At-Home Valentine’s Date Ideas!

So this whole pandemic is really dragging on, eh? Who would have known when things closed down last March that we’d still be creatively trying to find ways to celebrate every holiday at home. Well, Valentine’s Day is upon us and whether you think it’s a manufactured Hallmark holiday or not, I still think it’s fun to find ways to share the love!

As soon as you have kids, Valentine’s Day immediately changes from being a romantic occasion shared only by your and your hubby, special dinner reservations, sassy gifts, candles, etc to being a full family affair! I’ve worked to get the kids involved over the last couple years and now they look forward to Valentine’s Day as an actual holiday in their calendar – probably the candy!

While we’re all at home this year, I thought I’d put together some fun ways to celebrate at home, both with your family and with your spouse (maybe the kids go to bed early so you can prioritize some time together). I’m find that while we’re all home together, there’s not a lot of quality time happening between my husband and I because by the time the kids get to bed, we’re both so tired we watch a show or two and fall asleep! So for this one evening, let’s try a little harder 😉 Valentine’s is on a Sunday this year so there’s lots of time for daytime celebrating and it’s also a long weekend here in Ontario so no reason you can’t push bedtime a bit for some QT with your spouse. Ok, here are some of my thoughts and I’ve broken it down into family friendly activities and ideas to surprise your significant other with!

Family Love Day

Heart Shaped Pancakes – I love making meals special on holidays and my kiddos have come to look forward to it too! I usually send them a sandwich in their lunch shaped like a heart because that’s what my Mom used to do for me! But this year it’s a Sunday morning and we’re home so pancakes are a fun one! Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter on your pan, pour the batter inside and it should keep it’s shape! Make sure to spray with cooking spray first so it doesn’t stick and turn into a mess 😉 OR my favourite mini waffle maker comes in a HEART shape! AH, how cute! $20 at Bed Bath and Beyond if you want to order it quick!

Love notes on their bedroom door – I buy these foam hearts from Walmart or Dollarama (both have them) and write something I love about each kid (and my hubby) on a different heart and stick them all over their bedroom door. I’ve seen people do this starting Feb 1 and do a different thing each day until Valentine’s but I usually just do a whole bunch and have them wake up to the love notes the morning of Feb. 14.

Crafts – There’s not a lot open right now but a number of small businesses are doing curbside pick up. Plan ahead to pick up something the kids can work on that day – painting clay, cookie decorating kits, Dollarama has wooden signs you can paint cut out in the word LOVE or hearts.

At-Home Spa Day – I’m not sure how this would fly with my boys but I may try! An at-home spa day would be fun and of course there may be a bit more you can do with little girls – blow dry or do their hair, paint their nails etc but I may gift my boys some bath bombs and do the cucumbers on the eyes, massage, relaxation thing and see how they like it!

Movie Day – some of the food delivery companies will deliver movie theatre popcorn! Make it an authentic experience by ordering in the good stuff and cozying up for a movie!

Create an Interactive Meal – we are big fans of fondue over here! I love it for Valentine’s Day as it’s an interactive meal and my kiddos love dipping. I cheat a bit and use the prepackaged Fondue cheese you can get in most grocery stores as it’s super easy to prepare and much less expensive than grating the Greyure yourself. I add a bit of white wine and nutmeg and it’s always delish! Serve cheese fondue with cubed french bread, steam broccoli, cauliflower, carrots – whatever veggies you like with cheese!

If you’ve never tried a meat fondue, it’s so yummy when you use broth (don’t use the old school oil way … yuck) but thinly slicing beef and chicken an using a hot broth to cook the meat with different dipping sauces is so yummy! I have a broth recipe if you want it – hit me up!

Of course finishing up with chocolate fondue is a necessity! I may try out Chocolatis Favoris here in Guelph for their chocolate fondue as I’ve heard it’s delish and easy to heat up! I serve with strawberries, bananas, oranges or clementines (any fruit you like really) and I always add in some marshmallows and pretzels 🙂 Easy to make yourself at home if you have a fondue set too!

If fondue feels like too much, try making s’mores at home over a candle. Seriously, my kids love it and think it’s so much fun. It’ also feels good as a parent to say “yes” to some of the things you would usually say “no” to. I feel like sometimes my kids assume I’ll say no, ask anyway and when I say yes their eyes just light up! So say yes to at-home s’mores – you can melt them in the oven, but the kids will have more fun if you roast the mallows over a candle 😉

Partner/Spouse LOVE Day

Ok, if you want to make sure you celebrate the LOVE with your partner after the kiddos are in bed, here are some other ideas for you:

Create a Meal Together – my husband doesn’t cook much, but he will if he has a set recipe to follow and if I do it with him so choose something that has quite a few steps to create, pour a glass of wine and make dinner together. My suggestions would be Italian as it feels romantic to me and you can divide out the courses. Appetizer – bruschetta and a salad. Main – homemade chicken parmesan or seafood fettucine? Dessert – Tiramisu, Creme Brulee or a Cheesecake of some sort. I’ll probably pre-buy dessert unless I want to spend my whole day in the kitchen!

Drink Tasting – do you own Cocktail Making by looking up fun recipes or create your own! Buy all the fun garnishes – fruit, herbs etc and make one for each other using things you know the other likes! Or, a fun gift idea for your man if he’s a beer drinking would be a beer tasting flight set – here are a few sets on Amazon I can link you to. Then pick up a variety from a local brewery and create your own beer tasting. I know here in Guelph we have quite a few breweries to choose from but your local Beer Store should have an assortment of craft beers you could choose as well.

Board games – ok ok, I know we may be over the game thing by now but with us getting a little too comfortable with being in front of the TV I recently had us spend the time together for a little date night at home with Brews & Board games. We played Scrabble and had some fun music playing – it felt a bit different than the norm and was a fun night!

Firepit or Cozy Porch – we don’t really have anywhere to put a firepit as our houses are packed together around here, but if you have the space to spread out, cozy up outside! Have a fire, bring out some blankets, all the Smores fixings and maybe some Hot Chocolate or Coffee & Baileys. Changing up your scenery will feel good and being outside together alone is romantic and fun. One year before kids, Marc and I did this on New Year’s – no fire, just sat outside together in the snow and it’s always a special memory for us!

Air BnB Online Experiences – have you checked this out?! I didn’t even know this existed until I saw someone else suggest it recently but this site has a TON of virtual experiences you can purchase to participate in at home – paint nights, cooking classes, wellness, comedy, wine lessons – there’s a ton of stuff on there. You can even purchase in groups so if you wanted to gather online with some friends and do the same cooking class you can! Check it out at www.airbnb.com/online/experiences!

Virtual Comedy Show – there’s quite a few of these online if you search. Eventbrite has quite a few – “Love in Sweatpants” or “Valentine’s in Quarantine” is sure to be entertaining! We love Stand Up Comedy so if you can stream to your TV it would be a fun night in!

Karaoke – ok, you have to be in the right mood for this but most cable providers have a Karaoke channel. I know this because we used to do it quite a bit haha! Stingray Karaoke is totally a thing and may be On Demand for you but look it up and see. And if it’s just the two of you then who cares how you sing!

Ok, those are my ideas for Valentine’s this year. Whether you’re celebrating as a family or trying to sneak in some one-on-one time with your partner, make it a day full of love and appreciation for each other. Also if you’re reading this in early February, you still have time to get a card in the mail! There’s nothing like receiving a card with a nice note in it so send a Valentine to your parents, your grandparents, your friends – spread the love as much as you can because everyone needs a pick-me-up right about now. These times are not easy and staying connected is more important than ever! Tell me your plans to celebrate the LOVE this year in the comments below – I’d love to know what you’re up to!

Happy LOVE Day!

xo, Jodi