Project Date Night '16: February

For Valentine's Day, we typically prefer to skip the crowds, stay in and spend some quiet time together in the comfort of our own home. We introverts are like two peas in a pod.

This year, we had the added "blessing" of a gut-healing special diet program on top of my usual food allergies, so eating out wasn't an option for us anyway (as well as chocolate, dessert and candy of any type being off limits).

Décor
Have you ever heard of doing a "heart attack" on Valentine's day? Apparently it's similar to a "Ding Dong Ditch" except for Valentine's Day. In a "heart attack" you secretly put heart shapes somewhere near or on the unsuspecting victim's house/car/office/door/etc. I'd never heard of it before, but it sounded like fun.  I "heart attacked" our bedroom door with these heart shaped "I love you because..." tags (they're supposed to be attached to balloons, but I used them in my own way) and also made some paper "conversation hearts" with colored cardstock and a sharpie marker.

Project Date Night

Happy New Year, everyone!!  I decided not to do "resolutions" per se this year. Instead, I'm going to do a monthly post on a date night in order to keep me accountable.  Spoiler alert: January's date was a fail... not to epic proportions, but let's just say it didn't go as I'd planned. Stay tuned for that post, if you're interested.

I've said a lot on this blog about the importance of dating your spouse. I still believe that! It does, however, get exponentially harder to do when you have a small child at home (especially if you're nursing), and we've been very lax about dates this past year and a half.  Some families in this situation choose to forego couples only dates and do family outings instead, but I feel that we already do enough family outings and want to make sure M and I get some alone time once a month to connect as adults and spouses, not just parents.

So, Project Date Night, here we come.  Each month, I will post about what we did for a date that month.  Some will be an activity or date "out", some will be a simpler activity or date night "in". Some will be expensive, some will be frugal. Some will be successful, some will flop miserably, I'm sure.

So bear with me!  While I'm doing this more for us than anyone, I do hope that my readers will gain some fresh date ideas to use in strengthening their own relationships.

Here's to building better marriages, one date at a time!

Reflection: Getting My Priorities Straight

I've been reading and studying through "Lies Women Believe (and the truth that sets them free)" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  You may remember me mentioning this in a previous post and yes... I'm still only halfway though the study.

Today's chapter focused on a lie that many women believe... in fact, many women I know personally have fallen into this trap:  believing that the title, "Wife" or "Mother" is somehow less important than career and looking down on those women that choose make the wife/mother role a priority.

Date Night: Mystery Box[ers] Date

I came across a "Sock Date" idea on the Dating Divas website and thought the idea behind it was pretty clever.  In that situation, the husband used funky socks for his wife... since I'm the one planning the date for the Hubby, I used something that's become our sort of inside joke over the last two years - boxers!

The night before our date, I gave him 4 pairs of boxers and

Dating Your Spouse

The Hubby and me enjoying a picnic 
dinner at the beach

I realize 2 years of marriage does not make me an expert on relationships, but I know personally the power of dating your spouse. 

Let's face it. Life is rough. Life is demanding. On an average day, the average female has about 20 things going on all at once - more like 50 things going on at once if you have children.  I don't at this point, but between working full time and home responsibilities, not to mention taking a few classes... I'm pretty busy all the time.  Add the Hubby's grad classes and full time job to the mix and I wonder when we ever have time to see each other.

Many couples struggle with making their relationships work in the face of everyday stressors (like demanding jobs or a tight budget).  Add the constant time and energy drain of grad school and even fewer couples are keeping their relationships afloat.  If that's you, I feel your pain.  Been there! Am there!

Here's the good news... by making your relationship with your spouse a priority, you are investing in your future.

Commitment... And Everything That Goes With It

Photo Credit: Chicoine Photography & Design

Anniversaries inspire reflection for me.  I sit and reflect on the many blessings in my life and I think about how different my life would have been if I had not married M.  He is truly my perfect counterpart and I could not have asked for a better husband. 

Commitment is a common theme in books, videos and song lyrics - whether it's securing commitment, seeking commitment, or the breach of commitment - it's everywhere!