5 Simple Ways to Make Your Hubby Feel Appreciated

There's nothing like a piping hot, tasty-smelling meal cooking on the stove when you walk in the door after a hard day's work! Men love coming home to yummy food, especially when they are tired and sore from a long day at the office or out in the field. Maybe you work for a living too, which makes it harder to have dinner on the table when you both get home (and I totally get how hard that is!) One good solution for this is to do some meal prep on the weekends. Freezing meals so they are ready in advance is so helpful! You can definitely also take advantage of your crock pot's ability to cook food all day while you work! I love my crock pot -- it's a lifesaver! Simply put all the ingredients together the night before, and place in the refrigerator. Then, in the morning, turn on the crock pot on low, set it to the appropriate time, and voila! You both can come home to a tasty, home-cooked meal! Your man will feel loved and appreciated, and you'll both feel peaceful knowing you don't have to scramble around for something to eat for dinner.

My husband loves it when I make his lunch. For one thing, it saves us money. For another, it saves him an extra stop (he already drives around a lot for his job). Plus, it makes him feel loved, because he knows I took the time to make him a homemade sandwich and put together some of his favorite snacks. Also, it's much healthier for him than eating fast food! I like to put a little love note in there as well. It doesn't have to say anything fancy, just something like "Have a great day. I love you!" or "I know how hard you work. I really appreciate everything you do for us!" Those encouraging words of affirmation really go a long way to make a person's day more positive. You can also include a scripture verse the Lord may have put on your heart for your husband, which is even better. It might be just what he needed to hear!

I work part-time, but on the days when I am home, I like to straighten up the house before my husband comes home. This includes making the bed, vacuuming if needed, straightening up the pillows on the couch, making sure the dishes are washed, and that the trash is taken out if it's overflowing (although he usually does that last one for me, thankfully!) You can also clean the bathroom during the day if it needs it, wipe off countertops and sweep the floors, dust the furniture, and so on. You get the idea! Basically, make sure the house looks nice for him when he gets home. It's a proven fact that clutter and messes make a person feel more stressed, so try to alleviate that stress for him as much as possible! If you don't have time to deep clean, at least straightening up a little and making the house look tidier should be sufficient, until you can take the time to really scrub the place down! If you have kids, have them clean up their room(s), or clean up their toys for them if they are too small.

Think back to when you and your husband were first dating. You probably both took turns planning special dates for each other. Or maybe one of you did more of the planning than the other. Regardless, time and effort was put into the relationship, and meaningful times together were created. Well, just because you are married, doesn't mean you have to (or should!) stop dating your husband! Plan a special date together every so often to make him feel loved and appreciated. You could surprise him with concert tickets, or tickets to his favorite sporting event. Or, if you're tight on funds at the moment, you could ship the kids off to a babysitter and surprise him with a candle-lit dinner at home! It's good to keep your spouse on their toes and keep things fresh.

Another way husbands feel loved and appreciated is when their wives are available to them in the bedroom. I know there are a lot of stresses in life that can make this difficult. Jobs, kids, bills, sleep deprivation, and aches and pains can sometimes cause us to have the knee-jerk reaction of saying "no". Although there are definitely times when you can legitimately say no, and he needs to understand, make it a habit of saying "yes" as much as you can. He will be happier, and you'll have a closer relationship with him because of it! It's important to keep the love flame ablaze and not let your relationship get stagnant. Find ways to spice if up in the bedroom, and do your best to be available to him as much as possible! You may even find that it eases your stress and makes you feel closer to each other than ever before!