WINNERS of the KY Intimacy Experiment Giveaway!

(Psst...If you don't want to read all of my babbling and need to know who won NOW, the winners are posted at the bottom, under the little snail picture!)

HO-LY COW, you guys! I can't believe how many entries there were to this giveaway. All told, there were 700 when you include the extra entries.

THANK YOU!!!

With that many entries, I hate only having two prizes to give out. The good news? You can do this on your own, without the box of goodies. The booklet that I used can be downloaded in .pdf form from KY's Facebook Page, Couples Place. In fact, here's the direct link to the .pdf (not sure if it'll work - you might need to like them first?) That Facebook page also has a Contest section (nothing going on right now, but the prizes are amazing so keep checking back), Special Offers (right now you can get $5 off either a printable or to use online - and free shipping!), and Intimate Insights Articles (including quizzes, advice, and special occasions ideas!)

I cannot tell you how much fun I had doing this. Hubby and I are actually back to enjoying our relationship - looking forward to seeing each other, talking about any number of things, and making more time for our marriage (the parenting thing always comes first, but now we know that it's not our only 'thing'!) Oh, and I loved some of your responses. Once I get back in the groove of writing about more than sex, I want to re-open the comments and reply to some of you. Oh, and did I mention that I think I've finally found my writing "voice" while doing all of these posts? About time! If you go back and read some of my posts, you'd think a schizophrenic was writing this blog. 

So, here's how I chose the winners. First, I got out a piece of paper and a pen (yeah, I'm bold enough to do math with a pen - not pencil!) Then I took about 10 minutes trying to locate the built-in calculator in my Windows programs, probably would have been faster to Google "online calculator", right? With these amazingly technologically advanced tools, O proceeded to add up all of the entries. I added the entries from Day 1 to the original entries, then tagged on the Day 2 entries, so on and so on... You can check out my amazing computing skills in the scan below:

Tech-savvy way of doing it!

Then, I added the numbers to the little random.org widget at the bottom of the page and hit the little button twice. Voila! Here are the two winning numbers:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

#239 -

Dionna @ Code Name: Mama said... 239

#4 I follow you on Twitter!

July 11, 2011 8:34 PM

#540 -

Martha said... 9

talking about how my body feels...like when I'm cramping. I never would have talked to him about it in the beginning but after 14 yrs together, I do. LOL - (mavans@_________)

July 26, 2011 10:56 AM

If this is you up there, and you don't have an email from me in your inbox, please check your spam folder (lots of my emails have been labeled as spam lately (?!) or get in touch with me here, on Twitter, on Facebook...

Oh, and if anyone missed the whole giveaway, here are links to the posts:

I Can't Believe I'm Doing This!!!

You Want Me to WHAT?! (Day 1)

Reviving Old Connections (Day 2)

 Don't I Know You From Somewhere? (Day 3)

What Are YOU Looking At? (Day 4)

A Whole New Twist on an Old Game (Day 5)

You Rub Me the *Right* Way! (Day 6)

 Now That's Just Weird (Day 7)

 Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah (Day 8)

Well, THAT Was Thrilling! (Day 9)

Are We There Yet? (Day 10)

Are We There Yet?! +FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES in this post!!! { Day 10 - KY Intimacy Experiment & GIVEAWAY}

To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

OK, so as you can see, I got WAY behind on my posts and am barely finishing them up before this giveaway ends. So, rather than do Day 10 and a Conclusion post, I've decided to put them together. Day 10 of the KY Intimacy Experiment is a reflection, anyway, so it goes with the final post I had planned.

Our KY Intimacy Experiment booklet asks us to use this final day to look over our journal, discuss what we liked doing the most and which were just OK. We really have come a long way in our relationship since before we started this whole thing. As I said before, we were like roommates. And not even roommates who were friends. I was angry at him most of the time for not helping out more with the kids and even seeming to hide himself in front of the TV so he wouldn't have to talk to me. He was confused at my anger (his head was saying, "Why's she mad at me? She didn't ask me to do anything!") We learned how to communicate with each other in many different ways. We've been more honest with each other about both our everyday lives and sex. We learned that, even when there isn't time to talk right now, we can use a journal to write back and forth to each other. I think that is one of my favorites. It's more personal that a phone call or and email, plus we can look back at it later and reminisce.

Our nighttime exercise was to choose one of the nighttime exercises from days 1-9 and do it all over again. I was secretly hoping for Day 9 again - and so was he. This time, we started out with a very sensual massage AND I WAS THE RECIPIENT! It was a great night and I know we'll be doing more of it.

I highly recommend trying this. Even if you're not one of the two winners of this giveaway, go try to enter other giveaways. Here's a Google search I did that will get you started: Searched Google for "KY Intimacy Experiment Giveaway" (Yeah, that's ME on top! Just page waaay down and there will be other blog giveaways.) You can also check out Couples Place on Facebook, it's KY's Facebook page and it has a tab on the left for the Intimacy Experiment where you can download the booklet (No box of goodies, though. Sorry.)

Speaking of that "Box of Goodies", there were a few KY Brand items in there that I'd like to tell you a little more about. If you're like me, you really don't want to plunk down money on something that you just don't like.

First, we tried the KY Brands Yours+Mine Couples Lubricant. The idea here was to add a little stimulating tingle to the foreplay on those certain very-important-for-intercourse body parts. Then, when it came time to come together, those two lubricants mixed together and really enhanced each other! This is something I'd buy. A little goes a LONG way! So, if you do get some, make sure you start out with a little bit. You can always add more!

Next was the KY Brands Yours+Mine Kissable Sensations. This is the one we tried out for "dessert" on the night we cooked up the aphrodisiac foods and drinks. Now, this one is for anywhere on the body and it heats up nicely. It's NOT a lubricant, so you don't have to worry about using too much. It actually tastes good - like the flavors it is supposed to (strawberry in one, chocolate in the other.) I wouldn't buy it, myself, because it's not what we're really into. If you're one for lots of oral... um, pleasuring (?!) this is the one you want!

