Whether you celebrated Valentine's Day with a big night out or not, virtually every couple could use more opportunities to reconnect and strengthen their relationship with one another. Sometime this weekend, set the kids up with juice and snacks in another room to watch a movie or put them to bed a little early one night, and celebrate your love for each other.
1.) Travel back in time. Borrow a CD from the library and have an 80s dance party in your living room, then snuggle up and watch Dirty Dancing, When Harry Met Sally, or any one of the other 100 best romantic movies from the 80s. Afterward, make out like teenagers and hope you don't get caught ... by your kids this time, instead of your parents.
2.) Toast marshmallows. Who says s'mores are for summer? Get a fire going in your chiminea or firepit and share a sweet gooey treat. If you don't have a chiminea or firepit, try one of our delicious 10 No-Campfire S'mores Ideas.
3.) Host a comedy show on your couch. Snuggle up close with your laptop or tablet, go to YouTube, and search for your favorite comedian. Even if they're bits you've already seen, they'll still make you laugh out loud.
4.) Plan a dream adults-only vacation. If you weren't limited by time or money, where would you go and what would you do? Go online and start researching. Make a secret Pinterest board and start pinning to it (or go old-school and print out web pages to stash in a file folder). Keep it just between the two of you ... you can even stash a few dollars each week in your sock drawer and send each other more ideas in the months and years to come. When the time is right, you'll have everything you need to turn your dream into a reality.
5.) Raid the craft box. If you're like most families, you've got fuzzy pom-poms, glitter glue, crayons, and googly eyes in abundance. Break out the supplies and create ... a portrait of your mate, a favorite memory, a dream date. Don't forget to post it on the fridge when you're done!
6.) Read aloud to each other. Yes, it is slower than reading it by yourself, but there is something quite romantic about sharing a book together. YA fiction is the perfect genre for this. Or try a book of love poems. Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe, though tragic, is absolutely lyrical when read aloud.
7.) Picnic inside. Pack a picnic basket with cheese slices, summer sausage, crackers, grapes, and a bottle of sparkling cider. Spread out a blanket on your floor and write out a summer bucket list while you enjoy your simple no-fuss no-muss meal.
8.) The forecast says snow this week, so go play in it! Put some hot soup in one thermos, hot cocoa in another, bundle up, and head outside. Build a snowman ... or a whole family. Make snow angels. Have a snowball fight. Make snow ice cream. Get even more ideas in our Just Snow You Know article!
9.) Dinner and a movie at home. About once a month, my husband and I do what we call "Steak and Wine Night" when we open a nice bottle of wine, grill some steaks, steam a couple of artichokes, bake some jalapeño-cheese bread, and watch a new release Redbox movie with a rating of at least PG-13. We enjoy a great dinner and a movie for less than half of what we'd pay if we went out ... and no babysitter costs either!
10.) Make a mix tape CD or playlist for each other. Choose songs that are special to you or make you think of your mate when you hear them. Listen to them together (and maybe even dance).
11.) Set up a tasting. Do you have a favorite food or drink? Head to the store and buy several varieties of it ... red wine, chocolate chip cookies, wheat beer, good cheese from the deli, apples, potato chips, praline ice cream, or whatever your taste buds desire. Try them all and rate them!
