Project 52: Date Nights

Archive for the ‘Project 52: Date Nights’ Category

Project 52: Date Nights Made Famous

In Featured, Project 52: Date Nights on March 12, 2010 at 9:00 am

That’s right you participants of Project 52: Date Nights. You’re famous now. Remember a few weeks ago I talked about having a phone interview on TV with KSL Studio 5? They are a lifestyle TV show in Utah. Anyway, they were kind enough to send me a DVD of the show and gave me permission to post it on SMM. Many of you weren’t able to watch it since you are not in Utah, myself included. And many of you have been asking for a clip of the interview. So here it is. Boy, was I glad that it was just a phone interview. You only have to listen to how nervous I was and not have to watch it. This is exactly why I never went into broadcast journalism. I am not cut out for TV. And don’t worry, it’s just a 4 minute video. Thanks KSL Studio 5 for having me and allowing me to share Project 52: Date Nights with your viewers.

I also wanted to thank a few bloggers who recently featured Simply Modern Mom on their sites such as Baby Cheapskate, Craft Gossip, U Create, Mod Podge Rocks and Ohdeedoh here and here. Then yesterday I guest blogged at Create Studio.

But most of all, I just cannot express in words how grateful I am for my readers and followers. Thank you for all your emails. Thank you for sending me pictures of things you have made from my tutorials and things inspired by something on SMM. Thank you for your questions, comments and words of encouragement. And thank you for telling your friends and family about SMM. I really do believe I have the best readers in blogland. I love that you share your ideas and tips. This is exactly what I wanted… an active community of modern moms. We have so much to learn from each other.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! xoxo

» Tell me… Have you been on TV before? What was your experience like?

Tags

dates, marriage, video

▶ 6 Comments

Project 52: Cookie Cook-Off

In Food, Project 52: Date Nights on March 9, 2010 at 9:00 am

Date night continued even though I felt the on-coming of a cold Friday night. Once again, it was my turn to plan. We called our neighbor Mike and had him come over with his girlfriend for a double date. Mike is the best neighbor anyone could ask for. We try to do something with him every once in a while. Lesson #1: Date nights is not only for strengthening relationships with your significant other. It can also be used to strengthen friendships, too.

My idea for date night: A cookie cook-off. We flipped through cookbooks and picked out simple cookie recipes to try. It was us against them. Nathan and Tiffany… butterscotch oatmeal cookies. Mike and girlfriend… peanut butter pecan cookies. It was fun as the ladies read recipe instructions while then gentlemen baked. It was also fun to observe how other couples worked together. Neither Mike or his girlfriend bake much. So they were learning new skills. They did so well. Lesson #2: We can learn about relationships by observing other couples.

We had a great time eating cookie dough. Then eating baked cookies. And talking for the rest of the night. There was some friendly trash talking. And since everyone was so nice, we called it a tie. Of course we had to send them home with some cookies because we didn’t need over three dozen cookies in our house. Lesson #3: Overload of cookies = not good for my summer shape.

Nathan said: The cookies were good but I was more excited about the full glass of whole milk to dunk them in! Not the most healthy date we’ve had but it was fun and we enjoyed some friendly banter with our neighbors.

» Tell me… Did you have a fun date night last weekend? And which cookie would you pick to be the winner? Butterscotch oatmeal or peanut butter and pecans? Want to join Project 52: Date Night? Awesome! Start anytime. Go here for details about the project and print the pledge.

If you link up and don’t see your link on there, refresh the page. If it is still not there, try it again. If it gets on there twice by accident, I can always delete the second one. When you link up, please remember…

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

<a href="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/category/project-52/" mce_href="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/category/project-52/" title="Project 52: Date Nights Index"><img src="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/p52-badge.gif" mce_src="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/p52-badge.gif" alt="Project 52: Date Nights logo"/></a>

Tags

cooking, dates, marriage

▶ 13 Comments

Project 52: Graham Crackers, Conversations & Massage

In Project 52: Date Nights on March 2, 2010 at 10:00 am

For this date night, Nathan wanted to focus on me and what I liked. He called it, “All about you date”. Isn’t he sweet?! Lesson #1: Marry up.

