My husband and I go on dates often, whether it’s a quick meal or a big elaborate night out. I constantly advocate for dating and vacationing with your spouse, no matter how long you’ve been married. We both feel like it’s so important to spend quality time with your spouse, especially throughout the busy parenting years. People and their interests change so much over time and you don’t want to be married to a complete stranger at the end of those 18 years. It is absolutely not impossible to dedicate a couple of hours a week to special time together, mini date nights, no matter how busy you are.
With this whole COVID-19 outbreak, we’re all on isolation, quarantine, lockdown. No matter what you call it, it’s got us all indoors and that sure complicates our dating routine. It’s tough not to be getting out as much as we were. Even if we could get out, soon everything will be closed and I’m sure that’s already the case for many of you. That doesn’t mean dating should stop.
The chaos in the world right now seems to require a break, a date. Don’t give up, get creative! Here are some of our recommendations for date nights at home or while stuck on lockdown!
1. Date night challenge
Just recently, we came up with a date night challenge. We wanted to encourage ourselves to do date nights in to save a little bit of money and decided that a competition would be a fun way to inspire some creativity. We haven’t come up with an exact point system for it quite yet (I might come back to that in a later post!) but you can always invent your own. So far, we know that we want each completely unique piece of the date to acquire a higher set of points. For instance, he surprised me with mocktails and movies. For the mocktail idea, he was awarded 5 points and then for each new mocktail recipe, he got 1 point. You can completely tailor the challenge to your interests and we’re only at the beginning but I’m already loving the competition!
2. Do chores together
Yes, I DO think this one is worth including and it can still be a date. We have a window in our laundry room that for some reason goes directly into the kitchen above the sink so I open that window and we chat while he does the dishes and I do the laundry. People underrate just some interesting chatter while they get things done. It makes those chores less tedious anyway!
3. Picnics
Whether it’s in your yard or some secluded natural area, picnics are romantic. We’re not exactly feeding each other grapes but a great sandwich and a lovely breeze really make for a feel-good hangout.
4. Candlelit dinner
If you want to get super romantic, light some candles and make a fancy dinner. It’s a touch too “chick flick” for me but maybe it’s exactly what you need to reconnect!
5. Make mocktails and cocktails
I mentioned the mocktail recipes that he created for me and I think that was so sweet and delicious. I can picture a couple laughing on the couch over drinks and it seems at least like a good start for a date!
6. Cook dinner together
It doesn’t have to be just regular dinner. We’ve actually enjoyed ordering meal kits from companies like Home Chef and Everyplate. It introduces us to new dishes and it’s a nice little team effort for us.
7. Roast mallows and make s’mores
We made an oodles of different s’mores flavors a while back and they were delicious. There’s something really mellow, wait… MALLOW, about roasting marshmallows!
8. Home movie theater
Do you have a projector? You can set up blankets or we even like to set ours up outside by the hot tub. It’s quite luxurious!
9. Watch the sunrise/sunset
There’s nothing like a beautiful view to inspire romance.
10. Homemade ice cream or special dessert
You can never have enough dessert! We suggest trying something new. Mémère’s Blueberry Crisp is a great one, or some truffles!
11. Truth or Dare?
You probably haven’t played this game since you were kids but it’s an excellent way to bring up new topics and make things spicy!
12. DIY projects
Is your honey-do list getting a bit long? Tackle one of those projects together! Build that new book shelf, finish that bathroom remodel, do your stuff!
13. At-home paint night
You can actually find a bunch of paint tutorials on YouTube and if your stores are still open, Hobby Lobby sells canvases in bulk for dirt cheap. If not, Amazon is your friend.
14. Photo albums and dating book
Flip through your photo albums together and try one of those pre-made journals that you fill out together! We bought Me, You, Us from Five Below but they do have it on Amazon for slightly more. We’ve been working on it gradually for months and it sparks some awesome conversations and trips down memory lane!
15. Puzzles and board games
I miss the 3D puzzles that became popular when I was a kid but we haven’t done a puzzle in years! A lot of people like to do them together, glue them, and display them somewhere! We’ve been playing a lot of Uno and Clue. Tapple is another favorite of ours, as well as the popular Cards Against Humanity!
