Date Night At Home
What’s better than date night? Date night in your own home! We started doing this when the girls were little as a way to save money on babysitters. We would let the girls eat dinner and watch a movie in mom and dad’s bedroom while we had our dinner and a movie in the living room. It was a treat for everyone and to this day, every Friday is dinner and movie night at our house.
During the covid lockdown we tried to remind ourselves , we “get to” stay home so let’s make the most of it! With all the stress that came with the uncertainty of what we were facing, there was nothing better than the familiarity of a good date night in with Erik to calm anxieties and have some fun!
On today’s blog, I’m sharing our TOP 10 Date Night In ideas to prove staying in for date night can be just as fun as going out!
Surrett Coffeehouse – Light a candle, turn on some Jack Johnson, pour your mugs of coffee and sit down at the table together (sans TV). Pretend you’re out at a coffee shop and chat about things like favorite vacations you’ve been on, a new place you want to try for dinner when you do go out, and home features you want in your next house. We started having mommy-daddy coffee dates every afternoon years ago and it still the favorite part of my day.
The “At Home” Drive In Experience – This one is perfect for those of you with kiddos (or not)! Pop some popcorn and grab some movie snacks, get your laptop and head for the car or even outside on the patio. Pull it into the driveway or settle into your lounge chairs outside and watch a good, suspenseful movie on your laptop (of if you’re really fancy, maybe you have a projector you can use to project it onto the house). PS: Get comfy – don’t forget the blankets and pillows. This one feels like you’re actually out on a date.
Game Night – Mix up your favorite cocktails – skinny margaritas, old fashions, French 75’s, whatever sounds good – and get out the games. Whether you play an old school round of Farkle or try one of our new favorites like Side Effects, a little competition is always fun!
His & Hers Double Feature Movie Night – Uncork a bottle of the good wine you’ve been saving for a special occasion (this IS a special occasion)! Each of you will pick a movie the other has never seen and watch them back to back! OR you can each pick your favorite movie of all time. Don’t forget to turn your couch into a SUPER couch! Get all the pillows and blankets and get SUPER comfy! Truth be told: we got to bed pretty early around here so this would be more of a date day for us!
Cooking Class – Put on your aprons, get out your fanciest wine glasses and get cooking! Pick a favorite recipe to create, do a wine tasting with a few smaller dishes or try a brand new recipe you find on Pinterest. Don’t forget to set the table with the nice dishes, light some candles and turn on Frank Sinatra in the background. Tip: We’re trying out Hello Fresh so we can do dates like this on the regular. Cooking together is one of our favorite activities.
Virtual Vacation – Plan your dream vacation. Where would you go? Look up hotels, restaurants, things to do and plan out the vacation as if you were going. Look at pictures, plan your itinerary, and you can even search Instagram and Pinterest for travel outfit inspiration. Warning: This cold be dangerous and expensive as we did this a couple months ago and booked an actual trip to Mexico! April can’t come soon enough!
Get Outside and Pack a Picnic – This could be a date night in or out depending on how far you wan to be from home! Go on a nice, long hike or take a drive and when you find a good spot (maybe it’s the backyard?!?), lay out a blanket and have a picnic. Heck, maybe it’s just the park down the street. Pre-make some yummy sandwiches, your favorite chips, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert! Or make it fancy with a variety of cheeses, meats, grapes and champagne. We did this right at the beginning of the pandemic and it quickly turned into one of our favorite ways to date.
Netflix and Takeout – Okay, maybe this one isn’t that “creative” but it’s always fun! Order takeout from a local restaurant and binge watch a new Netflix show OR a classic like Mad Men. We’re currently totally wrapped up in Yellowstone and 1883.
Painting and Pizza – Time to spruce up a room in the house or ready for a change? Relive the good ol’ days of being new homeowners! Have pizza delivered, drink some wine and get to painting that accent wall in the Master bedroom or freshening up the powder room that’s looking a little dreary. Blast your favorite playlist and talk about other home projects you want to tackle. This is one is actually high on my list as I’m finally ready to put some color on those white walls. But… not too much.
Go for a Drive – Pick a nice, sunny day to go for a drive. Grab coffees from a local spot. Drive out to a scenic spot, explore a new city, or drive through a place that brings back memories! Pack a lunch to go, play some music and have fun! Driving is one of our absolute favorite ways to spend time together.
During the lockdown we learned to enjoy the little things, the simple things. Let’s not stop doing that and go back to normal without being better than we were before.