77377 Old Fashioned Picnic

Surprise your spouse with an old fashioned picnic! Picnics are a fun way to enjoy food and the outdoors together.

Here's a list of things you will need: 
Thick blanket/ quilt to sit on
Cooler for certain items (cheese, fruit, sandwiches, etc.)
Dishware -plates, utensils, cups, napkins (use paper and plastic to make it easy)
Basket or something to carry everything in. Doesn't have to be super fancy but try to make it nicer than plastic bags!
Food and drinks (using frozen bottles of water or lemonade can work as "ice packs" in the cooler and a drink when they thaw!)
Wet Wipes to clean off after eating
Trash bag to put dirty dishware in
Game to play (Try the dice game, Kismet. $9 Amazon.com) or bring a Frisbee, Football, or Kite
A flower vase for some fresh flowers you find while there
Sunscreen/ Hats and a Jacket if it gets cool
Bug spray to keep insects away

         
Food suggestions: 
Sandwiches.
(Try using Pesto instead of Mayo as Mayo goes bad earlier. Use thick pieces of bread and bring    the spread to put on sandwiches separately so they don't get soggy. Pesto, turkey, & tomato sandwiches are delicious and easy!)
Fruit (already cut and prepared ahead of time).
Cheese & Crackers or French Bread (use a low moisture cheese like Gouda, Asiago, or Manchego) 
Carrot & Celery sticks
Brownies or Cookies (if using a box brownie mix, add some fun ingredients to the batter like dried cherries or fresh raspberries)

Image Courtesy of Praisaeng at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

          Another idea is to drive somewhere with a nice view and have the picnic in the back of your pick-up truck, SUV or car. Open the trunk, set everything up and enjoy your picnic in the back. Or if you'd rather, have a romantic picnic at home! Wait until the kids are in bed and set everything up on the floor like you would for an outdoor picnic. Tea light candles and a vase of flowers will spice up the atmosphere.

           After many studies and research, Dr. John Gottman found that, “ the happiest, most stable marriages in the long run were those where the husband treated his wife with respect and did not resist power sharing and decision making with her. When the couple disagreed, those husbands actively searched for common ground rather than insisting on getting their way." (Gottman Blog) Of course, it's not always the husband who has a difficult time accepting influence from a spouse but on average, men tend to have a harder time accepting influence than women. The lesson: let your partner influence you! Discuss decisions before making them. Respect each others concerns, opinions, and insights. Accept that sometimes you are wrong and your spouse might be right. 

Image courtesy of Stockimages at freedigitalphotos.net

          Practice this skill on your picnic as you navigate each other through a "blind mine" course. Bring bandanas to tie over your eyes. Scatter sticks, rocks, or other objects along the grass. One of you starts at one end of the mine obstacle course blindfolded while your spouse gives you verbal cues so that you don't step on or run into anything in the course. Practice listening to your spouse and heeding their cues in order to get out safe. Then switch roles!