PRAYER PLEASE: As I was preparing this post about Jill Savage on Monday night, I got an email telling me that she had been admitted to the hospital with chest pains and stroke-like symptoms. It turns out she has blood clots on her lungs and will need to be put on blood thinners and observed for a few days. Please pray for her and her family! Thanks so much.
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Well moms….does your “To Do” list look somewhat like this?
- Get kids up and ready for school
- pack lunches
- check homework
- change baby
- do three loads of laundry
- mop floor (again!)
- feed dog
- get groceries and go to post office
- referee siblings squabble
- scour sinks and tubs
- give baths and locate pj’s
- scrub baked-on grease off of supper pans
- turn into sex goddess in 6 seconds flat and make hubby happy with a little horizontal fellowship
- collapse in bed
- get up the next day and do it all again….
Whew!!! I am tired just reading that list!
Well, cyber sisters, my dear, nearly decades-long friend Jill Savage knows all too well the demands placed on a busy mom. Demands of motherhood and demands of marriage. She penned a book just for such women that answers the question Is There Really Sex After Kids? (Don’t worry dads….the answer is a resounding yes!)
Here is a little bit about her straight-shooting and practical book:
What’s happened to our sex life now that we have kids? Many moms may not ask this question aloud, but Jill Savage knows from years of leading Hearts at Home conferences that no workshop subject will more quickly fill a room. Having children in the home alters the sexual dynamic between husband and wife. Going from making meatloaf to making love, from practical mommy to passionate lover, all in one crowded evening has its own set of unique challenges.
Is There Really Sex After Kids? is written by a mom, for moms, and is filled with practical ideas. This is not a clinical book on sexual technique, though readers will find some creative suggestions. It isn’t a counselor’s text, though it contains the sage wisdom of a mentor and friend. It is a woman-to-woman discussion—a true insider’s look—at what works to build intimacy outside the bedroom and improve intimacy inside the bedroom.
This practical guide helps women rise above frustrations and disappointments to restore intimacy, pleasure, spontaneity, and passion in their marriage.
Today Jill has graciously agreed to offer a signed copy of this book to one of you who leaves a comment. And since she talks about the struggle moms face going from making meatloaf to making love, I’ll throw in a cute, heart-decorated oven mitt (for the meatloaf part) and some Bath and Body Works P.S. I Love You Spring Fling Lotion (for the making love part!)
Simply leave a comment today telling us where you and your hubby went on your honeymoon. Drawing will be random. Oh, and you may leave a comment on any or all of this week’s Valentines posts until Sunday at midnight EST. All of the winners will be announced on Monday.
I’ll start us off with today’s comment.
Todd took me on a tour of many Bed & Breakfast Inn’s in Michigan’s northern lower peninsula and then across the Mackinac Bridge to the upper peninsula. Then we took a ferry to charming Mackinac Island (a quaint, frozen-in-time island, famous for fudge and where the only transportation methods are horse-drawn carriages and bicycles!) We stayed in the Grand Hotel (where the movie Somewhere in Time was filmed) and then crossed into Canada to take a color train tour.
We always planned to replicate the trip on our 25th anniversary, but that is only 1 1/2 years away in June 2011 and instead, we’ll probably be knee-deep in college bills and both boys’ baseball seasons! Hmmmm…well, maybe for our 30th….
Now, where did you and your hubby go on your honeymoon? (besides to bed, I mean 
)
Horizontal Fellowship Blessings,
My husband and I didn’t get a honeymoon. We were young and dumb so to speak! We had our first child three months before our wedding. We did alot of growing up in our 20′s together. By all sense we should be divorced, had we not had God in our lives, we probably would have. But we are stronger for it now. We still have crud in our lives, and are usually united. We talk of someday taking a honeymoon trip X amount of years later….we shall see!
We went to the Bahamas and stayed at an all-inclusive resort. It was beautiful and nice to have all the meals already paid for. My husband’s favorite thing (besides the horizontal fellowship of course) was the fried conch! He was such a good sport and even let them dress him up as a pirate for pirate night.
We went to Cancun, Mexico to an all-inclusive resort and slept, ate, lounged by the pool and ocean and never ventured out of the resort…a true honeymoon
!!
We went to the Smoky Mountains, stayed in a beautiful chalet, and spent time outdoors hiking, horseback riding, and white-water rafting.
Rick and I went to the Dunns River Sandals Resort in Jamacia. We had a fabulous time. Hiking Dunns River falls was so much fun. We shopped in a tourist section of town also, but we mostly stayed on the resort. He got the breakfast in bed package, so every morning we ate breakfast while sitting on the balcony. It was so beautiful, relaxing and peaceful.
