What odd-but-lovely habits / rituals do you and your DP have?

[whatsinmypockets]

Inspired by a chat I had with a friend last night – she mentioned that she and her DP turn on 80s power ballads whenever they have to do house chores they don't enjoy, so they can play air guitar / sing into the antibac spray / throw armfuls of laundry in the air dramatically / hold the bathroom bin above their heads triumphantly while they get things done. Makes the job more fun and they get to feel connected.

It made me smile so much – and made me think of how DP and I, whenever we do something very mundane but do it well (like unpack the online shop delivery quickly or get eyedrops into the dog successfully) will put on overenthusiastic American accents and compliment one another like sports commentators: "Did you see the SPEED of that?" "This man is a true CHAMPION" "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we just witnessed history being made" "I've never seen talent like it"...

I love how couples often develop these weird little rituals that are totally unique to that specific relationship...

Given there's (understandably) so much "something's wrong with my relationship" on MN, I'd love to read some more examples of things like this - what do you and your DP do that's a quirk of your relationship?

Doesn't have to be as 'significant' as my friend and her power ballads – might just be a sweet how-we-make-coffee-in-the-morning routine or a specific way you hold hands...

We have so many!

Lots of narrating the dogs thoughts. And the "Goodnight biscuit" dog asks for biscuit. DH "This is a goodnight biscuit. Good night biscuit!" Me "Night night biscuit see you tomorrow niiiight" dog takes biscuit eats it and promptly goes to bed 🤣

Lots of quoting whatever we've watched recently. Particularly f-f-f-f-fibbing! from Only Fools and Horses

We also have a list of rules (think Gibbs from NCIS, in fact our rule numbers 9s are the same!) Which we trot out when appropriate 🤣

Very glad we’re not the only ones who have a dog that speaks. Ours speaks like Scooby Doo, with an ‘R’ at the start of each word. She’s also turned into a slightly tyrannical dictator-like figure, with frequent diatribes if her food’s not ready. DH, DS and I all do the voice.
Also DH and I always say ‘hello?’ in a Hans Mollman voice if the other doesn’t hear us talking to them.
And we do a Jack and Karen belly touch (Will & Grace) in the kitchen if DS isn’t there.
And we say ‘stop eating pistachios, Sofie!’ (Stath Lets Flats) just randomly.
We watch way too much telly…

I love these ❤️ This is the stuff that was completely missing from my marriage and i couldn't put a finger on it. As well as communicating with the 'knowing look' when in public.

I've had it with best friends and boyfriends, so knew this type of connection exists.

We sing "I luuurve you!" at the top of our voices to each other at least once a day. Except often, since we're older, we're in our comfortable chairs with the dog on a lap. The dog wakes up and howls if he hears us, so we will mouth the words and exaggerate with heart hands and loving outstretched arms in silence.

This sounds familiar. Is it from 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid'? That film gave us a lot of catchphrases over the years, like 'Cleaning wooooomaaaan?', 'Gemermans' & 'And here's a little gift for you'.

On a Steve Martin kick, the phrase, "Back in bowl," in an Indian accent is appropriate surprisingly often.

If one of us forgets to lock a door, the correct thing to say is, "Security - word's become a bloody joke around here!' & if we do some security-type thing correctly, it's, "Thank you for observing all safety precautions" inspired by Where Eagles Dare & (?) Dark Star respectively.

I love this thread. If something goes a bit wrong either DH or I will announce in a really bad fake southern accent, ‘the daaaaawg did it’ I can’t remember why now.
We also have random songs that someone will sing the first line and the rest of the family respond to like :Shawty had them apple bottom jeans (jeans), boots with the fur (with the fur)…

I recognise the triumphant lunge, except we lunge upwards with the leg up as high as we can on a chair/table - depending on tight trousers or skirts it can be quite a stretch. Coupled with the serious stare 😄

Also songs and sayings, and straightening of bushy eyebrows before any conversation can commence. I can’t hear what he says if his bushy eyebrows are messy, and he knows it full well!

In summer, once the kids are in bed, we make iced coffee and sit on the front porch with the cats and just talk about anything. Usually laugh about stories from our past.

In darker nights, we make hot coffee and snuggle on the sofa under a blanket (or ten) and talk about all the nice things we want to do when it's summer again.

If something happens and we have to let the kids down (fave club was cancelled, didn't manage to get their magazine on time before it sold out etc) we do rock paper scissors and the loser has to break the news 😂

Okay last one - if I see a spider I shout "spider duty!!!" and DW comes running to take it out as that's my fear. Hers is moths, so she'll scream hysterically shout "moth duty!!!" and I'll do the same for her 😅

We can't offer eachother tea without saying 'Will you have a cup of tea, Ted? Go on, go on, go on'.