Finally, we tried my favorite: KY Brand Intense. Whew! I LIKE THIS - A LOT! And, because I liked it so much, hubby's arousal was piqued, too. The one drawback is the price. We won't use it every time - it's more for super-secret-special-birthday sex, you know? But, since the little bottle holds 20 applications and we're not using it all of the time, I think we can save up to replace it when it runs out. (Plus, now hubby knows what to get me for Christmas! No, not an ironing board! Well, maybe... we are getting more adventurous...)

I hope you enjoyed reading my posts. It was tricky writing about this stuff without using some pretty repulsive slang to describe certain things! Now I think I can finish having that sex talk with the oldest! Come back again to check out some of my tamer "Mommy" posts! I'd like to give KY a special thanks. Without this little experiment, I don't see how our relationship would have gotten this close again!

Here is the final EXTRA ENTRY question!!!
For FIVE MORE ENTRIES, answer this question below in a comment on this post: Have you tried any of the things I've written about (day or night) in your relationship? OR - Do you plan on checking out the KY Intimacy Experiment page if you don't win to try to build a closer relationship?

Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2", "Entry 3", etc. in your other comments up to five entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

Well, THAT was Thrilling!!! {Day 9 - KY Intimacy Experiment & GIVEAWAY!}

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To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

 

Whew! Almost done with the KY Intimacy Experiment and I can tell you that it's been a rather interesting, invigorating, exciting, hot, and even relaxing experience. Now Day 9 has us being thrilled! This was a really tough daytime exercise for us - it took a LOT of planning and we ended up having to take the kids with us (making the "thrill" part a little less.) We were supposed to choose an experience that would get our adrenaline pumping. Suggestions in the Intimacy Experiment booklet included: skydiving, kayaking, white water rafting, and things like that. Those all cost a pretty penny and weren't something we could do with a toddler and surly teenager who had to spend the entire day with his family (GAG! - psst, do they still say that?) We chose the only thing we could think of...

In spring of 2010, our community had just completed a 2 1/2-mile trail that started in our town and ended at the nearest state park on Lake Erie. We really wanted to try it out but, alas, the bridge over the river that we needed to cross was closed ALL summer for repairs. We'd have had to add an extra mile and a half each way to our trip. With an 18 mo. old, this just wasn't going to happen. There was no way he'd have stayed in the stroller that long and his little legs and curiosity would have added so much time to the trip that we'd have gotten there and had to leave again to get home before the mosquitoes came out in droves. But this year, it was a little different. We put the stroller away early this spring - Little Guy is a champion walker and, really, runs everywhere. The bridge is now open, too. We had no excuses!

We packed a light lunch, towels (not planning on going to the beach - I'll explain why someday - but you just never know!), a change of clothes for everyone, and LOTS of water. FORGOT the camera!!! Now, beside the cost and kids issues, there was another reason why we chose this for our "thrilling" adventure was twofold:

1. Taking kids anywhere like this, especially a little guy who could go into full-on tantrum mode for any or no reason, was going to keep us on our toes. There is water everywhere, water with very strong currents. Water that is very easy to fall into. We were going to have to keep a close rein on them while simultaneously letting them explore. And that brings me to...
2. SNAKES! We live in an area that was formerly all wetlands before the darned French and English (and a few Germans) moved in and "tamed" it into farmland. Where did all of these snakes go when we humans pushed them out? To the only wild place left - the state park. They're everywhere. Black ones, grey ones, green ones, striped ones, ones that climb trees, ones that swim under the water, ones that sun themselves (looking EXACTLY like sticks) across a hiking trail... yeah.

 Now, I don't hate them. I know why there here and that they have just as much right as I do to use that trail. But these guys bits. Some are poisonous. Some will literally chase you instead of slithering away like they're supposed to do (whoever said, "They're more afraid of you than you are of them" was telling a bald-faced lie!) So, every little twig, every time I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, I was rushing to the kids' sides - just in case. I didn't want to frighten them, but what the heck was I supposed to do if one of them got bit? We were in the middle of a trail with no one around. I know very little snake bite emergency procedures - just the ones from old westerns and Indiana Jones movies! Plus, I really wanted the kids to embrace all nature. My oldest has a lot of friends with the "kill it then find out what it was" mentality that I am finding many people in this area have. I don't want these two thinking that animals are a few rungs below people - they're equal if not above us! (Hey, I don't see snakes creating nuclear bombs or tossing Slurpee cups into the woods!)

And, yes, we did see a few snakes. Thankfully, they were ones I could recognize and not any aggressive ones in the bunch. At one point, I even got past my own feelings (and planned to have nightmares later) and picked up a couple of small Garter Snakes for the kids to hold. Little Guy, my naturalist, was in heaven. My oldest did it because he was not going to be out-shined by a toddler, though his face clearly showed his distaste for the whole thing (man, I wish I'd have brought the camera!) Hubby was in refusal-mode. He grew up hating snakes, a long line of family had bred it into his genes to hate them. He finally relented after we all teased him. And you know what? He played with the poor confused snake the longest, talking about how cool it was!



After we had all showered, eaten dinner, the oldest (who missed an entire day standing around with his friends) begged us to let him sleep over at his friend's. "Wellllll, I guess so..." was all he needed to zip out the door with a pair of PJ pants and his PS2. Little Guy fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. He didn't even wake up when hubby, who thought he was still awake, yelled to me from the other room about something. Now it was time to take our "thrilling" day and turn it into a "thrilling" night.

