We usually try to keep a weekly date night and alternate planning responsibility. We're both rarely brave enough to "cash in" on the free babysitting offers, so we firmly established ourselves in the at-home dating routine. It often (always?) includes something from Redbox, preceded by "family date night" meaning supper and fun with the fam.
Yesterday's date night was mine to plan, but this brown bag date night was not the first in our date night creativity.
It all started with our date nights in Florida. It was Daniel's turn to plan. I can't remember which came first of two of my favorite creative at-home date nights. One included camping foods like hot dogs and baked s'mores. We even set up the tent in the living room which Brylee loved. Once she headed off to bed, we cushioned up the tent and propped ourselves up to watch Couples Retreat.
Then, another creative date night included Daniel turning our living room floor into a "bed" with lots of pillows and blankets. He then made breakfast and we had "breakfast in bed."
The point is, Daniel has put my at-home date night planning to shame. So, it was time for me to make an effort.
I was going to surprise him with getting a babysitter and taking a date out (novel concept). But Brylee's been sick and even Daniel's been slightly under the weather with headaches the last couple days, so staying in seemed to be a better idea. Then, Redbox e-mailed me to say that they had Bad Teacher in stock. What?! Redbox released a movie on the same day it's released everywhere else?! Shocker. So I reserved it. And proceeded planning a teacher-ish themed date night.
There's plenty of ideas that revolve around this theme to make it either romantic or casual or, of course, cutesy. Making a fancy dinner and writing the menu on a chalkboard, having a candlelit brown bag supper in the park............ I kept it basic and to what I had available. Wrote a schedule for the evening displayed in a clipboard, put our supper items in the brown bag with a specially made "date night" label. And of course nothing screams "date night" quite like lit candles.
Our supper included hoagies baked with cheese before adding the fresh ingredients, chips and Jones root beer--yum! Then a childhood favorite--puppy chow--for dessert.
And you can't forget the love note napkins :) Brylee's had a drawing of our family as stick figures--she treasures those as if they were real photos.
I've been wanting to find creative ways to do something together for our date nights, even if we end up watching a movie. So, sticking with the "teacher" theme, we spent time after supper teaching each other something. He taught me a couple chords on the guitar. And I taught him to edit a photo on Picnik (well, it wasn't exactly teaching, but it's something I enjoy and he explored how to do it).
After the kids were in bed, we watched Bad Teacher.
I wouldn't exactly recommend this movie to anyone. The R-rating was my first clue it wouldn't be as good as it could have been with its ridiculous and unnecessary R-rated additions.
Overall, the teacher-themed date was a success! I love our at-home dating routine :)
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