With my grown boys we have loads of film quotes, rather obscure ones from Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks.

The latest one is from Basil when Rattigan is called a rat:
«My dear (Bartholomew, but insert any name/thing), I’m afraid you’ve gone and upset me» in our best Vincent Price voice.
It’s a surprisingly versatile quote!

DH likes to pretend to be a walker from the Walking Dead. Oddly enough though it makes me want to lamp him one, especially when he creeps up on me and does it. It isn't remotely lovely or endearing but it's odd!

When one of us makes a statement , we act out the scene from a Christmas special of The Vicar of Dibley . Geraldine has gone to Alice’s for Christmas dinner and meets Alice’s mum . It goes “ have you ? “ “ yes I have “ “ have you ? “ yes I have “ “
aww you have , have you ? “ . We do the voices too .

This thread made me so happy and so sad at the same time.

What a joyful thread this is!! ❤️

Aw. love this thread.

I’ve had nearly 40 years of
Me ”Put the kettle on, please.”
Him ”I’ve tried and it doesn’t fit.”

Also
Me “Move your bum.” (If I need to get passed etc)
He does a little bum wiggle.

This sounds familiar. Is it from 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid'?
Yes it is! Loved that film

God, so many things! Many of them are quotes (especially from Cabin Pressure) or bits of songs. All kinds of stupid names for things etc. We have unusually uncringeable teen dc, so they join in with most of it.

I love the boob straightening and the lunges!

We do Wordle and Quordle in bed together in the morning. Depending on who wins we say a selection of 'quite remarkable' in the John Motson style, 'who's Queen' in the Miranda Richardson Blackadder QE1, or 'very good INDEED' in the Alexander Armstrong Pointless style.

Not me , but my granny and grandad .
When ever my granny said she needed the loo , he would say “ piss off then
my darling !” . Just remembering that makes me smile .

This has made me laugh!!
We do a dance to these opening credits where we pick imaginary mangoes and turn imaginary coconuts 🤣

Me and oldest son (doesn’t live at home). If I text him in the morning I say “Good morning Patrick” (from Phoenix Nights; he’s not called Patrick btw). Loads of Fools and Horses quotes (we are from South London) “What a RIDICULOUS thing to say!” (Rodney to Del Boy’s thoughts on climate change) or “You’ve got a mouth and a half on you” (Boycie to Marlene)

We copy snippets of conversations heard on the telly of people with different accents. Just a few examples which will make no sense at all….
An Irish couple walking around a supermarket and the husband is talking about how shopping has changed - do you see this bread here it says it’s gluten free, which means it’s free from gluten.
Excerpts from the famous Wife Swap episode with Barry and Michelle. He was feckless and she wanted a bit of affection. At the end of the week they meet up in a Ford Escort and we can renact the whole scene.
And my favourite, although no longer PC, was a woman who found out her husband had been cheating when she heard he’d taken their neighbour… up Bodmin! (It was on the Jeremy Kyle show which we hadn’t seen but they’d used the clip somewhere!)
Just FYI - we usually watch higher quality telly, but now and again we’ve indulged in sheer low rent stuff!
We throw them into all sorts of conversations and people who listen in must think we are nuts!!

Whenever one of us gets in the car as a passenger they say 'just fucking drive' in a shit Scottish accent, from Trainspotting 2.

If I ever walk past the end of the bed and DHs feet are out, I try and tickle them. He usually tucks them in before I get to them tho and says 'just stop it' and I say 'but it's our 'thing'.'

We call each other names 'knobhead' 'bitch' 'wanker' 'arsehole' backwards and forwards until we run out of insults. Winner is last man standing.

If he comes home and I'm cooking something like a roast, or the slow cooker is out or something really obvious and he asks 'what's for tea' I always answer egg and chips and he says 'thank fuck, thought you were making roast beef or something'.

Loads of other silly stuff no one else really gets. We don't either now it's been so long!

Obviously we make up songs about the dog.

When we're just waiting for the kettle to boil or similar, one of us starts doing Tina's 'sexy' dance from Bob's Burgers and then the other immediately join in. We are very serious about it until one of us breaks and laughs. My favourite bit about this is my DH has never watched Bob's Burgers, he just goes with it.

Doing a little shoulder shimmy in my seat at the cinema or theatre when the action starts and it always makes him laugh

Using weird combinations of French (his language) and English in the same sentence.

We do this!