Our church, Metro Life (www.metrolife.org) has a monthly brunch for younger mommies.  (All are welcome!  It’s at 9:30 on the third Thursday morning of each month in Casselberry, Florida.)  In January, the theme was “Romancing Your Husband.”  The following idea list is based on a handout from this meeting, with a few additions and changes from me! 

• Find out what he likes you to have finished around the house when he comes home from work, and then make it a regular practice to please him by doing this.  Or do one of his chores for him as a surprise.  
• Go for a walk and hold hands.
• Lie on a blanket in the backyard and look at the stars. 
• Take a picnic to the park.  
• Have a friend keep the children at their house.  Fix his favorite dinner, served by candle light.  If your children are home, you can always set this up on a card table in your bedroom.
• Break out the table cloth, china and crystal, candles, the pot pourri burner, fresh cut flowers from your garden, and whatever else will make the table pretty and inviting!  Also, play some soft romantic music on your CD player.
• Keep your bedroom tidy and orderly, so it will be a haven of rest for him.  If you can, set up two comfortable chairs so the two of you can sit and talk in privacy whenever you want.
• Wash and massage his feet after a long day on them, or draw him a hot bath.
• Ask if you can plan Valentine's Day this year, and let him plan your anniversary.
• Buy a special treat for him at the grocery store, and make sure your kids don’t break into it!  You could buy candy to complete a love letter you’ve written to him.  For example, “I have the RED HOTS for you.”
• Keep a secret stash of his favorite candies, and bring one out once in a while!  (Thad hands me a chocolate truffle every now and then when I've done a great job at something or when I look like I need a little lift.  I don't know where he hides them!)
• Take time to write him a letter specifically telling him what you love and respect about him.
• Always have your "romantic feelers" out and pay attention to special events happening in the community, such as free concerts, art festivals, popcorn flicks in the park, etc.
• Hide a small cooler in his car with his favorte drink and snack to enjoy on his ride home. (Just remember to tell him it is there sometime during the day.)
• Burn a CD with some of his favorite songs, or ones that are special to you as a couple.  Put it in his car's CD player.
• Cut out lots of hearts from pink and red construction paper.  Write a reason that you love him on each one and tape them all over the house.  (The kids can do this, too!)
• Pray for ideas -- God will answer you!  

        Back in 1984, when Thad and I were first getting to know each other, he asked his father for ideas about where to take me for our first date.  We went to the Bach’s Lunch program at St. Luke’s Cathedral in downtown Orlando.  I think they still have these!  First there was a concert in the sanctuary, and then a Box Lunch (get the pun?) in the fellowship hall.  We had a wonderful time!  A few weeks later, we visited Leu Gardens (a local botanical park), ate apples and cheese by the lake, and strolled through the Orchid House (which is no longer there).  What a guy!

        Recently, Thad offered to take me out for dessert.  However, as the evening progressed, we realized we weren’t going to break away from the house as planned.  So he snuck into the kitchen, made “sandwiches” of cherry vanilla yogurt spread on cinnamon graham crackers, and then froze them.  (Yummy!)   In return, I asked Joanna and Lydia to help me set up a card table in our bedroom and make it all pretty.  Lydia also made us two large mugs of hot chocolate.  After the younger kids went to bed, Thad and I had our quiet just-for-two dessert date after all!