Now, the KY Intimacy Experiment booklet had quite a few ideas for us. Most of which, a-hem, we've done before. So we chose to do one that we used to do a lot and had forgotten about. Let's just say it involved a blindfold, a few pieces of soft rope, and the KY Intense gel (more on that on the conclusion post!) It was fun and, really was thrilling!

Here are more EXTRA ENTRIES!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, answer this question in a comment on this post: Can you think of another "thrilling" experience that we might be able to do together that won't cost us an arm and a leg? It can be something that we do with or without the kids. OR - name something thrilling that you've done with your partner.
Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah {Day 8 - Ky Intimacy Experiment and GIVEAWAY!}

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To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

If you read the title, I'm sure you've guessed what at least one of our Day 8 exercises is supposed to be. (No, not getting it on in the kitchen!) We were to cook together. Not just any meal, but one loaded with aphrodisiacs. Sigh. If you read the Day 5 post, you know that having hubby in the kitchen with me is anything but a relaxing time! But, for the sake of all of you, I conceded. I let a man with shaky hands who does not follow directions well at all (I swear, he hears half a sentence and just knows what's coming next and stops listening!) Little Guy, at just over 2 1/2 years old, shakes his head when he watches Daddy make a bowl of cereal - no kidding!

The first step was to find some foods that are believed to have an aphrodisiac effect. Everything suggested in the KY Intimacy Experiment booklet was either out of our price range, icky (yeah, I'm talking about slimy oysters - yuck!), or had the added "benefit" of upping fertility (Noooooo!!!!!) SO, I searched for herbs and spices with aphrodisiac effects and found a really cool site, Eat Something Sexy. Jackpot! There is an entire page devoted to the erotic power of herbs and spices, including some of the sex-enhancing history and beliefs of each. We settled on a salad (no fire involved!) and planned our evening of cooking to land on a Saturday so we could hit the farmer's market in the morning.

Our salad was to include as many of the things that were listed on the site as possible and still be tasty: fennel, fresh basil, arugula, and parsley. I made a vinegar and oil dressing with garlic, rosemary, oregano, a little bit of saffron (that stuff is more expensive than gold!), black pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper. We added some of the ingredients we like in our salads, too: carrots, hard-boiled eggs (I finally have a great way to make them and get the shells to come off easily every time!), cheese, etc. While hubby busily chopped the veggies and herbs for our salad (how badly could he mess that up?!), I made a loaf of quick bread that was heavy on the cinnamon, vanilla (seeds), nutmeg, and cloves. When everything was nearly ready, I heated some water for an Indian tea recipe found on the site that included cinnamon sticks, cardamon, ginger, black pepper (weird, I know!), cloves, sugar, milk, and black tea leaves. That's when I turned and saw it - our "salad" was going to be a slaw! He had so very carefully chopped and diced our food that it was shredded! Deep breath... OK, we could live with it, right? Just one meal out of how many we have eaten and will eat in our lives?

So, we gave the kids some leftover pizza from the night before and let them watch Finding Nemo in the front room while we sat down to a meal together (they were thrilled and so were we!) I must say, I think the salad turned out pretty well. First, by shredding everything, hubby managed to mix a little bit of each flavor into every bite. And the dressing saturated it nicely. The bread was a good accompaniment and, since I kept the sweetness low, it didn't overpower the salad. The tea was AMAZING! You have to go get that recipe if you do this or just because (erotic power of herbs and spices)!

Oh, and the one thing that had the greatest aphrodisiac effect on me the whole evening? Hubby did the dishes while I gave Little Guy a bath, then he did something he's NEVER done before - he put Little Guy to bed! YEAH, I KNOW!!!! Oh man, you should have heard that kid outsmart his daddy over and over. He "hat to go potty" every 30 seconds or so and hubby was so afraid that he'd wet the bed that he kept letting him get up, make the pilgrimage to the bathroom, sit on the toilet for a few minutes, wash hands, get a sip of water, go back to bed, read another story.... I just kept my giggles to myself and made coffee. It is regular coffee (we make ours really strong) boiled with cardamom seeds, milk, honey. (It was a variation on a couple of the mixtures mentioned on Eat Something Sexy.) YUM! 


By the time both kids were in bed, it was time for the nighttime exercise of the Intimacy Experiment. The first part was something that we used to do but, as the newness of our relationship wore off, kind of faded away: kiss each other all over. It was really nice to go back to that and, as the aphrodisiac effect of our meal and beverages started to become strong, we were ready for the next part.


Now, let me tell you all something. I could never understand why anyone would want to bring food into their sex. Whipped cream, chocolate sauce, caramel... oh, man! That stuff is sticky! It stains or otherwise ingrains itself into the sheets (trust me - I know the old milk smell of whipped cream will be there forevermore!) We opted for one of the items that came in our Intimacy Experiment box - KY Kissable Sensations. It comes in a "yours" and "mine" formula (one for him and one for me.) One was chocolate flavored and the other strawberry - and I was surprised that they both actually tasted good! (I'll tell you a little more about this and the other products in my wrap-up post.) All I'm going to tell you is that we made the right choice and I didn't feel sticky (in a bad way, ha ha) all night! Oh, and in case you were wondering, I really believe that our food had an effect on our sexual desires. We'll certainly be making the tea and/or coffee whenever we'd like to spend an evening together. It inivgorated us while, at the same time ...uh, put us in the 'mood'.

Here is today's EXTRA ENTRY question!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, answer this question below in a comment on this post: Do you or have you spent time together in the kitchen? This was literally our first time and it was productive and fun. (I really had been dreading it!)

Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

Now, That's Just Weird! {Day 7 - KY Intimacy Experiment and GIVEAWAY!}

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To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

Boy, I've been putting off writing this post and now I have no choice - time is running out! You see, Day 7's subject can be a sticky one to write about, especially when your blog is family-centered. The subject is about fantasies. No, not like going to Disneyland (unless you dream of 'doing it' in Cinderella's Castle!)

