Five years into parenting and we finally see the light! No sugarcoating, our relationship has been on the back burner for a while because of life with THREE KIDS IN THREE YEARS. Honest moment: One of my biggest fears is that in 18 years, we look at each other and realize that we are strangers. I love my husband too dang much to let that happen. This year, we decided to fight for us and make time for us. We’ve committed to monthly nights out and weekly date nights in. For us, this means turning off the TV and making time to connect.
Our date nights in have included: ordering food, talking, yoga, games, bible study, and our newest adventure has been monthly date night boxes. There is no limit to what you can do with an at-home date nights in.
As far as the date night boxes go there are many companies to choose from. We chose the Date Night In Box. We did a bit of research and what really sold us on this company was the Faith Option. As a couple, we have decided that we both want to grow in our faith. So far we have had a great time dating each other through these boxes. The first box we received was called “Love At Ease” and the second was “Throwback.” Both were so much fun and so very different!
Love At Ease was about slow and thoughtful connection. We played a dice game, did a crossword puzzle, coffee/tea tasting, and couples yoga. Each box comes with a suggested menu and this one was a breakfast theme. The menu looks yummy, but for our stage right now we were not wanting to cook that late. This box came with a mostly instrumental playlist which was nice to have in the background. We had a blast doing yoga together. It is definitely my jam, and my husband was a trooper. The discussion questions were thought-provoking and open-ended.
Throwback was a walk down memory lane. The box came with old-school candy, sunglasses, and a rainbow pen (you know what I am talking about if you were a 90s kid). The menu on this one was again really cool, homemade Hot Pockets and KoolAid popsicles, but we chose to skip this part of the date again. We played MASH (hello middle school), Truth or Dare, and did karaoke. Again, we loved the discussion; these questions were the more nostalgic.
The faith element of both boxes was very open ended. We chose to do those on other date nights. There are Bible verses that work with the discussion and theme of the night and then you choose what to do with them. The actual boxes were not faith based, they were just good, old fun. The faith element of the boxes came in the form of a pamphlet. So whether you are wanting to dive deeper into your faith as a couple or just have a good old date night you cannot go wrong with any of their box options.
I loved how simple these boxes were. It really reminded us just how easy our dates can be. There is no reason for a huge production to make date night worthwhile. I also was really surprised at how much I loved the discussion part of each box.
My husband and I have known each other since we were in eight grade and began dating in tenth grade. That has officially been more than half our lives. Some of these questions reminded us of things we haven’t talked about in ages and others gave us renewed perspective into our relationship.
It is no secret, relationships are tough. They take a lot of work and even more love. And then when you have kids, jobs, and other responsibilities, the person you love more than anyone in the world gets a little sidelined. We all do it, and we don’t even realize it. Life only gets busier and crazier and relationships are part of the balance. We know that our marriage and relationship is the foundation of our family, second to God. And we have to put the work in and make the time.
I am thankful that I tried the date nights in boxes, and all the other little things we do to keep this ship sailing. And I am so very thankful for my husband who is willing to go along with all my crazy plans like a champ.
Bottom line my friends, make that time for date nights in. You don’t have to make it a production, just make the time and make it a priority. There will always be something that needs to be done, but put it on pause! I promise it will be there when you are done connecting and renewing your relationship. You need to focus on your honey and refill your relationship cup. Everyone is better off for it.
