sexy, fun, or simple date night at home

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Date night at home can be as fun or romantic as you want to make it!

I LOVE date night at home. And we have 2 teenage sons. We’ve gotten very good at avoiding that obstacle.

Even before we were married, my husband and I much preferred the comfort of our apartment with dinner, beer and a movie than to be in a noisy restaurant trying to hear each other speak.

Don’t get me wrong. Getting out of the house on occassion is super nice. But, I’m a romantic that loves the intimacy of being home. Always have been.

I’m the type of person to get the candles lit, buy flowers and set a table whether it’s for the two of us or if our other not so little loves are involved. The last 2 Valentine’s days were dinner with all 3 of my loves and I made it fancy. Because I could.

It doesn’t matter if you are young and dating or married with kids, setting up the time to be together matters.

Here are some date night at home ideas to start the creative juices flowing

romantic movie date night

I like this one for either kid or no kid couples because it starts with flirting. Yes, flirting.

We go through our daily lives, with our routines and up until recently, no plans.

Now that there is a little more normalcy happening everywhere, there are actual “things” that are on the TO-DO list. This is where we find ourselves as of late.

So, to look at the calendar and see that something is not planned, ask your partner what their plans are for the weekend because you were thinking of asking them on a date.

Once you have your date squared away, it’s time to start planning.

What kind of date night at home do you want it to be? Dinner and a movie? We don’t have kids so let’s just stay naked in bed until the sun rises? The kids are home so let’s act like teenagers and sneak around?

So many themes. SO many ideas.

Let’s start with the romantic movie date.

Figure out in advance what it is that you want to watch and then find where it’s available for streaming.

Build up the anticipation of the movie night by sending flirty texts. Is this a movie you have watched a million times and can quote it? Send a love line from the movie.

Let your partner know how much you are looking forward to time together.

Set the scene. Clean up the room that you plan on hanging out in. Nothing says romance like someone else cleaning up!!

Maybe grab some twinkle lights to hang around the room or rope lighting to go under the couch for movie theatre lights.

Grab some popcorn containers, candy and your favorite beverages. It’s movie time!

For those of you without children, this next part is much easier. For those with children, we got some planning to do.

Hold hands. My hubs and I don’t do that often enough.

Grope each other. While watching the movie, let your hands graze each other’s bodies. Nonchalantly, of course. Did you forget that you USED to do this when you were younger??? Go for it!

Make out! Be reckless teenagers in the movie theatre. It’s all good. You’re home.

For those of you WITH kids, this may not be as easy, but definitely doable. But your flirting may be just a little bit different.

It should include glances at each other and again, sneaky touching. Are the kids sitting in between? Send a flirty text.

The anticipation should build throughout the movie so saying goodnight to the kids should be bubbling over by the end credits.

dinner date night

Again, I say start with asking your partner on a date.

If you are without children, start planning your meal. Think of all of your partner’s favorites. Pub fare? Fancy? Burgers?

Plan a fabulous meal that you can make or have delivered and reheated perfectly (I only say that because our favorite mexican food joint is 5 minutes away and it tastes cold and crappy by the time it gets here and then there’s warm lettuce…………UGH! I’m ruining date night!!!!)

Set the mood. Ask your date to dress up for dinner. Do you like when their hair is tied up fancy? Do you like your man’s face clean shaven? Favorite shirt that you always get complimented on? Something that really shows you put effort into this date.

Setting the table. Again, what’s the style for your dinner date night at home?

Fancy? Table cloth, cloth napkins and candles

Casual? Serve the food on wooden charcuterie boards

How many courses do you want? How long do you want the date to go on? Spoil your partner with fabulous food at home without paying restaurant prices and tips.

You can start with salad, an appetizer, dinner and dessert. Maybe family style. Maybe assemble the plate in the kitchen and deliver it completely put together so it looks like food porn.

You can do anything you want. Be bold.

Splurge on the wine that costs a little more. Buy the craft beer that you’ve been dying to try. The scotch that you have been saving for a special occassion? Tonight seems pretty special to me!

Get a decadent dessert from a local bakery filled with pastries and cookies and other wonderfulness.

How about a nightcap before sitting on the couch and talking some more? Irish coffee, Grand Marnier, A single malt scotch. All lovely sippers to keep the cheeks flush.

Are there kids around? GET THEM INVOLVED! Cooking, setting the table, dressing up as waiters and waitresses, the works! Let them feel like they are treating their parents the same way that you take care of them.

themed dinner and a movie

This idea I loved because we did it one night purely by accident! HA!

My husband and I LOVE to show the boys our favorite movies from the 80s. One of the best being Better Off Dead.

We already had a simple dinner planned of burgers and fries – but then I started serving it up just like the mom! https://youtu.be/QhW7rpFhr2k

Fronch fries, Fronch dressing (ketchup), Fronch bread (hamburger rolls but it was fun!) And they giggle every time. I’m a nerd.

Some of our favorite movies with food themes off the top of my head………

Italian – Goodfellas (grown ups only) Lady and the Tramp (family night)

French – Better off Dead (obviously) Ratatouille (family)

Mexican – The Mexican (julia roberts and brad pitt) The Three Amigos (family)

game date night at home

Stock up on the beer, booze and board games. It’s Game Night – and I’m not talking about the disastrous one that Jason Bateman had to get out of – or the creepy Michael Douglas/Sean Penn one either.

We had a basement apartment before we found our home sweet home. We also had a strange addiction to the game Boggle.

There were little kids that lived upstairs so we had to be ridiculously quiet until all hours of the morning playing this game. I don’t know why this one was so competitive to us!

The competitiveness, the giggles to be quiet, the gloating of winning. Scrabble would have been safer.

Every once in a while though, we bust it out here at home and we’re like those “kids” again that need to continuously play! And we LAUGH!!!!! Laughter is what made me fall for my guy in the first place!

Find the game that makes you laugh or want to pretend to be a sore loser and throw the board across the floor so you can attack your person.

stargazing on a blow up mattress

Sure, camping is fun. But you’re at home, it’s a nice evening and the sky is clear. A chill in the air. Get some candles or light a firepit. Get an air mattress, pillows and blankets and snuggle under the stars with a warm, toasty drink. Dream upon those stars and make plans. Dream big, plan big.

date night bucket list

Working with the dreaming big theme from above, make a list. A GRAND list. A bucket list of all the things that you want to do together. Make a couple’s notebook together and no matter how silly something sounds, write it down. You may inspire something down the line to make a dream come true.

neighborhood date night at home

Say what?

I actually got this idea from a friend.

If you have several neighbors that you are close with, start planning family nights. You get adult time, the kids get, well, kid time.

Outdoor movie night!

Collect the neighbors with their blankets and chairs. Get the fire pit going.

The grown ups can bring coolers filled with their movie beverages. The kids can have their drinks and snacks too!

With all the fresh air and later in the day, zonk the kids out and try to stay awake just a little while longer than them……………..

Of course, good weather has to be part of that plan as well, and with that just around the corner, get prepared now!

When you set up on someone’s driveway, you have this whole setup that anyone on the street can get involved with and the kids can play (that’s how I grew up!)

Or rotating backyards for each night works just as well. Everyone benefits. Especially when sleepovers become a THING again!!!

There’s a million different ways to make your time together meaningful and fun. Planned or not, as long as you are finding that quality time to be together away from all the noise of the world or your home.

This article is just a stepping stone as to how to make your own perfect date night at home come to fruition. You know your partner best.

Do you have any you want to share in the comments below? We’d love to hear from you.

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