Hubby and I have already had out talks in this department. Way back before Little Guy came along, we had plenty of time for some afternoon delight when the Oldest was in school. But that was a while ago. I mean, I know that my fantasies have changed over the years. Yeah, like now my fantasy is to have an entire hour of QUIET during the daytime, where no one asks me a single question, whines at me, or wants me to do something for them. Oh, and I don't want to hear them doing any of these things to each other, too. Isn't that the perfect fantasy?! OK, we're not talking about that kind, either. Anyway, I started thinking... "Maybe hubby's fantasies have changed, too?"

The KY Intimacy Experiment booklet has us doing a lot of school work for the daytime exercise. We had four assignments to write in our journal:

• Describe your most erotically memorable experience
• Describe your favorite or most recurring fantasy
• Make a list of 10 things that turn you on
• Make a list of 10 things that turn you off

After we were done, this was to become each of our sexual maps. What the heck is a "sexual map"? Well, according to the booklet, Dr. John Money, of Johns Hopkins University, created this term way back in 1980 to describe, "the sexual template expressed in every individual's erotic fantasies and practices." Pay special attention to the part about "individual" here. Creating an honest sexual map means that you must forget about all of those things that society or culture says are the right fantasies and turn-ons/-offs. This can be an incredibly hard thing for many people to do.

Without giving anything away, I can tell you that I have been with a group of women more than once when the subject has turned to fantasies. It usually starts off with a cute guy walking past us. After a couple of drinks, we'd all lost some inhibitions and cat-called, whistled, or something else to let him know we admired a certain body part. (Hey, I was in my early 20's and was using my new, "not underage to drink" ID!) Anyway, I clearly remember one conversation where we ended talking very frankly about fantasies. Or, I should say, the rest of the group was talking. I was trying very hard to sink into the booth. A particular fantasy of mine had come up. Every single one of the ladies I was with had nothing good to say about it. "Why would anyone like THAT?!" "Anyone who thinks about that while having sex needs to be locked up in a padded room!" I just kept sinking lower, hoping to disappear so no one would ask me my opinion. Now that I'm older and a little more... experienced, I know that my silly little fantasy wasn't all that out there. In fact, you see weirder stuff in Disney movies! (Not really, but the stuff is just as tame.) So, the moral of the story is: Society shouldn't rule your desires, dreams, fantasies, etc. Most of the time, what society says in the open isn't what they do at home, or in their heads!

So, hubby and I went through the four assignments separately, being completely honest, and then shared our "work". We were both surprised to see the lists. "I thought you liked that!" was his mantra. Thinking back, I guess I did - past tense - did. And some of the things on his list were things that I'd like to try - I thought that during those long afternoons way back when, he had shared all with me. Guess not. Hmm... It was very revealing and we really felt as if we knew each other better after this exercise. And we were really, really looking forward to our nighttime exercise. New material!

Our nighttime exercise was to start off with another game similar to "Two Truths and a Lie". In the twist on the old game, we were to take turns sharing one real fantasy and two that we had never even considered or really cared for. The one not sharing was to guess which was the real fantasy. Now, I'm not all that great at lying, so hubby was able to guess right pretty often. But he, on the other hand, can make up the most outrageous lie ever and make it sound like the truth and he can also tell the truth and make you believe he's lying. I was hit and miss with his fantasies the whole time. I thought I knew this man!

The good part of the whole thing was that, as we were playing this game, we were getting quite hot and bothered! It was pretty steamy by the time we finished the last round. And, without gagging you guys, I can only say that we had a lot of fun after the lights went down. <Insert Evil Grin Here>

Here is today's EXTRA ENTRY question!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, answer this question below in a comment on this post: Have you shared a rather taboo or embarrassing fantasy of yours with your partner? (PLEASE don't tell it to me! LOL)
Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

You Rub Me The *Right* Way! {Day 6 - KY Intimacy Experiment}

To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

 This is going to be a short one because remember, back on Day 2, how hubby and I tried to work on touching, hugging, and kissing a little more often? Well, Day 6 of the KY Intimacy Experiment is kind of a replay of that, with a little more "naughty" added to those passing touches. Now that we'd had time to get back into the habit of actually touching each other when we didn't have to (that sounds bad - like maybe someone's got cooties!), it was time to re-learn how to get each other a little hot and bothered with some of those touches.

Our daytime exercise was something for the journal again. We had to list 10 ideas of different ways we could touch. We chose to write ones that had a little spice in them. At the top of hubby's list was "Play grab-ass." Mine said, "Pinch your butt while passing each other." Same concept, waaaaay different way of putting it! Anyway, we made out lists, compared, and found that we'd both came up with a few more little things to do throughout the day that would add a little more "umph" to our relationship and made each day worth looking forward to.

The nighttime exercise was one I always love - full body massages! Though, we had to change the plans in the KY Intimacy Experiment booklet to fit us a little better. Their plan was for each of us to give the other a full body massage, adding a few little sexy rubs in once in a while to heat things up. But I can't get a massage like that and then turn around and give one back. So, on the first night, hubby got his massage because I tend to get my massage and be ready to move on. He'd never have gotten his if I went first. The next day, all I could think was ,"Tonight it's my turn!" I love just relaxing and feeling good. Knowing that he's completely focused on me and I don't have to do anything in return is a wonderful feeling!

And, of course, we capped of both massages with the lights turned low (wink, wink... nod, nod!)

