Husband Stuff

After kids, date nights are a bit of a crap shoot. It’s tough to keep the romance alive amidst all of the sleepless nights, diaper changes and spit up, not to mention how terrifying  it is to leave your child with a sitter for the first time. However, taking the time to connect, even if you don’t leave the house, is more important than ever.

In a study conducted by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, W. Bradford Wilcox and Jeffrey Dew highlighted five reasons why date nights have strong correlations to healthy marriages:

1.Communication: Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings. arguments and distance between couples. These are feelings that chip away at marital happiness. Taking the time to get away, talk and focus on each other will build communication.

2. Novelty: Unique, shared experiences are important for long-term relationships. They help get you out of your routine.  If you try something new together, you will also create memories and inside jokes that you can share together for years to come.

3. Eros: Eros  or “romantic love”  is something you probably experienced at the beginning of your relationship. Making the time to remember what you love about your spouse helps keep that romantic love alive.

4. Commitment: By taking time out of your busy lives to schedule and devote time to each other, you are displaying your commitment. Letting your spouse know that you are committed to each other can solidify your bond.

5. De-stressing: Sometimes there is nothing I need more than to get out of my house, have a drink and share a laugh with my husband. It’s better than the best therapy!

Here are my ideas for Ten Great Summer Date Nights, five for when you can escape into the city and five you can do at home:

Host Your Own Outdoor Movie Night: This one can  be done at home in the backyard with a baby monitor. Download a movie on your iPad or laptop and then grab a blanket and a bottle of wine and head out to your backyard for a romantic movie night under the stars.

Get in Touch With Your Inner Child: Eat sugary cereal, play video games or board games, color or build a fort together, anything that you both loved to do as kids. You’ll have a blast and you might learn something about your spouse’s childhood that you never knew before.

Have a Culinary Adventure: Visit Hardywood on either Wednesday (West Creek)or Thursday evenings (Original location)for their famous Food Truck Court and order something off the menu from at least 4 food trucks. Take turns feeding each other and talking about your favorite meals as kids and your favorite  meals you’ve shared together.

Kid Around in an Amusement Park– If your kids are too young to visit King’s Dominion or Busch Gardens, there’s no reason you and your spouse have to miss out on the fun. August 4th-19th King’s Dominion is hosting their Beer and Barbecue Food Festival with great live music, craft beer and barbecue.

Plan a Mall Dare Adventure– Visit a local outdoor mall in the evening and, while you’re enjoying the summer weather, have fun with this dare game. Go through the mall and see how many dares you each can complete. Be sure to set up what the winner gets ahead of time.

Have Lawn Fun and Games- For those couples with a competitive spirit, set up the baby monitor in your yard and try a new outdoor game together like Molkky, Bocce Ball or Ladder Toss.

Go Star Gazing– The Perseid meteor shower started on Monday and continues until August 24th, with the peak on August 11th-August 13th. Grab a blanket and visit a local park after dark for some snuggles under the stars.

Plan a Lip Sync Battle– Use the free printables from The Dating Divas found here, for song and movie scene lip sync cards and have your own epic lip sync battle.

(If you can kill it like JGL, please send me the video! Seriously, is there anything that guy can’t do?)

Try Something Outdoorsy Together– Go on a Segway tour or take a SUP (Stand-up Paddleboarding) class on the James River.

Expand Your Mind Together- Listen to a podcast outside with your feet in a wading pool and cold drink in your hand or, if you’re a nerd like me, you can work on a puzzle together while listening to a best-selling audio book.

I never said it would be easy! ROFL

Focusing on our kids is always important and sometimes all-consuming, but taking time to connect with your spouse is honestly the best thing you can do for your kids, not just for your marriage. It may seem dramatic, but seeing parents with open communication and a deep commitment to each other will shape their childhood and all of their future relationships. So make time for each other and schedule that date night today!

♥ Erin

For all those old, married folks out there, when’s the last time you had a date night?  Does your idea of a night in together revolve around Netflix? Are you and your spouse so tired by the end of the day that you have a hard time having a conversation with each other, let alone time for romance? Before kids, my husband and I used to go out all the time. After three kids we are always exhausted, and actual date nights out may be few and far between, but we’ve found that you can still have a great time with your spouse even if you spend the evening at home. Put the kids to bed and try one of these date night ideas.

