I am married to my best friend, have three wonderful blessings, a houseful of pets and creatures to attend to, homeschool, and a plethora of other things too and I would love to go out and date my hubby more. BUT, I have no family close enough to care for my little ones (or someone I trust enough!) to watch them while I head out for some quality time with my main man.
Okay, so, if you are like me, well, maybe not like me, but have similar life “things”, then these 5 Free and/or Inexpensive Valentine’s Day date ideas are just what you need!
1.) Dinner In – Yea, I know that dinner isn’t a fantastic affair, but it can be! First off, MAKE TIME for this, seriously! Secondly, once you have made plans to do this, plan accordingly and run your kids OUT! Playing outside, riding bikes, running around the house, WHATEVER works! They need to be TIRED tonight! Now, this is my Dinner In plans . . . The kids eat early, a simple meal of chips, veggie/fruit and hotdogs. Yep, for real. Because the extra time, I am putting into Dinner for my main man. So, I hustle the kids through their dinner, read to the smallest of them and send them off to bed about 1-1.5 hours earlier than normal. I promise, it will not kill them, lol. The rules MUST be adhered too . . . just like regular bedtime, no getting up for drinks or having to ask/tell/share something. This all must wait until morning. My oldest can follow rules, so he gets to read, in his room until lights out.
Focus on what your hubby likes for dinner. Make it something you guys will enjoy. A meal that would garner groans and protests from your kiddos will be the perfect meal for the two of you!
SET THE TABLE. You know, a nice tablecloth if you have one, candles, nice place settings,
the whole shebang! Add a glass of your favorite wine, tea or drink of choice. Enjoy the quiet, the together time.
TRY your best to talk about other things. Because if you are like me in the least, your kids come up in every single conversation, lol. Make the best of your Dinner In.
2.) Movie Night – Who doesn’t like movies, right? Since we have already determined that kids make it harder to date your significant other, here is another work around! Again, THIS TIME MUST BE PLANNED. My hubby and I almost always watch TV together after the kids go to bed so I have to make it extra special if I want it to be Movie Night. Pick your movie, so there won’t be any indecision when Movie Night is supposed to start. Pop some popcorn, or make sure to grab your favorite movie candy
This is the very important part, you MUST sit beside your hubby on the couch! Just like you would in the theater! My hubby and I have “assigned” seats when we watch TV, so I must move my behonkus and plant it next to him, this is Movie Night after all, lol. Hold hands, rest your hand on his leg, make contact, again, this is quality time, use it wisely!
3.) A Night Under the Stars – Yes, I know it is February and it might be REALLY cold where you are, but cuddling is really nice! Grab a comforter or two, some pillows, a tarp if need be (if the ground is wet from rain or snow) and head out under the stars. This is a perfect excuse to snuggle and be extra sweet with your hubby. Lay under the stars, reminisce, talk, be sweet to each other, just BE together. With the extra blankets
4.) Bake Cookies Together – I know that not all of you like to bake or even want to bake, but it is so much fun to eat fresh baked chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven! I’m not saying you have to make the treat from scratch, ready to bake cookies work just fine too! Once the cookies are cool enough to touch, put 2 or 3 into a bowl, top with as many goodies as you can…..ice cream, sprinkles, hot fudge, chocolate chips, and so on and so on. Make it more romantic by feeding each other your yummy treats. Oh yea, and this should be done once the kids are in bed, otherwise you have little people bouncing off the walls before bed because of all of the sugar, lol!
5.) Play a Game – Board game, card game, Wii, Xbox . . . any game will work. Even a good ole game of Candy Land would work and then let the giggling begin! This isn’t the time to draw on your God given competitive nature, let the good times roll. The fun the more relaxed the game, the more fun you will have spending time together!
Make the best of your time together during this Valentine’s Day or any other day for that matter. Remember why you married to your best friend and enjoy each moment that the Lord blesses you with.
Enjoy Date Night y’all!
In His Grace,
Callie
Thanks Renee! It is getting easier, my oldest is almost 12 and my littlest one is 5, so we make the best of our errand trips if we can! 🙂 A run up to the store is sometimes enough to tide us over.
Some excellent ideas. I was so similar for so long, not trusting anyone to watch my little ones, over time I outgrew that. I remembered that my parents NEVER used a sitter. IF one of them was in the hospital we stayed with an aunt, but for dates? not so much. A good friend reminded me that my first relationship in life is with my husband, so now we make time. we get a sitter, someone from church. Sometimes we make it a sleep over for him, and we have date night 1 time a month. We prioritize it.
But date nights in are fun too and sometimes you just have to make the best of the situation you are in.
Thanks for linking up at Marriage Moment @ Great Peace Academy, I hope to see you back on a weekly basis. 🙂