16. Binge watch a show
Now is the perfect time to watch a TV show in its entirety. We just bought the entire series of The Sopranos which we’re incredibly late to catch. I can also recommend Supernatural, Dexter, Six Feet Under, Nurse Jackie, Grey’s Anatomy, Family Guy, and How I Met Your Mother.
17. Play sports
We’re really missing the basketball hoop we just installed at our old house right now. You could even play some kickball. Challenge each other to a game!
18. Card games and strip poker
I don’t know how to play most card games aside from Go Fish, but if you add the strip aspect, hey, that could be fun for him!
19. Fondue
Fondue never fails. Chocolate is an aphrodisiac and melted chocolate over strawberries and rice krispies is wonderful. We have the Nostalgia fondue pot which is great and inexpensive!
20. Video games
We got an Xbox One and PS4 for Christmas, just in time for this quarantine. We brought out old some classics like Kingdom Hearts and Crash Bandicoot to play together!
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21. Create a bucket list
Who doesn’t love to daydream?! Do you hope to someday skydive together? Go on a long cruise? Talk about it, document it!
22. Plan your next vacation
Like I said, it’s necessary to take vacations alone and it’s time to start making some of those daydreams a reality! Scroll through Groupon, spin a globe around and randomly point at a place, whatever floats your boat. Hey, maybe go on a cruise!
23. Popcorn and a movie
Never underestimate simple buttered popcorn and a movie or go all out and make fancy popcorn with some chocolate or caramel!
24. Make a pizza
There’s no pizza like homemade pizza! The process is a blast and can easily yield some flour-covered romance! Bonus, yum, make it however you want! No one is around to judge your ham and pineapple or anchovies!
25. Re-create your first date
What did you do on your first date? What did you eat? Talk about what did thought that first day, if it’s safe. Haha!
26. Create a scavenger hunt
Make each other a scavenger hunt! You could include clues that relate to your relationship or favorite things.
27. Camping
Whether you camp indoors or the backyard, there’s something special about going back to basics.
28. Take online quizzes
We are fans of apps that we play together that have trivia and challenges, like Desire, iPassion, and Happy Couple.
29. Read together
Choose a novel for each other or do a “book club”. You talk about movies and shows after you watch them, why not a book?
30. Laser tag
We had this at home when I was a kid and it was so cool! It kind of reminds me of the movie Jack!
31. Themed night
Pick a theme and set up the entire night to go with it! For instance: A pirate theme would consist of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean with Pirate’s Booty and Rold Gold Pretzels for a snack, etc.
32. Decorate cookies or a cake
More sweets, which I’ll always advocate for!
33. Listen to music together
Talk about why the songs you chose have meaning to you or why they are significant in your life.
34. Start a couples Bible study
There are a lot of couples Bible study books out there!
35. Watch funny or interesting videos
We love funny fail videos on YouTube!
36. Karaoke
Sing karaoke, if you’ve got the guts and maybe some alcohol.
37. Stargazing
Study the constellations and go outside, lay on a blanket or the car, and gaze at the stars while you identify them.
38. Spa day
Give each other massages with oils. Enjoy the jacuzzi or hot tub with bubbles and just relax.
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39. At-home escape room
There are many escape room board games you can play. Thames & Kosmos makes a bunch of them!
40. Slow dance
I bet you don’t do that anymore!
41. Make funny videos
TikTok is big now, so that’s an option. I know I’d love to see a bunch of couples’ hilarious videos!
42. Bonfire
Hey, here’s a good spot to roast your mallows and just veg!
43. More challenges
This is where you’ll really be able to see your creativity shine. We really challenged each other to see who can find the most vulgar song. It was a cringey one but I’m pretty sure he won that one. It was quite the hysterical game. There are plenty of less offensive challenges like most tearful movie, mushiest song, most nonsensical anything, etc.
44. Movie marathon
We go through all of a movie series at once, mostly because I always forget what happened in the previous movie while we’re waiting for the next one to come out.
45. Surprises
Do not be above surprises! Bring home her favorite candy, buy his favorite video game, you’ll know what to do because you know them best!
What else can you do on your date nights at home? Tell us your ideas!
OMG, you just discovered The Sopranos! That our TOTAL favorite for binge-watching. That, and a pizza (or 2, LOL) was a great stay in day night!
Well, we’ve known of it for years but there are just SO many good shows to watch and we usually had to have a subscription to watch it so it always got moved to the bottom of the list! Now that we bought it, we’ll be all set lol