I don’t know about you, but we don’t really go out on Valentine’s Day. And we like it that way. I’d rather have a date night on a different night in February when the restaurants aren’t packed and babysitters aren’t all taken. For me, my favorite thing to do for Valentine’s Day is a date night at home where we put the kids to sleep and spend a little time together.
So we thought it might be helpful to share ideas for a date night at home if you’re staying in this Valentine’s Day—or anytime you need some couple time.
Date night at home: 5 ideas to try
See a concert
No, I’m serious about this one. Get a DVD of a live concert from a band you love and watch it together. Turn up the volume, sing along. I love live music and going to concerts is something I don’t get to do much anymore. So for New Year’s Eve, my husband and I watched a live concert by Daryl Hall via Stageit. It’s an online concert venue where artists perform live streaming concerts that you can watch the show from your living room and even make requests from the chat window. How cool is that? Live music without the inflated drink prices and dirty restrooms often found at concert venues.
Make a meal
I love cooking but don’t get much time to do it. One thing my husband and I like to do is to use a meal delivery service (we love Hello Fresh and Blue Apron) and then make the meals together once the kids are asleep. These meal delivery services provide every ingredient you need to make the meal, along with detailed instructions and photos to walk you through it. We enjoy trying new dishes and exploring with ingredients we’ve never used before.
Have a tasting
Not sure how it is in your house, but in my house, a lot of wine is consumed…but I’m not sure how much is really tasted or savored. It would be so fun to get a couple of bottles of wine and taste them with your spouse or partner. Talk to each other about what you like and about what you’re tasting. Throw in some bread and some cheese (because everything is better with bread and cheese) and take a moment to really explore the flavors of the wine. If you’re not a wine drinker, this could work with anything. Try different scotches, whiskeys, vodkas, etc. If you want to involve the kids, try different quality chocolates. Talk about what you’re tasting and what you like about each one.
Play a game
Before kids, my husband and I regularly played trivia at a bar by our house. Since that’s not very feasible with small kids at home, we love to play trivia games at home. Scene It is our favorite trivia style game—the competition is real in our house. You could also play cards, board games, or even video games.
Make vision boards
This was a suggestion from WMAG contributor Umeda and I loved it. Over wine and cheese, create a board that outlines your priorities as a couple, your goals, your vision for where you want to be. Cut out photos and words from magazines that represent those goals and priorities. Whether it’s a dream vacation or a plan for retirement, take time to get on the same page and make plans to reach your goals.
What date night at home idea would you like to try?
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2 thoughts on “5 Fun Ideas for Date Night at Home”
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Love these ideas, Stephanie! Here’s a tip for whenever you need private couple time at home: Try using a visual signal on your bedroom door that tells your kids “don’t bother Mom or Dad in there unless the house is burning down or someone is bleeding to death—LIT-ER-ALLY.”
We realized our kids felt free to knock or interrupt us even when our door was closed and locked. We needed some way to obviously communicate when that is NOT acceptable to bug us (such as on date night or “grownup time,” as we like to call it). So we put a big, bright red, sparkly bow on the doorknob as the visual signal.
You might have to do have to run “drills” with the kids a few times first (don’t expect this trick to magically work the first time you use it). But they’ve come to understand when it’s OK to come a’knockin’—and when it most certainly is not.
Never thought of the concert idea, I love it! Also love the sign on the door idea from Susan!