Nathan gave me a choice of ice cream of graham crackers for dessert. I went with graham crackers because we had crepes for dinner and that was sweet too. Between graham crackers and ice cream, graham crackers had less sugar. I can only handle so much sugar in one day. And we ate graham crackers the way my dad taught me when I was a little girl. Dunking them into a glass of milk. Lesson #2: Sugar is not a good way to get energized.

Eating graham crackers gave us the opportunity to chat. We were both so busy last week we didn’t see much of each other. I missed him dearly by Friday. We kept talking for another couple hours, long after the last of the graham cracker crumbs. Then he offered to give me a massage to work out the knots in my shoulders. Aaahh, that was much needed. Lesson #3: A scheduled date night was what we needed to catch up with each other. Thanks date night!

Nathan said: This date turned out pretty good. I’m amazed by how a simple date of eating graham crackers and talking can be so pleasant. It was nice to catch up with Tiffany and what her and the girls have been up to this week. It is always an adventure. I’m also glad that Tiffany gets to plan the dates for March.

» Tell me… What did you do for your date last week? Want to join Project 52: Date Night? Awesome! Start anytime. Go here for details about the project and print the pledge.

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

Tags

dates, marriage

▶ 10 Comments

Project 52: Belated Valentine & Yahtzee

In Project 52: Date Nights on February 23, 2010 at 9:00 am

This week’s date was split into two parts. Since we were snowed in last weekend (Valentine’s Day weekend) we celebrated V-day on Monday. We went back to our original Valentine’s date plan of going out to eat and having my parents babysit. Yes, it’s nice having my parents nearby. Lesson #1: Better late than never, right?

For our night out, we ate at Red Lobster. Courtesy of Nathan’s sister who sent us gift cards to Red Lobster for Christmas. I can have seafood all day, even if it’s Red Lobster. I spent most of my childhood on islands that had fresh seafood available. Then walked around Target and Kohl’s. Got home in time to put the kiddos to bed. Lesson #2: Even though Nathan dreads retail stores, he was willing to go with me. That’s love.

Then Friday rolled around, we were in the routine of doing date nights on Fridays that we spent some time playing a few games of Yahtzee after the girls went to bed. I won. Then he won. We called it good. Lesson #3: Now that we are week 8 of 52 of Project 52: Date Nights, it is becoming a habit. Yay!

Nathan said: The Valentine’s Day dinner was a nice break from the stay-at-home dates. It was refreshing to get out of the house without the kids and go to dinner on our own schedule. I’m thankful the V-day date counted as a date because thinking and planning dates is more work than I expected. Game night was fun and I was amazed at how many games of Yahtzee we’ve played over the years. At least a hundred games!

» Tell me… How was your date night last week? I want to read all about it by commenting or linking to your website. Want to join Project 52: Date Night? That’s great! Start anytime. Go here for details about the project and print the pledge.

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

Tags

dates, marriage

▶ 8 Comments

Project 52: Snow Date

In Food, Project 52: Date Nights on February 16, 2010 at 9:00 am

It probably happened to you, too. I felt bad. It was Valentine’s Day weekend. Nathan had planned for us to go out for dinner and to watch a high school basketball game. We even had babysitters. But then this happened Friday afternoon…

Plans ruined by weather once again. It came down so fast, we were showered with four inches of snow in four hours. I haven’t seen snow like this in the South before. And because we live in the South, everything was closed due to snow. No one can drive in this condition. Since we were snowed in, Nathan came up with a last-minute date. Lesson #1: Even his dates fall through sometimes.

Nathan’s plan B: Watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. And what else to do with all this snow than to make snow ice cream. Lesson #2: Make the best of weather conditions by eating it.

