Can y’all believe that it’s February already!? The first month of 2019 has come and gone in the blink of an eye! Before I get to some date night and gift ideas I want to talk a little bit about “love”. As you read, you’ll see that I’ve included 5 challenges. See how many can you complete in this month!
Challenge #1: Personally, I often get so caught up taking care of my family that I forget to take care of myself, and I know many of you do the same. I invite you to stop and take care of yourself. Show yourself some LOVE! You deserve it. Self-love comes in many different shapes and forms. We all speak a different love language and all of us have different situations so I’ve listed a few ideas on how to show yourself some love:
⁃ Love notes: What do you love about yourself? Write it out and post it up. “You have the most beautiful freckles”, “You’re the sweetest and your family is lucky to have you.”
⁃ Get yourself some fresh flowers or plants: why wait until February 14th for flowers? Pick up those beautiful flowers or plant that you keep eyeing at United. Or, pick those tiny cute flowers on the side of the road and just enjoy the beauty in them. Who cares if you don’t have a green thumb, just enjoy it!
⁃ Get dolled up: Whether you wear makeup on a daily basis or not, it’s always nice to do a little extra. Put on that shade of lipstick you love and haven’t used in years! Or add some curls to your hair. If you don’t wear makeup, grab a tinted chapstick and try it out. My all-time favorite is Burts Bees tinted lip balm in the color Hibiscus.
⁃ Do something random: Leave the kids with the hubby and go for a walk or a drive. Stop by and get your hair shampooed and blown out. Go to the movie theatre alone and don’t forget to grab some popcorn!
⁃ Disconnect: Put your phone on ‘do not disturb,’ close up your computer and just disconnect from everything. Even if it’s for an hour, enjoy not having to check your social media, or respond to text messages. Just enjoy the electronic silence. Try it!
Challenge #2: “Marriage isn’t about making yourself happy, it’s about making the other person happy.” That is my husband’s advice for a happy marriage. How simple is that? Think about it, if you focus only on making your husband happy and he focuses only on making you happy when are either of you not happy?
Challenge #3: Put this advice to the test. Share it with your spouse and try it out!
Challenge #4 and #5: Last but not least, here are some budget-friendly date night and gift ideas:
– Spice things up in the bedroom! Open up the lines of communication with your spouse, and come up with something new to try. Communication is key so for Challenge #5, keep it between the both of you. Whatever happens in your bedroom, kitchen, etc.. stays there!
– Bring the restaurant home: If you have kids, send them off to Grandma’s, clean up your house, and either order in a nice dinner or cook up a special recipe. Get dressed up, light some candles, set some mood music, put your phones away and enjoy each other. Dinner, drinks, a dressy outfit – who knows, maybe it’ll help you complete Challenge #5!
– DIY Couples Coupons: You can make this as simple or as artsy as you’d like. I recommend one coupon per gift. For example Coupon 1 is good for a 30 min whole body massage. Coupon 2 is “I’ll do the chores” today. Coupon 3 “Enjoy sleeping in, I’ll take care of the kids.” Get creative!
I hope that all of you try something new this Valentine’s Day. And remember that love is patient and love is kind!