♥ 14 Stay At Home Date Night Ideas ♥

1.Cook Something Together. Getting into the kitchen and creating together forces you to communicate in a different, more organic way. Put on some music and have fun shimmying around the kitchen. I recommend signing up for Cook In, a 12 month subscription service that sends out monthly date boxes that include: A themed menu, recipes with ingredient list, movies to watch, songs to listen to, and conversation starters geared around your relationship.

2. Chopped: Couples Edition. Make your own version of the popular cooking show, Chopped. Both of you can shop for 4-6 strange ingredients and then challenge your spouse to make a dessert out of the things you’ve chosen. This is a great time to get creative and have fun!

3. Create Something for your Home. My husband and I used to enjoy making each other things for Valentine’s Day, but how much fun would it be to make something together for the home that we share? Try this  I love you because sign, these 11 creative ideas. or these 35 Ikea DIY hacks

4. Get Playful. Play a game of Twister, Boggle or Scrabble. I know this isn’t exactly a wild night out, but playing games together can lead to lots of laughs (like when my husband always has to spell balls or crotch because he thinks he’s still a teenager) and some great conversation.

5. Cuddle Around the Fire. If you don’t already have one, invest in a fire pit. You can find a decent one on Amazon for just over $40. Take turns making s’mores or just snuggle on your spouse’s lap.

6. Have Your Own Wine/Beer Tasting. Buy a few different types to try, along with some food that pairs well, such as chocolate or cheese. Write down your thoughts on what you’ve tasted and compare notes.

7. Discover Your Inner Pop Star. YouTube has a karaoke version of just about every song you can imagine. Invest in a microphone like this one and take turns singing your hearts out, or better yet, sing some duets!

8.  Dance the Night Away. You can still go dancing even if you’re stuck at home. Look for DVDs at your local library, on Amazon or search for specific dances on YouTube.

9. Create Your Own Game Room. This may require an investment, but it doesn’t have to be a large one and all it really takes is one game. For example, my husband and I set up a dart board in our garage. Our neighbors had a shuffle board table and it provided us with hours of amusement.  Check on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for great deals on air hockey tables, foosball tables, arcade games, etc.

10. Write, Share and Discuss Your Bucket Lists. You’ll be surprised what you’ll learn about each other, even if you’ve been together for a long time.

11. Plan Your Next Vacation. Visit Trip Advisor to create a folder of hotel, restaurant and attraction ideas for your next trip.

12. Have Your Own Paint Night. Find cheap canvases and paint at Michaels and don’t forget to use their weekly coupons. Look for paint night tutorials on YouTube.

13. Read and Discuss a Book Together. Try the books Color Code by Taylor Hartman, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman or any of John Gottman’s relationship books.

14. Go Back to the Beginning. Write down the story of how you met and your first date and then take turns videotaping each other reading what you wrote. Keep the videos to share with your kids.

With the stresses and struggles of everyday life, it’s much more difficult for couples to sustain the romantic love they had when they got together. However, it can be done if you both agree to make it a priority. It may not look the way it did when you were first married, and keeping it may take time and effort, but it is worth it. Good luck!

♥ Erin

I usually write posts that I hope will help you as parents, but sometimes it’s nice to take a moment to remember that we have interests beyond our kids. One passion that my husband and I share is trying new restaurants. I thought it would be a good idea to share some info about the newest additions to Richmond’s restaurant scene.

18 New Restaurants to try in 2018:

Shagbark– American, New- 4901 Libbie Mill E Blvd. #175 With an emphasis on local, farm to table ingredients, chef Walter Bundy celebrates all that Virginia has to offer the culinary world. Everything is amazing, but I especially loved the cocktails and desserts.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday 5 pm-9 pm and Friday and Saturday 5 pm-10 pm

Natalie’s Taste of Lebanon– Lebanese– 3601 Cox Road Suite A. My best friend in elementary school moved from Lebanon when she was ten. Eating here makes me feel like I’m back in her mom’s kitchen. The food is fresh and delicious and the service is warm and friendly.

Hours: Tues-Thurs 11 am-9 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am- 11 pm, Sunday 12:30 pm-9 pm

Casa Italiana-Italian-8801 Three Chopt Rd Suite B. Growing up with an Italian grandmother, I’m pretty picky about what I consider “good” Italian food, and this place is the real deal! I love their pastas, their meatballs are amazing and it’s super family-friendly.