Get Your Extra Entries!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, tell me if you enjoy giving or getting massages more, or is it equal? In the beginning of our relationship, it didn't matter to me who was getting the massage - I was just happy that we were together and touching. Now, I would jump at the chance to be the recipient every time ans often have to force myself to actually give poor hubby one.
Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

A Whole New Twist on an Old Game {Day 5 - KY Intimacy Experiment and GIVEAWAY!}

To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

Day 5 of the KY Intimacy Experiment is all about having fun together. This is something that has been long lost in our relationship. There are just too many responsibilities that we never make time to just have fun anymore. Even going to the park or taking walks as a family, Hubby and I are continuously on alert. With a headstrong toddler, you can't ever let your guard down! So, after reading what today's day- and nighttime exercises were supposed to be, I was excited. We need to be able to just let our hair down and have a good time!

Today's daytime exercise was great to plan and even better to actually do. We were to choose an activity that we've never done together before and then do it. So many possibilities! There were the usual things - we've never had a picnic with just the two of us. There were also the extreme ones - hubby suggested cooking a meal together. Extreme? Yes. I could only envision him not following directions and me ending up frustrated and angry. Not really something that makes you want to get smoochy, you know?

We settled on one of my favorite activities - Fishing. I haven't been fishing since before I was pregnant with Little Guy. I've always loved just sitting by the water, alone with my thoughts, with a pole in the river. I never keep anything - even if I wanted to, the water here is so bad that they tell you not to even feed your pets the fish from this river! Hubby used to go fishing with his dad when he was a kid, but his part mostly consisted of being quiet so he wouldn't scare the fish and handing his dad another beer. (It wasn't a bad experience for him, but he just never got to actually fish.) So, we planned an afternoon of fishing.

Photo credit: Livestrong.com

We quickly learned that he can't bait a hook. I laughed so hard to see him pull up his pole and show me a hook with a worm dangling down - it was hooked ONE time. We decided it would be my job to put the worms on. Then, he caught a tree - the one behind us - as he attempted to cast. Twenty minutes later, I had untangled his pole, got all the knots from his line, re-baited his hook (I have NO idea where the worm ended up!), and cast his line for him. I finally had gotten myself situated when he got a bite. He yanked the pole so hard that the poor fish was probably left thinking maybe he had just imagined the worm was there. After a short lesson on how to set the hook and reel in a fish, he was on his own again. Neither of us caught more than a single baby large-mouth bass, but I was having a great time. Hubby's unintentional antics had lightened the mood and, by the time we headed home, we were holding hands and making silly jokes with each other. We really had a lot of fun and didn't let ourselves worry or get frustrated with one another. He let me teach him how to fish and I didn't get angry about having to fix his mistakes (repeatedly! LOL)

That night, we tried the nighttime exercise. It was a twist on poker. (I really, really wanted to title this post: "Hit Me!"  "I'll Pass" I tried it out on Triberr's headline voting thingy and it was shot down - 14 dislikes and 0 likes! I thought it was funny! My other idea was "A Royal Blush" and it was just as unpopular.)
Now, this was a lot of fun for us because we really got to know each other over playing cards. I loved playing Rumy with him (I always won) and he had a great time showing me the zillions of different poker games he knew (he always won!) For the Intimacy Experiment version, we were supposed to take a pile of index cards and divide them into four equal piles. We each got two piles. On one pile, we were to write different body parts. On the other, different actions, such as "kiss", "blow", etc. By the time we were finished writing on all of the cards (we shouldn't have gotten the 100-card pack!), we were giggling at our ideas.

We shuffled our "body parts" cards together and our "touch" cards together and set them between us. Then, we played Five-Card Draw. Whoever won each hand got to choose one index card from each pile and the loser had to perform the touch on the corresponding body part. Now, this ended up being the most hilarious game of poker I had ever played. You see, since we each had to think of 25 body parts and 25 touches, we were running out of ideas toward the end. At one point, I received an ear massage. And hubby got to have his knee licked. Yeah. But, there were some pretty hot combos, too! After our agreed-upon twenty-hand game of poker, we were hot and bothered enough to not notice how late it had gotten. I'll leave off here by saying we had an amazing time and are saving the cards for another round of poker!

Here is today's EXTRA ENTRY question!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, I'm going to give you a choice. Answer one of the questions below in a comment on this post:

1. Can you think of a fun activity that you and your partner have never done before? I'd love some ideas!
2. What weird body part/touch combos can you come up with? (Kind of like the ear massage I got!)
   

Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

What Are YOU Looking At? {Day 4 - KY Intimacy Experiment & GIVEAWAY!}

To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

We all have certain parts of our body that, when we look at ourselves in a mirror, stand out like a giant zit at the end of our nose. You can't help but miss seeing them. Maybe it's cottage cheese thighs. Or possibly that extra roll on your tummy, courtesy of your last pregnancy. Whatever it is, you know it's there, you're conscious of it every time you get into the shower. You wish it would just go away. In my case, I wish it would become more noticeable. I have mosquito bites where there should be boobs. I mean, I loved breastfeeding for a number of reasons, but the larger bra size was one of the perks that I miss the most. I swear, after I weaned each kid, my boobs shrunk to smaller than before! Is it even possible to have a negative cup size?! I think I have one! When Bernie from One Mixed Bag wrote about her missing bra, I have to admit I was SO JEALOUS! (You have to go read this. It's your instant laugh for the day - I promise!)

I'm sure that my husband has the same hang up about something on his body, but if he does I'm not too sure what it would be. Maybe it's just a guy thing - he'll parade around naked every chance he gets. And he's never mentioned my lack of boobs. Not once. He seems to like me just as I am. What's this all leading to? Well, Day 4 of the KY Intimacy Experiment, of course! Today's exercises are focusing on our comfort levels around each other and changing some habits that may be getting in the way of a "smokin' hot sex life", as the booklet calls it.

The daytime exercise asks us to think over some of the things that may have helped lead us to a place in our relationship that may be "too comfortable." Now, at first, I was thinking that I was reading the booklet wrong. How could being comfortable with your partner be a bad thing? It sure makes life easier to be able to run into our only bathroom to go pee while hubby is brushing his teeth rather than dancing around outside the door until he's finished, right? What about those days when you're just feeling lazy? It's good to be able to leave your PJ's on all day, not comb your hair, not shower or even bother with deodorant, right? Well, according to the KY Intimacy Experiment booklet, this isn't always the case.

