We promised to look for other dates that inspire, by helping out with something larger than both of you.  Our next suggestion is for the two of you to volunteer at ”Feed My Starving Children”…and you don’t have to have kids to be part of this inspiring date!

One of Feed My Starving Children’s  (FMSC) belief statements is:  We believe that our lives are enriched when we graciously give our own time and resources to help others in need.  So why not enrich your relationship the same way?

Find something you both believe in, and a way to support it together.   FMSC makes it super easy – with 3 locations around the metro area (and 5 other states as well), and an online sign up to volunteer,  which allows you to search available timeslots in a date range. (Try signing up under “family” to get 2 or more spots). Sounds like a great date – both cheap and full of value!

FMSC is a  faith-based charity, headquartered in the Twin Cities, that is having an international impact.  FMSC seeks to ensure that every child in the world can receive adequate nutrition for healthy physical development.  In 2009, they were able to supply 96 million meals for distribution in over 62 countries.  The meals provided by FMSC are carefully designed by food scientists to provide the nutrients that malnourished children need and the success stories are impressive. 

Helping to solve the world hunger crisis is great fun at FMSC.  The volunteers (you and your date!)  will arrive for a 1.5 to 2 hour shift and watch a short motivational video,  receive a briefing on how the assembly process works, and then the take their place in the meal packing process.  The atmosphere at FMSC makes the work game-like.  Workers will give a shout when a bag of meals weighs exactly the right amount.  The music is fun and light-hearted competition is encouraged.  At the same time, the work is taken very seriously.  The ratio of ingredients is carefully maintained and the work flow maximizes output and minimizes stoppages.  When the shift is over, a staffer will tell the group what they have accomplished.  The result is always satisfying.  

So don’t delay, sign up on their website, or search out your own charitable challenge that means a lot to both of you, and find your relationship inspired on an unusual and unique date!

A Charitable Challenge

What  better way to embark on an amazing date than by trying The Great MN Race?!  Challenge yourself and your spouse/date to try something totally different in a couple’s teamwork unique date.

The Great MN Race is modeled after CBS series The Amazing Race, with a few original twists thrown in to give a local appeal. The race will benefit Urban Ventures, a faith-based non-profit that works to break the cycle of generational poverty, specifically in the Central and Phillips neighborhoods of South Minneapolis.

The Great MN Race will take teams of two across the metro area of Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota. Teams will be solving clues and performing challenging tasks that are both mental and physical in nature as they race across the city (by foot, by bus, or by train).

The Great MN Race is unlike any race in the area, combining the fun elements of racing, solving clues, and completing tasks all while exploring the urban areas of the Twin Cities.

There’s still plenty of time to find a partner and register your team of two to participate in the race. Register online for $45 before 11:59pm Friday August 27^th.  

Registration and check-in is at 8:30am on Saturday and the race begins at 9:30 at 1199 Midway Pkwy, the north side of Como Pavilion in St. Paul.

For challenge examples, race details, and other information, email info@greatmnrace.com or visit http://www.greatmnrace.com/.

We are so inspired by this charity event, we may look for more A+ romantic idea as date opportunities that allow you to both enhance your relationship on a date and support a fabulous charity. Dates that Inspire! Watch for more ideas….

Eating for Romance!

To continue on from our last blog, we have more exciting ideas for food for better sex, romance and or even on a date.  Join us on this gastronomic adventure!

Almonds have long been purported to increase passion, act as a sexual stimulant, and aid with fertility. Like asparagus (another favorite sexy food), almonds are nutrient-dense and rich in several trace minerals that are important for sexual health and reproduction, such as zinc, selenium, and vitamin E. 

Breakfast Cereal…Too tired for sex? Check the label on your morning cereal and make sure you’re eating a brand loaded with thiamin and riboflavin. Both vitamins help you use energy efficiently, so you’ll stop falling asleep in the recliner while watching “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

 “Thiamin and riboflavin are also vital for the nervous system to function properly,” says Ayoob. Better nerve function translates into more stimulation and pleasure during sex. “As you get older, your body has a harder time absorbing the vitamins that keep your nervous system operating at its peak, so you often need to increase your intake,” says Lachance.

Scrambled, poached, or hard-boiled, eggs are a good source of B vitamins, a key nutrient for keeping your sex drive roaring and your mind stress-free.

Brazil nuts are a top source of selenium, a vitamin that helps keep sperm cells healthy while also helping the little buggers swim faster. When researchers in the United Kingdom had men with fertility problems increase their selenium intake, the men produced hardier, more viable sperm cells.

