Posts filed under 'Get out of the Doghouse'
Ever since the dawn of time, people (mostly men) have been in the doghouse. Imagine how much trouble Adam would have been in if he had not eaten that apple! He might have had to spend the night (or several) in the dogasaurus cave! But that’s another story….
For as long as I can remember, people (mostly men) have been coming into my florist and saying “Help, I’m in the doghouse.” In fact, I can remember the very first time a customer said that to me, I replied, “No problem, we specialize in doghouse repairs.”
And so began what would one day become a national holiday. Now Get out of the Doghouse DAy is not really a celebration. I mean how could it be? Its more of an observance. Because most of the time people (mostly men) are looking for something to “smooth things over.” While flowers can certainly help get back in the intended’s good graces, it is easier to be forgiven when the offender is remorseful, sincere and he (or she) ads a dash of romance.
Now, I’m not suggesting you BEG Forgiveness (unless the situation warrants it), I am suggesting that bringing home a bouquet and being open to talking it out will give you a better chance of “getting out of the doghouse.”
In 2002 my staff and I conducted a survey and a majority of women said that although they preferred to talk about their troubles, they also thought flowers were a romantic way to ask for forgiveness. For men the answer was much simpler. They prefer make-up sex. Maybe adding a petals around the house and on the bed would satisfy both!
So next time you are in the doghouse think of flowers as a start… flowers suggest romance and let’s face it, romance is what most people (mostly women) really want.
So next time you are in the doghouse, bring home a bouquet and a willingness to talk things out and you could find yourself out of the doghouse and back in the Main House.
And remember, Eden Florist specializes in “doghouse repairs.”
To read some fun doghouse stories visit: http://www.tulipstalk.com/category/doghouse-stories/
To submit YOUR Doghouse Story (and enter our doghouse competition) visit: http://tulipstalk.com/DoghouseSurvey.pdf.
July 19th, 2009
PUT ON A HAPPY FACE… by Dana Wilson
“One Halloween after taking my daughter trick or treating, the doorbell rang. It was very late and I couldn’t imagine children still being out at that time of night “trick or treating.” I said, ‘who is it?’ The voice on the other side of the door said, ‘it’s my birthday.” I opended the door and there HE stood. My boyfriend with an open ‘trick or treat’ bag and this angry scowl on his face.” I just stood there trying to look happy to see him. I was, but I was also upset. You see, I had forgotten his birthday! After what seemed like an eternity ….I put on a Happy Face. He still wasn’t smiling back so I said to him “you look so cute when your angry.” I filled his bag with candy, said Happy Birthday, and finally got a smile out of him! Although he was upset for a while, my sense of humor and sincere regret sure helped to get me out of the doghouse!” (submitted by Dana Wilson – Milwaukee, WI)
Have a great story to share? Take the Get Out of the Doghouse survey: http://tulipstalk.com/DoghouseSurvey.pdf
Check out the Doghouse Survey Press Release and 2009 Contest http://www.edenflorist.com/article_info.php?articles_id=37
July 18th, 2009
My Love for a Set of Teeth by John MacNanamee
“When I first met my wife, I was a wild and crazy guy – into motorcycles. She was (and still is) the complete opposite. She is always well dressed and me, well let’s just say that most of the time, there’s dirt under my fingernails. When she finally decided she would go out with me, I picked her up on my ‘chopper’ (motorcycle), which did not impress her any. The date didn’t go too well; we ran out of gas about a mile away from her home and she had to help me push it to a gas station. Then we got back on the chopper to go out and the front pipe came off, shot a flame and caught my pants leg on fire. To top it off, I took her to a biker bar and she freaked out. In order to get her to go out with me again and stay together, she said I needed to get a driver’s license, get a job and get a set of front teeth! So that’s how I got out of the doghouse with her.”
Ps. “We’ve been together 25 years (dated for 3, engaged for 18 and married for 4) They say that opposites attract, I guess it’s true! (submitted by John MacNanamee – Pembroke Pines, FL)
Read our story: Women Want Flowers Men Want Sex – Doghouse Survey Says http://www.edenflorist.com/article_info.php?articles_id=36
Order flowers at Eden Florist – http://www.edenflorist.com/index.php?cPath=9_18
July 18th, 2009
This Story was submitted to Eden Florist by someone who took our original “Doghouse Survey”. (names were withheld at writers requests – and to protect the innocent)
Forget Me Not AGAIN! by Inez M.