Hours: Monday – Saturday 11am – 10pm, Sunday 11am-9pm

Demi’s Kitchen-Mediterranean-4017 Macarthur Ave. If you love Stella’s, you’ll definitely enjoy this Lakeside restaurant. Their salads and dips are super fresh and tasty, and the Shrimp Santorini is to die for!

Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 5pm – 10pm, Friday & Saturday 5pm – 11pm and Sunday 5pm – 9pm

Flora– Mexican- 203 North Lombardy St. This upscale Mexican restaurant has one of my favorite dishes on their menu, conchinita pibil, so you know I had to give it a try. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I also loved the cocktail menu and the overall fun vibe of the place.

Hours: Tues-Sun 5 pm-2 am

Havana ’59 West End- Cuban-8902 W Broad St. Suite #D. Havana ’59 now has a second location in the Gold’s Gym Plaza off of Broad Street. They offer the same delicious Cuban food that you know and love from their downtown location.

Hours: Sun-Thurs  4:30 –10 pm, Fri-Sat  4:30 –11 pm, Lunch Mon-Sat 11 am –3 pm, Light Fare Daily 3–5 pm, Sunday Brunch  10 am –3 pm

Soulveur Bistro-Gourmet Soul Food-9545 Amberdale Drive,North Chesterfield, VA 23236 Their low-country menu is full of comfort food that will make your belly happy.

Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 11 am-8 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am-9 pm and Sunday 11 am-7 pm

Sen Organic Small Plate– Vietnamese/French- 2901 West Cary St. As the name suggests, everything here is organic, fresh and sustainable. The menu is full of healthy and interesting choices, and I LOVE their pho!

Hours: Mon, Wed and Thurs 11 am-3 pm and 5 pm-10 pm, Friday-Sunday 11 am-10 pm

Fighting Fish– Sushi/Poke- 317 N 2nd St. This is the only local restaurant I know of that serves delicious poke bowls as well as other fun dishes like the sushi donut and the sushi burrito. If you enjoy raw fish and trying new things, than this is the place for you!

Hours: M-F 11 am- 2 pm, M-Th 5 pm- 9 pm, Friday and Saturday 5 pm- 10 pm and Sunday 5 pm-9 pm

Laura Lee’s–  American, New- 3410 Semmes Ave, Richmond, VA 23225 Southern-Inspired cuisine and fabulous cocktails make this restaurant a must-visit. 

Hours: Mon-Thurs 4pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-11pm,  Sunday Brunch 10:30am – 2pm, Sunday Dinner
4pm-9pm

K-Town Kitchen and Bar– Korean- 9 North 4th St. If you’re ever looking for a fast, casual and delicious meal downtown, than this should be your go-to. The bulgogi is tender and flavored just right. The tofu is crispy, and the kimchi is spicy and delicious. It’s definitely worth a trip!

Hours: 11 am- 2 am daily

Little Saint– American, New-  2901 Park Ave. Little Saint offers a delicious menu of locally farmed and sourced seasonal cuisine. This is also a great restaurant to take friends with food allergies or dietary restrictions because they pay special attention to these things. 

Hours: Sun-Th 10am–10pm, Fri-Sat 10am–11pm

Brenner Pass-European (Alpine)- 3200 Rockbridge St. Suite 100 This stylish restaurant has a menu full of delicious and interesting dishes, many of which I’d never heard of before. Our waiter was very kind and patient with all of our questions and we really enjoyed our entire experience here. I’d recommend it for a special occasion.

Hours: 5 pm-10 pm Monday-Thursday, 5 pm-11 pm Friday and Saturday and Brunch Sunday 11 am- 3 pm

Beauvine Burger Concept– Burgers and Shakes- 1501 W. Main St. My mouth is watering just thinking about the amazing burger that I had here! All of their delicious burgers are available with local beef, turkey or as vegan veggie burgers, and their shakes, like the salted maple caramel or the fruity pebbles, are creative and big enough to share. They also have an extensive and inventive list of cocktails, adult shakes, beer and wine and soon they’ll be serving brunch! If you go, don’t miss the duck fat fries!

Hours: 11 am- 2 am daily.

Goatocado-Casual Lunch and Dinner-1823 W Main St.  With a seasonally changing menu of fresh, local ingredients and a environmentally conscious kitchen, dining at Goatocado is a choice you can feel good about. They have the bowls that you know and love from their food truck days, but their choose your own adventure menu also includes wraps, pho, arepas, mac n’ cheese, etc. They have something for the health food lover, the carb queen and everyone in between.

