for you to choose from.

This list is a compilation of the best dude movies as voted on by my guy friends. You may not like, or even approve of, every title on this list, but at least you’ll have a working knowledge of guy movie culture, plus a go-to guide the next time he leaves it up to you to fend for yourself at the video store.

Thanks to my guy friends for their insight and comments. They have preformed a great service to women everywhere.

Guy Movies

Anything with Al Pacino

Anything with Marlon Brando (pre-Don Juan Demarco)

Anything with Bruce Willis

Sports

Field of Dreams

“Baseball. Need I say more?” SteveWe are Marshall

“Inspiring, true, sports story,” Scott

Action

Back to the Future trilogy

Steve says,” I’ve always been interested in time travel. The only think that would have made it better would be a cameo by Molly Ringwald.”

Mission Impossible 1,2,3

Bourne Supremacy and all the sequels

The Net

Lord of the Ring: The Return of the King

“Great story, great action, worth sitting through three hours.” Karl

Violence

Gladiator

“Total macho movie, lots of action, however good plot and I love the soundtrack. This is one of the few movies where you don’t mind being the guy wearing the skirt.” Karl

Saving Private Ryan

Steve says, “Groundbreaking cinema, pro-military without being pro-war.”

The Shawshank Redemption

“Morgan Freeman and good over evil. What more could you ask for?” Charles

(Note from Kathi: While these are the hardest movies for me to watch, they do give me ample opportunity to bury my face in my husband’s shoulder.)

Humor

Young Frankenstein

“Seriously funny movie, quotes are memorable and make me laugh out loud whenever I think about that movie.” Karl

Oceans 11 

Romance

(This was a trick category – if you think this falls under guy movies, you are still thinking like a chick.)

Movies Both Guys and Girls Like

This is a magical list. Every Hollywood producer is looking for that mystical intersection of entertaining males and delighting females. Here’s a group of movies that, from my research, is a pretty sure bet for both of you:

Princess Bride – Don’t let the title fool you – even the teenage boys in our home love this movie.

What’s Up, Doc?

Indiana Jones (1 and 3 – but don’t even bother with 2)

City Slickers

Field of Dreams

Shrek

Chick Flicks

Only to be watched with girlfriends and large supplies of tissues and chocolates.

• An Affair to Remember
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• Steel Magnolias
• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Say Anything (John Cusack declaring his eternal love with a boom box? It’s the fantasy of many a girl and the impossible-to-live-up-to standard for every guy.)
• Anything with Meg Ryan
• Anything written by Jane Austin

So tell me – what kind of movies are your guy’s favorite? And for this week’s project, are you going to let him pick, or are you going to surprise him with a movie of his choice. Let me know in the comments below, and you will be entered to win TWO COPIES of the Marriage Project (one for you, and one for your man!)

That’s just two things:

What kind of movies does your guy like?

When are you going to watch a movie he would like this week?

The Husband Project Valentines Day Challenge- Day 2 Guy Movie Night

Heart vs. Stomach A Treat for Him

Today’s Project: Get a food treat for him that he’s not required to share with you or any other family member.

It’s time to think about food, glorious food.

My husband goes positively bonkers over a candy called Cherry Sours. As a leftover from his Florida childhood (from, what I can tell, was spent largely at Walt Disney World) he was first introduced to this candy and has great memories associated with them. The candy in question is a little red sugar ball – and my guy is desperately, inexplicably in love with mass quantities of them.

Which totally confounds me. They taste like the stuff your dental hygienist uses to rinse your mouth out after a particularly painful and thorough cleaning.

But, he loves ‘em, so I search for Cherry Sours whenever I can. They can be hard to locate, so when I do, I try to stock up, without Roger knowing.

When he’s having a rough time at work or I want to say congratulations for a job well done, I break out the Cherry Sours.

Is there a treat that you personally find revolting that your husband absolutely loves? Get it for him, letting him know through this small act, “This is all for you, baby…” (and if you truly don’t like the treat, he won’t feel obligated to share.)

Even if you do love it, insist that it’s all for him. Don’t let him share with you. This is something special that does not require him to share with his neighbor. (It’s perfectly acceptable to get a matching treat for yourself.)

Stumped for ideas? Here are some thoughts:

•Get his favorite pint of Ben & Jerry’s.

•Is there a certain cut of meat that your husband loves? How about having the butcher cut something just for him?

•Learn how to make his favorite dish from childhood.

•My guy loves the smell of baking almost as much as he enjoys eating the treat. Have some brownies in the oven when he gets home from work or working out. (I know, it negates the workout, but isn’t chocolate always worth it?)

Let me know what you’re going to do for your man in the comments below and one of the lucky winners will receive a “My Husband is a Hottie” T-shirt! If you want one for a treat for him for Valentines Day, order it from my store by Thursday and you’ll have it in time for the holiday!)

Plus, we have the winners from January’s What’s for Dinner Challenge:

Monday Nancy Biffel

Tuesday – Sharon

Wednesday – Regena

Thursday – Nocole Blean

Friday – Jessica Lincoln

Tomorrow we’ll be announcing the winner of the What’s for Dinner Prize Pack from the blog tour in January. Stay tunned!

