Fun and Cheap Date Ideas

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery Pic is from one of my three Valentine's Day decorations I will be using this month. (If I get a burst of energy, I may have four!)

RANDOMNESS #1 - I went to Body Pump Tuesday, and as I was signing in, the receptionist told me, "You know this is the last month they are offering the Express Class?"

"Uh. No. I did NOT know that!"

For those of you who may not know the term "Express Class," it is a Body Pump class which lasts 45 minutes instead of an hour. In "Enchanting Belinda World," Express Class is the BEST class ever.

Some would say it is a "mind" thing. Fifteen extra minutes of exercise cannot be that excruciating. Fifteen extra minutes of exercise cannot leave you feeling old and limp and ragged. It's all in your mind.

Wrong.

It is all in that extra 15 minutes.

My exercise buddy, Cam, and I were very sad, and as we walked up the stairs to our classroom (that's right... we have to walk UP two sets of stairs to get to our exercise class), I realized the date was January 31.

I made my way back to the receptionist. "Does that mean TODAY is the last Express Class... EVER?"

"That's right. Tomorrow is February, and the class has been dropped from the schedule."

I looked at my friend, Cam. "Well, we better make this one count."

After a couple of days of letting it sink in, we have decided to try regular Body Pump classes offered at various times during the day to see if we can find the exercise class that suits us.

Let's face it. The only way we're going to be happy is if we put our stuff away and leave a regular class 15 minutes early.

And we're not above doing just that!

RANDOMNESS #2 - I made the little Valentine's Day Mailboxes and set them out yesterday. I even put little candy surprises in everyone's mailbox.

I bought little Valentine's and put them in a bowl. During the next few days before Valentine's Day, anyone can go to the Valentine's Day Mailbox Center and fill in a little note that begins with "Remember when..." or "I love you because... ."

I have to be honest. This new Pinterest idea was met with some open hostility.

"Mom. We're not three years-old," Roxie protested.

"I know. If you were three years-old, you wouldn't be able to write meaningful little notes to your family."

"This is like homework," Josh announced.

"Exactly," Roxie agreed. "And we are stressed. We do not need any more homework."

"Guys. If it stresses you out to write down on paper why you care about someone in your own family, that is a very sad state of affairs."

"I quit," Roxie said simply.

"What do you mean... you quit? You haven't even started yet."

"Nope. I mean I quit The Faulkner Five. It is a lot of work being in this family. And I cannot think of one single thing to write for any of you!"

"Ditto," Josh agreed.

About that time, Mikie walked in from work and saw the Valentine's Day Mailboxes, and heard the last part of the conversation.

"Oh, man. What do we have to do now?" he whined.

Roxie quickly filled him in and told him of her decision to quit The Faulkner Five.

"Ditto," Josh reiterated.

I know Mikie wanted to jump on the teenager bandwagon, but after one look at my storm cloud face he backed me up.

So we're doing the Valentine's Day Mailboxes... cheerfully.

And I did not accept Roxie's resignation letter from The Faulkner Five.

Or Josh's "Ditto" resignation letter.

And I forbade them to text or call or warn Austin before I had a chance to talk to him first.

I just adore the LOVE month, don't you?

Blog Linkage - Valentine's Day, Super Bowl Party and just a great new website. I've got it all today!

1. Go to eighteen25 under My Blog List. Read yesterday's post entitled "Super Bowl Round-Up." If you're having a party, this is the post to visit for some great decoration ideas, recipe ideas, etc., etc.

2. Stay at eighteen25. Go to the sidebar and type "Cookie Valentines" into the Search Box. After a few seconds, scroll to the top of the page and click on the words "cookie valentines." This idea would work well for school, family, friends, etc.

3. Go to www.sixsistersstuff.com. Read EVERYTHING. Recipes, crafts, giveaways, etc., etc. I'll be visiting this website daily for a week or so before adding it to My Blog List, but it looks really, really good.

Fun and Cheap Date Ideas

These ideas came straight from my favorite new website, Six Sisters' Stuff. Pick one (or two, or three) and date your spouse this month!

1. Make homemade pizzas together.

2. Fly kites. You can usually find them at the dollar store!

3. Try a new sport together. My husband is an avid snowboarder, so we hit the slopes! It was so fun to see him doing something he loves, even though I had quite a few wipe outs!

4. Have a game night. Pull out all of your board games for a friendly night of competition. (Mikie and I love Backgammon.)

5. Be a tourist in your own city. Find what tourist attractions are in your city and spend the night acting like tourists, which includes taking cheesy pictures!

7. Go see a play. Whether at your local community theater, high school or a big production, there is plenty of entertainment available!

8. Stargazing. Pack a blanket, pillows and food, and go somewhere to see the stars. Do some research before and look for constellations.

9. Treasure hunting. Head to the ATM and get out $10 to $20. Drive around to some local yard sales and see what you end up with! There are tons on the weekends!

10. Go on a bike ride (if weather permits). If you don't have a bike, check the classifieds for a great deal! You could even pack a lunch!

I'll have ten more next Thursday from the same site! We've talked about some of these before, so this is just a reminder. It doesn't have to cost a ton of money to spend time with your spouse... just a little effort and imagination!

Have a terrific Thursday. I'll be back in the morning with Weekend Happenings, more things I've learned being a Mom of teens and some interesting pics (I think)!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda