Looking for Suggestions on Fun Home Dates

Hi M.,
Wow, sounds like you've got a great family life!
Usually in our home, we go to bed early. We're always so tired from our long days. If we stay up past 9 though, we sit at the table with some quite music on. We talk about music and things because we both are very passionate about it. We play with a deck of cards, (speed, crazy eights, rummi, etc.). We also have some great games, Rummi Cube...combination of rummi and dominoes, we have dominoes, and tons of trivial games. With the trivial games, we don't usually play the actual game but look at the cards and take a guess on the answer. We usually laugh at half the answers and then we stray onto side conversations. Not tons of crazy ideas, but we enjoy the time. Oh, also, just sitting out on the porch and chatting, or games and chatting. Sometimes with the music we break into dance, crazy fun dance or slow dancing. Any way you look at, you're with your best friend so it's going to be fun and add laughter to your day. Stay kids at heart, I just heard toddlers laugh an average of 350 times a day, adults laugh an average of 15. Lets change that! Have fun and great job on keeping it fresh and enjoyable!

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Hi. We lived in Japan too and had 4 little ones back then! :) We couldn`t go on dates so one thing we used to do was to buy some pieces of Japanese cake (my husband would pick some up on the way home), and take it out after putting them to bed. We`d have our own little `date` time, eating the delicious Japanese cakes and we`d spend the time talking about our adventures in Japan and other things. We always looked forward to our cake dates. :) Japan is an amazing country. Enjoy yourselves while you are there. We absolutely loved the people, culture, and many things about living there. Of course, there were some things that were difficult....but we still loved it! :) Good luck with finding things to do! Board games are fun but they don`t have as many in Japan as they have here.

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My husband and I have just started playing "dice". It's basically a numbers game, or luck of the draw, I guess you might say. But, we have alot of fun! It's a simple game, we spend a lot of time talking, and kidding around, and we always have a good time. Also, we do enjoy the Trivial Pursuit games. The "totally 80's" version not only offers spirited play, but gets us talking about our childhood, and cool things we remember about it.

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Games that are fun for 2:
Scattergories
Mad Gab (though you may need to modify the rules)
Backgammon
just about any card game- http://www.pagat.com/
If you drink (I don't now that I'm a Mom, but some people do) http://www.productdose.com/article.php?article_id=3854 (You could fill it with juice even, or a little wine.)

Movies: I have no idea! I am not much of a movie gal!

Books:
Harry Potter (but I'm sure you've already done those)
The Chronicles of Narnia (Probably already done as well)
The Complete Anne of Green Gables Series
Series of Unfortunate Events

*There is another book called "The Five Love Languages" that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE! It talks about the various ways that people expirience love. (Touch, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Gifts, and Quality Time.) It is great fr helping you understand each other, your children, and even co-workers or friends. I am Words of Affirmation, so even in "work life" I feel most appreciated when someone tells me "You've done a great job!"

It could also be fun to look up some intresting recipes to "taste test" with out the kids. Perhaps desserts or breakfast bars. (Obviously big meals wouldn't really work late night.)
Have fun!

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Hi M., where in Japan do you live? We lived is Sasebo Japan from Febuary 1990 to April of 1994, We had 3 little ones, my husband was gone most of the time we were Military. we used to put our air mattress down stairs, have candle lit dinners after the kids have goneto bed, and we would have our intamacy time down stairs, with candles, some times we would do word searches and have contests who could finish first. Other times we would just sit and cuddle and talk about when we first met, sometimes we would get with other couples and do board games. Hope this helps. J.

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M.,

Try the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. It's a great read and geared for young adults. Enjoy!

T.

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M.,
My husband and I love to play games as well. Just off the top of my head, there is a game called "Top Spot" that is a lot of fun. It's like tic-tac-toe with a twist. Another game that my husband and I have enjoyed is the Tivial Pursuit DVD pop culture edition. If you've lived in Japan your whole life you may not enjoy this, but if you're up on pop culture it's a lot of fun. They also have a 80's or 90's edition which I'm sure would be fun too. But we liked it because it's interactive with the TV so some of the questions involve old pop videos or TV shows of the time. Also, Klutz puts out a ton of fabulous books on many different activities... mostly for kids, but I tend to love the books way more than my kids. They have one that gives instructions on making a dozen or more types of paper airplanes. Both my husband and I have enjoyed making them. A maze book that they put out is also amazing. Lots of fun and very challenging.
Good luck. I know it's sometimes difficult to keep up the fun for the two adults in the family - especially with 5 kids. But it sounds like you have a fabulous marriage and very lucky to be married to your best friend. Let me know if you enjoy any of these games.
By the way, I'm still up for meeting at that park in Tahiti of Fiji! :0)
M.
PS - I saw that someone mentioned Blokus. That is also a very fun game.

