Valentines Day is almost here and if, like me, you're getting a bit tired of hearing about everybody elses lovely plans to go out for romantic dinners or cinema dates because you don't have a babysitter and therefore will be spending this Valentines Night (just like every one since you became a parent!) at home - then fear not.
I have put together a list of ideas to help you celebrate Valentine's with your other half from the comfort of your own home whilst your little angels
Now don't get me wrong, I am ALL for including children in Valentines celebrations - in fact I have another post coming up next week with ideas for involving children with Valentines activities - but let's face it, couple time IS important too and when you're not fortunate enough to have access to babysitters on a regular basis, then you need to get a bit creative and find ways to have that much needed bonding time at home.
1) Cook a romantic dinner at home (or do what we do, and get an M & S Dine In Meal For Two - easier, cheaper and usually tastes nicer too!)
2) Watch a movie under the stars (Take your ipad outside with a blanket, and curl up together - weather permitting of course!)
3) Failing that, recreate a cinema environment at home with popcorn, snacks and a nice glass of fizz while you enjoy a movie together. Perhaps rewatch an old favorite from your dating days?
4) Have a games night! Pull out all of the board games and have a competitive evening in, failing that you can always print off a Couples Questionnaire online for a DIY game of Mr & Mrs - although it may cause some arguing!
5) Create an at home Spa with a romantic bath or shower, take it in turns to give each other spa treatments such as massages, manicures and pedicures. Or better still, hire a masseuse to come to the house to really indulge yourselves.
6) If you fancy a romantic meal but neither of you wants to cook, consider hiring a private chef - they can be surprisingly inexpensive and it really is a treat as they even do all of the washing up for you!
7) Spend the evening watching old home movies and going through photo albums, reminiscing about your lives together so far and chatting about your hopes and plans for the future.
8) Get your groove on! Move the furniture out of the way, turn the lights down and put on some favorite music to dance the night away together. Who needs a nightclub with over priced drinks?!
9) Indulge in a bit of star gazing - just sitting out on the patio with a hot chocolate or a glass of wine and looking for shooting stars can make for a really romantic evening.
10) Have a Karaoke night - Jon & I used to love having a Singstar battle back when we were dating, so getting the Playstation out and having a sing off brings back some great memories and can be loads of fun!
11) Do a Puzzle together
12) Try a bit of baking - maybe challenge each other to a bit of a Bake Off?!
13) Write your Life Bucket lists and compare notes
14) Choose a new hobby to try out together - something neither of you has tried before! Knitting? Magic tricks? Fortune telling? Anything at all! The wackier, the better!
15) Draw each others portraits
16) Plan your next vacation together - do some online window shopping and talk about where you'd love to visit together
17) Camp in the living room - Toast marshmallows, have a carpet picnic and maybe even tell each other spooky stories. When is living room camping not fun?!
18) Buy a photo frame and build a couples collage together of your favorite moments throughout your relationship
19) Reminisce about your first date - Even recreate it at home if you can!
20) Film a video for your kids about how you first met or write out your "love story" so far.
Of course, if none of these ideas tickle your fancy and you would still prefer to head out for the evening then fear not - there are solutions! You can always use a reputable babysitter agency to source a local babysitter who will come to your home and look after your children for the evening, safe in the knowledge that they have been CRB and reference checked. Sitters are not an agency I have used myself, but a quick look on their website shows me a list of several potential babysitters in my local area - all of whom are childcare qualified to NNEB level (nursery nurse qualifications) and have children of their own. The website allows you to view how many times they have previously babysat for users of the website as well as seeing all of their reviews.
However you choose to celebrate Valentines Night, I hope you have a good one.
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