February is upon us and thoughts of Valentine’s Day are filling the air! Okay, it may feel more like Valentine’s is filling up every aisle in the store, but nonetheless, it’s quickly approaching and now’s the time to plan your romantic day!
Hahaha! Romantic day! It almost seems like a good joke in my life. With two small children, one a newborn, a romantic day pretty much consists of not getting spit up on my shirt and actually taking a shower.
However, despite these “challenges”, it’s important to remember what Valentine’s Day is all about – love! And any holiday focused on celebrating love is a great thing! So, how do you make that happen in your busy life? Sure you could get a babysitter and go eat, drink and be merry, but what if a babysitter is not an option for you? Don’t worry! Romantic Valentine fun can still be achieved at home, and you can even include your children in some of the activities!
Dinner and Dessert: First, let the kids get into the Valentine’s spirit by making cute dinner menus themed for the evening. Set the table with the nice dishes and tablecloth, and put a menu on each plate. Bust out the candles and lower the lights. You can serve almost anything this way and it will feel extra special. My suggestion: a low key dinner followed by a special dessert. If you’re like me, you don’t have time to make both a big dinner and a big dessert, so focus on dessert! Consider something such as Pineapple upside cake and chocolate covered strawberries! Both are great, kid friendly recipes and can be made ahead of time!
While you are at the store buying all your goodies, put an extra special snack in the cart for you and your sweetie to enjoy together after the kids go to bed. Maybe some decadent cheese spreads, crackers, chocolates and a large bottle of wine. Heck, it could be chips and PBR for that matter! As long as you’re together and enjoying each others company, that’s what’s important! Then, after the kids are asleep, relight the candles and enjoy! Being able to eat without rushing, bouncing a baby, or cleaning up spills (and actually talking to your sweetie and relaxing in the quiet) sounds great to me!
Dancing: Be silly after dinner and have everyone change into their dancing attire! Set up some tunes and boogie on! Better yet, wait until the kids are in bed and transform your living room into your own personal dance floor. Dim the lights or reuse those candles, play some low key music and slow dance away! Sure, it may seem silly at first and you may spend more time laughing at yourselves than dancing, but hey what’s wrong with that? Valentine’s is all about bonding and having fun!
Games: I love playing games! During your wonderful late night snack, you and your significant other can challenge each other to a rousing game of Scrabble, Scattergories, Yahtzee, Candy Land, or whatever you have on hand! It will be something you both can enjoy together, and will allow you to laugh, bond, and playfully argue over whether or not proper nouns are allowed in Scrabble. (And if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can even buy fun, romantic themed games at your local CVS or Walgreens.)
Movies: Sure it’s a simple idea…watch a movie together…but it is a great one! However, I want to put the emphasis on together. Often times when my husband and I watch TV, we sit on opposite ends of the couch, both checking some sort of technology device throughout the program, distracted and barely noticing each other. This time do it different! Sit next to each other! Cuddle up! Share the same bowl of popcorn! Put the distracting devices down and truly focus on the moment.
Hopefully these easy, at home ideas will help make this Valentine’s Day extra special! What are some of your ideas for celebrating this romantic holiday?
Brandi, I absolutely love your suggestions. The living room dance party has become a standard in our house. I am definitely going to try the pineapple upside down cake recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
massages, bubble baths. Watch old home movies.
Cool suggestions!
Love the dinner after the kids go to bed idea!