4 Tips to Keep Date Night Alive, Without Leaving the House

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4 Tips to Keep Date Night Alive, Without Leaving the House | Duluth Moms Blog

I know that making time for my husband and our relationship is important. Before we had kids, date nights were more frequent and simpler to plan. But now, we really don’t get out much. It is so easy to come up with reasons not to make date night a priority. Money, childcare, time, planning ahead, or even just simply having to shower and wear a semi-matching outfit can all be deterants in making date night a reality. 

Date nights are important because they help you reconnect and slow down. Life can sometimes seem like survival mode and you are just getting through the day to day tasks. It can be easy to look at your spouse or partner and just feel like you are tag teaming to stay alive. But in all honesty, you have a relationship with that person that extends beyond parenting. And that relationship needs matienence and attention. Enter date night. A time to reconnect, slow down, and spend time together that doesn’t involve chasing your kiddos around. 

In our world, we have come to accept that going out for date night isn’t going to happen frequently. A weekly night out? Probably not realistic. That doesn’t mean I can’t date my husband though. We have just learned to make realistic goals and to be a bit more creative in making date night a reality. Often times that means date night happens at home.

Here are some ideas to bring date night to your own home.

1) Game Night

My husband and I have enjoyed playing board games and card games since we were dating. This could partially be due to the fact that we started dating in college when money was tight. Games are a relatively inexpensive date night activity that you can enjoy time and time again.

Playing games together also gives us time together to problem solve or strategize that doesn’t revolve around our kids or parenting. It gives us a fun way to connect and relax. We also both tend to be competitive, so we enjoy the competition. 

We also have enjoyed adding lots of new games to our collection over the years and learning to play them together. Here are some of our favorite two player games:

  • Cribbage 
  • Qwirkle 
  • Carcassone
  • Splendor 
  • Ticket to Ride
  • Citadels 
  • Sequence

There are so many types of games out there! No matter how competitive you may or may not be there is probably a game for you. 

2) Movie Night

Once we manage to get the kids in bed often times we turn on the TV or watch some Netflix. Often times we are both in the room, but we may or may not be doing different things. Maybe I am preoccupied by laundry or something and my husband is responding to emails or working on something else. We are together, but not necessarily connecting. When we do movie night we try to be more intentional and use that time to connect. 

It doesn’t require a lot, it just means not being preoccupied, but being present. We also try to be considerate and pick a movie out together that we both will enjoy. And of course a little bit of cuddling on the couch during the movie is another easy way to relax together. 

3) Cooking Together

I enjoy cooking, and my husband does too. Often times we don’t get the luxury of cooking together. Instead, meal times can feel more like a race to get food on the table before melt downs occur. From time to time our date night can be as simple as making a real meal together after we have put our girls in bed. It doesn’t even have to be fancy or elaborate, but it’s intentional time together. And again that, in my opinion, is what date night is all about. 

4) Subscription Boxes 

Just recently we tried our first Datebox. I had heard of a few different date night subscription boxes, but was always hesitant to give them a try. But we really enjoyed our date night in a box. It was fun having something new and different planned out for us. And the best part is that everything was provided and we didn’t have to leave the house. 

Often times these subscription boxes revolve around a theme and include an activity or two to enjoy together. This is a fun way to break out of the normal routine and try new things. I am looking forward to keeping this subscription, especially in the colder months when it’s even harder to get out of the house. 

4 Tips to Keep Date Night Alive, Without Leaving the House | Duluth Moms Blog

Our date night was themed an indoor camping adventure. So it included a soup mix to make, some cute mugs, a candle making kit, s’mores kit to use with our newly made candles, a movie code for a free movie, a deck or cards and some instructions for 3 games, some conversation starters, and a code to listen to a date night playlist. It was a fun evening together and all within our own home!

Here are are few date box subscription options to check out! There are probably more out there, but here are some to look into. 

Unbox Love 

Crated with Love

DateBox 

 

Life with kids can make date night a bit difficult. It’s not impossible though! It may mean readjusting expectations and doing what works in the stage of life you are in. We have had times when we were really good about keeping up with a weekly date night. Lately we have been trying to just keep 2 (in home) date nights per month, which has been working well. It is something simple to look forward to and it is doable for us.

 

How do you keep date night a priority?

What are your favorite inexpensive or in home dates?

 

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