All work and no play make hubby something something
August 12, 2010 12:23 PM   Subscribe

Help me put together a care package for my overworked husband.

For the next two months, the mister is going to be in the office 12 - 14 hours a day. I'd like to put together a care package for him, but I've run out of ideas of things to put in it. So far, I have bottles of Alleve and Pepsid, air freshener (this was needed last year, trust me), a pound of his favorite coffee, and snacks. What other things will help make the corporate grind a bit more bearable for him?
posted by Ruki to Grab Bag (18 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
Little notes from you. Either hidden in stuff, or with the date to be opened written on the envelope.

If it were me, I'd also want little sexy notes from you as well. Telling me, for instance, how you were going to take care of me when I got home. Assuming you were really going to take care of me, of course.
posted by Netzapper at 12:27 PM on August 12, 2010


Notes from you for different moments--i.e., a sealed note for "Feeling Stressed" or "Tired" or "Stir Crazy." When he hits that low moment when he's totally stressed out (or whatever), he opens the card to find a little message from you that says you believe in him and he's doing great work and you miss him etc. Replenish as needed--hopefully he doesn't go through all of them on the first day!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:27 PM on August 12, 2010 [4 favorites]


Will he be chained to a desk? How about a foot massaging pillow?
posted by dogmom at 12:29 PM on August 12, 2010


Some cubical toys from a place like ThinkGeek, maybe? Depends on his work and his geek-level.

Or maybe a reminder of why he's working so hard... pics of the kids, a vacation you'll take or some naughty adult time you'll promise him when it's over... stuff like that keeps me motivated through work stress.
posted by Hugh2d2 at 12:29 PM on August 12, 2010


How about one of those squeeze balls to relieve stress or some other toy he can absentmindedly play with while he thinks?

Does your husband work in an office or cubicle? Personally, I greatly dislike wearing shoes and I also love to pace. I got myself some comfy slippers to wear while still looking mostly professional.
posted by vilandra at 12:31 PM on August 12, 2010


A bottle of scotch? Oh, was this for at the workplace? Well then, a bottle of scotch, unless he's operating heavy machinery.
posted by TheBones at 12:36 PM on August 12, 2010


Framed photo of the two of you/the family. Also a wallet-sized boudoir shot of you, so long as he's not prone to losing his wallet.
posted by griphus at 12:45 PM on August 12, 2010


How about toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth and face wash? Things that will allow him to freshen up and feel human again. I know sometimes when I am having a late night at work all I want is to brush my teeth, splash some water on my face, and brush my hair.
posted by coupdefoudre at 12:45 PM on August 12, 2010


Neck massager pillow and/or back massager insert for chair. for relieving stiffness after sitting (hunched over at computer/working?) all that time.

Can you slip notes into his briefcase/lunch/whatever the night before, too?
posted by galadriel at 12:50 PM on August 12, 2010


I wouldn't claim to spend 12-14 hours in my office, but I do spend some time there :).
I echo the cube toy comment. I find that Bucky Balls are fun to play with as isSmart Mass Thinking Putty.

If he is doing something where he has to wait for a process (e.g. a compile) to finish, little short games are fun. I especially like the puzzles at Conceptis since you can pick them up and put them down. They changed to a pay site a while back -- if he might enjoy something like that, you could get him a bunch of points.
posted by elmay at 12:56 PM on August 12, 2010


a spices basket (old bay, mrs. dash, etc) to keep at his desk so he can flavor his food at midnight. real knife/fork/spoon wrapped in a placemat tied with a ribbon.
posted by UltraD at 12:57 PM on August 12, 2010


Nthing notes. There is just something awesome about an unexpected note from the spouse letting me know that she loves me!

You could pick up an inexpensive MP3 player and give him a "mix tape" of stuff that might relax or alternatively motivate him. Steal it at night and switch out the songs periodically.
posted by quin at 1:19 PM on August 12, 2010


Personally, I think that nerf guns are the solution to many of life's problems.

I think that one of the nicest things you could do for him would be to pack him lunch and dinner as much as humanly possible. If this isn't possible a gift certificate to local delivery food would be wonderful.

If he likes the idea of massage, schedule him an appointment for a weekend or other available time.

If he's working in a fluorescent lit hell, you could find him a lamp with more a more natural light spectrum, a bottle of vitamin D, and a small plant that might survive.
posted by sciencegeek at 1:43 PM on August 12, 2010


Things I've gotten/done for my husband at work:

1. Calendars with pictures of things he loves, like cats, jazz musicians, gardens, Escher, Frida Kalo

2. A pretty square wooden pencil/pen holder with a nice photo of us together on one side. Most of the digital photo websites have products like those.

3. Arranged for flower delivery, plant delivery

4. Had chocolate covered berries delivered

5. Cute/funny ecards

6. Also send along really, really funny web stuff. Maybe once very two weeks.

7. Fantastic quality ear buds for his Ipod when his coworker's chat was making him crazy.

Consider some away or return from work treats too, like massages, quick meetup with you for appetizers/drink, an unexpected date evening.
posted by bearwife at 1:46 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Eye drops, hand wipes, gum, clean socks, floss. Seconding spices (herbal sea salt, soy sauce if there is a fridge, mini pepper mill) and real knife and fork. A nice sharp little knife is good too as work places usually only have crap, dull bread knives. Ear plugs would be nice. Mints. A book for commutes. A travel mug for coffee that you clean every night and set out for him.

Oh wait, this is my dream care package.
posted by KathyK at 3:09 PM on August 12, 2010


Paper plates, plastic tableware, paper napkins and campground-style salt and pepper shaker. (Although concur with KathyK's note to get him a handy little paring knife.) A pair of slippies to keep his feet toasty and comfy under his desk. Tea, if he likes it, and a special coffee cup. You can get one personalized to say I Am A God Among Men or something you actually find amusing.

Hot sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, condiments that are nice to have in the desk that make a cruddy lunch a teeny bit your own.

A hit list of time suck quick entertainment websites for when he needs stress reduction. Fizzy water.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:56 PM on August 12, 2010


Also, after a long, tough day -- sometimes a person needs to be quiet for a while and while you might be psyched to see them they kind of just want to sit in a dark room and space out on the internet for half an hour or so. It's nothing personal (happens around here on both sides occasionally)--sometimes you just need to feel some cool dead air around you for a bit.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:58 PM on August 12, 2010


Response by poster: Thanks, everyone, these are some great ideas. I've been trying to make this as easy as I can for him (taking over his share of the chores at home, making sure he gets his down time, offering to make dinners on the weekend that he can just heat up when he gets home during the week, etc). He's working close enough that I can bring him coffee on occasion, so I thought this would be a nice thing to give him with a big iced coffee.
posted by Ruki at 8:35 PM on August 12, 2010


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