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Oh.. being married!  My husband and I have been married since 2004 (dating since 1997… high school sweethearts) and we have a  stronger marriage since having kids.  The strongest marriages are built one memory at a time.
date night ideas

I love to share date-night ideas, because, while they are far and few between, they are fun!  It is always fun to open the door to experiences that are fun for both of you!  We love to go out when we can…

A man and a woman smiling for the camera.

 

Here are 12 ideas for your date-night.  

1).  Go outback (at your own house)

Whether you have a porch, a back deck, a campfire pit, whatever it may be… get outside and enjoy it together. Bring some marshmallows to roast, drinks to drink, whatever you choose and enjoy the evening together.   While this is so fun to do with the kids, it takes on a whole new meaning if you can head out while the kids are asleep. I do suggest bringing the monitor  with you so you can hear & see your kids if needed).

2).  Gelato Date

I love Breyers.  That just might be an understatement (no… seriously).  My husband will stop when he is out to pick up Breyers for me.  He calls me an “Ice Cream Snob” because of it, but hey… so be it.

3). Go on a walk

Mickey and I love to take walks!  We even have a park close to our house where we can let the kids play on the playground and we walk on the walking trail that circles it.    (Plus, if my parents are over, we can take a walk… alone!)   Here we are on our latest vacation, walking on the beach (ps- I’m not one to get into the water, so this is about as deep as I’ll go!) 

walk on the beach - yourmodernfamily

4).Take a work-out class

It seems funny, I know, but I brought Mickey to my Bootcamp class and it was REALLY fun!  He worked hard, but it was really great to workout with him.   Plus, when I would normally have tried to show him what I did after the class, now we could talk about it together.   (Now if I could figure out a way to get him to come with me every day…)

5). Go on a bike ride

Take a bike ride.  You can go as a family or just the two of you.  This is a cheap date and you really could just ask a neighbor to watch your kids for an hour while you ride around the neighborhood… or ask a friend to watch them and go on a long ride on a trail!
(Here is a picture, from our latest vacation, of our whole family biking… while I stayed behind and snapped 20 pictures before catching up!)

biking outdoors - yourmoderfamily

6). Wine Tasting

My husband and I went on a wine tasting when we visited The Biltmore last year.   It was a lot of fun to see what they suggested and the different flavors that went into it.   I am not a wine connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, but we had a great time.

7). Art Class

Taking an art class together.  There is a local place by our house that we could easily go to.  It is a wine and art class.   They offer couple’s classes and you pay just $20 for the materials and wine, plus instruction.   Its really a cheap date, if you think about it!

8). Visit somewhere new

You can find somewhere just a few hours from home, book a great hotel, using a Groupon or Living Social Deal.  Grab your Breyers Gelato, rent a movie and make a night of it!   Wake up early and visit your favorite new place.  Explore, bike, walk around and have a blast!

 

9). Play a game

My husband and I will play board games often.   My brother & sister-in-law play them every night (not exaggerating!).   Find one that you both love- a card game, a board game, a video game (like Scene it) and have fun!   Here are my top 5 favorites!

10). Have a late dinner

Let’s face it, meal times with kids can be just a little bit hectic right?    Well… every once in a while, we will have a late night dinner alone.  We just feed the kids as usual, sit down and have a little salad or some fruit while they eat.   We get them to bed by 7:00 (their bedtime) and then we have our date-night.
Now you can either make a dinner together or one of you can run out to get take out from one of your favorite restaurants and have it at home.  Rent a Redbox movie (or a free movie from a local library), buy a carton of ice cream and grab a glass of wine (or a diet coke, if you’re me)… & have a great relaxing night.

 11). Watch a TV series

We have gone through so many television series together thanks to Netflix. It is always a great time of connection for us as we talk about the shows and share a common interest.  Make it a habit to only watch shows together and this will be a life-long thing that you can do at night.  Meet up every night on the couch at 8:00 to watch your favorite series…  Those little moments together now are the ones that make all the difference in the long run.

12). Pick a project to work on together

A friend of mine recently built a farmhouse table with her husband. Neither of them had done this before, they just did it- together.  A few of our favorites: DIY mudroom bench  or this DIY birthday sign or even a DIY water and sand table for the kids

 

Last tip:

Take Turns Planning.   Something that can be fun is to take turns planning an evening at home.   Take turns planning the night.   You could plan on week and he could plan the next week (don’t let each other in on the plans until its time to get started… that’s half of the fun- the surprise!)

 

More posts you might like:
How to grow your marriage after you have kids
grow your marriage Your Modern FAmily

can't afford a babysitter? How one family makes it work

Or this one… 

A woman and man walking on the beach holding hands with text above them.

 

 

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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2 Comments

  1. Thanks for the ideas. I made a note of bike rides. We often go with our kids. A favorite is to ride into a town 15 miles away, see a movie and ride home (we have older teens). But, we haven’t considered doing it alone to see a movie that doesn’t involve super hero’s.
    Now that our kids are older we have a lot more options, but something we started when they were little and we needed at-home dates is learning a new thing each year. Similar to doing a project together. We’ve taken free classes through Harvards Ed-X, learned about European Art from Rick Steves, read an investing book together…the options are limitless.
    Before major trips we pick out a few movies, documentaries and audio books to study on the history or area we are visiting. Even Disneyland has a history.
    Right now we’re upgrading our cooking skills.. We’re watching a series called the Everyday Gourmet and then planning a cooking session every couple of weeks.
    Learning together keeps us growing together.

  2. Thank you very much for these great ideas!
    Marriage is built on friendship and date nights are a way to maintain that over time. You can communicate without distractions. You can focus on each other, not your jobs, children, house, extended family, etc. Ask your spouse about their emotions, dreams, thoughts, aspirations, disappointments, and joys. Having time together at least once a week has shown that you will be at least three times as happy with your marriage.