It was the summer of 2003. My husband and I were sitting outside at a restaurant enjoying the warmth of the evening and sipping on our glasses of wine. Our newborn son slept soundly in his carrier at our feet and we smiled smugly at each other across the table as if to say, “Why do people always make it sound like life has to stop when you have kids? Here we are having a nice dinner out as though nothing has changed at all! The baby will be asleep for at least 2 hours and if he does fuss it’s nothing a bottle won’t fix. We’ll even be able to stay and have dessert. This is so easy!”
(You know what’s coming don’t you?)
Fast forward a few months and we quickly realized that trying to bring an 8 month old on a romantic dinner out was about the same as trying to herd cats.
Noisy…sweaty…frustrating and frankly, pointless.
From that point on, date nights at home became a staple in our marriage. And the thing is, we love them!
Oh sure, it’s fun to get dressed up and go out but we freely admit to being homebodies. Our home is our sanctuary. A cocoon. It’s a refuge for us and our kids from the busyness of life and the hectic pace that is constantly tugging at us. Now, normally date night means wearing our favorite sweats, feeding the kids and putting them to bed and then enjoying a meal (sometimes take-out and sometimes a dish we know the kids would hate and complain about if we made them eat it but that we really love) in the family room while watching a movie.
But, for Valentine’s Day…well, maybe we could just fanc-i-fy our date night at home…just a little. Maybe I could set the dining room table with china and crystal. I could create a centerpiece using fresh flowers and engrave our initials into a wood round. Because I’ve always wanted to have my initials carved into a tree. But it always felt kind of naughty…the whole tree desecration thing. Although when we were dating if Robb had wanted to carve our initials into a tree I probably wouldn’t have complained because I was suffering from that whole “stars in my eyes” thing. 😉
And if we were celebrating a Valentine’s date at home, I would have to include a trip down memory lane by placing photos into mason jars with battery operated candles. Like the one of my beloved proposing to me on that November day in 1997.
And this one taken on the eve of our wedding.
I think that a ‘special occasion’ date night at home calls for a little activity…no…not THAT kind of activity…where are your minds people? That’s later! 😉 But, how about a fun and sweet gift that also makes a great conversation starter?
How to Make a Chalkboard Word Search Puzzle
Supplies: Chalkboard, Sticker Letters, Chalk, Ruler
Step 1: Season your chalkboard by covering it in chalk and then wiping clean.
Step 2: Create your word search puzzle at an online site like Discovery Education
Step 3: My puzzle was 6 rows across by 6 rows down. So, I found the center and used this awesome green plastic Christmas ruler to mark in chalk where each letter would go, spacing them out an inch apart.
Step 4: Place stickers over chalk markings according to the puzzle you created online.
Step 5: Attach a little tag to the frame with the words to be found in the puzzle.
Finding baby-sitters was hard (and expensive) and our date nights at home have saved us, especially in the years with two very little ones when going out seemed like such a struggle.
On those nights, our home transformed from a zany place with kids running around, wrestling and generally wreaking havoc, to a place of respite. We would get them in bed, turn on some music, open a bottle of wine and (when we weren’t getting take out) Robb would sit at the kitchen island and talk with me while I cooked our dinner (or vice versa if he was cooking that night!). We would catch up on our days, talk about the kids and just reconnect.
Now that the kids are getting older and the bed-times are getting later, our date nights at home are slowly becoming more challenging. Oh sure we can still watch a movie after they’ve gone to bed and sure it’s easier to leave them with a baby-sitter and go out on the town. But those evenings at home are among some of my most cherished memories in these early years of parenting.
Perhaps now we’ll just have to start having date ‘lunches’ at home, right? 😉
I’m so thrilled to be joining a fantastic group of bloggers this week for the Hearts at Home Tour and I hope you will pay them all a visit for some wonderful inspiration from their hearts and their homes!
My Soulful Home
Thurs. 1/30
Bright Bold & Beautiful
Fri. 1/31
Stone Gable
Lilacs & Longhorns
Sat. 2/1
French Country Cottage
Top This Top That
Thanks so much for joining me today At the Picket Fence,
So adorable!
What a beautiful post! We also did date nights at home when our kids were small — it’s so important to connect with one another without tugging little hands and lots of demands for attention. We weren’t always great about doing things like eating in the dining room, but did manage to have “spa” or movie nights together. 🙂
I adore your projects — the initials burned in to the wood slices is my favorite!
So happy to be touring with you, Vanessa! Happy Valentine’s day to you!
Julie
Oh Vanessa your table is just so romantic with such wonderful personal touches and meaning to the two of you..love the “initials” and the picture of a thousand romantic words…I love date night dinners at home especially around Valentine’s Day when the restaurants are so crowded…love the word search chalkboard..you are so creative!!
oh if I wasn’t married , I would so date you….your hopeless romantic! what a sweet post and idea with the chalkboard.ha….It’s comforting to know that many of us share the same date night plans.
Love your word search idea – so clever!!
I love your photos in the jars, especially the one of your wedding! That’s such a beautiful idea!
I like the chalkboard idea!
Love your date night at home ideas and memories Vanessa!!
What a wonderful post, idea & sentiment Vanessa! I like date night in my ‘comfy’ clothes too. And with all the busy-ness of life & kids it is a treat to act like a grown up person on a “date” in your own house. The word search is such fun…I love the ruler you used in the photos – are you a mom? hahaha!
Thank you so much for being part of this tour and sharing so much!
Oh how I love this so very sweet. I miss those days in some ways. It all goes to show love can be celebrated in any form. Love the chalk boards of course. Terrific Post you girls are delightful! Have a great week! Kate xoxo
Oh thanks so much Kate!! I smiled when I saw your name here and so appreciate you stopping by! 🙂
Oh how I relate Vanessa. We’ve had many a ‘date night’ at home too over the years and it can be just as romantic as going out. Love your very sweet chalk board too. What a great tour this will be.
Thanks so much Kerryanne! 🙂
I haven’t done a date night a home for a while. We used to do picnics on the living room floor. thanks for reminding me.
Just the sweetest idea ever! Oh I love it.
Date night…what’s that..LOL.I think in the past 14 years we have had one or two of those.I think it’s time for us to get out on our own.Love that chalkboard!
xx
Anne
My husband and I used to have date nights way back before that’s what they were called! Loved this post and am happy to be on the Hearts at Home tour with you!
My mom always told me that dating your hubby was key to a happy marriage. Hubby and I date (each other, of course) quite frequently and I found out my mother was right. 🙂
Cute ideas. I really like the tree initials.
– Alma, The Tablescaper