We were to write down all of those things that we do around each other that would equate to being comfortable with one another, things that could possibly become obstacles to a rockin' sex life. It was hard to envision any of these things as being an obstacle, so we decided to just write down the things that we do around each other that shows how uninhibited we are. Then, we went over the lists together and discussed whether we'd have done any of these things when we first got together. Boy, we had some pretty good laughs! There is NO WAY I'd take care of my "girl stuff" while he was in the bathroom way back then. Now, it's not a big deal - ya gotta do what ya gotta do! And he said that he'd always take a really good shower and slap on cologne whenever he knew we'd be seeing each other. Nowadays, he still takes showers, but I don't think I've smelled cologne or anything but soap on him for years. We went over some of those things and decided to try to be more discreet in them just to see if it adds a little more zip to our relationship. Not sure if it will or not, but this is an experiment, right?

The night time part of Day 4 was pretty interesting. We were to get rid of the kids due to the possibility of them going blind. Check - Oldest is still at Grandpa's and Little Guy was tuckered out from the very long evening at the park and only getting half of a nap that afternoon. Then, we were to turn off all the lights, strip down, pour some wine, then cuddle and watch a movie together. Well, it was late and we were tuckered out from the park, too. So, the beverage was coffee with  little Bailey's in it and the "movie" was an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. While watching TV, we were to try to be aware of how we felt next to each other, let our hands wander, and feel the air hit our bodies when we got up to walk around. Then, after the show was over, we were to massage each other from head to toe and take a shower together. We veered away from the plan a little, but still managed to do the things on the list.



Thanks to the coffee, we were both still pretty wakeful. We decided to use the bubble bath that KY provided in the Intimacy Experiment kit to take a bath together. HA! You know, it always sounds good, but you can never fit two grown people into a standard-sized bathtub comfortably. We ended up in the shower together (still not the romantic scene you expect it to be), where hubby got a partial back rub. By the time the shower was over, the alcohol had made its way to our heads. We were like two kids goofing around when Mom and Dad were away for the weekend. We raided the snack cupboard and, giggling, made our way (still naked) to the bedroom to eat like gluttons. We were cracking jokes and laughing uncontrollably for half the night. It was just like old times - times that I thought were gone forever.

I have to admit that, as the evening wore on, I was less and less aware of my imperfections. All-in-all, this was a great experiment and we are already planning on another "Jay Bird Party" in the near future (I'm trying to talk him into an evening of Strip Scrabble!) As for our experiment with limiting some of those things that we're comfortable doing around each other that we'd never have done early in our relationship... I'm not sure yet. I think that it will take a while for the old habits to be broken and to lose some of the familiarity. We'll see how it goes!

TWO More Chances to WIN!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, tell me in a comment below one of the things that you or your partner do now that you're comfortable with each other that you'd NEVER have done at the start of your relationship.  Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

Don't I Know You From Somewhere? {Day 3 - KY Intimacy Experiment & GIVEAWAY!}

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To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

Can you guess what Day 3 of the KY Intimacy Experiment is all about from the title of this post? It's one of the oldest pick-up lines around. There are others that really stand out to me, too: 1) "Your feet must be tired because you've been running through my mind ALL day!", 2) "Do you come here often?", and 3) "Did it hurt?" Did what hurt?! "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven, 'cause you must be an angel!" <Insert eye-rolling here>

Today's exercise is all about going back to the time when you both first met. The excitement of learning all about this new person. The little chill that ran down your spine by a mere brush against his arm. The novelty of flirting with someone new and not knowing quite where it may lead. As time goes by, this shiny new relationship tarnishes until the shine is completely gone. You know each other so well that there just isn't anything new to discover. Getting the laundry folded and put away before hitting the hay is just as desirable a prospect (maybe even more so) as stealing a few minutes of one-on-one time with your partner.  You probably can't even remember what it was that first sparked your interest in your partner.

So, as per the instructions in our KY Intimacy Experiment booklet, hubby and I got out the journal and each made a list of the things that turned us on about the other when we first felt those turned-on feelings for one another. After writing all of these things down, we circled the ones that were still true. NOT an easy task to be honest about! Then, we made two more lists that had to do with the present - the positive and negative attributes we felt the other had. These lists took time. We decided to give it a full 24 hours. Both of us carried little note pads with us the entire time so we could write down something as soon as we thought of it (Hey - we're getting old and the memory thing really applies here. I can have a thought and lose it all in a few seconds!) After the 24 hours was up, we made a "date" to go over our lists and talk about them.

I was pretty apprehensive about sharing my lists. The first one was rather easy. I remember many of the things that first attracted me to Hubby. The negative and positive attributes right now worried me. My negative list for him was twice as long as the positive one. Should I rewrite them, leaving a bunch of the negatives off this time? It wasn't honest and we promised to be completely open while doing this experiment, so I left the lists alone. Here's the funny thing - he had the same thoughts. While I can tell you that I'm so great that his negative list wasn't twice as long as the positive one, I have to admit that the positive one wasn't all that long and it mainly centered on things like, "You're a great mom."

The lists ended up being a great thing for us. The negatives were especially good. Rather than going about sharing them in a nagging way, or receiving them in a defensive way, we did a good job of being objective. For every negative, we each had a chance to say why we act or behave in such a way and then shared possible solutions or compromises. By the time we were done, we both felt a great connection and understanding with each other. And the first list - the one about what first attracted us to one another - was a wonderful reminder of our beginnings. I can say that we were both feeling turned on after sharing those lists and reminiscing over some of our first encounters!

