Date Night With A Twist
Whether you're new couple, engaged or married going on dates these days has required us to get a lot more creative. 2020 seemed to put hold (or stop) to many of our traditional date night ideas. So with the start of 2021 we're changing the rules too and coming up with dates nights the are new. We've come up with a list of ideas that work PRE and POST kids... so there is no excuse to not have a little fun and go on an "in-home" date.
If you're thinking, "That can't be true" read on and I bet we'll make a believer out of you!
DATE NIGHT IDEAS
Fine Tasting Night
If food is your love language then you will love this one. Date night should be special with new experiences and a little indulgence. So after dinner (and after the kids go to sleep) break out a nicer bottle of wine and create a charcuterie board BUT with a twist. Instead of the regular meats and cheeses, give your board a theme and roll with it. Maybe you'd like to take a stroll down memory lane and build a board with you favorite movie night snacks. Or maybe you're dreaming of your honeymoon and fill the board with location specific flavors, can you say Oui? Whatever memory you'd like to talk about, or dream you'd like to explore build the board based on that and you're sure to have a night filled with interesting conversations, ideas, dreams and hopefully good laughs!
2. Paint Fight (okay not really a fight)
I am not suggesting that you live out the paint fight date on "10 things I Hate About You" with heart throb Heath Ledger, that would be messy! (But totally awesome!) What I'm suggesting is that you take your traditional "Paint/Wine" night reserved for you and your girls and bring it home. The supplies you need are easily available at any craft store. Blank canvas, acrylic paints, paint brush set and you're ready for a fun night! I suggest acrylic paint because its water soluble and easier to use if you're a beginner.
And you really only need red, blue, yellow, white and black paint. You can literally make any color from those ones. If your other half isn't interested in getting down like Picasso, turn the night into a friendly competition and put a wager on your artistic skills. For example you can both pick a picture out for each other and the person with the closest replica wins! The prize you ask? I'll leave that part up to you (wink wink)
3. Driveway Drive-In
We Love this idea for SOOOOO many reasons. What's great about this is that it's absolutely doable with or without kids. Once your kiddos head to bed you don't have to worry about finding a sitter, because you're just in the driveway. You can project a movie on your garage door or even prop an iPad up in the back seat. Fill the back of your pick up with TONS of blankets and pillows, your favorite snacks and a movie you both have NEVER SEEN. When you pick something new (even if it's an oldie) the memory of you cuddling up in the back of a car will forever be tied to that movie. It can be a new thing that just the two of you share. It may take a little prepping, but the payoff is so worth it.
4. In Home Massage
Everyone is a winner in this scenario. I'm not talking about a trade off and giving each other a massage, I'm saying splurge and get yourself an in home masseuse.
Treating yourself (just like you would if it was a real date night) is a no brainer when it comes to an home spa night.
Get the fancy white robes, the lush towels, some lemon and eucalyptus to fill the air and you'll be relaxed as a cloud. You may have to consider there will be a little down time as each other is getting a massage but that might not be a bad thing (especially if you're a couple with kids) you can create a relaxing room with meditative music, champagne and fruit as you wait. You can catch up on some light reading or even splurge on your favorite binge worthy show for a little. But the best part is that no one is ruining their relaxing moment by having to turn around and give a massage. You get to have your cake and eat it too. (Yep, Read that last sentence again.)
5. Dance the night away
My husband will be the first to tell you he'll do pretty much anything to ditch the dance floor. But we investing into the "Show her off" dance lesson series and it was one of the best home date nights we ever had. Honestly, we could both use a little work when it comes to dancing and we were both nervous that we wouldn't be able to get the steps or remember the moves. But the videos were so easy to follow and piece together that we were rolling through the lessons and dancing to some of our favorite songs within an hour. Of course it wasn't perfect, but with a class of champagne and whiskey to quench our thirst from all the spinning and laughing we felt like pros by the end of the night. And realized we had never been on a dance floor together for so long, even it was in the middle of our living room. (Keep your eye out for more from Show Her Off, I'm sharing videos and pics from our sessions!)
6. Revisit Your Wedding Night
After your wedding day, it's natural to want to talk about the best day of your life. The stories, the behind the scenes, even the things no one caught on to. It's such a big event and for most of us the stories will never get old. But after a few years and kids, our wedding day is usually revisited only once a year which is reserved for our anniversary.
So take a date night to relive your wedding night. Break out your wedding album or video and sit down and let those memories flood back in. You can even take it a step further and put your wedding dress and suit back on, head to your local bakery and find the most wedding like cupcakes, even splurge and get your wedding champagne while you relive it all. You'll be toasting about great times, and maybe even remembering things you forgot about over the years.
7. Sexy By Design
If you're looking to spice it up a bit, this is the PERFECT idea for you. Let me explain how it works. Go out and buy new items or pull pieces for a lingerie collection. Mix and match bottoms, tops, and accessories. Now, make 4 cards (nothing professional required as you can see in my picture below).
The cards should read TOP, BOTTOM, ACCESSORY AND WHEN.
Hide the cards all over the house at the start of the day. Your other half has until dinner to find two cards. Which ever two cards they find, you get the other two. With that being said, they get to choose from your collection the items listed on found the cards.
FOR EXAMPLE:
If your partner finds TOP and WHEN then they get to pick out the top you will wear and when to put it on. You get to pick the bottoms and accessories. So if you wanted to play and ADD some anticipation you might want to dress in your "game pieces" under your regular clothes. While the kids are still awake and/or through dinner the the heat will be building as you play it cool. It's very possible you'll both be rushing through the meal to get to dessert.
We've all heard that it's important to continue to date your partner even after marriage. And with a little creativity you can certainly add your own twist to these ideas to come up with more date night ideas. But with the changes life brings (kids included) sometimes it's hard to think of ideas that fit into a busy schedule. These 7 date night ideas will not only set you up for a great date night but it's likely to spark up a flame after a restricted 2020.
With love and glitter,
Michaelene