“My husband usually gets in the doghouse when he forgets my birthday or our anniversary. He usually remembers a day or two later when someone reminds him! That’s okay, though because he generally makes it up to me by sending me two dozen of biggest, most beautiful, fabulous red roses! Big red roses always do it for me!
And he gets something special in return! My good mood!” (Submitted by Inez M. – Miami Beach, FL)
Read Top Ten Ways to Stay out of The Doghouse: http://www.edenflorist.com/article_info.php?articles_id=35
July 18th, 2009
I Left My Heart For San Francisco by Marie
“I was engaged to this guy and we had set up a joint savings account. One day I decided I wanted to go to San Francisco, so I took money out of our joint account and went on a trip. When I got back, he was really mad at me and wouldn’t talk for two weeks. To punish me, he wouldn’t take me anywhere, we just stayed home. He made me promise never to do that again, but after that our relationship just went downhill. He never really trusted me again and I thought if he’s going to act like this before we get married, what’s it going to be like after? So you could say, I got out of the doghouse when I got out of the relationship. It turned out to be less than I hoped for, you really learn a lot about someone when money is an issue. I am just glad I found out before we got married.” (submitted by Marie in Miramar, FL)
Take the Get Out of the Doghouse survey: http://tulipstalk.com/DoghouseSurvey.pdf
July 18th, 2009
This Story was submitted to Eden Florist by someone who took our original “Doghouse Survey”. (names were withheld at writers requests – and to protect the innocent).
How Green is My “Dog” House by Paul L.
“My wife loves growing things and has been ‘hinting’ that she really wanted a greenhouse. I told her it would take up too much room, that it was too big. After all, 30 feet by 20 feet is a little bit much. She was not happy with that answer and as a result has not been as friendly toward me lately. One day while walking along Las Olas Blvd I stopped at one of those gift shops. Inside was a miniature greenhouse with real plants in it. I bought it for her and brought it home. Needless to say, she was very happy. And so am I, because it only takes up 30 inches by 20 inches! The irony is that when we were first married (20+ years ago) I wanted a biclycle that we couldn’t really afford. We had other priorities, like food, rent, electric…. That Christmas she bought me a miniature bicycle for our Christmas tree. I got my bicycle and she got her greenhouse. Relationships are full of compromise. In order to stay out of the Doghouse, one must know when and how to compromise.” – Paul L. – Miami, Florida
For more great fun read our the Doghouse Survey Results at http://www.tulipstalk.com/results-of-the-doghouse-survey/
July 18th, 2009
Men can’t help themselves!
“My boyfriend and I had a huge fight the other day. We had gone to a party with some friends and there was this woman there who had obviously had breast surgery. I didn’t know they made them that big and apparently neither did my boyfriend. Anyway, he couldn’t take his eyes off her chest and to make matters worse, he walked over to her to get a closer view. I was furious! We didn’t talk the whole way home. He slept on the couch that night. The next day, when I got home from work, there were cutout footprints taped to the floor leading to the bedroom. On the nightstand were a dozen long stemmed roses and a bottle of champagne. Over the bed was a sign that said, “I am sorry , will you please forgive me?” He was lying in the bed and wearing one of those plastic “boobie” costume. I laughed so hard, that I had to give in. Men really can’t help themselves. Hey, I looked too!”
- Jenny, Cincinnati, Ohio
Relationships are a puzzle
“After a particularly big fight, I decided that just saying “I’m sorry” wasn’t going to be enough. I took a picture of myself holding a sign that said I’m sorry and I love you. I cut up the picture and sent it to him with a note that said, “Relationships can be such a puzzle sometime. Put this one together to reveal the message. He called me when he put it together and said “I hate it when we fight. I love you, will you marry me?” That was eight years ago and we now have two children, a dog, a parakeet and live in the suburbs.”
- G. Ross, Philadelphia, PA
The way to a man’s heart…
“When we first got married, we bought a brand-new car which was the car my husband usually drove. He was a salesman and needed it for business so I got to drive the pickup truck. On Saturdays and Sundays I got to drive it. The second Sunday I drove it, I wrecked it. I knew he was going to be really mad because he had to leave early the next morning. He was! We rented a car from one of those el cheapo car places (the only place we could find open). When he left I went to the florist and ordered a bunch of I’m sorry and I love you balloons to send to him at work. He was soooooooo embarrassed, but it did soften him up a little. It didn’t hurt that I had dinner waiting and greeted him wearing only a bow tie and served him bow-tie pasta. We had dessert in bed. Needless to say, he didn’t stay mad. This is now a ritual and whenever one of us gets in the doghouse, the other gets to do the cookin’…”
- Donna, Zion, Ill
To read more stories, visit: https://www.edenflorist.com/doghousestories.asp
Enter our Get out of the Doghouse Contest
To order flowers, visit Eden Florist
July 27th, 2008
And the Survey Said…
These are the results of the “Get Out of the Doghouse” Survey. They are based upon more than 1,000 responses received.
| Between ages of: |
Women |
Men |
| |
| 15-25 |
16% |
13% |
| 26-35 |
29% |
32% |
| 36-50 |
34% |
32% |
| 51+ |
16% |
20% |
| No answer |
5% |
3% |
| |
| Ethnicity: |
|
| African American |
20% |
16% |
| Caucasian |
38% |
46% |
| Hispanic |
30% |
30% |
| Other |
8% |
6% |
| No answer |
4% |
2% |
| |
| Frequency: |
|
| More often |
8% |
38% |
| Less often |
61% |
35% |
| About the same |
13% |
22% |
| Never |
19% |
7% |
| |
| Men and women differ on the tactics they use to “Get Out of the Doghouse.” |
| |
| |
Women |
Men |
| |
| Communicate/Apologize |
37% |
30% |
| Buy Flowers |
5% |
28% |
| Cook |
16% |
5% |
| Sex |
11% |
8% |
| Other |
34% |
29% |
For women, “other” included wearing something sexy, spray his favorite perfume on the phones and all through the house, buy him a romantic car, let him watch his favorite TV show, let time pass, do something he wants, tell him how cute his is when he’s angry.
For men, “other” included write her a poem, make her a bubble bath, do what she wants to do, take her to dinner, a movie, night on the town, give her a massage, and “beg” for forgiveness.
There’s still time to enter our contest
And order flowers!
July 25th, 2008
Top 10 Ways to Stay Out of the Doghouse
10. Always remember, a closed mouth gathers no foot.
9. When your significant other says he/she’s upset, never answer with “You’re overreacting.”
8. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.
7. During a disagreement, never nod and start looking at your watch.
6. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
5. If someone has to get the “last word,” let it be the other person.
4. Follow the Platinum Rule – Treat your significant other the way they want you to treat them, only better.
3. Say “I Love You” on a regular basis.
2. Always remember birthdays, anniversaries, valentine’s day, and other important dates.
1. Send flowers for no special occasion.
Be sure to enter our Get Out of the Doghouse Contest!
And even if you aren’t in the Doghouse ~ be sure to order flowers from Eden Florist.
July 23rd, 2008
Women Want Flowers, Men Want Sex…
By Heidi Richards Mooney
So says the survey in recognition of National Doghouse Repairs Month® and National Get out of the Doghouse Day® we conducted at Eden Florist & Gift Baskets in Miramar, Florida. According to the survey “talking it out” is still the best way that men and women get out of the doghouse. However, when it came to individual responses, they each had very different answers and strategies for settling their differences, some more creative than others. One woman responded, “that’s easy, women want flowers, men want sex!”
Of the 1,000+ men and women surveyed, men between the ages of 26 and 50 said they were in the doghouse more often than their significant other. Most men said they were in the doghouse an average of 4 to 6 times a year compared to women who responded once a year or less. While the results may not be surprising to some, (many women thought it was obvious that “men are in the doghouse more often than women“) men say that sometimes they don’t even know how they got there in the first place!
My staff and I found it entertaining and fun to discover what lengths people would go to get out of the doghouse. For example, some of the responses men gave were to “buy her flowers, a card, jewelry or something expensive; beg like a dog; cook her dinner; and even apologize.” Some men think they are always in the doghouse, and a few even answered that they are never in the doghouse. The ones who said never, also admitted that they had been in several relationships and had learned from their past mistakes.
To read the rest of the article, visit: https://www.edenflorist.com/doghousearticle.asp
July 22nd, 2008