Blog Posts

How We Came Up With Rehab.

About 6 years ago, my boyfriend, James Schlimmer, had his best friend and his wife over for drinks. At the time, the friend and the wife were having some communication issues. James realized that the night ahead was going to be awkward and stale if his friend and his friend’s wife weren’t on good terms. So what did he do? He broke out a legal pad and a deck of playing cards. On the pad of paper, he wrote down 52 open ended questions that corresponded to the cards on the table. Each “game player” had to pick up a card and answer the question that matched on the pad.

NAPLES, Fla., Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Couples across the U.S. are discovering the secret to falling even more in love (or back in love) with each other. Want to know what it is? A simple, yet effective card game, called Rehab-a couples release™.

About six years ago, real estate executive James P. Schlimmer of Naples, FL, needed a way to help his best friend through some marriage troubles—he and his wife were struggling to communicate healthily and productively. Schlimmer came up with a fairly simple way to change the couple's relationship for the better.

Schlimmer decided to write and number questions such as, "What was the funniest moment of your relationship?" and "Describe the last time you were proud of your partner," on a legal pad of paper to correlate with a deck of cards laid out in the middle of the dining room table. Playing the game helped the couple stop bickering, and start remembering happy moments in their relationship and why they fell in love in the first place. At the end of the evening, his friend's wife told him "I feel like we went to Rehab, you know, couples therapy."

Years went by and Schlimmer kept noticing how many couples could benefit from a PG-rated ice-breaking card game, designed specifically for couples. "I was able to see that most games marketed to couples were raunchy, and did nothing to address the true problem facing couples," said Schlimmer. According to health professionals, lack of communication is the number one reason why relationships fail and leads to 65 percent of all divorces.

It wasn't until Schlimmer mentioned the game to his girlfriend, sports marketer, Ashley Chaffee, that the idea turned into something they could sell—and that people would actually buy. "It was obvious to see that a couples game that had the flexibility to be played at home dinner parties among friends, with in-laws over the holidays, or even one-on-one over a bottle of wine, didn't exist," said Chaffee.  And that's how their card game, Rehab-a couples release™, was born.

How does the game work? There are 52 cards: 48 cards with questions on them and four "social cards" that give the players time to clink glasses, or even share a kiss. Whether you're looking for a relationship fix, or you just want to get to know your partner in a deeper more meaningful way, Rehab-a couples release™ is the bridge to bring you closer.

"With our culture's reliance on texting, smart phones, and tablets. The art of communication, is evaporating," says Chaffee. "Rehab-a couples release™ forces couples to look each other in the eyes, and genuinely interact. "In a way, it is magical to see couples of any age play the game, and over the course of an hour, watch them inch closer and closer together, laugh uncontrollably, and cement their bond."

Your best friends or a couple you are just getting to know moved into a new house/apartment. You want to give them something nice for their new home but the typical plant just won't do. Rehab Gaming has come up with a great gift package that is easy to do and costs under $100.00. An added bonus, the uniqueness of the gift will make a lasting impression for years to come. Here is how to put the gift together:

Start with a box: You will need a sturdy gift box to hold all the essentials. Target has great ones that have some nice design on it so you don't have to wrap it which is key. For a sweet touch, add a large sticker to the cover. A "welcome home" sticker or if you want to get really fancy, you can have their monogram done. That way the can keep the box for a nice storage piece after they use the contents. 

Filler: We used typical shredded filler for our box, but you can use faux flower petals, newspaper clippings from the day they bought their house, or anything that adds some color and protection to the items in the box. 

Gifts: Now to the fun part! Our box contains a bottle of wine, a wine opener, a candle, 'thank you" notes (for them to use after the housewarming party), fancy ballpoint pen, a nice notebook and a deck of Rehab- a couples release. Most of these items can be purchased at Target or your local grocery store. 

An added touch: To make your box really stand out, try to find some local goodies. Go to your local paper merchant and find some unique "thank you" cards and other stationary items. If you have a local winery, go there an pick up a bottle of wine. Try looking for a local soap company to put in a bar of soap/candle. This is especially nice for a couple that may be completely new to the area, you are giving them a piece of the neighborhood. If they have a pet, find some organic pet treats, or make your own! Oh- and don't forget the deck of Rehab- a couples release!

Buying a new home and moving is stressful, your friends will be totally blown away that you took the time to curate this "housewarming party" in a box for them. Ease the stress for them by opening up that bottle of wine and getting to know each other more by playing Rehab- a couples release with them in their new home, it's a night none of you will forget! 

Another Valentine's Day is just around the corner and you'll wait till the last minute to run to the grocery store to pick up flowers, chocolate and a card...right? Why don't you let someone else do the work for you? All you have to do is point, click and pay and they do the rest, plus these gifts are really "outside the box" when it comes to traditional Valentine's Day gifts. Your sweetheart will love them and so will you, here are a few companies we came up with:

For the Ladies:

Crated With Love Monthly Date Box Subscription:

For $19.99 a month, you can receive a monthly date box subscription. These boxes are themed each month to create a spontaneous and unique date night. This is the gift that keeps on giving and your loved one will appreciate the fact that you want to create a date night at least once a month. Get yours here: www.cratedwithlove.com

BOXFOX:

The thing we love about BOXFOX is that you can create your gift box from their array of gift options they have on their website. You pick the ones you want or you buy from one of their curated themes. Once you choose what you want, they pack it and ship it directly to your loved one. Shop now and receive free shipping of your first box with code FREESHIP11 www.shopboxfox.com

For Him

Harry's Truman Shave Set

For $15.00 you can get your man started with Harry's Truman Set which includes:

I don’t know about you, but with the kids and schedules and life in general, it’s hard to do a date night. By the time Friday night comes around, both of us are wiped and the last thing we want to do is get all dolled up for a night on the town. I know from experience, I’d rather go to bed by 8:30! And let’s not even get started on the babysitter issue! Date nights takes work, A LOT OF WORK! Work that, at the end of the day, I really don’t want to put in.

But I do…and its ESSENTIAL to any relationship. Taking the time for just the two of you to reconnect and have a moment away from the kids and schedules and life in general. I’m not saying every date night has to be some extravagant night on the town, but if you are not doing date night at least once a month, you need to start! Couples nowadays get so caught up in life that they forget about each other. They forget that they have a partner to help them through the crap of every day. We have all these things that take our attention away from our relationships that we suffer overall. Married couples become “roommates” instead of lovers, we lose the spark if we don’t take the time and the effort to invest in our relationship.

Date night is one of those tools that helps us reinvest in our relationship.  It helps us generate the spark and keep the intimacy going and if you aren’t doing it, I encourage you to start today. Here are some ideas to help you get the date night going:

-Dinner and a movie

-Night out for drinks

-Go to a local concert

-If you live by the beach, have a picnic at sunset

-Do a night in without the kids there, where you rent your favorite movie, open a bottle of wine, and play a couple’s game

-Go for a scenic drive

-Try something that neither of you have never done

Your relationship with thank you. Your intimacy level will increase and you will have a new level of respect since you both took the time to MAKE TIME for each other. I hope this helps!