Baby, it's cold outside..

Three years ago (wow, I've been blogging for that long?), I wrote this post about things couples can do when the weather outside is frightful!  At that time, I was a single woman and when I published that post a lot of my friends and readers who are married said to me, "syerah, let me know if you actually do these things when you're married".

Fast forward thee years, it's 2010 and I am now married so I thought I would respond to those questions and see if those"fanciful romantic notions" did actually manifest themselves in my reality ;)

Suggestion 1.  Cook a meal together: Pick a recipe (and look no further than Kitchen Confidential for some excellent suggestions) and prepare a meal together. "Together" is the operative word here.  Don't make one person cook the meal while the other watches TV.  Cooking together can be sexy and flirtatious.  Think of all the things you could do with your ingredients (remember the film, Nine and a half weeks? ) all you need is some imagination.  So play some soft music, open a bottle of wine and get your groove on! And when the meal is ready, enjoy it by candlelight! Bon Apetit

 Reality: Steve and I rarely cook a meal together (haha). It's not because he won't offer to help but it's bcause my type-A personality just likes to be in control and so I won't let him do anything because I know his offer to help comes from wanting to help and not from a love of cooking.  My daughter, Imaan, on the other hand loves to experiment with food as much as I do and so she always helps me in the kitchen and I love having her help!  We're passionate about cooking and Steve is content to be our tester.  Except sometimes, like last night, I made mussels with a spicy tomato and white wine sauce.  I thought it was delish but both my testers backed out and ate something else.  Steve said, "If mussels were the only thing left in the world to eat, then he'd give it a shot". Imaan said that they looked really angry!!  So, I ate all my mussels and linguini all by myself :(

Steve does grill a mean steak and sometimes surprises me with dinner and we often share cos, candlelight dinners but the cooking "together" part hasn't quite worked out for us.

Suggestion 2. Bring out the Board Games: If your childhood was anything like mine, you will have mastered several board games (who hasn't enjoyed classics such as Monopoly, Scrabble and Pictionary).  Just because you're older does not mean you can't enjoy these games anymore.  Indeed, there are a host of new games on the market that are specifically aimed for romantic evenings.  The game Twister can get you in interesting positions ;)  Some games are naughty (Strip Chess) some are intimate (Loaded Questions) and others are hilariously thought provoking (Would you rather).  Pick one up and make an evening out of it!

Reality.  We are fortunate to have a pool table in our house so we do spend some time (not nearly enough) shooting pool.  We have a vast collection of board games but the only time Steve and I have played a board game together is a few games of chess or scrabble.  I intend to change this though so a board game night is definitely on the cards over the holidays.

3. Take a trip down memory lane:  Do you still have picture albums from when you were a toddler? Or your high school year book? or a keepsake box with trinkets and treasures from when you were a kid?  Invite your partner to join you on a trip down your memory lane.  Introduce him to your childhood and your years as a young adult through stories and anecdotes based on memories associated with your photos.  It's an amazing experience and you will both feel enriched  and so much closer to each other as you share details about your earliest memories.

Reality.  We completely outdid ourselves here!! Not only did we journey through each other's pasts through photographs, we actually TOOK a trip down memory lane.  Details are in my blog posting from earlier in the year.  I am so glad we did this because it definitely brought us closer.

Suggestion 4. Poetry Reading:  How does one enjoy poetry? Let me count the ways! ;)  Seriously, did you know that the best way to enjoy poetry is to read it out loud?  If you have never tried this before, give it a shot!  It's magical.  And, if done with a partner...it can be such an intimate experience.  If you're not certain about what poems you should read, here is a list of the 100 Best Love Poems ever written.  Pick a theme that resonates most with both of you.

Reality:  hahaha.  What was I thinking?  Steve is so not a "read poetry aloud" kinda guy.  But hey, we exchanged so many audio books and sometimes I do read him large excerpts from books that I am reading (mostly business, non-fiction).  Does that count? ;)

Suggestion 5.  Movie Marathon: We've all done this at some point and when it's cold and wet outside this is the best way to snuggle and stay warm inside.  Pick two (or three) movies and have your personal movie marathon.  Whether it's recent blockbusters or classics, be sure to have the popcorn in the microwave and keep some kleenex handy (just in case!)

Reality: YEAH baby!!  We have over 500 movies in our home theatre collection and a fantastic projector, dark room and screen - so we're hosting movie marathons all the time (in the summer as well).

So, the suggestions are still solid and I'd say it again.  Don't let the cold weather take away the sizzle from your romance.  Get together, do something and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow :)