Stay At Home Dates For Parents ⋆ Lana Pummill

Let’s be honest, sometimes our significant others can walk a fine line with our nerves. This is true in any marriage. However, if you add kids and being stuck at home (quarantine, anyone?) then you can bet you are both going to be annoyed by the other at least once a week…ok, at least once a day. HAHA! I don’t know about you, but date nights are always a good way to recenter your relationship and remember why you fell in love. Remind each other that you are a team. However, with parenting and the new challenges that have come about today, it is hard to imagine a regular date night. So I have put together a list of stay at home dates for parents.

Relationships aren’t easy. It takes time and patience to cultivate a strong marriage. I truly believe you get what you put into it. I think it is amazing how we find time to check Facebook or Instagram a hundred times a day, but we don’t have the time to drop our significant other a quick little text (that isn’t about bills or scheduling the kids) to let them know they are on our mind. And, please, don’t get me wrong I am not sitting here on my high horse, preaching to you on how to make your marriage perfect. I am just as guilty of getting complacent at times myself.

Stay At Home Dates For Parents

Exercise Together

You can throw the workout gear and go running or walking around the block. If you have little ones and you can’t leave them home alone then you can always find some free workouts here or on YouTube.

Dinner at home, cooked by someone else.

There are so many nice restaurants available for pick up. I know that our Red Lobster and Olive Garden have curbside pick up options. Pick up your favorites entrees and then set up your kitchen table complete with tablecloth, nice dishes, a bottle of wine and candles. This allows you to have a nice uninterrupted dinner (minus any children evening/night time emergencies) with the limited cleanup.

Dance

Move the furniture out of the way and slow dance to a collection of your favorite love songs. For example, my husband and I’s song has always been Let Me Down Easy by Billy Currington.

At-home wine and cheese tasting

This is can actually be a lot easier than it sounds, and it won’t break the bank either. I know that our local grocery stores, like HEB or Wal-Mart, have a fair amount of cheese choices. Here are some good resources for building a cheese platter, wines that won’t break the bank, and how to pair wine and cheese:

Cook Together

If cooking is something you like to do together, then pop open a nice bottle of wine and start cooking. Here are some great romantic meals you could try:

Trip Around The World

While jumping in a car on catching a jetplane might not be in the cards right now, you can always stay in a take a trip around the world. For example, you can take a virtual tour of the Louvre or find something that fits your likes on this list.

Theme Night

Choose a theme and center everything around it. Have an 80’s or 90’s night (any decade) make your favorite food from that decade, listen to popular music or watch a popular movie from that decade. Have a Japanese night with sushi, sake, and watch some good anime. Think Italian, Disney, or Indian…be creative! Always wanted to visit Paris? Make it a Paris night and virtual tour the Louvre!

Upgraded TV Time

You always have your regular TV/movie options, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc…however, why not spice it up a bit with some of the options that are available now. For example, you can watch virtual concerts, opera performances, and Broadway productions from the comfort of your home.

Breakfast In Bed

My boys get up at 5:30 or 6:00 every morning, so if my husband and I wanted to eat breakfast in bed we would have to get up by 4. So why not have breakfast in bed for a nice romantic evening at home? Put on some music or a good movie, crawl in bed and enjoy some eggs and pancakes.

Living Room Campout

Pull out an air up mattress or the sleeping bags and camp out on the living room floor! You can make smores in your fireplace (or microwave) and cook foil dinners in the stove. You could even make a tent out of chairs and blankets! Tell ghost stories or watch your favorite scary movies.

Game Night

If you are a couple that likes to play games together, grab the boardgames or play the Wii. You could even find some fun trivia games online or couples quizzes.

Hopefully, these stay at home dates for parents will inspire you to keep the romance alive in your marriage, even if you are stuck inside or find yourself without a babysitter.

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31