Citrus…Any member of this tropical fruit family is super-rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and folic acid—all of which are essential for men’s reproductive health. Enjoy a romantic salad that incorporates citrus, like pink grapefruit or mandarin oranges, or use a dressing made with lemon and lime.

We challenge you to enjoy these choices in your diet, and changes in your sex life! Enrich your marriage, renew your relationship, and revitilize your sex life.

So what does this A+ romantic idea company  have in common with Bed & Breakfast Getaways?  Well, Out-Of-The-Box-Dates Founder and CEO, LeeAnn Williams participated in our very first trade show – which means YOU are going to see some more cool and unique dates around Minnesota and Wisconsin.

LeeAnn displayed Out Of The Box Dates (OOTBD) at the Crown Plaza North in Minneapolis with the specific purpose of sharing our Romantic Dates and offerings with the Bed & Breakfast community of Innkeepers.

 The Bed and Breakfast owners, all 55 of them, primarily in Minnesota, and some in Wisconsin are very proud of their properties and the experience they offer their guests.  In LeeAnn’s words, “it was a privilege to meet the owners, and hear their excitement as they shared their unique offerings. ”

OOTBD offered a free assessment of the B&B’s current romance package… and we discovered the number one reason why people don’t stay at a B&B when traveling is because… they didn’t think about it.

 We’re about to change that!  Stay tuned as each of a myriad of proposals we received to create custom dates at B&B’s  in and around their hometowns become available. You can be the first to experience an exceptional new Date!

 In the meantime, don’t be one of those people who stay in some sterile suite with bagels for breakfast, when you can  experience an OOTBD at a B&B! Check out our current exciting, no planning required,  romantic MN date called The Pillar of Love!  And feel free to click on these B&B search sites and enjoy a unique and personal travel experience!  

B&B Directory  B&B Planner  B&B Online  BnB Finder  Lanier B&B

And one more fun and amusing fact?

During the show, we found out that the first thing a male guest will do is check out the shower head to see how nice it is!

Well, we recommend you watch for Out Of The Box Dates updates regarding weekend get-away Bed & Breakfast Dream Dates…which make great gifts….(we’ll let you know about the shower!)

 Thanks to the OOTBD staff’s help in preparation for this show!

HUGE thanks especially to Scott for his help at the show!

Keeping It So Simple in your Relationship Planning for 2010!

Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places. Can you get Relationship Planning ideas from Business planning?

I have a friend who shared a blog/website about a company who helps understand human dynamics in business. While perusing a blog on Complicated versus Complex, it suddenly popped into a relationship context!

When looking into 2010, reviewing and renewing your relationship, it is not dissimilar to reviewing your past performance in 2009 at work, and then planning for the future.  In your relationship you can have just as many questions, just as many points you know could use improvement as your business planning process.

• Who’s got time for reflection?
• What should we focus on?
• What should we do with too many expectations and not enough resources?
• How will our environment change in the coming year?
• What patterns will influence us?
• What patterns will we influence?

And you can just as quickly feel overwhelmed with the array of questions you have, turning it into a very complicated process. The interesting analogy here is that while it seems complicated, it could just be complex, and that is a much better thing!

According to Royce Holladay from the Human Systems Dynamics Institute’s blog of December 28^th http://www.patternsatwork.blogspot.com/ Complex Planning can be simple! 

In general practice, complicated and complex are often used interchangeably, but they mean quite different things in the world of human systems dynamics.

• Complicated: composed of many parts; difficult to analyze or understand.
• Complex: emerging from repeated interactions of a few, simple parts or factors.

In fact, she would encourage you to make a single statement as to what you wish to accomplish in your relationship this year.  A single goal or value encompassing your relationship could lead to focus, and some simple repeated actions on both your parts that keep you improving/progressing.

Try one of these vision or goal statements:

• We believe kindness is important in our relationship
• Romance can increase this year
• We listen to each other
• We can take time for Us
• Focus on each other
• This the Year to renew our relationship
• We will enhance our connection
• Any wording that speaks to you both!

Simply find your vision or goal for the year, and choose a few simple actions you can both take/change to make it happen.

Simple statements that may take the complexity of your relationship and help you focus on some key patterns or interactions that will make a difference. And it can make looking ahead seem much less complicated! So, begin to influence the future of your relationship, by K.I.S.S.’ing as much as possible!

Like any New Year’s Resolution you have made in your life, you’ve experienced the forcefulness in wishing to make the desired change work.  And you’ve experienced how it can be lost in the blink of an eye as you find a) real life gets in the way; b) negativity steps in; c) massive rationalization starts. Pick one! For a humorous look at how resolutions are made to be broken, try http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/live-it/made-to-be-broken.html.