It was a nice relaxing date. It was exactly what I needed because it had been a busy week. And the best part? I just sat there and stared at the TV snuggling next to Nathan. I didn’t do anything else. That rarely happens. I am not one who just watches TV. I am a multi-tasker. Lesson #3: It’s nice to veg out in front of the TV every once in a while.

Nathan said: I was taken back by the snow and had to scramble to come up with something for our date. I think from now on I’ll have a backup date just in case something like this comes up unexpectedly. That said, I really enjoyed watching the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. I grew up in the northwest and have been to Vancouver a couple of times so it was cool to have the Olympics there. I also enjoy watching Olympic events such as snowboarding and speed skating. A relaxing night snuggling with Tiffany and small chit chat was very nice.

How about you? Did the weather affect your date? Tell me about it… If you link up and don’t see your link on there, refresh the page. If it is still not there, try it again. If it gets on there twice by accident, I can always delete the second one. Want to join Project 52: Date Night? That’s great! Start anytime. Go here for details about the project and print the pledge. When you link up, please remember…

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

Tags

cooking, dates, marriage

▶ 14 Comments

Project 52: Bucket List

In Project 52: Date Nights on February 9, 2010 at 9:00 am

First, I want to welcome all the new couples joining us for Project 52: Date Nights! And thanks everyone for telling your friends and family about this great cause… improving our relationships with the one we love. If you are joining Project 52: Date Nights, please view some of our past dates and meet other couples who are participating by clicking at the linking party after each post. Then please link your date each week. I sincerely love reading about your dates. I visit each link and comment on your blogs. And if you have a private blog or simply don’t have one, then comment and tell us about your dates each week. Or even email me tiffany {at} simplymodernmom {dot} com. I am so inspired by all of your stories.

Moving on. About our date. Boy, am I relieved that it is Nathan’s month to plan it. It is one less thing for me to worry about this month. I just show up. Great. Plus I was afraid Nathan might get sick my dates because they were let’s-talk-about-this dates. You know guys. They don’t always want to talk. Lesson #1: Taking turns planning dates allow each person to plan activities they enjoy doing.

Nathan thought the bucket list idea might be fun. Not so much thinking about when we’ll kick the bucket. But more on the idea of discussing our dreams and planning experiences. Few things on the list we all ready knew about each other. Others were new. Lesson #2: Even though we have been together for over 6 years, we still had new things to learn about each other.

By looking at the pictures of our bucket lists, did you learn something about us? He is logical. I am creative. We work well together with that. Lesson #3: We don’t have to be exactly the same to be good together. In fact, we use our differences to strengthen each other.

Nathan said: I chose the easy route this week with a date from Tiffany’s date ideas list. I thought this would be a good way for me to ease into the date planning. It wasn’t bad at all! It was actually kinda fun to spruce up the house, get everything clean and orderly making it a little more special than just another night around the house. It was fun to get to know each other better and find out what values and experiences we want before, you know, we kick the bucket.

Now time for you to link up your date. Read the rules below. And if you link up and don’t see your link on there, refresh the page. If it is still not there, try it again. If it gets on there twice by accident, I can always delete the second one. Want to join Project 52: Date Night? That’s great! Start anytime. Go here for details about the project and print the pledge.

When you link up, please remember…

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

Tags

dates, marriage

▶ 6 Comments

Project 52: Caramel Fondue & Recipe

In Food, Project 52: Date Nights on February 2, 2010 at 9:00 am

Nathan, Mike & Mike's girlfriend (who also lives in our neighborhood)

First 5 weeks of date nights done. That’s an accomplishment. Give yourself a pat on the back. I’m just glad that Nathan will be in charge of next month. It’s hard work coming up with a different idea week after week. Although, I hope you didn’t miss my guest post at The Mother Huddle where I listed 16 at-home date ideas. Yup. Four months worth of date ideas.

This week, we had to rearrange our date night. We scheduled Elle’s little family birthday party for Friday night (our regular date night) because all those invited guests had previous engagements Saturday night. Luckily, we didn’t have anything planned for Saturday night so that’s when we had our date. Lesson #1: Sometimes we do have to work around other people’s schedules and not just our own.

The day of our date, I still had no clue what I was going to do. I spent the entire week planning and putting together Elle’s birthday party. I also had a meeting Saturday morning. So it came down to the last minute, when I was making dinner. I pulled out our rice cooker that sat next to our fondue pot. Ta-da! We called our neighbor Mike and invited him and his girlfriend over for a double date fondue style. Lesson #2: Inspiration for date ideas can come from anywhere.

I concocted a caramel fondue from a caramel sauce recipe my best friend, Julia, gave me. Caramel because I don’t like chocolate. No, really. It’s true. I am a chocolate hater. The recipe is actually for a caramel sauce to drizzle over cakes. I took the recipe, added a personal Tiffany Bird touch and used it for fondue. Can’t have fondue without great conversations. We had exactly that. Then we played Super Mario Brothers on the Wii. It was so fun. Highly recommended – caramel fondue and Super Mario Brothers. Lesson #3: Keep trying. After attempting to play the Wii for date night two other times, third time was the charm.

Nathan said: It has been a long time since we had a fondue night. We used to have fondue a lot while we were both in school. It was fun to involve another couple in our date night and we have some great neighbors! Fondue is all about eating and chatting so it makes a great date and gives you time to decompress from a busy week. Now I need to figure out what we are going to do for the next date night.

What? What was that? You want my delicious caramel fondue recipe? I should make you beg because it is that good. Try it, you will thank me for it.

Caramel Fondue
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup butter, cut into tablespoon sizes
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium sauce pan, put all ingredients in and cook on medium heat. Stir and mix well until the butter is melted and a caramel brown color. Continue to heat on stove on medium heat until it begins to boil. Then pour into fondue pot and allow it to boil for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has thicken slightly. Suggested dippers: pound cake cut in cubes, bananas, marshmallows, strawberries, apples.

How you have a great date night last week? Link up or comment below and tell us all about it. I love to read about your dates. Have you been reading each other’s dates? There has been some amazing stories.

Want to join in on the fun? Learn more about Project 52: Date Nights, sign the pledge, or read past dates and meet back here every Tuesday for our linking party. You can start any time.

When you link up, please remember…

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

Tags

cooking, dates, friends, marriage, recipes

▶ 8 Comments

My Bullet List on The Mother Huddle

In Featured, Project 52: Date Nights on January 28, 2010 at 9:00 am

I couldn’t believe Destri of The Mother Huddle invited me to guest blog for their Bullet List. I mean, it seemed like it was a thing for the elite. Only amazing bloggers and designers have gone before me doing the Bullet List. So, WOW!

Destri asked me to write a list of at-home date ideas. Of course! I was all over the opportunity to make another list. You know how I’m an avid list maker. It was nice to come up with ideas that I could use throughout the remainder of the year for our Project 52: Date Nights. Therefore, I highly suggest going over to The Mother Huddle for my list of 16 at-home dates. That’s enough dates to last you 4 months.

Thanks, Destri for giving me the honor of being on The Mother Huddle!

Tags

dates, ideas, lists, marriage, websites

▶ 3 Comments

Simply Said… Shauna from My Mix of Six

In Project 52: Date Nights, Simply Said on January 27, 2010 at 9:00 am

I saw Shauna’s idea of the date packets and instantly got in contact with her. I had to have her on SMM’s Simply Said and share with us her fabulous dating idea. This fits so well with our Project 52: Date Nights. Plus it can be a great idea for a Valentine’s Day gift, too. So here goes, Shauna simply said…

I am so excited to guest post here on Simply Modern Mom! I am Shauna Thompson and my blog is www.MyMixofSix.blogspot.com. Why mix of six? Because I have six kiddos, that I LOVE spending time with. However today I want to post about my husband that helps me take care of those six little ones, and how I LOVE to spend time with him. Here we are…

We have been married for 13 years now, and I have found a very important key to our marriage is spending time with each other. I know there have been times when I just don’t feel as close to him as I should, but then we go on a date or talk I feel more connected with him.

Dating is important in a relationship. There is a quote that says, “The value of a relationship is in direct proportion to the time that you invest in the relationship.” However finding the time and money to do it can be a struggle. I decided to take the stress out of planning and paying for our dates this year. I took some of my money from teaching piano lessons and made date packets for us to go on in the year 2010. I LOVE that they are all paid for, planned and ready to go!

Each packet is sealed until the first of the month. Then Stephen opens up the surprise date and we plan on the calendar the date that we are going to go.

Many have asked what some of the dates are. I initially wrote down a list of our favorite dates, ideas from others, ideas from the internet and then dates that I have wanted to do. I put gift cards, pictures of the activity or directions to the date in the packets. Here is a list that might help get you started:

Theater tickets. You don’t have to pay the big money, colleges and high schools have amazing productions as well.
Free summer concerts in the park mixed with a Subway giftcard
Dinner and the movies
Temple trip. Just copy your recommend or put in a picture of the temple to show him where you’re going.
A favorite fancy restaurant
Morning hike followed by breakfast out
Frisbee golf at the park with a coupon for dessert
Country dancing or any other dancing for that matter
Stargazing by a campfire
Home spa with a massage and smoothies
Walk through an art museum
Bike ride with picnic
One of each of your favorites. Steve likes sushi – I like chick flicks, so a night of both.
Cards or a favorite game in the park
Tennis or racquet ball
Bowling
Laser tag
Night out at the library (Steve LOVES to read and I like magazines. It’s a quiet night BUT we are together.)
There obviously can be FREE dates. It’s the time spent together, rather than the money spent.

One of my favorite parts of dating is watching and listening to our kids. They comment on how we dress up and look, they ask where we are going and can see that their parents really do love each other. I think this important because our habit will carry into their marriages of how important dating is.

Anyway, have fun planning and even better, have fun dating!

Tags

dates, guests, ideas, marriage

▶ 7 Comments

Project 52: Back to School Social

In Project 52: Date Nights on January 26, 2010 at 9:00 am

{image by tech}

I had this date planned. We were going to play the Wii. I was going to beat him in Dr. Mario and boxing. Then Nathan forwarded an email from his school concerning a back to school social the same evening as our date. They have a back to school social for all the MBA students at the beginning of the semester. We’ve been to a few of them before. We decided to go. Lesson #1: Experiencing change of plans can be healthy for the relationship.

Since we were going out for date night, I arranged for my parents to babysit. Even though this was not an at-home date, I still wanted to keep it at the reasonable cost of $0. Then I dressed up for a night downtown with the one I love. Lesson #2: Going out = putting on makeup.

We went and had such a great time that I forgot to take pictures. We had great conversations with his classmates. Met a few new people. I ate all the cheese I could from their cheese platter. I am a cheese fiend. I was surprised at some of Nathan’s classmates talking to me about Simply Modern Mom. Nathan had told them about it and they have been following this site. Completely flattered. Lesson #3: Nathan is my no. 1 fan and supporter of SMM.

Nathan said: I appreciate Tiffany going to the MBA Social with me. She had other plans but was willing to accommodate a last minute change for me. She is very nice. I loved going out with her because I was able to show her off to my classmates – they still wonder how I got so lucky… so do I.

Another successful date for us. How about you? How did your date go? Comment or link below and tell me about it. I check every link and comment on your dates. I love reading about them. Want to join in on the dating fun? Learn more about Project 52: Date Night and start your date nights this week. Or read about past date nights.

When you link up, please remember…

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

Tags

dates, ideas, marriage

▶ 12 Comments

Project 52: Discussing Tribes

In Project 52: Date Nights on January 19, 2010 at 9:01 am

We postponed our date to Saturday because Nathan had a guys’ night. We both agreed to switch nights since we didn’t have anything planned Saturday night. Lesson #1: Let the guys have some fun as long as date night still happens before the end of the week.

This week’s date night we discussed a book titled Tribes by Seth Godin. It was a book that Nathan recommended to me long long ago. I finally got around to reading it. It’s a short book. A quick read. I just had other books I wanted to read first. Nathan, being an entrepreneur, enjoys reading these types of books. I’m more into fiction. Lesson #2: Do something for the other person. It’ll strengthen your relationship.

I tried to make the date setting like a coffee shop. Drinking out of mugs, discussing books. Nathan wanted milk. I opted for a dulce de leche drink we had in the pantry. We had a great time talking about what we liked about the book and how we can apply it to the various projects we are working on. Lesson #3: Learning about the other person’s interests will give you more things to talk about.

Nathan said: I was excited when Tiffany wanted to read and discuss Tribes. We don’t usually enjoy the same genre of books so it was fun to talk about this book and how the principles can push us beyond our comfort limits. The evening was calm and pleasant. I thought the coffee shop theme was creative and made the date special.

If you haven’t joined Project 52: Date Nights, click on the link or visit the button at the top of this page to find out more about our weekly date nights. It is never too late to join!

OK, now it is your turn to link up to your date you had last week. Remember these rules…

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

Tags

books, dates, ideas, marriage

▶ 6 Comments

Project 52: Date Nights Announcement

In Project 52: Date Nights on January 14, 2010 at 9:01 am

I am so impressed by the response from everyone about Project 52: Date Nights. Some of you are a bit hesitant. That’s OK. It is quite the commitment to do a date each week. Others were eager to join. Thank you. The outpour of emails, blogs and comments about Project 52: Date Nights has been incredible. Thank you for spreading the word.

Some of you have been blogging along with me showing me dates you have been doing with your special someone. I love it when you leave a link so I can see what you have been doing. So I decided to finally use one of those linky lists to make Project 52: Date Nights more interactive. Beginning next Tuesday at the end of each of my Project 52: Date Nights posts there will be a linky list for you to link to your blog about your date. We can all support each other. Cheer each other on throughout the year. Exchange ideas. Meet new friends. How ’bout it?

Don’t have a blog? That is A-OK. You can still tell us about your dates in the comments. Want to share with me, but not the general public? Email me at tiffany{at}simplymodernmom{dot}com. We need ways to communicate. And I am opening up all sorts of ways for you to communicate with me and with each other.

Also, please spread the word about Project 52: Date Nights. The more people we have to join and follow along, the more ideas we have to exchange with each other. The more support you get to keep you going throughout the year. Let’s show each other some love.

Sorry, but I do have to lay down some general rules and guidelines for the Project 52: Date Nights linky list.

Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

That’s it. We begin next Tuesday. Get your date posts ready!

Tags

announcement, dates

▶ 10 Comments

Project 52: First Words Game

In Project 52: Date Nights on January 12, 2010 at 9:00 am

Week 2 of Project 52: Date Nights has all ready brought upon challenges. The original plan was to roast marshmallows outside in Nathan’s new fire pit from Christmas. Then it snowed the night before our date night. And the 17 degrees temperature didn’t melt the snow in time. Way too cold. Lesson #1: Blame the weather.

Then I thought of borrowing the Super Mario Brothers game from our neighbor and playing it on the Wii. Yes, this is the same neighbor who makes the kids do push ups for candy on Halloween. He is the best neighbor ever. And I mean that sincerely. He offered to let us borrow the game because it is so awesome. Except he was going to play the game that same night as our date night with his girlfriend. Dang. Lesson #2: Blame the neighbor.

So… the day of our date I still had nothing. I dug deep into my creative mind and came up with a simple game. A game that Nathan and I have both been afraid to try. A game that all of you, I’m sure, have heard of but called by many names. In our case, I’m calling it First Words. It’s where someone say a word and the second person say the first thing that comes to mind. Nathan and I have avoid playing First Words because we are not good at thinking off the top of our heads under pressure.

