Maybe you’re tight on cash, can’t find someone to watch your precious crew, or just want to have a date without being around other people.
I get it.
Dating your spouse is important. It’s essential to continue strengthening and renewing your relationship. And you can’t do that if you can’t spend some time alone with your spouse.
We had four kids in five years and it can get crazy! But it can also get crazy expensive to go on date nights once a week or even once a month. The cost of a babysitter is pricey. Add several kids to the mix and you pretty much will have to spend your date people watching at the mall while eating the snacks you brought from home.
So what's a couple to do?
Forget the sitter and plan a fun and romantic evening at home- after the kids are asleep, of course!
It may seem simple, but being intentional and spending some quality time with one another can do your marriage good.
At Home Date Night Ideas:
Go traditional: Pop some popcorn, get your favorite snacks, turn off the lights and enjoy a good movie on the couch.
Get Competitive: Find a game for two and spend a competitive evening with one another (some of our favorites include: Settlers of Catan, Monopoly Deal, Twister (just kidding), Carcassonne and old-school card games).
Spice it up: Cook a new meal together.
Get romantic: Dim the lights, put on your fancy clothes, light some candles and have a romantic dinner for two.
Get close: Spend an evening snuggling together in a hammock (you don’t need a tree and rope to make this happen either! Heck, you don’t even need to be outside. We’ve been known to move our hammock stand into the house on cold or rainy days!). Don't have a hammock? Cuddle up on the couch or make a sweet blanket pallet on the floor!
A night of pampering: Treat yourself to some chocolate, get out your cozy robes and take turns giving each other massages.
Get handy: (I said handy, not handsy!) Do a home improvement project together. Sure, maybe it sounds like work. But chances are, in the quiet of the evening, it’ll be fun and rewarding way to spend some one on one time together.
Reminisce: Watch some home videos you took years ago before you had kids, or watch the sweet videos you took when your tots were just newborns. Better yet, go old-school and watch each other’s home videos from way way back!
Play the 'what if' game: Talk about what you would do if you suddenly inherited 20 million dollars. What if you were offered your dream job- what would it be? What if you could move anywhere in the world-where would you go? Just think up different what if questions and spend the evening thinking through various situations (but be careful not to get too serious! After all, it's supposed to be a fun night for you...not start a fight!).
Think homey thoughts: Tell each other how you would redesign your house if the possibilities and monies were endless (I do this to my poor husband on a regular basis. He wouldn’t find it a very amusing date night….but I would LOVE it!)
Do silly things:
Take a “how well do you know each other” quiz
Play kid games like Life, Trouble, Sorry, etc
Jump on the bed and do all the things you tell your kids not to do
YouTube Karaoke
Picnic on the living room floor (or in your backyard if the weather is nice!)
Color (hey, they have coloring books for adults too!)
Get crafty: Crafts are not my strong suit. But doing a craft, and being silly in the process, can be just what you and your spouse need to liven up an evening at home.
If none of these sound appealing and you really just want to get out of the house, check out this post on how to get a free babysitter!