The Husband Project Valentines Day Challenge- Day 1 A Treat for Him

(We had some technical difficluties, but here is last Friday’s blog post  – all winners will be announced this weekend!)

Project #5

Getting your kitchen to work for you.

What is your all time favorite kitchen gadget? I don’t know about you but I like to have and use anything that might make dinner prep quicker. Whether it is chopping, grating, mixing, stirring, cutting, mincing, shredding, baking, blending processing, kneading and so on….

Tell me in the comments below your favorite kitchen gadget and how it gets dinner on the table and you can win

We finally found the missing blog post…The What’s for Dinner Soultion- Day 5 Kitchen Gadgets You Can’t Live Without

Make Family Dinner Time Special

Whether you have a family of eight, or are single and dining alone, I want you to make  family dinner time special. I want dinner to be something you look forward to each and every night.

Your life is busy, your life is crazy, and you need a time every single day where you have an opportunity to connect with your family, or your roommates, or even just to catch your breath.

Sometimes it can be the food that helps make dinnertime special. In the comments below, I want you to tell me what your family’s favorite meal is. (And if you include the recipe, you will be entered into our prize drawing twice!)

For more ideas, I have a newsletter filled with great recipes and tips for every area of your home. You can sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox once a month.

(Plus when you sign up for the newsletter, your will receive The Ultimate Guide to Man Food an e-cookbook that will rock your husband’s culinary world.)

In addition to the food, sometimes it’s the dinner conversation that will make your dinnertime special. That’s why today’s giveaway is this amazing book by my friend Mary DeMuth.

(BTW – if you are not subscribed to her blog, reading her books, following her on Facebook, or just generally being a Mary stalker, just do it. She’s challenging and brave and kinda amazing.)

What’s for Dinner Day 4 Family Dinner Time

Kitchen Tips

What are your favorite  organizing kitchen  tips?

The number one favorite of my all time favorite kitchen tips? Clear off your counters. Here are my tips to enlarging your kitchen by cleaning off you counters.

• Reclaim some counter space. The most valuable real estate in your entire house is the space on your counter. There should be nothing on the counter that doesn’t either: 1. Work for you on a regular basis (i.e.  My coffee maker sees more action than the funnel cake stand at a county fair, so it deserves a place on the counter. My food processor I only use once a week or so. It has not earned the right to be on the counter.) Or 2. Make you happy to look at.

On a regular basis I have to fight with my “stuff” to keep it off the counter.  I promise you, clutter and appliance migrate there in the middle of the night.  I am constantly waging a battle to keep my counters cleared.

Here is a list of things that have not earned the right to be there (but keep trying to sneak their way on):

• Slow Cooker
• Can Opener
• Kid’s school projects
• Dishes that just don’t want to get put away
• Mail

Things that have earned the right to be on my counter:

• Coffee Maker
• Canisters (they are not just decorative, they hold everyday essentials like coffee filters, packets of sweetener, and dog treats.)
• Toaster Oven (so we don’t need to fire up the big over very often,)
• Spices
• A container of frequently-used utensils
• A butcher block of knives
• Toaster

Your use of counter space is going to be different than mine, but you get the idea – be thoughtful about what you give your permission to live on your counter.

Another great counter space saver is to see what you can have mounted under your cabinets or on your walls. For the longest time, I had a vertical paper towel rack that sat on the counter. It was a constant frustration to me that it took up so much space. Then one day it occurred to me that just because our house wasn’t built with an under-counter towel rack, didn’t mean I couldn’t do the job myself, (or bribe my cute husband to do it with a plateful of chocolate chip cookies.) I also have a microwave and CD player/radio mounted under my cabinets to save space.

And on my walls? I have a very cute set of stainless steel measuring spoons and a coffee scoop. I use them every day, they look great on the walls, and everyone in my house knows where to put them away.

I am constantly looking for those eleusive kitchen tips to make my kitchen life run smoother. Now it’s your turn: Tell me your favorite kitchen tips – whether it be for shopping, unpacking your groceries, cooking, cleaning, meal planning, meal planning calendars, anything! One of my lucky commenters will win the (yet to be released!)Creative Slow-Cooker Meals by Cheryl Moeller. You know I’m a HUGE fan of the Slow Cooker – so I know you will just LOVE this creative book!

Here are the kitchen tips you’ll get from Cheryl’s Book

Creative Slow-Cooker Meals: Use Two Slow Cookers for Tasty and Easy Dinners comes a new kind of cookbook and a new attitude toward planning meals. With an eye toward the whole menu, not just part of it, columnist Cheryl Moeller teaches cooks to use two crockpots to easily create healthy, homemade dinners.
Don’t worry about your dinner being reduced to a mushy stew. Each of the more than 200 recipes has been taste-tested at Cheryl’s table. Join the Moeller family as you dig into:
• Harvest-time Halibut Chowder
• Salmon and Gingered Carrots
• Mediterranean Rice Pilaf
• Indian Chicken Curry
• Apricot-Pistachio Bread
• Shrimp Creole
• Rhubarb Crisp
… and many more!

Check it out here!

The What’s for Dinner Solution- Day 3 Kitchen Tips