Lord of the Rings Marathon Date

Okay, I admit it.  My husband and I LOVE The Lord of the Rings.  My husband has read the books many times.  And, as you all know, the Hobbit is coming to theaters this week, on December 14!  I am so excited (squeal)!

So for our fun date this week I wanted to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy to get ready for the opening day of The Hobbit.

I crafted a date card that read...

"My precious, 

Tonight we shall see if you can answer my riddles.  

If you pass the test, then we will watch these together!"

{Click here for your own free 4 x 6" LOTR date card}

Then I taped it to the movies and left it out where my husband would see it.

In the story The Hobbit, Bilbo is lost in the dark tunnels of the goblins.  That is where he meets Gollum.  Gollum does not know that Bilbo has found his lost ring--his "precious"--Bilbo needs help getting out of the tunnels.  So they play a game of riddles.  Whoever cannot guess the riddle loses and the winner gets what he wants.

So I thought it would be fun to play a game of riddles together with my husband.  Online I found this page with lots of riddles.  I typed up only the riddles (so we couldn't cheat) and then we took turns asking each other and guessing.  Then we looked up the answers on the website.

Here are a couple of examples of riddles with their answers.

1. It is greater than God and more evil than the devil.  The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you'll die.  What is it? 
          NOTHING.  nothing is greater than God, nothing is more evil than the devil, the poor have nothing, the rich need nothing and if you eat nothing you will die.

2.  I am the beginning and the end, and the end of time and space.  I am essential to creation, and I surround every place.  What am I?
        The letter E. End, timE, spacE, Every placE.

Clever, right! Did you guess the correct answers??  I didn't,  I had to cheat.  ;)  

So pick a few riddles that look fun to you and have fun playing a game. Then snuggle up and relax as you enjoy The Lord of the Rings!

Sporty Date Night

I know we talk a lot about family activities.  But we also need time as a couple to rejuvenate and have fun together.  If we are happy as a couple then our kids will be happier too.

It does not need to be expensive or an all night adventure.  My husband and I try to do something together once a week.  Whether it is a stay-at-home date or a let's-go-out-on-the-town date, it doesn't really matter--it is always fun!

For this date I wanted to do something active with my husband.  I decided we would play racquetball at our local gym.  I put an invitation by the door along with our racquets and ball, so when he left in the morning he would see it and be excited about it all day. 

You can use this invitation for any sporty activity you like.  Golf, soccer, basketball, bike riding, tennis...the list is endless.

{Click here to print your own sporty date night invitation}

Then of course the "loser" of your friendly competition gets to buy the treats.  You gotta have a treat to end off your date! :)

Sherlock Holmes Date Night

I saw this "Clue Mystery Puzzle" and thought it would make a fun activity for my husband and I when the kids went to bed.  Like a "date". :)

The puzzle comes with a mystery scenario that you read.  When you complete the puzzle, you try and figure out what happened and solve the mystery.

While we put the puzzle together, we watched episodes of the new BBC Sherlock Holmes series (what do you think of the series?).  You could also watch either of the recent Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr, both are fun mysteries. 

Nerf Birthday Party

Last month was my husband's birthday and I wanted to throw a party that would be active, simple, and fun for the whole family.  We ended up having...a Nerf Birthday Party!

The inspiration for this party came from The Dating Divas blog (they have lots of awesome date ideas).  When I saw it I knew it would make a great birthday theme for my husband's party!

The only supplies I purchased for the party were 4 Nerf guns, so everyone could have their own.

We started off the party with BBQ steak and veggies for dinner. 

For the table setting I used a yellow table cloth and placed a Nerf gun at everyone's place setting.  I also had a few snacks to go along with dinner as well.  I guess it was not all healthy.  ;)

 After dinner we each did a little target practice.  

I had a bulls-eye and stacked blocks all set up as our own little shooting range.  

After we had all practiced our shooting skills...we had a big Free-For-All!  We did not keep points or track how many times someone was hit.  We just had fun "shooting" at each other and running and hiding.

It turned out to be a fun, simple, active birthday party!!

* If you decide to host your own Nerf Birthday Party, please leave us comment and tell what you did! We'd love to hear your own creative Nerf ideas!

Slushies

Slushies...

They are perfect for the hot summer days we've been having!!

To make these simply scrumptious summer treats, you'll need the following:

Ingredients 

Kool Aid

Sugar

Ice cubes

Water

Blender

 Add a Kool Aid packet and 1 Cup of sugar to a quart jar.  Fill the quart jar with water and stir.  (You don't need the full amount of water shown on the Kool Aid instructions because there'll be additional liquid from the ice cubes.)  

Then add the Kool Aid liquid to the blender, add a tray of ice cubes, and blend to your desired slushie consistency.  And, voila!  Your slushies are ready to pour and enjoy!  It's really that easy!

This is one of my favorite treats to make with my husband once the kids have gone to bed.  Slushies and games makes a quick and easy date night. ;)