28 Dates-Beyond Dinner And a Movie

I love dating my man. I really do. (Click here if you missed the 28 Dates intro post). We have a lot of fun together but with four kiddos it’s not always easy to make our marriage a priority. We do try though. We are intentional about making time for date nights but they end up being the usual dinner (at the same spot) and/or a movie after the little ones have gone to bed. Sound familiar?

Now there’s nothing wrong with the dinner & a movie date, in fact it can be a lot of fun. It’s just that it can get kind of routine. Yes?

However, I do think the dinner/movie model has a lot of potential so this week we’ll keep it simple and start there. . .

Here are this week’s date ideas:

1. Dinner date out, this means actually leaving the house, maybe having to get a sitter and eating at a place other than your own home. Pretty basic but there’s a lot of room to dress it up.

Literally, dress up even if you’re just going to a casual place, impress your spouse and look your cutest.

Try a new place or a different kind of cuisine; get creative and even adventurous. Go on Yelp and find a new place in your area, maybe just randomly choose a spot that has good reviews.

Make it an experience, try a dinner cruise, or check out some live music while you eat.

If you’re on a tighter budget, have dinner at home and skip out for a dessert date or just grab appetizers at a fancy place.

2. Wake up early and hit your local farmer’s market, then go home and make a nice brunch together. This will be dependent on the season so if you don’t have a farmer’s market that’s open, just head over to the grocery store together.

Walk the aisles, hold hands even. And get some yummy ingredients, maybe even some nice flowers to set on the table.

Then put on some fun music while you cook and make a party of it.

For extra points, put on your Sunday best for a “proper” brunch.

3. Grab some snacks and head to the beach or park for a picnic date. Again, this may be dependent on the weather but even if the weather isn’t conducive to an outdoor picnic, you can bring it inside. Get a blanket and put it on the floor, picnic style.

4. If short on time or funds, make it a coffee or tea date. Head over to your local coffee shop and just spend some time catching up over a latte or hot chocolate.

For extra points maybe combine it with a book club date. Take turns reading books together and then spend some time discussing what you’ve read. My husband and I have done this in the past and it’s a great way to connect especially if you both enjoy reading. Right now we’re reading Capture Her Heart & Capture His heart by Lysa TerKeurst. Really Good.

5. Take everyone out for a dinner or dessert for a family date. I know, not exactly ideal but for those who can’t get a sitter or have small children with no other options, it’s doable. And it is a great opportunity to be models for your children. Yes, they need to see daddy open the door for mom. They need to see you hold hands or even (gasp) exchange a little kiss. And then hopefully the little ones will knock out on the way home and leave some time for you and your spouse to connect.

6. Grab another couple and head out for a double date. Maybe you and your spouse get to go out on dates often but you have those friends, that you always plan on getting together with but just haven’t? Give them a call. This is also a great opportunity to get together with an older couple that you can glean some encouragement from or a younger couple that you can be mentors to.

7. If you’re movie person, get creative find a film festival of some sort or just make a day of it and have a movie marathon date. I personally LOVE movies, and a few years ago we were able to be members of the San Francisco Film Society. It was great to preview some films but we were also to attend the annual film festival and get a day pass and just watch several movies in one day. Think lots of popcorn.

Looking for a budget friendly option? Drop the kids off at grandma’s & get some Netflix movies to watch together. To make it fair, each of you pick one or two movies to watch. Then make sure you’ve got your favorite snacks ready and have a movie date inside your own home.

OK friends (ahem, and family) your assignment is to head out (or stay in) with your honey and enjoy some food and/or entertainment. Reconnect, have fun conversations and laugh. Then come back on Wednesday and tell me all about it and I’ll do the same. Have a great time!