Date Night In
So we used to do this thing….
Back when the blog started, I shared that we had started a routine of having a “stay at home date night” and it had been working fabulous for us (eek…these pictures are not the greatest).
Why Have a Stay-At-Home Date Night?
Tight Budget
In the phase of life that we were in, we just could’t afford date nights. But we definitely wanted to spend time together, so we decided to have one meal a week, just the two of us. (Anyone else start thinking about a Will Smith song of the 90s?) The best part of this plan was that the meal was so stinkin’ easy that it didn’t feel like a chore to make.
New Baby
If you have a new baby, it might be hard to get away on a date. You might be dealing with unpredictable feeding schedules and I can guarantee you are feeling just.so.dang.tired. Taking some time to go anywhere besides collapsing into your bed just seems overwhelming.
No Babysitters
Sometimes babysitter’s aren’t available, or you live away from family, so you might not be physically able to leave your home for a date night with your spouse. (Let’s face it, trying to bring a baby on a “date” is just a recipe for disaster and disappointment.)
And then sometimes you happen to be in the middle of a world-wide virus pandemic…and you are told by all government officials to stay home…you know, normal stuff. Sigh.
It’s Kind of Convenient; No Excuses
You’re already home. Your kids are in bed. It’s the perfect time to unwind and spend time together. (It’s also the perfect time to de-stress and maintain a sense of normalcy and routine during times like the coronavirus outbreak.)
It’s Important to Connect With Your Spouse
Now, I realize that it’s easier to say “Hey, you should have a stay at home date night!” then it is to actually have one sometimes. Busy work schedules (my husband has started 3 businesses-and I’ve started 1-in the last 7 years…phew! I get that it can be tough!) screaming babies, etc. can leave you both in no mood to socialize and be “chipper” with anybody.
But I wouldn’t tell you this if it wasn’t important. Like really, really important. You need to spend time together. You can’t keep going on autopilot in a marriage. That’s not going to keep the aircraft flying at the right altitude.
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Start a Stay at Home Date Night
We’re almost ready to cross the “being married for 15 years” milestone. I can attest to the fact that some of the hardest points of our marriage were when we weren’t staying connected and taking time for just the two of us (there’s that Will Smith song again). Resentment and bitterness are hard pills to swallow and they only lead to “pressure in the cabin” (if we continue to use the airline analogy-wink). So even if you don’t feel like having a dinner alone with your spouse (or a scheduled date time). Do it. Make it a routine and stick to it. Even if it’s awkward at first, it will become easier.
32 More Ideas for Date Nights In
I told you that 3 years ago that our “date night” consisted of having dinner together. Well sometimes that doesn’t feel all that “fun” when you have to make dinner because there are three kiddos that expect to eat dinner too. (Clearly I’ve done something wrong as a parent…these small co-inhabitants expect me to feed them three times a day and also expect snacks!)
Sometimes if you’ve already taken the time to make a full meal for all the kiddos, it’s just easier to go ahead and eat with them too (and let’s be honest, a lot of times I’m hungry at 5:30 just like they are…).
Since having a dinner date night can get monotonous and sometimes (ahem, for the reason I mentioned above) doesn’t work out, I’ve come up with 32 ideas for date nights. I confess that some of these are dinner dates, but they are far from monotonous.
Free “Date Night In a Jar” Kit
I’ve put all of the stay at home date night ideas in a jar. It’s essentially a “date night in a jar”. And the best part is that it’s a FREE printable in the Printable Resource Library (the magical place where I put all of the printables I make for the blog….I kinda go overboard with free printables. There are gobs in there!)
The 32 new ideas for fun stay at home date nights are sure to add some fun to your weeks. You can do one a week or several in a week. My main objective when creating these ideas is that they would be simple. I didn’t want to make the stay at home date ideas so complicated that it would be basically impossible to actually DO them. That would completely defeat the purpose.
Are some of the date ideas silly? Yes.
Are some of the ideas yummy? Of course! (They say the way to a man’s heart is his stomach, but they haven’t met ME!)
Will they help you connect and smile with your spouse? Fo’ sho’.
And that’s the whole point. Because if I’ve got you laughing with your boo, then these free printables have done their job.
Things I Recommend
- Free trial of Amazon Prime Video
- king size blanket for movie watching together
- card games- like this one
- other games- like this one
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