Hours: Tues-Thurs 11 am-9 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am-10 pm and Sunday 11 am-7 pm

The Circuit– Games, Drinks, Bar Food– 3121 W Leigh St. From their website: The Circuit Arcade Bar has over 50 throwback arcade & pinball machines, as well as  an enormous, 50-tap, self-serve wall that provides a wide variety of craft beer, cider & wine. With a pay-per-ounce system you will be able to pour as little or as much of any one selection as you want.  Our “self-service” atmosphere includes our delicious menu.  Why wait for a server instead of ordering when YOU want?  Food can be ordered both from your phone and from any of our self-service kiosks.

Hours: 5 pm-11 pm Sunday-Thursday and 5 pm-1 am Friday and Saturday

Mon Chou– Dessert-306 E Grace St. This French patisserie carries only organic and non-GMO desserts. With macaron flavors that change daily, and a great tea menu, this would be a great place to stop for a fun afternoon date!

Hours: Wed-Saturday 12-8 pm

SB’s Lakeside Loveshack– Breakfast, Brunch-6935 Lakeside Ave. Breakfast is served all day at this charming Lakeside restaurant. The menu items are creative, delicious, and themed after the B-52’s song that we all know and love. Knock a Little Louder Sugar Buns, anyone?

Hours: Tues-Fri 6 am-2 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am-2 pm

Is it just me or are these two having way too much fun in the grocery store! Date night!

It’s time, folks. Let’s make date nights a priority and make 2018 the year of adventurous eating!

♥ Erin

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I invite you to take a tour down memory lane to a simpler time. A time before children. My husband and I have been together for 14 years and married for 12. When we started dating we were twenty-three years old, AKA giant babies. Back then we always made romance a priority. Every Valentine’s Day we’d each choose a night to plan and then go to work trying to top each other’s romantic ideas. We traveled on a wine train in Ohio. We traveled through the city of Syracuse for a progressive dinner. We dined under a twinkle-light covered pergola with hundreds of tea lights glowing around us. We basically made everyone around us feel ill.

Fast forward fourteen years and three kids later and life has made it much more difficult to have that kind of romantic energy. Today, romance looks a little bit different.

♥ The Top Ten Ways Couples Keep Love Alive After Kids ♥

10. You and your spouse spend a romantic evening arguing while putting together a bicycle, play kitchen or other bullshit piece of necessary kid crap. Your mutual hatred for Fisher Price and Huffy makes you feel closer than you have in months.

9.  Your spouse takes their turn supervising breakfast and morning tantrums so you can sleep in until, wait for it, 7:30 am! (If you hear sobbing, don’t worry, that’s just your 20-year-old self crying in horror.)

8. Your husband saves you both the last two pieces of your kid’s birthday cake. You hide in the garage, eating the cake in complete silence.

7. Your wife takes out her mouth guard before sex. HAWT!

6. You and your spouse take pride in finding new and different ways to……embarrass your children.

OUR ROLE MODELS

5. Your husband, after spending 45 minutes in the bathroom, notices that there is no more toilet paper and replaces the roll instead of just telling you about it. #whatdreamsaremadeof

4. Your wife surprises you on your birthday with that thing you HARDLY ever do. Not the thing you NEVER do, pervert.

3. You and your spouse conspire on an amusing untruth (the word lie makes it sound so wrong) to tell your children.

2. Your wife promises that she loves you more than she loves wine, and you pretend not to notice that her fingers are crossed behind her back.

1.Your husband takes a cue from this dude. #manoftheyear

Marriage is not for wimps, but if you can still find ways to have fun together, you’re doing something right! Happy VD, all!

♥ Erin

* If you have a great or hilarious way that you and your spouse keep the fire burning, let me know in the comments,

Halloween is over and we’re settling into November. In the Sorkin house, fewer hours of daylight and colder weather means it’s a great time to binge watch some new shows! Who’s with me?

Have you already finished Season 2 of Stranger Things? Are you tired of bawling your eyes out only five minutes into every damn episode of This is Us? Me too! Check out my list below of the shows that I personally recommend. There are so many that they may even get you through until the final season of Game of Thrones comes out next summer.

