My husband and I always look forward to Friday, because that means Friday Date Night! We always tend to go to the same place – a little craft ale bar in Boca Raton. It used to be a Funky Buddha location and then they sold the company and a new owner bought the business and changed the name to Mad Robot. We have been going there for over 8 years. It is our version of “Cheers” where everyone (well almost everyone) knows our names.
For the past few weeks, we have been self-isolating. Mad Robot has been closed since the end of March due to the Coronavirus and the state forcing all non-essential businesses to temporarily close to help with mitigation efforts. This has left us asking daily what day it is. Friday just isn’t anything special anymore, because every day seems the same! It forces us to recreate Friday Date Night in a new way.
It may be a little challenging to have a romantic date night if you are home in self-isolation with kids, but it is not impossible. If your kids are under 5, you can take advantage of their early bedtimes to spend time alone with your partner. Once you have them all tucked in and read them their favorite bedtime story for the third time, you can head back to the kitchen and cook a romantic dinner with your partner. If you have older kids, feed them their dinner, spend time together as a family and then tell them they will have to occupy themselves in their bedrooms or a family room that is away from the dining area. Pour a glass of wine, put on your favorite music, put down the cellphones and spend time together preparing dinner. If your partner isn’t a big cook, you can use them to help prep the meal by putting them to use chopping up ingredients. They can also set the table and light the candles. Before you sit down to eat, head to the bedroom and take a shower together and then dress up. Make it feel special. You will need to do a little planning by deciding what you will make for your romantic dinner earlier in the week so that you can purchase what you need at the store. Don’t forget the strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate to take into the bedroom for dessert!
Another fun date night is a question and answer date night. This one can be held in the bedroom. Spend some time during the week thinking of at least ten questions to ask your partner. Make it interesting by including some truth or dare questions that involve sexy activities. Take a bottle of wine and some light bites in the room with you and then get busy getting to know each other in new ways. You never know where it may lead!
If you are looking for a really frisky date night, play a fantasy game in the bedroom. Take turns telling each other a fantasy or character that you want the other to portray. Act it out and become the character your partner asks for and create the fantasy. Better make sure the kids are asleep or preoccupied before you start this one!
This moment in time that we are all experiencing is stressful and uncertain, but it doesn’t have to be boring. There are times, many times, that you might get on each other’s nerves because you are around each other a lot more than normal, but if you look at this moment as an opportunity to create a stronger bond, you will get through it in no time and have fun memories to look back upon. And, who knows? You may learn things about your partner that you didn’t know that will enhance your relationship in and out of the bedroom. Is it Friday yet?