After the kids went to bed, Nathan and I cut out the game cards I made. Then we warmed up some apple pie and had date night in our room. We love it so much that we decided to hang out there for the night. The game didn’t turn out too bad despite our nervousness trying something new. We had a great time laughing and discussing our answers and why we thought of whatever it was that came to mind. Lesson #3: Trying something new together makes it easier to do.

Nathan said: This was a fun and simple date night. It was especially nice to relax and enjoy our newly finished bedroom. The word game led to a fun conversation about past experiences and memories related to certain words. We laughed and talked and had some time to ourselves without any distractions.

Want to play the game for your date night? I conveniently made this PDF print out of the First Words game cards for you. These are the cards we used. Have fun and tell me about your date.

Haven’t signed up for Project 52: Date Nights? You can join any time by signing the Project 52: Date Nights Pledge. Then come back each Tuesday to tell me about your date.

Tags

dates, ideas, marriage

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Project 52: New Years Eve Date

In Project 52: Date Nights on January 5, 2010 at 9:00 am

This was long overdue. Our first date in a long time was our first date for Project 52: Date Nights. We had some friends who were crashing at our house for the evening on New Year’s Day after a long flight. We weren’t sure if they would be up for date night with us after a long cross country flight and having to drive several hours home the next day. So Nathan and I moved our date night to New Year’s Eve. Lesson #1: Flexibility is allowed.

January is my month to be in charge. I planned a little in-house New Year’s Eve party for the both of us. We ditched other New Year’s Eve parties because with little kids, we couldn’t keep them up until midnight and a few other reasons mentioned yesterday. Since it was a special occasion being New Year’s Eve, I picked up a few appetizers at the grocery store. Our date nights occur after dinner and after the kids went to bed. Then I had about 30 minutes to prepare the food and for the date. Rather than decorating, I picked the toys off the floor. Having a clean house helps to create a more date-like atmosphere for us. Lesson #2: Simplicity is good. Even something as simple as a clean living room helps to set the mood.

The date consisted of us eating appetizers and talking about some of the things we wanted to do this year — personal goals, family goals, trips, so on and so forth. It was refreshing to have a conversation without interruptions from children. It also got us excited about 2010 and the things we wanted to do… Nathan will be finishing his master’s degree this year. So the possibilities are endless. Lesson #3: It doesn’t always have to be a fancy date. Do what fits your lifestyle and schedules.

We were going to watch a movie and the ball drop, but our power went out around 10 p.m. So we grabbed flashlights and lit candles. I would say the evening was a success even though it ended with power outage. Lesson #4: Things won’t always go as planned, but it can still be fun.

Nathan said: I was excited for this first date. Tiffany did a great job making it feel special and like a date. The food was good and it was fun to talk about some of the fun trips and events we want to do in 2010. When the power went out I thought we might have to cut our date short but with some flashlights and candles we had a great evening. I can’t wait to see what she has planned for this week.

It’s not too late to join us in Project 52: Date Nights. In fact, it is never too late. Even if you don’t join us in having date night once a week, please comment and tell us some fun date ideas you have done. We need all the ideas we can get, well 52 to be exact.

Tags

dates, ideas, marriage

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Friday’s 5 at 5: New Years Resolutions 2010

In Friday's 5 at 5, Holidays, Project 52: Date Nights on January 1, 2010 at 5:00 am

It’s a new year. Time for a fresh start. Another year wiser, right? This is what I hope to accomplish personally in 2010…

Project 52: Date Nights. Nathan and I are excited about this. We need this to make time for the two of us. Date night is no longer a luxury. It’s a must! Have you signed on yet?
Practice photography. Just because you have a nice camera doesn’t mean you take nice pictures. Very true in my case. I have so much to learn about photography. And part of that learning process is practicing. I thought of doing another Project 52 for photography and I am still considering it.
Take my kids outside more. I need to get them out more. I always admire those outdoorsy moms because I am not one of them. The girls and I need a breath of fresh air.
Sew a hand bag or purse. I have always wanted to learn how. I have heard it’s not hard. I am going to do it this year. I love sewing. I should do it more often.
Paint Kaye’s room. I am slow to paint the rooms in our house. We’ve lived in this house 3 years now and have 3 rooms painted. Kaye’s room is next. And yes, it’s going to be pink. I am also hoping to bunk Kaye and Elle in the same room by the end of the year.

