5-Day Valentine Challenge

It’s Day 5 in the challenge, which brings us right up to this Valentine weekend! I’m excited to celebrate, are you?

For some reason I’m enjoying this year more than most. I think it’s a combination of this Valentine challenge and the fact that I blessed someone else this year instead of treating it as a “couple’s only” day. Love is for everyone including those who are spending the weekend alone. And if you are alone, maybe you could call up a single friend and plan something together.

My son Nathaniel and I went to the mall on Thursday afternoon where we found an enormous heart-shaped box of chocolates. We picked them up for my mom and delivered them to her the same afternoon. It was a beautiful box–the biggest one I could find. Hopefully this helped to bring joy to her life which has been difficult since Dad passed away.

After I returned home, Michael mentioned that he made dinner reservations for us on Saturday. That was a complete surprise because I don’t think he’s ever made a reservation before. We’ve always celebrated a few days before since the restaurants are so busy, but this year he was ahead of the game. (I think my daughter had something to do with this plan. *wink*

So instead of having a Friday night date, we’ll be celebrating on Saturday. Yum. Can’t wait!

The challenge today is to have a special date night either inside or outside the home. For some couples this is easy, you simply slip into your favorite dress and head out to a restaurant with your sweetheart, but for others it’s a challenge.

What do you do when you have young children and dates are breaking the budget? Not only do you have to pay for dinner you also have to pay for a babysitter which can get pricey after a few hours.

I always say that you don’t have to leave the house to enjoy a date night together, but I do think that if you’re going to call it a date, then it’s best to plan ahead and put a little effort in to make your date special.

Set a beautiful table, light some candles, and enjoy some intimate conversation after the kids go to bed.

Or… if you want to involve the kids you can always have them act as waiters and waitresses.

For a few years, I waitressed at my sister’s house on Valentine’s day. It was the only time in my life I have ever waitressed. She and her husband used to host Valentine’s dinners at their home and I would serve them. We also had a volunteer chef in the kitchen which was pretty cool.

I tried to be as professional as I could, including hanging up coats when they arrived and putting them away after they left. It was pretty cool actually. I enjoyed it.

If you want to watch a movie with your husband, you could always rent a family movie first and then enjoy a love story after the kids are tucked in. Prepare for the date beforehand by making a few extraordinary snacks.

I just took a quick peek and, “The Song,” came out on iTunes yesterday. Okay, now I have goosebumps because I’ve been waiting forever to watch this movie. Yep–I’ll definitely be watching this weekend!

Check out the trailer below if you haven’t already. It looks awesome!

Note: Subscribers may have to click through to the blog to view the video.

Have a great weekend y’all.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife

Pick up a copy of my book, Messy Beautiful Love: Hope and Redemption for Real-Life Marriages. Only $2.99 on Kindle this week. 

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