Spice up your Valentine’s Day…or ANY Day
By Leslie Chastain
Every parent knows finding time for romance is one of the biggest challenges in a marriage. With endless schedules and activities, it’s easy to fall into a rut. Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to recharge your love life. Go beyond flowers and chocolate with some unconventional ideas to spend a little time with your loved one, and pledge to make it a habit for the new year.
The Early Morning Date
If you’re pressed for time, take the simple advice of Greenville resident and mother of one, Miriam Able: “Wake up early in the morning and have a couple of cups of coffee in the morning before starting your day.” Even finding 10 minutes to just take a quiet moment together can help get you involved with your spouse. If you like working out, make time to hit the gym together before work.
Get Adventurous in the Kitchen
Think of the places you love to eat when you go out to dinner, and find a way to recreate them at home. With the internet at your fingertips, you can find recipes and tutorials for any cuisine you can think of. Love sushi? Order a kit and make it together. It’s often hard to find different types of food deep in the Delta, so my husband and I have learned how to make several Indian and Vietnamese dishes. If you want something more challenging, take a cooking class together.
Game Night
After the kids go to bed, act like children yourselves. Grab some junk food and settle in for a night of board games or video games. Or, take it up a notch and have a Nerf gun war and get really silly. Invite some couple friends over and make it a double date. Nothing brings out romance like competitive teamwork.
Boost Your Adrenaline
Maybe it’s not for the faint of heart, but there’s no denying that True Crime is one of the most popular TV, game, and dinner theater genres right now. Open a bottle of wine and put your heads together with a crime-solving subscription box such as Hunt a Killer, or find a murder mystery dinner. Check out Amazon, since they carry multiple murder mystery games. Invite some friends and host a theme party.
Try a Daytime Date
If you have school-aged children, take some time to have a daytime date. Greenville resident and mother of four, Erica Dick, does exactly that: “We meet for lunch once a week while the kids are in school.” If your work schedule prevents this, have a Facetime lunch date, or just take a few minutes out of your day to call your loved one and remind your special someone that you’re thinking of him or her.
Have a Picnic in the Living Room
Put the kids to bed, order takeout, and have an adults-only dinner for once. Even wine and cheese will feel special when eaten on a blanket in the candlelight. Is there a movie or TV series you’ve been dying to check out? Make it a theme night.
Get Outside
Grab a blanket and head to the backyard for some stargazing, or unplug and sit around a cozy firepit.
Recreate Your First Date
Tired of the same old dinner and a movie? Recreate your first date, or the night you met. Get nostalgic with some music that was popular when you started dating.
These are just a few ideas to spice up your time together for Valentine’s Day, or for any time of the year. Use your creative imagination — the possibilities are endless!
Leslie Chastain lives in the Mississippi Delta with her husband, two kids, and a menagerie of animals.