We are both teachers and married on New Year’s Eve during Christmas break. Since our time was limited, we went to Oklahoma City and stayed at a nice hotel, went on a horse drawn carriage ride, and had a great time! We have four kids and need this book!
Well, it was our second marriage, blending our seven children. We only had one night, so we traveled to the nearest holiday inn thirty minutes from our home and stayed in the honeymoon sweet. The rest is history, and btw we now have nine children!
Steve and I went to Chattanooga, TN. When we got to the hotel we had booked, it was in a terrible section of town so we started looking for something else. We found this cute little place on the side of the mountain. It only had about 10 rooms and they definitely were not your top of the line modern anything but there was only one other couple there and they were on the other end of the building. Our balcony was literally hanging over the side of the mountain overlooking the river below. It was beautiful. We had a great trip and talk about going back again someday.
We got married over Thanksgiving weekend ’01 and I had to go fly to San Bernadino for a mtg the first week in Dec so we waited a week and had a honeymoon that could be written off our taxes (I was self employed)
At least the hotel, rental car and most meals! We spent a week in San Diego and drove to San Bernadino for a couple days for my meetings.
Karen – we are just outside Indy and every fall I tell my hubby I want to take a trip like your honeymoon! And definately a night or two at the Grand Hotel! Maybe for our 10th…
My husband and I did not have a honeymoon, I (now we) have a daughter. My first husband died, so when I remarried we had instant family. We married on a Saturday morning at 9am so we could get to our daughters spring carnival at school that started at 10am. We had fun but we would like to one day go on a honeymoon.
We went to Flagstaff, Arizona. We were married November ’04, and the weather there was actually wonderful! And because of the off-season, there were hardly any crowds. We saw the Grand Canyon and visited other neat sites. Great honeymoon, great husband, great marriage! And now two great little boys!!! Which is why I’d love to win this book!
We didn’t have a honeymoon either! I thought I would be the only one saying that so I didn’t add my comments first thing this morning. Though I will confess that we didn’t do things in the right order, we are going strong after almost 18 years. It isn’t perfect, but he’s my best friend and I love him to pieces.
I will be getting both of Melanie’s books whether I win or not. Are there any pictures in the book? It’s a standing joke around here that my husband only ‘reads’ books if there are lots of pictures… Oyyyy
Well, I’m with the rest of them. We didn’t have a honeymoon either. However, on our wedding night we stayed at this fabulous bed and breakfast in Eau Claire, WI. We played board games til the wee hours and swam in the pool the next morning. We moved to North Dakota two days after our wedding so my husband could finish his teaching degree. Seven and a half years and two kids later we’ve only been on two vacations alone and most of them involved a sporting event!
My husband and I were late to the marriage scene, being 44 and 37 years of age respectively. We certainly had the money to go on a honeymoon, but my husband, the ever practical engineer, thought we’d be too tired after the wedding festivities to hop a plane or take a drive to a destination. It turns out he was right – the two days following our wedding are STILL a blur, nearly 7 years later. We told ourselves we’d take a honeymoon later. Then, of course, my biological clock was more than ticking; it was sounding like a gong!!! After two miscarriages, we were finally blessed with a beautiful healthy baby boy. Obviously, we didn’t go ANYWHERE that first year without our son. Our son just turned 5 years old and we STILL haven’t had that honeymoon. Maybe we’ll combine the honeymoon with a 20th anniversary trip. By then, our son will be 18 and on his way to college. On thinking on it, we should go sooner than that — my husband will be 64 by then and I’m reminded of that Beatles’ tune, “When I’m 64″. Do I really want to be feeding my husband on our honeymoon?
We stayed at an all inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The beach was gorgeous, the pool was huge, and the whole place was relaxing. We took an excursion where we got to drive our own mini-boat for two and then went snorkeling in the beautiful clear waters.
Because my husband and I bought our first house just before our wedding we had a very small honeymoon. We ventured to Biloxi, MS to stay at the Beau Rivage Hotel. (Only 3 hours from our hometown) We enjoyed three days of lounging around, eating out, and walking on the beach in February. It was nice and quiet. We hope to take a real honeymoon when our kids get older.
Our honeymoon was part of the wedding trip. We eloped to Destin, FL, which is one of our all-time favorite beaches. We enjoyed a relaxing couples massage at the San Destin resort, ate out for every meal, and got married barefoot in the sand. It actually poured rain minutes before the wedding, but it turned out to work in our favor…it cleared the beach for us! So there weren’t really any people in our wedding pics! I love reminiscing about this special day and trip!!
My husband and I were given a time share to use for our honeymoon. We could pick anywhere, we just had to pay for our travel and food. So he decided to take me to Aruba! It was the most beautiful island. We spent a whole week going to different beaches, snorkeling, jet skiing, and eating a nice restaurants. We had said we would go back for our 5th anniversary, but we ended up going on a Caribbean cruise instead. So now it looks like our 10th or 15th anniversary. We will never forget our honeymoon in Aruba and can’t wait to go back!
