52 Uncommon Ways to Unwind Together by Randy Southern

It is no secret that life can be stressful. I know a lot of families where both the husband and wife are on the go--and often in different directions. Relaxing and Unwinding together sounds great--but do you have trouble thinking up something different and fun to do? Randy Southern's new book, 52 Uncommon Ways to Unwind Together is full of activities to consider.


52 Uncommon Ways to Unwind Together begins with information related to the five love languages in Gary Chapman's books and he writes the forward to this book to help readers know what those are and how to use them to have a better relationship. Each of these 52 activities is described briefly and then includes directions to "go the extra mile" for a super fun activity and "making it work for you" talks about the best ways to implement the ideas for the activity to work best for your situation. There is also a brief touch on "speaking the right language" to say which love language the activity best will rub the right way. Last, but not least by any means, the activity ends with "weaving the third strand" or how to relate this activity to living with God as part of the relationship. This part includes Bible passages to read, questions to ask each other, and tips on praying after completing the activity. Some of the ideas I liked were volunteering at an animal shelter together, planning a dream vacation together, spending an evening stargazing, and making a series of birthday wish videos together for family members to see on their special day.


I liked that 52 Uncommon Ways to Unwind Together included so many different types of ideas. A few were activities my husband and I had already done together and a few were activities that just wouldn't work for us for one reason or another. . .but that left a lot of good ideas to consider. However, I while I did think some were good ideas like inviting an elderly person over for a meal, I didn't necessarily think that was a good way for someone like me to "unwind" when hospitality doesn't come easy to me. At the same time, it is a good idea to consider doing for us--it just didn't fit the title for me. I think most couples of all ages would find at least a few good ideas in this book for relaxing and doing something different together. I would encourage you to give this book a try if you are looking for ideas--just not necessarily to unwind together.

I received this book from Moody Publishers. All opinions in the review are my own.