And that brings me to part two of Day 3. This was really weird for me (hubby loved it!) We were supposed to go somewhere public, act like we didn't know each other, and pick each other up! Yes - you hear about people doing this stuff, but I never considered actually doing it. I am so glad that the booklet mentioned dressing attractively, not in your everyday garb. I'd have probably done this in my torn up jeans and stained T-shirt. Instead, I dug to the bottom of the closet and found an old mini skirt that hadn't seen the light of day for years. I even broke out the make up and attempted to do my hair.

We arranged for a neighbor to come over and hang out with Little Guy (the oldest is visiting his grandpa for a couple of weeks). We walked toward downtown all fancied up (we don't have a car - it's cheaper and greener and we live close enough to places to walk nearly everywhere.) When we got close to the bar we agreed on "meeting" in, I kept walking and Hubby walked around the block so we didn't walk in together. It would have made pretending not to know each other a little weird, you know? I went in and pretended to order a beer like I did it every Friday night - really, I can't remember the last time I was in a bar! I have to say that it made me feel pretty sexy to have a bunch of guys looking me over as I walked from the door to the bar. I'm used to just being "Mom", not "that chick over there".

I was kind of feeling weird about being so... well, sluttyfeely, and then we left holding on to one another. You should have seen to looks on some of the barflies' faces! They had been watching us all evening and I made sure to ask Hubby loud enough for them to hear, "Do you live far from here? Should we go to my place? Let's just go wherever is closer - I can't wait any longer!" I think I heard at least three jaws hit the floor before the door closed behind us - LOL!!!

All the way home, that new, excited, flirty feeling stayed with us. We had a slight downward spiral when we got home and had to say good-bye to the neighbor and put Little Guy to bed. Hubby managed to get it going again when he used his pick-up line in the kitchen as I was pouring myself some coffee (it was going to be another late night.) I'll leave the story there. Any more and my blog's going to get moved from Google's SafeSearch mode. Suffice to say, we had fun!

Would I do it again? Probably not. It certainly was worth doing this time because we really needed to go back and remember what it was that attracted us to each other in the first place. Talking about it with the lists was a good starter, but actually going to a bar and "meeting" each other all over again really helped us not just remember but experience all of those attractions all over again. We each kept our lists and look at them once in a while just to remember. I don't walk past my husband without getting a little chill down my spine nowadays! It's a wonderful feeling to be in "lust" with each other all over again.

Time For Extra Entries!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, comment below and tell me whether you think that picking each other up in a bar, restaurant, etc. would spice up your relationship. Do you think you could actually go through with it??? Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post, HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

Reviving Old Connections {Day 2 - KY Intimacy Experiment & GIVEAWAY!}

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To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

I know, once again it has been too long between posts. It's not that we aren't... um, being intimate. It's just that life has been getting in the way of posting. You know, going outside to play, making new recipes, and this Intimacy Experiment really has us making extra time for each other, too. The making time for each other has a lot to do with Day 2 of this whole thing.

I guess that, when you get farther into your relationship, you move past the hot & heavy, hanging all over each other stage. Maybe you have kids and they take the place of your significant other in your arms. Maybe you just feel as if you've "matured" and don't need to have all of those public displays of affection like you one did. I don't know... whatever the reason, it seems that nearly every relationship has a cooling-off period. It can become a way of life. One day you stop and wonder why you never embrace each other just for the heck of it... Has the steam gone out of your relationship?

So, I was really surprised to see that Day 2 of the KY Intimacy Experiment is labeled "It's Not Just About Sex" - yeah, it does end up with sex (I mean, it's KY!), but there is a lot more you need to do first. "Day 2" actually took us a couple of days to get through. It had to do with "transferable desire", or those connections you make with your partner everyday - little hugs as you pass in the kitchen, helping one another with chores, holding hands while going for a walk... Not things we really did anymore. As I thought it over, it seemed that we were more like roommates than a married couple!

We were really out of touch with each other. The first exercise asked us some questions that we were to write the answers to in the journal. Since we're both really trying to get back into our relationship on the right foot, we were very honest in our answers. I wrote mine on one page and hubby wrote his on another - neither of us looked at the other's answers until we had some alone time to discuss them. What were the questions, you ask? Here are the questions:

• To what extent are you stuck in a "non-transferable" relationship?
• Is it rare for you and your partner to have any sort of non-sexual physical intimacy?
• What are the challenges you face to transform your relationship into a transferable one?
• If you find yourself reacting negatively to non-sexual intimacy, why do you think this is?

It took both of us a couple of days to truly think over these questions and give real answers. It's really hard to be honest about these things with one another - neither of us wanted to hurt the other. But, in order to get past this giant bump in the road, we knew we had to be open about our answers. Once we both had written the answers in the journal, we had to wait a little longer to find the time to discuss what we had written down. Not easy when the kids are up late and you both have a million things to do all day long. We finally decided to make a pot of coffee at midnight and get our talk over with - what's one night of lost sleep and one day of being tired when it comes to making your marriage work better? 

It seemed that many of our answers were identical! It was such a relief to get our conversation going and realizing that we both felt the same way. I can't tell you how in-tune we felt with each other - while one of us was talking, the other was eagerly nodding our head and saying, "Yeah! Exactly!" By 3am (yeah, that late!), we were finished talking and holding each other - in a NON-sexual way. It just felt like we were really in on our relationship together - something that we had both felt was not ever going to happen again.

The KY Intimacy Experiment book also gave some suggestions on ways to help us both with our transferable desire. These were very simple little acts that could be done throughout the day to help us feel closer to one another. Some of my favorite were: Say "I love you", Email each other, Watch favorite TV shows together, and Do chores together. It was amazing how much closer we felt to each other just by doing these little acts.

