Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Getting older

My husband's birthday is coming up, and I am having the hardest damn time finding him a present. I went to the mall yesterday, but I didn't find a single thing I thought he would like. So frustrating.

When we first started dating, he was easy to shop for. Somewhere over the past 10 years, I ran out of gift ideas. I have no freaking clue what he would like. And I am sure he feels the same way about me. I think it is part of the aging process - people just get harder and harder to shop for. Personally, I am no longer interested in material possessions. I just want John to finish household chores. I have been trying to get him to paint the kitchen for my birthday, but he insists that the fumes are too harmful for Izzy and Porgie. I suspect he'll be using this excuse for years.

Typically I wouldn't put so much thought into his gift, but I feel like I need to buy something really great. I didn't buy him a Christmas gift, and my anniversary gift is LAME.

So, I am at a loss. What is the last thing you bought your hubby? Yes, I am totally going to steal your gift idea.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have the absolute best gift idea. I gave it to my husband and I STILL hear about how great it was. We took a picture and people visiting our home ask about it and I get to relive the glory too - and all for $65.

Most smaller regional airports have flight schools in or near them. Most flight schools want to get more students but the tuition is like, $6000. So most flight schools offer an introductory flight lessons for the bargain price of $60 or so. My husband got to actually fly a plane. The plane is like a driver's ed thing, the instructor in the passenger seat still has full control. My husband got to radio the tower, TAKE OFF by himself (!!) and fly around a little. Landing is more difficult, so the instructor took over. We also got a full tour of the flight school because it is supposed to be an intro to the full program.

It was great, I didn't tell him where we were going until we'd driven almost there and started seeing "Airport" signs. He was so surprised. I'm telling you - he STILL talks about it.

Anonymous said...

Here's a list of flight schools in New Jersey. (I think that's where you are - you can search other states too.)
http://www.bestaviation.net/flight_school/new_jersey.asp

And here's one that even talks about the Introductory Lesson. It's $99, but you might be able to call around and find cheaper.
http://www.bestinflight.net/

Anonymous said...

Oh! Here's another one - it's only $69
http://www.princetonairport.com/IntroductoryFlyingLesson.htm

Suz said...

Wow. Anon's idea is so much better than what I got my husband. A suit. His last suit was 10 years old and looked like Hagrid's in Harry Potter. He needed one and we went all out.

Carrie said...

I got my hubby 2 tickets to the professional bull riding competition. He loves to watch it on TV, so when I saw they were coming to the arena near us, I got the tickets and told him I'd really rather not go with him, please take one of your buddies. It was his favorite Christmas present.

Carrie said...

My wedding present to my hubby was an powered hanglider lesson. That rocked. He's still talking about it.

karla said...

Ok, promise not to laugh? You have to promise. Ok, good.

I bought my husband some of these underwear for Christmas.
http://www.aussiebum.com/en/underwear/index.php?modelid=348

The "wonder jock" technology, er, um, really enhances things, and I have yet to meet a man who doesn't want a bigger penis.

Dooneybug said...

My husband loves getting gift certificates for massages. Then I don't have to do it. Ha!

A Mom Two Boys said...

Oh, gifts are so hard. For X-mas I had my husband's new truck spray lined. It was something he was going to do, but could never find the time, so I did it while he was at work one day. He was full of much appreciation. Or golf gift certificates are always good for him. Something to get him out of the house kid-less is always appreciated.

Anth said...

My husband is soon going to get an expensive digital camera. He really wants one that will actually take a picture when he hits the button, as opposed to three seconds later after Baby E has already looked away.

Bon said...

last gifts were...for Christmas, two nights for us in a hotel in a charming city while the fine grandparent folk looked after the child. for birthday, concert tickets and a cd. both hard to do without babysitters, i gotta admit.

Papa Bradstein said...

Mama got me a bike trailer, so 3B can go for rides with us. You know, when the temps are above freezing again. You could get him a paint roller/dropcloth combo gift.

Lainey-Paney said...

digital picture frame?
shop-vac?
(hey---don't knock it....hubby & i really want one...)
some fancy schmancy tool?
I want to get hubby a smoker some day...to smoke turkeys & random meats...

if you want thoughtful: for my wedding gift to hubby I made & framed a penny timeline. It has a '75 penny from when he was born, a '78 penny from when I was born...and then pennies to mark different big occasions like the year we got married, bought our first house, got pregnant w/ Gage, had Gage, got pregnant & lost Masyn....just---our life so far. It looks like something out of a history book, and under each penny, I wrote the significance of that penny/year. Gage's penny branches off to start his own little line on the penny timeline. It's really pretty cool.

Other gift ideas....??
www.redenvelope.com

...all in all...the flight stuff sounds pretty cool...

Shawna said...

For Q's 30th I got him a week-end of motorcycling school. He got to go really fast around a professional race track, he loved it.

Other gifts: massages, gift cards, boxers, watch, Dewalt tools, tool box, pocket knife, DVDs.

Oooh I like Lainey's idea I got my husband a smoker and he loves it because he makes his own jerky.

Hope that helps.

Antropóloga said...

My husband is assigned to get his own presents now. This year for Xmas he got himself one of those clocks that lights up slowly so that he doesn't have to wake up to a jarring alarm in the dark. He loves it since he gets up so early, and I know your husband does too. I can send you a link showing you the clock he got if you want more info.

Or you could get an external hard drive or something like that to store pictures.

Beer of the month club? Some fancy vegan foodstuffs like seitan?

misguidedmommy said...

all weather floor mats and fancy door handle thingies...we are so nerdy. a new ipod with songs from our lives together in it. a snowboarding weekend with the guys, much needed new clothes, a customized sf giants jersey with his name and number. fuck we r lame compared to the above posters

S said...

The flight school is a great idea.

Also, can you get him a gift card to have his car detailed? I'm working on that for J's birthday.

Other than that, the "biggest" thing I bought J is the entire Monty Python DVD collection.

Em said...

I struggle everytime like you and when i do buy him something i always worry hes just been polite. The problem is that if he wants something he will buy it

No idea sorry!

Rachel said...

I am clueless-but my hubby loves stuff for running or stuff for the computer.

Mojavi said...

i bought him a 50 inch plasma tv , with digitak souround sound and a cherry wood tv stand, had the guy come hook it up install it and put a big red bow on it. WHen K came home from work he almost cried!

yeah big I know but he had wanted on for soooo olong I finilly went and got it for him. I think the best part was he didn't have to figure out how to set it up or anything, just came home and propped up with the remote.

Mojavi said...

ooh yeah but the gift he really liked was the calendar I made him for free of Kya at the printer Brothers website. You can make a calendar free print it off! One like you have to pay for at the snapfish sites etc.. I think epson has one too.

Chastity said...

Men are really hard to buy for...

For Christmas, I had my dad make my husband a custom TV cabinet (which y you may have seen on my blog). He also got two sweaters. For his birthday last year, I got him three nerdy magazine subscriptions (Scientific American, Popular Science, and Popular Mechanics).

Greg said...

As a man who likes gifts, I always like gift cards. I would love one to Cabela's. I would love lots of things that gift cards can be used for. I would much rather have the option to find something cool, than have to pretend to like something that I really don't.

Hope this helps.