Tags

families, learning, lists, moms, photos, thoughts

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In Project 52: Date Nights on December 31, 2009 at 9:00 am

I am excited about this announcement. And it involves you. Yes, you! I want you to participate and report back.

We approached that time of the year where we think about new goals and projects for 2010. I have been contemplating doing a Project 365 myself. Project 365? Set a goal to do something every day for a year all the while blogging about it or recording it somewhere somehow. You know, Julie & Julia. Then the more I thought about it, 365 is a bit too much for my schedule. If I am going to commit to the project, it has to be doable. So I am turning my Project 365 into Project 52. Cutting it down to just once a week. That’s feasible.

The project. I recently read an article in a magazine about a couple’s experience having date nights at home. Hum… sounds interesting. Nathan and I will celebrate our 6th anniversary in 2010 and sad to say, we have neglected consistent date night ever since Kaye was born over 3 years ago. We have the same excuses many of you also face. Nathan is in graduate school most evenings. We don’t want to find and pay for a babysitter every week. Our current financial situation leaves little allowance for date nights. We are too busy. We can’t think of anything to do. The house is a mess. We are tired. The excuses continue.

After reading the article, Nathan and I decided this was something we need to work on in 2010. We need to get better at setting aside time to enrich our marriage. And now, I introduce you to our Project 52: Date Nights. More specifically in house date nights, for us. The main points are for us to be creative, cheap and spend quality time together. Nathan and I have committed to do date night each week with the following criteria…

Every Friday night from 9 -10 p.m. is our date night. We usually have both kids in bed by 8:30 p.m.
Majority of the time the dates will be at home so we don’t need babysitters.
We rotate being in charge of date nights on a monthly basis.
Can’t do the same thing twice in one month.
Dates need to be free most of the time. If not free, then under a budget of $30. Cheaper than if we went out.
No children allowed.
Must create a date-like atmosphere. No frumpy clothes or pajamas. Make it a special event. Mind the details. But most of all, keep it simple.

Not only are we going to have date night beginning January 1st, we will be blogging about it here on SMM. Every Tuesday we will recap what we did for our date night the previous Friday. You will get a he said/she said critiques of the date.

Here is how YOU are involved. Yes, we want you to participate in Project 52: Date Nights with us! Whether you are in a relationship, engaged or married, I want you to commit to having weekly date nights with your special someone. I want the both of you to take this pledge. Read it, fill it out, sign it and post it somewhere you can see frequently. A little hesitant? Don’t worry, you can join Project 52: Date Nights any time.

Take the Project 52: Date Nights Pledge

Then check in with us every Tuesday for ideas, comments, feedbacks from our Project 52: Date Nights and yours. We want to hear from you and what creative ideas you came up with for date nights. Make comments and report how your date nights went each week. By the way, this is a family friendly site. So all dates and ideas will be appropriate for all ages. And please keep your comments family friendly too.

The pledge. Here is the Project 52: Date Nights pledge in PDF form for you to print out. Print one out for yourself. And maybe a few extras for your friends or family members to get them in on the fun. Discuss the project with your special someone. Talk about what is feasible for the two of you. Set a date and time to help you pencil that date in your calendars. Come up with a few criteria of your own. If you don’t want to do in house date nights, then plan going out date nights. The two important points here are be creative and keep it simple.

So… are you in or not? Make sure to involve your friends and families. Get them to take the pledge with their special someone. The more couples we get to do this, the more ideas and motivations we get to support each other in Project 52: Date Nights. While doing Project 52: Date Nights with us, if you come up with great ideas let me know so I can feature you on SMM! Come on! It’s only once a week. Only 52 dates to last you the whole year. Let’s do this!