The second exercise (night time!) was really great, too. The exercise was in two parts. First, we were supposed to just hold each other. When it got uncomfortable, we were to keep on holding... until all the tension disappeared and we were just melded into one another - comfortable. It took a while. We're so used to having to hurry up. It's usually late, Little Guy might wake up at any minute and snub out the fire, we have to get up in the morning... you know how it is. But, once we both had reconciled that we were going to go through with this, no matter how long it would take, we both relaxed a little. It was nice to just enjoy being together. Neither of us talked, we just concentrated on how it felt to be in one another's arms. Eventually, we were both in a nice state of bliss.

Force yourself to be completely in the moment, despite how uncomfortable it feels." It was uncomfortable... at first. But as we got used to the idea of being together - here and now - and keeping our eyes locked, our desire skyrocketed. I may sound like I'm a guy bragging, but that was some of the best sex we'd had in years!

Here's the PRIZE!

Extra Entries!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, give me some more ideas on everyday things that hubby and I could do to increase our transferable desire. I listed a few in this post, but am open to any ideas you may have. We need all the help we can get! Just leave your idea in a comment and for the second entry, just type "Entry 2". Please remember to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post, HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

You Want Me to WHAT?! {Day 1 - KY Intimacy Experiment and GIVEAWAY!}

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To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

Yeah, yeah... I know... It's been a while since I said we were going to start this Intimacy Experiment, hasn't it? Well, I've just been too exhausted to type, OK? No, not all the good lovin', that's not why I'm tired. It's these little exercises that come before the "lovin'" part of the experiment!

You see, they have each of the 10 days of the experiment broken into two different exercises - one for day and one for night (yeah, that's the fun one!) Anyway, the daytime exercises are things that can usually be done by one person and, well, if you're participating in the Intimacy Experiment to get more intimate with your partner, you're going to have to have two people for the nighttime experiments!

So, Day 1's "daytime" experiment had me wondering if I was even going to want to follow through with all 10 days. Here's what they told me to do in the little booklet: CLEAN YOUR ROOM! Really? They must be kidding! I haven't had anyone tell me to clean my room since I was 14 and my mom finally just declared that I "... can live in a pigsty if you want to - I don't care anymore!" Now, I have to say that, after the initial teenage rebellion in me dissipated a little, I read on. Turns out to make a lot of sense to clean things up a little. They cited a study in which both men and women were hooked up to some brain-reading machine (yeah, I'm too lazy to look it up. Hey, I'm tired from cleaning my room!) They were... um, stimulated by their partners to orgasm. Seems that the findings of this study showed that women needed to rid themselves of all the little worries in their heads before they could just relax and enjoy, while the men were able to shut down those parts of their brains just about immediately. LOL - Doesn't take a neurologist to understand that one, does it?!

Pillow from Alexandra Ferguson on Etsy

The book went on to explain that this is why we tend to be able to have more fun in hotel rooms - no pile of laundry, no child-sized peanut butter hand prints on the light switch, no Matchbox cars to tip-toe around or accidentally go skateboarding on... In a hotel room, you don't have all of those little reminders of that never-ending list of things to do. You can make a huge mess, leave the towels on the bathroom floor, spill a little wine on the sheets, etc. without really caring. That's why you pay so much to stay there - they have people come and clean up after you.

So, I cleaned my room. It wasn't the most fun I ever had. But, it had to be done. It's the one room in the house that is 100% neglected because we just sleep there. It's the storage room for laundry, old toys, toys that need to be fixed, craft supplies... you name it. No one goes in there, you know, so I don't worry about how it looks. So, Little Guy and I went to town. Yeah, I had to let him help because he can't be trusted alone for more than 25 seconds (I know this because it takes 30 seconds to re-heat coffee in the microwave and he's always into something just before the "BEEP!") He really enjoyed pulling toys from the bottom of piles and playing avalanche. Yeah. Fun. But we got it looking pretty darn spiffy! We donated, fixed, filed, tossed out, and re-located just about everything. We put fresh sheets and blankets on the bed (after playing parachute with the flat sheet and then jumping on the bed for a while), we dusted, vacuumed, even scrubbed the kiddy hand prints from the walls and dusted the light fixture!

The Day 1 "nighttime" part was ready! After making sure we got the oldest set up to sleep at his friend's house (remember the psychological effect that walking in on us just might have!), and I put Little Guy down to sleep (after a very, very long walk in the evening - I wanted him exhausted!), I made my way to the room. Boy, was I surprised! Hubby had read the book, too, and saw the part about your bedroom being a "love nest." He had taken an old sheet and somehow affixed it to the ceiling so that it completely surrounded the bed. It was so cool! Once inside the enclosed bed, it was as if the world had disappeared! Plus, he has some music playing very quietly, and a patchouli/sandalwood candle (my favorite) burning. OK, now you can say, "Awww!"

Candle from Jen San Candles on Etsy

So, according to the little booklet, our nighttime activity was to simply "Enjoy the spoils of your labor." AKA - christen the newly-cleaned room! We took it slow and really enjoyed ourselves. It seems as if, as time went by, our lovemaking bacame one of those things that we just did as fast as possible. With the kids possibly waking up and interrupting and being just plain exhausted, it made sense. But, even when we had more time, the old habits came back. So, on Day 1, we took our time. We talked, hugged, kissed, and slowly progressed toward the sex part of the evening. It was really great! The music and candle helped and, I have to admit, looking around and NOT seeing all of those things I had to do really made me relax.

The next day, we both felt more loving toward each other, too. We seemed to have remembered that an occasional hug in the middle of the day for absolutely no reason means a lot.

This is the PRIZE!!!

Want Some More Entries?!
For 2 extra entries, tell me if you think that cleaning your room might help your sex life! Please leave the comments on this post and don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you in one of the comments. The first should be your answer to the question, the second should say something like "Entry #2" - I'm not going to make you write it all out again.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post, HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.