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Hello M.,

After kids go to bed? Hmmm. Well, there are lots of things to do!
My husband goes out and gets a little take-out dessert to bring home. It might be a Starbucks coffee or a slice of cheesecake from our favorite restaurant. We enjoy playing games, so sometimes we invite another couple over to play at the kitchen table. Its tough being quiet, but kids got used to sleeping through the noise.
A few games we enjoy playing...Blokus, Sequence, Phaze 10 and 5 Crowns card games.. you can find these card games in their own boxes at any education store. Scrabble, Yahtzee. For Movies, we alternate between comedy and Action. So there is rarely boredom. You might want to check into various DVD Games... "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader" or Trivial Pursuit. Have you tried putting on yoga video? Or playing a video game? Best of luck to you... If you run out of ideas, there is always folding laundry together and chatting about your goals and dreams.

M. G

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Have you tried the TV (must have DVD player) game SCENE IT?

Board game-Sequence. It's sure gets your thinking cap on without waking up the little ones.

How about tackling a crossword puzzle?
For games-Check out timewellspent.org, thoughthammer.com and boardgamegeek.com (reviews of games) for lots of fun games. Better than the average games at Target. Our favorite games are Quiddler, Ticket to Ride, Guillotine, Flux.
Puzzles are a great teamwork activity.
Get an exercise video and work out.

Theme dates are fun. You could start your date with your family then have dessert, watch a movie or read a story that matches the theme. Any theme would work but here are some ideas: under the sea, cats and dogs, fiesta, garden party, knight and princess, italian.

I love kid movies. There was a mini series on TV called The 10th Kingdom that is fabulous. It pulls from a lot of traditional fairy tales. I think you can find the series on DVD for about $10 plus shipping. If you like a christian theme Veggie Tales are cute and fun.

One of the best things for reconnecting with a spouse is just talking about your past and your future together. I don't know if you two need help in that area. My husband and I sometimes just need to remember our first impressions, first dates, first few years. It is hard for me to remember all the wonderful things about my hubby while changing diapers and doing dishes.

Thank you for being an example of a couple that is commited to eachother and commited to date time. If you get the chance (and are inclined) ballroom dancing is a fun way to connect while having fun and excercising.

My husband and I read the entire "Left Behind" series out-loud together. Just be careful, they can be hard to put down and you might have some very late nights!:) We started the "Chronicles of Narnia" series by C.S. Lewis and that is great. Also "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien. Those always scared me as a kid, but I enjoy them now. We also like to watch TV series on DVD from Netlix or Blockbuster.com. I like mysteries so we try just about every mystery-type show there is. TV can be pretty raunchy these days, but there are some clean shows. You can always try one that seems interesting and don't order any more if you don't like it. A fairly new one is "Numbers." I really liked it and it was pretty clean for at least the first season or so. You can also find lots of "old" things through Netflix and Blockbuster.com, like Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie movies and lots of other things. Hope that helps! Enjoy your dates!

Hi! I have 5 young kids, too. My husband and I save a couple of hours after the kids go to bed to spend time together. We usually wach a movie from Netflix because it's easy and we're tired. Other times we just sit and talk.

Hi M., You have 5 kids?! You must have a lot of good stories to tell. What if you and your husband wrote a childrens book together and your children help you with the illustrations? If it's a great book, you and your family could make money off of it! My book publisher is Blackforestpress.net Ask for Dr. Knox, he can help you get the ball rolling. Also, Dr. Knox used to live in Japan! Good luck!! K. Henry

Hi M.,
I can totally relate to just craving that quiet time with my husband. I am so spent running after 3 kids under 4, that I am ready to relax with my hubby. We have several tv shows that we love to follow that are not kiddo friendly, so after we put them to bed, we dim the lights, get some kind of sweet yummy dessert that we reserve for our time together, and just zone out. The other thing that we have fun doing in a horizontal position (non-intimate)is to compete in a word search puzzle. We race to see who can find the most and last words. Just treasure the time that you have alone with each other. We have come to the conclusion that when we spend time with each other, we are connected and, therefore, it makes both of us better parents. Just have fun together!!
Sincerely,

A. Nichols
Live Total Wellness
Personal Mentor, and Mommy of 3
www.livetotalwellness.com/enrichedlife

We love toplay board games or video games after the kids go to sleep. We also really enjoy a game called Mystery Case Files on the computer. We play backgammon, Scene
It DVD game. There are a couple of adult games that we enjoy too, Dirty Minds and The Battle of the Sexes are good ones. These aren't appropriate for children but they are PG rated. Good luck. Check Amazon or eBay.

I am in love with a books series meant for teenagers. They are a series written by Stephanie Meyer. It is a love story with a vampire twist. I know... Vampires...lame... I was not into the idea but my friend insisted that I would love them... and I did! The only problem with these books is that they are so good I can't find anything to else I want to read. The books are wholesome (they stay PG rated). The first book in the series is called Twilight and it makes you remember what it is like to fall in love for the first time. Would be a great book to read with your husband! Have fun!

Just anything where you can spend time together is good. Maybe after the kids are in bed, you can read a book together or play cards or something. There is a really nice book called "The Story of Us." It is a fill-in type of book that you talk about and work on together. It helps you reminisce about your time as a couple. Good luck in your situation.