We don’t really organize for the sake of organizing. We do it so we have time, brain cells and energy to spend on the times and people we love. I’m the first to admit that it’s hard for a busy couple with active children to fit special time in alone. So on this last day of the first month of the New Year, and heading into the month full of candy heart and roses, I’m re-instituting date night.

Ha-ha, yes, I know how authoritarian that sounds. I also accept responsibility that I am the planner in the family, so if it’s going to happen, I’ll be the one to book the sitter and put it on the calendar.

Dinner and a movie is pretty much what we do every single night, just without the menu and big tip. So I wanted to look for different activities, something where we pretty much have to talk to each other, and where we maybe get outside of our comfort zone a little. Here’s what my gal pals and I came up with.

• Rock climbing
• Balloon ride (Hot air or just the zoo balloon? Time will tell)
• Wine class
• Cooking class
• Golfing
• Marsh creek boat rental
• Bowling
• Picnic/arboretums
• Skiing
• Ice skating
• Couple’s massage
• Bike ride (not the kind we used to do, just a short but leisurely bike tour of the local park)
• Walking tour of a town we haven’t been to yet
• Scenic train ride
• Horseback trail ride

We’ve been married nearly 15 years, and I probably wouldn’t change a thing. But I do want to keep growing together, not apart. Organizing our lives so that we have plenty of time for each other is really what it’s all about.

Oh, and I’m not just talking about it, I’m applying one of the biggies in time management here…block out the time on the calendar for the important things.  So I’ve got a date each month for the next six months already blocked and booked with the sitter.

Are you working on organizing a regular date night (or family night) into your calendar?
Do you have any other active date night ideas for us?

(Keep it clean, please. This is a family show.)