Exhibit A: I try to scramble into the shower before Kirra wakes up while Eric jets off to the gym for a couple of hours. When he gets back I am busy bathing Kirra and making the bed before I start making his lunch for him to take to work. He gets in the shower and gets ready for work and in no time at all he is out the door for the day and I am beginning the to-do list at the house. Of course we have a kiss goodbye but thats about all the morning has time for.
I love my husband and we have so much fun together that it is really hard to see our relationship go from careless single dating to the doldrums of married life. But guess what? I'm here to tell you that there is hope! Of course everyday life has to continue. Eric still has to go to work to provide for our family. I still have to do the laundry and dirty dishes. However, we can take time-out for our relationship and bask in those fresh lovey-dovey feelings that we enjoyed during our responsibility-free single lives.
Welcome to my cherished list of at-home dates. As many of your know, Eric and I have Kirra our 9 month old beauty box. She is a sweetheart and we love her to pieces but the fact is that you can't have a night out all of the time when you have kids. Babysitters are great but I have found that Eric and I need more "us" time than once a week. As a solution we have created a few dates that we can have after Kirra goes to bed. That way we can enjoy one another without ever leaving home. (Note: I feel it IS important to leave the house and get out together as well). The thing I love about at-home dates is that they can be multiple times during the week if you like!
Some of my dates are more romantic than others because everyone knows that sometimes you want to be romantic and sometimes you just want to have fun being silly and interacting with your spouse. So I suggest selecting the date depending on your mood and that of your spouse.
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The at Home Date List
1. Build a Fort- This is one of my favorites because it really brings out the inner child in both of you. We always use blankets draped over furniture but there are many ways to create a fort. Once our fort is made we either eat dinner in there, watch a movie, play a game, reminisce, or just snuggle!
2. Have a War- This can exist in so many forms. We have had pillow wars, tickle wars, pinching wars, water wars, and our new favorite-- Nerf wars. I recently purchased two Boom guns with tons of bullets and now we just keep them out and randomly one of us declares war. Also, They are super inexpensive and totally worth the initial investment.
I highly recommend at least giving this one a try. We have so much fun hiding from each other and making barricades. The first Nerf war we had was after Kirra went to bed so we had to be really quiet as we ran around the house shooting each other. We turned out all of the lights except one above the stairs so that it was pretty dark. The next morning I took a picture of the table Eric upturned in his desperate attempt to shield himself form my relentless Nerf bullets. ;)
3. Play Board Games- Now don't immediately skip over this idea. Have you actually tried this before? It can be pretty fun playing with just the two of you. Eric and I have a few cards games and one board game that we really like. Of course there is the classic Uno and endless possibilities with a traditional deck of cards. We also enjoy Tenzi which was given to us as a gift from Eric's grandparents. There are a lot of variations that are possible with that game. The board game that we own is called Balderdash. We have played this one together and it is entertaining because the idea of the game is to make up your own definition of words and make it sound legitimate in order to convince your opponent (your spouse) that it is correct.
4. Romantic Bubble Bath- A normal bath can be spruced into a date by adding and subtracting a few things in a couple of minutes. First of all I remove all "unromantic" items from my bathtub/shower.
Then add some romantic items like candles and petals. Next, fill the tub with hot water and bubbles. If you love bath salts then go ahead and throw some of those in there too!
Turn off the overhead bathroom light so that the area is ascetically pleasing and wall-ah! This is a date that can be set up in minutes, enjoyed in the evening after work, or after the kids go to bed. It is a great date for relaxing.
5. Create a Movie Story- Pick a random movie. This movie doesn't even have to look like it's gonna be good. Mute the T.V. and take turns making up the dialogue and the character's lines. Eric and I always go in the comical direction with this. It is really fun laughing at what your partner makes up and creating an outrageous story.
6. Cook Together- Choose something that you and your partner both want to eat. Then, find a recipe and cook together! This can happen almost every night of the week if you want! Just make dinner side by side. Eric and I usually divide and conquer, one of us cuts everything up while the other is cooking. This date is fun because it gives you something to do together while you talk and joke around. In order to make this a more exciting date, choose a recipe that is more complicated than you would usually try and take a stab at it.
7. Start a Project Together- One of the funnest dates Eric and I have ever had at home is sanding our kitchen table together. In our first apartment Eric's dad gave us a kitchen table. Eric and I decided that we had big plans to turn this table into something amazing. Of course we didn't have any power tools or anything so we bought a couple sheets of sanding paper at the hardware store and we went to work. It turns out that sanding an entire kitchen table and four chairs by hand takes a lot longer then one date, so this date went on for many moons...
(Eventually we borrowed a power sander)
But it was ok because we talked and got covered in sawdust together on more then one occasion. There is something about working towards a goal together that is fun and romantic. The amount of project possibilities are endless. I would definitely suggest choosing something that you and your partner are both really passionate about so that you are always excited to be working on it together.
Finished Product!
8. Go to Another Country for the Night- Pick a country and pretend that you are there for the night. Make something for dinner or dessert that originates from the country and try to find something in your wardrobe that resembles attire from the country as well.
Eric and I love being adventurous with food so this is a good one for us. We love asian cuisine and we have fun using asian dining ware when we want to have an asian date night at home.
9. Movie Night- The tried and true movie night. This is a classic that in my opinion, too many couples fall back on. Movie night can be fun if you don't abuse it. When every date night is movie night then watching movies will no longer feel like a date. I'm just warning you.
Now, if your going to do movie date night, do it right. Pop some popcorn, get some candy and some beverages out and make the couch taco. Are you kidding me? You don't know what a couch taco is? Oh my goodness you need this is your life. ;) First of all, position your couch in the optimal viewing position to the T.V. now take the other coach, love seat, or chair in your living room and positional it facing the other couch.
This should create a huge laying platform in front of the T.V. The couch taco is comfortable for everyone and is the perfect cuddle situation! Now enjoy the movie and each other's company.
10. Star Gazing- The title of this date pretty much says it all. Just look at the stars together. Eric and I like to have competitions to see who can see the first/most shooting stars. If the baby or kids are sleeping just take the baby monitor out on the porch with you and relax. In the winter we take hot cocoa out with us. On one occasion we took turns asking each other questions while we looked at the sky. I think experiences like this are important in a relationship. Awing over the wonder of things much bigger than us really brings out deep conversation. It is beautiful to share one's inner most thoughts with the one you love. And being trusted with their thoughts and feelings gives you something to share and protect as a couple, bringing you closer. So this date is definitely a deep one.
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Every good thing in life takes time and care to keep it great. Relationships are the same way. Dating is important because it keeps couples close. For me, I know that I have the best guy on the planet and I would never want us to drift apart. We have so much fun together and have become so close that I think we are starting to think alike! I can't believe how perfect love is. Don't get me wrong, life doesn't have to be perfect in order for one to have a perfect love. In fact, I have noticed with Eric and I that it is usually when life is the furthest from perfect that we are closest. On that note, I'm going to say, enjoy your special person and find an evening soon that you can have your date night. :)
(Just look at that cutie, of course I want a date night with him.) :)
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