Tiny is napping and I’m currently plotting (and running out of ideas) for our next Date Night. In doing so, it occurred to me that I started to blog this stuff, then trailed off, and neglected to keep y’all up to speed! So… just in case you were following and thought the challenge had stopped- it has not!- we’re actually doing very well indeed! It’s taken almost a year, but we’re now up to S… that’s 18 different dates, without even leaving the house!

There’s a quick summary below, but go on… married folks, I still challenge you to give it a go! I can testify that we’re in a much better place now than we were before. So go on… What are you waiting for? Much love!

Xx

(You can read The Date Night Challenge, A to D, here).

Now:

E was for…

Encouragement night!

I was pretty impressed with myself for this one to be honest! I wrote out words and starter questions on pieces of scrap paper, (left over from our wedding invitations 10 years ago, would you believe?!), folded them up and put them in a box in the middle of the table. As we ate our (“Economical”) meal, we took turns to choose a word or question and used it to say something good about the other person.

Yup. That’s right. We spent an entire evening eating food from the back of the cupboard, talking each other up and soaking in our own awesomeness… and it was awesome!

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F was for…

Nah nah nah. The first rule of F night is, we do not talk about F night!

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G was for…

Gourmet night!

After a solid run of date nights involving either Take-Away or Freezer Food, I had the strong urge to cook, and to cook fancy! So I went as fancy as I could possibly manage with these new Gourmet creations! On the plus side they looked and tasted fabulous; on the downside, they took so long to cook after the Kids’ tea that we didn’t actually sit down to eat until past ten o clock! As such, Gourmet night, in the end, turned into Getting old night, as we both found our stomachs were no longer able to cope with such rich food past bedtime! Urghh….

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H was for…

Holiday night!

Husband cooked up some of our favourite courses from holidays past, as we flicked through photos, shared memories and dreamt up desirable adventures for the future, (both with and without the kids!) It was a very fun evening remembering very fun times, with the hope of more ahead! Well played.

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I was for …

Well, I was pretty indecent to be absolutely honest, so there are no photos and I’ll move swiftly on!!

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J was for…

The Japanese grill!

Nuff said!

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K was for…

Kicking Ass! (But really, absolutely, not literally!)

We’d had a hard end to a fairly hard year, on reflection, and some things felt a little too out of control. So, this new year date involved working through an excellent email from some very excellent friends with older children, who had rather generously provided some excellent advice and questions for us to ask one another, in order to get our heads around this whole intentional parenting thing once more. As per their advice, we did this with copious amounts of wine and cheese! As per my style, we did it with goals and lists. As per their style, it was indeed excellent. Thank you.

(A worthwhile place to note, perhaps, that wise and willing external supporters are as valuable to a healthy marriage as dating! Who can you turn to for help?)

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L was for…

Lala Land and some Lazy Loves!

Because some nights, pizza and a film is really all it takes!

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M was for….

Monopoly and… Match of the Day!

It was an important game… apparently… and the match wasn’t too bad either!

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N was for…

Nashville!

Ok I know it doesn’t sound all that romantic, but a good boxset has provided us with an awful lot of quality time over the years. Unfortunately, we’re now way too old and encumbered to stay up into the early hours for “just one more episode...”, but Husband signed up to Now TV and we gave the final series of Nashville our best shot.

(Just a shame really that they laid out some potentially deep and meaty storylines for the well-developed characters we had long invested in, only to cut the final series short, abruptly tie up loose ends with unsatisfying conclusions and then wave everyone off with a communal theme tune. Not at all unlike the other show we turned to Now TV for… !!!)

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O was for…

Oils!

Secret: I started training to be a massage therapist before I fell pregnant and gave up. The table and the oils, however, still come out from time to time… and make for a very relaxing date night!

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P was for…

Passover and Pancakes!

This date night fell on Good Friday, which felt a bit odd. However, Husband had it well in hand, with a bit of bread and wine, conversation and prayer; we actually had a really lovely time. I think sometimes, ten years in and “doing Church” as your day job, it can be tempting to forget that Jesus is and always has been at the centre of our marriage. Making time to pray together and share our love of God not only unites and invigorates us, but helps to refocus our attention on who and whose we are.

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Q was for…

... Quiche!!

Oh… yeah. From faith to religion, this cliche clergy spouse home-baked a freaking quiche, and it was beautiful! (There’s just no hope for me now, is there?!)

It was closely followed by a game of Questions and a self-proclaimed Queen of Puddings; which, largely consisting of custard and meringue, completely overdid our capacity for egg and ensured yet another night of indigestion. Will I never learn?!

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R was for…

A romantic restaurant meal… at home, of course! 😉

Owing to the slow and painfully unpredictable growth of teeth, we still don’t feel quite ready to venture out for an entire evening. However, Husband successfully brought the out, in, with this glorious home-cooked three-courser, complete with handwritten menu! Happy wife, happy life!

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Now, where was I?

Oh yes…

Planning something that starts with S!