Stay-at-Home Date Ideas to Keep the Love Alive when a Babysitter is out of Reach ...

1. Movie Night

Who says you have to go to the theater for a movie date? This is my favorite of the stay-at-home date ideas on this list! We wait for the kids to go to bed, then watch a movie we’ve been wanting to see since it came out. Sometimes we DVR the movie from cable, other times we grab a Redbox and sometimes I find a new release at the public library for free. And of course we have some junky snacks and maybe a cocktail too. The best part – we can wear our pajamas the whole time!

2. Mexican Patio Night

Tell me you wouldn’t love to be on a Mexico beach with your spouse. My husband and I try to recreate this in summer months by making nachos and cracking open a couple of beers and enjoying them outside on the patio. Sometimes we do this while the kids run around the yard playing and sometimes we wait until they’re in bed and light a few candles while we revel in a warm summer night.

3. Exercise Date

We all know that working out is important for good health, but it often gets pushed to the back burner with all the other daily obligations so sometimes, we use exercise as a date. Together we’ll do kettlebells, bodyweight exercises or go for a walk around the neighborhood. Yes, we bring the kids sometimes, but they’re so busy running around and looking for rocks that they don’t really pay attention to us. Not only are we staying healthy, but we’re devoting time to each other too.

4. Card Game Night

When my husband and I were first married and totally broke, we used to stay home and play rummy while all our friends were at the bar or the movie theater. It sounds sad, right? Not so. Those are some of our best memories. Now, we’ll pull out the cards and play some rummy in the evenings after we get the kids to bed. A beer in one hand and a hand of cards in the other and we feel like newlyweds again. I usually win!

5. Wii Night

My husband likes to think of himself as the video game master. It’s probably true because I’m not a huge fan of them. However, now and then we’ll challenge each other to a few rounds of Cooking Mama or Super Slice, both of which are pretty enjoyable. The hardest part is being quiet so we don’t wake up our kids who wouldn’t be happy to see us playing the Wii without them.

6. Cooking Night

Usually I prefer to cook meals alone, but sometimes it’s fun to work together to make something tasty. Our kids will pretty much eat anything, but it’s nice to cook and eat a meal together without having to ask the kids to stop burping or saying bathroom words at the table. The only trick is hiding the evidence so the little ones aren’t mad that we ate without them.

7. Plans for the Future Night

Making a budget, navigating the kids’ schedules and getting the house clean is never that much fun, but my husband and I like to lay on the couch and plan the future in fun ways. We talk about what we’d spend the lottery jackpot on, the home improvements we want to make, what we’re planning for the yard this summer and where we’ll travel when the kids grow up and move out. It’s a fun way to find out what the other hopes for and it gives us something enjoyable to discuss.

How do you and your spouse spend a night at home? It’s important to take the time to relax and spend alone time together, so try one of these next time. Let me know how it goes!