But there are many who believe setting goals is a good thing, even if you only do it once a year.  And romantic goal setting together could really pay off! Making romantic goals together can help you focus your time and energy on what is important to you both in your relationship.

So perhaps this is the year you should sit down together.  If you have a tried and true goal setting system, apply it to your relationship.  If you need some steps getting started, try these, adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/family-and-relationships/a3968-how-to-make-and-keep-a-new-years-resolution.html

1. Take a relationship inventory together. Take stock of where you are, and what you would both like in your relationship in the coming year.
2. Be reasonable. Daydream for a while, but then look at what is practical and achievable.
3. Go on record. Write down your goal/s. Commit to each other. If you have another couple who cares about you both, share it with them too!
4. Have checkpoints. Break down your goals into do-able chunks and set mini goals for reaching them.  Celebrate small goal accomplishments!
5. Rearrange things.  You might need a new approach, plan, or process to achieve your checkpoints. Be open to shifting things together.
6. When necessary, get back on the horse.  Even if you notice you’ve missed a checkpoint or fallen out of your new process, don’t give up, just renew.  Failure isn’t from stopping; it’s from not starting again! 

So take this Romantic Idea challenge…be romantically resolute! And don’t break your New Year’s romantic resolutions.  Keep them alive and share your resolutions with us…We’d love to hear each one! 

Are you the Ultimate Romantic? No gesture is too corny, no whimsy to be denied. You take chances, and are open to ideas from any romance source, real, cinematic, or literary.  You’ll be the one who dangles rose petals to create a boudoir tent in your bedroom, years after the wedding! Or get married on a beach at sunset! You love thoughtful, unusual, and unique touches to express your love. Well, you will adore this entire website – check it out – more romance than even YOU can imagine! Enjoy!

 Romantic Snapshot CHALLENGE ~ Take a mental snapshot of something positive you notice about your love and before you go to bed that night, describe that snapshot in detail to your love.  For example: Today you were standing behind the kitchen counter totally unaware that I was watching you.  You had on your brown sweater.  Your hair was messy in the cutest way.  You were leaning over to help Johnny with his homework.  Your gentleness and beauty made my heart skip a beat. 

Are you the Sincere Romantic? You are comfortable with romantic gestures; you use them thoughtfully. Your love is enormous, and you never forget a special day.  But perhaps life gets in the way from time to time? Or perhaps you rely on the tried and true romantic expressions?  You are also the type of romantic who will find nirvana with Out of the Box Dates. The creative dates will bounce you out of the ordinary, and you can thoughtfully select the best match for your extra romantic gesture!

Panoramic CHALLENGE ~ Widen your lens, as you look for something to do for your partner in a decidedly un-standard way.  You could ask him/her what their favorite date from your early years was, and recreate it; or if you do love notes from time to time, try a love note puzzle…and leave pieces for him/her to find just to tantalize!

You may consider yourself the Practical Romantic.  After all, the dog has to be walked anyway, why not ask her to join you for a stroll!  Or perhaps romance is breakfast in… the kitchen.  But you made it yourself (from a box of muffins that was about to expire?)  There is nothing wrong with practical romance, especially if you are with another no-nonsense person! But anyone will enjoy a surprise, or an unexpected romantic gesture. And it is very practical if you can find something that takes the work out of it, and has a track record of success! An Out of the Box Date gives you practical access to add a little spice to your relationship!

Capture the Moment CHALLENGE ~ Look for opportunities to be impulsive, not practical.  When you are walking through the kitchen, take your love in your arms and dance even if there is no music playing.  For 2 days, make it your mission to look for such opportunities.  Each time you think of one… act on it!!  Don’t just think about and then go back to the task at hand or watching TV.  Be spontaneous!

There is a type out there that doesn’t get romance. You may go out to dinner, and just talk about problems at work, or the way the dog trainer isn’t helping Rex’s behavior. You may forget anniversaries, and never purchase fresh-cut flowers. ANY relationship needs a little more care and feeding than this! You need someone to tell you exactly what to do, to successfully pull off a romantic gesture. You’re in luck! Out of the Box Dates is perfect for you! Start shopping!!

Picture This CHALLENGE ~ Set the scene for romance for no reason at all.  Light candles, put on soft music, and take 10 minutes just to sit together and hold hands, talking about nothing but special memories together, complimenting one another, dreams, etc.

The truth is, you may be a unique combination of any of the 4 Romantic Pictures. And you may vary between all 4 in the same year!  Clear your mind and take an honest appraisal of your Romantic Profile…by taking the Romance Meter Quiz!  http://www.outoftheboxdates.com/romance-quiz.php  And while you are at it, take a moment to let us know if there is another Romantic profile we have missed – we’d love to hear your story. How do you show your Romantic Side?