We were married almost 11 years and 4 kids ago! We went on a cruise to Cancun. What I remember most looking back is how much fun we had, just the two of us. Now it’s hard to find that time for “just us” as our kids are 6, 4, and twins that are 2.
We had a fabulous, relaxing time in Puerto Rico and have plans to one day return for another honeymoon/vacation, but this time we plan to do more sight-seeing!
We had a wonderful honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico, staying at the Moon Palace. It was beautiful, fun and VERY memorable!!
My husband and I went to Los Cabos Mexico, it was beautiful the sights the hotel the service, Yeah!!
However the hoenymoon planning did not go as smoothly as I wanted it to. But God was working in my heart… we did have to postpone our “official honeymoon” 4mos later because of my husband’s new job, even though he did not want to go at first b/c of his new job it was well worth the wait in trying to work out the honeymoon at a time that worked for both of us.
Ken and I just went over to the coast for our honeymoon. We live in Oregon so we went to a nice place on the coast and spent a couple of days and went to the Sea Lion Caves. It was very nice. We are hoping and Lord willing, to go to Hawaii next year for our 30th.
We went to Reno, Nevada for four days for our honeymoon in November, 1988…it snowed when we were there! We stayed at Harrah’s Hotel, saw Paul Revere & the Raiders (or some version of them!) in a lounge show, and had a wonderful time!
I am still waiting for a honey moon, 21 years later. We were married at a National Forest Service Ranger station, about 3 miles from our home, during a snow storm. After the ceremony and a small family gathering,we went home so we could go to work the next day–at that time, trapping beavers-a romantic, rustic life.
Big Cedar Lodge in MO!
When we married, we didn’t have a honeymoon. But for our 3 year anniversary, my mother-in-law blessed us with a two night stay at a great place in PA.
We went to northern MI and on into Canada.
We had a wonderful honeymoon in Maui. Then we drove from Southern California to Miami stopping along the way. We had a long distance dating relationship so the drive was moving me across country.
I am very interested in this book since we just had a baby girl 10 weeks ago and I am already wondering how to keep the intimacy in our marriage.
My husband and I flew to Anchorage, Alaska; rented a car, and drove all over the place for two weeks. We were married in mid-September, so our Alaska vacation began the first day of their low season. We only had a reservation for the night of our arrival, and after that we just stopped wherever. We always had great service and great prices. We did the same things that typical honeymooners do – took a couple of day cruises on small boats for up close wildlife viewing; walked on the beach (it was a balmy 50 degrees!); hiked in the mountains; and ate wonderful food (I gained TEN pounds on clam chowder). The odd parts included me getting “hit on” if my husband left our table to use the restroom; having a close encounter with an angry Mama Moose; and I had a reaction to allergy medication which resulted in my sleeping for the first three days of our honeymoon! Thankfully, our return flight airplane broke down, thus giving us three extra days in Alaska on the airline’s dollar. Oh yeah, and as circumstance would have it, the person assigned to the seat next to my husband on our flight from Detroit to Seattle was one of his former girlfriends. Can you say “awkward?” Many people commented that Alaska is a strange place for a honeymoon, but we LOVED it!
My husband (of 10 1/2 years now) and I were fresh out of college when we got married. He had just started his new job and I had to wait until August as I was a teacher, so we had very little “extra” money. So, we drove up to Wisconsin Dells (from Northern IL), meandered across to Lake Michigan, checked out Door County a little, and then rode the S.S. Badger across the lake to Michigan. Saw a couple of lighthouses, and eventually drove south around the lake back home! It wasn’t much according to others’ standards, but we had a very relaxing and enjoyable trip together. This past summer to celebrate our 10th anniversary, we actually recreated our trip, only camping and with our three young boys!
People thought we were crazy, but we had so much fun finding some of our previous stops and sharing them with our kids! They loved riding the Badger!! 
We went to Colorado through New Mexico. We went to Santa Fe, Purgitory, and Indian ruins in Southwest Colorado, and then up through Coloardo Springs. It was a fun adventure with lots of interesting sights along the way. I have not traveled much, so it was wonderful to form those memories and see those sights with my new hubby!!!!!!
My hubby and I went to an all-inclusive Sandals resort in Jamaica. I would totally recommend it. You don’t have to worry about money because everything is pre-paid. It was wonderful. We dressed up every night and went to the fancy (and free!) restaurants and ordered things that we could never afford to try at home. Then we would go the 24 hour hamburger hut so some “real” food because we were still hungry from trying the “fancy” food. Great memories! We now have a 1 and 3 year old and could greatly use this book!
We didn’t get a honeymoon right away because my husband is in the Marine Corps and duty called, but close to our 5-year anniversary, we went on a fabulous trip to Oahu and Kauai. We’ve been to Maui and the Big Island since then but I have fond memories of the first “honeymoon” trip.
Karen, if you do take your trip again, I can recommend a FANTASTIC B&B in Ludington MI. My parents bought it a few years ago and have been having a great adventure as innkeepers.
My husband and I were 20 when we got married, so funds were extremely low! His grandmother owned a timeshare and paid for us to use it for a week in Branson, Mo. so that’s where we celebrated our union. It was fun, though. We went to several of the attractions, took in a few shows, went shopping, and went for a dinner cruise on the Branson Belle. Since then, we have returned several times to Branson and always have a good time – only now it includes our 4 children.
My husband and I went to Las Vegas! It was a blast, but unfortunately we were using a new digital camera that we weren’t familiar with, and lost all of the pictures!
We were married 4 months ago & took our honeymoon to Myrtle Beach, SC. This was a 2nd marriage for both us & between us we now have 6 children. My 2 children are grown & on their own. His 2 youngest are 11 & 15 & will probably be living with us full-time in a few months so this book could be extremely helpful. I’m not used to having children around full-time & this will be quite a change for both of us.
Initially, we had not planned on a honeymoon. However, I surfed the net and found this quaint little bed and breakfast in North Alabama that I thought would be a charming place to go. I didn’t tell my fiance. We never even talked about it. Well, we get married and the next morning he tells me he has a surprise for me. We were going on a honeymoon to a bed and breakfast in North Alabama. Guess what? It was the same one that I had checked out! Needless to say, we had a wonderfully romantic time together. God was definitely our honeymoon planner!!! We’ve been married 11 years this upcoming March.
Great giveaway! Praying for health for her. :O)
We went to Maui, Hawaii for our honeymoon. It was amazing. I cried when we had to come back home. I wanted to stay there forever.
My husband and I went to San Antonio, Texas! My husband doesn’t like to travel so this was pretty good for us being as it takes us around 7 hours to get there!
I know this wasn’t anything spectacular or anything but it was special to us. We got lost for an hour trying to find our hotel room (it was 1 block over) so we were afraid to get out after dark. We visited the Riverwalk. It was steaming hot in July but we still had a good time. We spent one entire day in our hotel room, watching movies and just enjoying spending time with one another. On the last day, we stopped by Sea World. (not the first place you would think of for a honeymoon, huh?) We had a blast! We decided then that one of these days we would go back once we had kids and they were old enough to enjoy it. We now have a 4 year old little boy and a 1 year old little girl. Thank you Lord for your many blessings!
We spent our honeymoon in Hawaii. We visited 4 of the islands. Absolutely lovely. It is now 19 years and 5 kids later (the last one is still hatching
). I have spent considerable energy balancing the mother and wife thing. Staying lovers has been very important to my husband and I.
Hello girls! Thank you so much for your prayers. I’m home from the hospital and doing well today!
Mark and I camped for our honeymoon. We went to Estes Park, Colorado and the Grand Canyon. It was a fun trip…but I honestly don’t know what we were thinking concerning the camping part!
My husband and I went to Estes Park, CO for our honeymoon. My mom’s cousin has a house there that she let us use for a week. It was great. We hiked a lot and enjoyed our trip. We haven’t been back since but would love to take or kids there some day!
We were thinking of skiing in South America or visiting Europe, but decided to be more economical and stay closer to home instead…we ended up splitting our honeymoon between two places; Niagara Falls and Bermuda … highlights included dining in a hungarian restaurant with violinists, and swimming in a cave!
My husband and I went camping for a week. It was wonderful.
We took a short honeymoon to Branson, MO. It was a fun filled 3 days! We are planning on taking a “second honeymoon” on our 10th anniversary to TN to stay in a cabin and enjoy the mountains!
My husband and I didn’t go on a “honeymoon”. We just went to a resort close to our house for a couple days. It was 4th of July weekend and there was too much traffic for us to get into town so we ended up eating lunch at a Walmart cafeteria! Now every anniversary we joke that we need to go to Walmart for dinner!
My husband and I had started new jobs, so we had a weekend resort honeymoon in St. Petersburg, FL nearby our then hometown of Tampa. We eventually went to the Bahamas. My husband was in the Navy and loves to travel, so each trip we take is always exciting, like another honeymoon–Maui, Mexico, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Paris, London. We had our son later than most couples, and he has been a delight, now 19, and it seems we allowed ourselves to cut back on the traveling part. My husband still loves to travel, and I imagine we will do something very special for our 35th yr. anniversary this year.
How is Jill doing? Please pass along that we are praying for her!
Blessings,
Pearls