1. Bloodline (Family Drama)– Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) has aways been the glue that holds his family together, but after his older brother (amazingly played by Ben Mendelsohn) comes back into town and his father passes away, family secrets are revealed and things start to unravel. Sissy Spacek and Sam Sheppard also star.
2. Mindhunter (Crime Drama)– For me this show started slow, but, by the second episode, I was hooked. Set in the 1970’s the show stars Jonathan Groff (Whom I’m sure most of you know as Christof in Frozen) as FBI agent, Holden Ford. With a new wave of stranger killings, he is convinced that the FBI needs to begin to study the psychology behind why people become killers. He thinks the best way to do this is to interview incarcerated killers, but this idea doesn’t go over well with those in the FBI concerned with maintaining the status quo. This show is creepy and fascinating!
3. Ozark (Drama/Thriller)-Predictably, Jason Bateman plays the the family guy that gets more than he bargained for in his dodgy dealings with a Mexican drugs cartel, with Laura Linney as his cheating wife. Sometimes funny and always brooding, this series will fill the Walter White shaped void in all our lives.
4. The Killing (Mystery/ Crime Thriller)– I fell in love with this show when we still had cable and it was on AMC. The characters are so well-developed and raw that it feels like you’re a fly on the wall, watching their actual lives unravel.
5. Rectify (Family Drama)– This is another wonderfully acted, raw show with amazing character development. After being wrongfully convicted of murdering his high school girlfriend, and spending 19 years on death row, Daniel Holden has been released from prison. He goes back home to live with his mother and sister who never stopped fighting to prove his innocence. However, as you can imagine, his reintroduction into “normal” life is very difficult and not everyone is happy to see him out of prison.
6. The Five (British Mystery/Drama)– A 5 year old boy, Jesse, goes missing and then 18 years later his DNA is found at the scene of a brutal murder. The boy’s teenage brother, now in his thirties, along with three of his closest friends, has always felt responsible for the boy’s disappearance, and they work together to get to the bottom of what really happened to Jesse, all those years ago.
7. Jack Taylor (Irish Crime Drama)– This series, set in Galway, is based on the books of Ken Bruen. Iain Glen (Game of Thrones) plays the eponymous role of Jack Taylor, a former officer with the Garda Síochána (national police) who becomes a “finder” (private investigator) after leaving the service. The cases are really interesting and the accents are sexy as hell.
8. Paranoid (British Crime Drama)– I love the strong female lead in this show, Indira Varma (also from Game of Thrones). She is tough, smart, but still very human. The entire season is focused on solving one grisly, mysterious murder. So far there is only one season, but I’ve heard another one is in the works.
9. Scott and Bailey (British Crime Drama)– Another show with strong female leads, this one focuses on detectives Scott and Bailey as they rise up through the ranks of the department, solve cases and destroy their personal lives. Solid stuff!
10. True Crime (Australian Crime Drama/True Stories)– I love that this show is based on actual cases. At 90 minutes an episode, they’re a little long and drawn out, but well-developed and very detailed.
11. Father Brown (British Mystery/Crime)– Mark Williams, (Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter) stars as a catholic priest who is really good at solving mysteries. It’s not entirely believable, but very watchable and I love the characters in his small English village.
12. London Spy (British Thriller/Mystery)– This show is creepy and weird, but kind of addictive. I wish there was more than one season out right now! It tells the story of club kid, Danny (amazingly acted by Ben Whishaw), who meets the very buttoned up Alex on the street one morning. Danny is immediately infatuated with Alex who seems like such an innocent. However, he soon finds out that Alex might not be who he seems. Charlotte Rampling is so wonderfully frightening as Alex’s intense, controlling mother, and the super-talented Jim Broadbent also stars as Danny’s close friend and mentor.
13. Luther (British Thriller/Mystery)– Idris Elba. Enough said. Seriously though, this crime drama is full of passion and obsession, and just enough danger.
14. Jessica Jones and Luke Cage (Marvel)– I’m not usually into the whole Marvel Universe thing, but these shows are great. Jessica and Luke are two separate shows that are all tangled up together, and they’re both full of dark characters. My favorite was David Tennant (Dr. Who) as Jessica’s ex with deadly powers. It was so fun to watch him be so bad.
15. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (Australian Mystery/Comedy)– I love this show set in 1920’s Sydney. Miss Phryne Fisher plays an independent woman, way ahead of her time. She is a private investigator with very close ties to the local police and together they solve crimes. Her humor and wit make her different than anyone else on TV.
16. Master of None (Comedy)-Aziz Ansari writes and stars in this comedy, creating a humorous and sometimes painfully honest look into modern life. He is so sweet, self-aware and self-deprecating, and my favorite guy on TV right now.
17. Love Sick (British Comedy)– After finding out he has an STD, Dylan must get back in touch with every girl he has ever had sex with to let them know the bad news. The premise makes this show sound like a buddy comedy, but it’s actually a really sweet romantic comedy about finding love and the importance of friendship, plus the lead, Johnny Flynn, is freakin’ adorable.
18. Happy Endings (Comedy)– This is a show about six friends living and loving together in Chicago. Sound familiar? I know, I know; It’s been done. However the obscure, but hilarious pop culture references and modern spin make this show really fun to watch. DVD only
19. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Comedy)-This is a raucous and lighthearted comedy about a woman who escapes a doomsday cult, after living 15 years underground. Ellie Kemper manages to be both adorable and hilarious, but it’s her best buddy and roommate, played by Titus Burgess, who steals the show with his over the top antics. Be careful though, the theme song is so catchy that it will be stuck in your head, on a loop, for years, dammit!
20. The Great British Baking Show (Cooking Competition)–The Great British Baking Show is all about people being nice to each other as they attempt various baking challenges to win the title of Britain’s best amateur baker.  With the help of charming lead hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins and thoughtful judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, there’s plenty of humor and a surprising level of intensity as you anxiously hope the contestants’ baked goods can come to fruition.

