10 Ideas for a Date Night In

Let's be honest, when you have a baby, you will spend many nights at home.  You can't just leave the sleeping baby to go off and have your own fun (unless you hire a sitter, which can be expensive).  It often ends in staying indoors after 7:30 when the baby hits the hay.  So Caleb and I have had to come up with some creative ways to have "at home dates".  I thought I would share a few ideas of some things we've tried for other homebody couples out there, that way you don't end up glued to the tube every night.

1.  Fancy dinner.  Alone.  After bedtime.  Just you and the hubs.  And a glass of wine, maybe?  Some romantic music.  And you've got yourself a classic date at home.

2. Game night.  Play a good two-person game and drink some decaf coffee along with it.  A good puzzle will also keep you entertained and provide good quality time for days.  

3.  Fondue Night.  We try to do a meat (cooked in peanut oil), a cheesy side, and a chocolatey dip dessert.  You can find lots of recipes online and if you don't have a fondue pot, you can easily use normal pots or a crock pot. 

4.  Firepit night.  Or fireplace, if you have one.  Cuddle up with a blanket, good conversation, and maybe a roasted marshmallow?  And a pipe if your hubby is into that kinda thing.

5.  Take-out.  There's just something fun about take out.  Especially Chinese.

6.  Cook something together.  A dessert is always a winner in my book.

7.  Take on a project together.  Not like cleaning out your closets.  But more like woodworking or a painting/refurbishing project.  Pinterest can give you lots of ideas, I'm sure.

8.  Star-gazing.  You can do this in your own backyard!

9.  Read a book together.  This will also last a long time.  It will also give you something to talk about if you ever run out of conversation topics!

10.  Double Date.  Just like you would do a double date, you can also have another couple over after baby is asleep!  This is one of my favorite things we've done.  Once, we had two other couples over for a wine night.  Each couple brought a bottle of red wine and then we did a tasting of each one, discussing and comparing them to one another.  We also had snacks and a lot of laughter. 

Just remember, food always seems to make the night a little bit better :)  And worst come to worst, you could always just make another baby.  We have yet to cross that off the list.  However, the effort to do fun things together and spend quality time has helped keep our marriage alive and growing this past year.  So, what are some ideas you have?