I left out some choices that I thought were too obvious, a la Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead, and tried to include titles that I loved, but that don’t get as much press. Hope you find something great to watch tonight!

(I originally intended to include show from all the streaming services we watch, but there are just so many good things to watch right now! Be on the lookout for Part 2: Amazon and Part 3: Hulu)

♥ Erin

After 12 years of marriage, three kids and  many arguments, both big and small, I’ve come to this important conclusion: Marriage is hard as shit! Even the healthiest of marriages require maintenance and effort. A good friend of mine pointed out that, not unlike real life, the husband stuff section of my blog has been sadly neglected. With everything else we have going on in our lives, it’s easy to just go through the motions day to day, all the while putting our marriage on the back burner.

For my husband and I, date nights have really helped us reconnect and remember that we actually like each other. The standard dinner and a movie date can be pricy, so here are some budget-friendly ideas to help you connect with your spouse this fall. You can even have fun together without finding a babysitter because you can try many of these ideas from the comfort of your own home.

20 Cheap Fall Date Ideas:

1. Go pumpkin picking. Check the link from Richmondmom.com for local resources.
2. Take a scenic drive or a hike to see fall foliage.
3. Visit a haunted house.  Here’s a link to tons of local scares from virginiahauntedhouses.com
4. Try on costumes at a Halloween costume shop.
5. Go star-gazing at a local park. Bottle of wine + soft blanket + some chocolate= a perfect evening
6. Find Youtube videos on Halloween makeup and practice turning each other into zombies or skeletons. Afterwards you can take a shower together to get “clean”.
7. Go for a walk together.
8. Write your bucket lists together and then discuss them. Make a plan to accomplish one or two things on your lists each year.
9. Have a moonlight picnic in the backyard.
10. Get a fire pit and enjoy s’mores and red wine by the fire. We just got this one from Amazon and have been enjoying it.
11. Make a meal together that you normally wouldn’t have time to cook or try a new type of cuisine.
12. Sing karaoke together or just watch and heckle those who sing.
13. Go to a high school football game. Share a hot chocolate and relive your youth.
14. Visit a local grocery store, Super Target or Walmart and have a contest to see who can find the most Pumpkin Spice flavored things. Winner gets to pick which of the things the loser has to try.
15. Have an apple pie bake-off. Choose two different recipes and let the best baker win!
16. Make popcorn and put on your favorite Halloween movie.
17. Visit a local harvest festival.  They often have free admission, great food and local musicians performing.
18. Try one of these fall crafts: Trick or Treat Wooden Blocks, Mason Jar Jack O’ Lanterns, or Ghost Face Picture Frames.
19. Visit a thrift shop to look for Halloween costume ideas. First prize goes to the person who can find the most hideous outfit.
20. Volunteer together. There are many volunteering opportunities this time of year. Check out these sites for more info: HandsOn Greater Richmond, Volunteer Match, Feed More

Richmond readers: Check out these great fall resources from Richmondmom.com.

Find time to connect with your spouse this fall. I promise you that the effort will pay off!

Happy Fall!

♥ Erin