Couples generally get married because, for one thing, they have things in common. Time and time again we hear about how important it is to make time for one another. It seems that right now, we’ve got nothing but time, and while a lot of that may be focused on the family as a whole, we want to remind you to also plan one-on-one time with your spouse, too. Reconnect with your spouse, and remind yourselves of the things you have in common.
Here are some ideas for doing that:
TV, Movies & Music
- Watch a concert together.
Dropkick Murphy’s St. Patrick’s Day Concert 2020
Queen 1987 Tour at Wembley Stadium
Zac Brown Band 2017 Concert at Coors Field
Search #TogetherAtHome on YouTube for many concerts - Turn on some music and dance out the day's frustrations.
Fast or slow. Maybe something that makes you reminisce of your high school dances. Or put on your wedding song. Maybe you'll even teach each other some moves or create new ones of your own! I mean, whoever came up with The Floss? - Agree to a TV show and binge-watch it together.
How many times have you started to watch a show together only to find out that your spouse couldn't wait and just HAD to watch the next episode without you? (Or maybe it's you who is the offender!) Whichever show you choose, promise to only watch it together. - Take a virtual tour.
You may be stuck at home right now, but that doesn't mean that you can't virtually go see a museum or travel to a place you've never been before. Here are just a few of the places you can see:
National Portrait Gallery
Museum of Fine Arts
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Yellowstone National Park - Virtual Double Date
Is there a couple you like to go out with? Right now that may not be a possibility, but you can still "get together" by using Skype, Facetime, or another app. Just log on and chat, or get creative. If you usually get together and play games, figure out a way to play virtually... Maybe you both have the same game at home, and you set up pieces for all 4 of you on each other's game boards, and take turns as you usually would. Maybe you usually meet for coffee... so make your coffee and chat! Whatever it is that you normally do, try and keep that same routine, or try something new! Find opportunities in the fact that you have to stay at home right now.
Get Closer
- Exercise together - use each other as resistance
Hold your spouse's feet while they do sit-ups, take a run together or do an online yoga class together. Not only will you be spending quality time together, but you'll both be getting fit, too! - Give each other massages
It's a stressful time right now, with a whole lot of unknowns. Massages are a great way to relax, and what better way than by giving each other a massage. Tip: Alternate nights for who gives who the massage so the effects of the massage can keep that person relaxed for awhile. - Bubble Bath for Two
Need we say more? Ok, maybe grab a glass of wine and light some candles, too. - Grab & blanket, cuddle & stargaze, sunrise or sunset
Getting outside together for some fresh air can have amazing benefits. Pair that with stargazing or watching a wonderful sunrise or sunset, and - Take a walk, hand-in-hand
If you have older kids, this is easier to do. Go out for a walk after dinner, or wake up early for a nice start to your day. Even with little kids, though, once they are in bed, go outside and carry your baby monitor as you go for a walk just around your house a few times.
 |  |  |
Feel Like a Kid Again
- Have a nerf gun war
Gather the guns and nerf bullets and have at it! We do suggest wearing protective eye gear for this... it can get wild! I dare you to try not to wake up the kids when you do this. - Play a board game
Who says games just have to be for kids? Challenge yourselves with a game of Boggle or Scrabble, get lost in a Monopoly marathon, or even play one of the kids games like Chutes and Ladders or Rack-O. - Put a puzzle together
Puzzles come in a variety of forms. This could be a date night every night for a week, depending on how good you are at puzzles. It's amazing the conversations that can be had when you are mindlessly working on finding pieces that fit together. Or you could try to complete a crossword puzzle together. I've even seen virtual escape rooms, like this one with a Harry Potter theme. - Take over the kids gaming system
Get active with Just Dance or Wii Bowling or race against each other in Mario Kart. Maybe even make a small wager that the loser has to fold the laundry or get up with the kids in the morning. - Play wiffleball, kickball or a game of one-on-one basketball
Turn on the outside lights, or get in a game while the kids take their afternoon nap. Does it come back to you like riding a bike, or is it not quite as easy as it used to be?
Food, Glorious Food
- Get takeout & eat by candlelight
Many local restaurants are still available for you to order from for delivery or take out. Choose a nice meal for each of you, set 2 places at the table, and light some candles. Consider even dressing up like you would if you were going out. - Cook a meal together
Try your hand at looking at the ingredients you have on hand and challenge yourselves to create your own meal idea, or try a recipe you've never made before. - Have a backyard picnic
Pack up some sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit, and a couple craft beers or a bottle of wine, and lay out a blanket to sit on and cop-a-squat (just like in Pretty Woman!) - Make ice cream sundaes
What toppings would you choose? Don't limit yourself... chocolate sauce, sprinkles (or are they jimmies?), crushed up cookies, gummy bears, pound cake cubes, M&Ms, caramel sauce... and don't forget the whipped cream and cherry! - Do your own wine or beer tasting
Grab a couple of bottles of wine that you've never tried before or create your own mix-and-match six-pack of beer. Pour just a couple ounces for each of you to taste. Talk about what it is that you like and don't like. Do you taste a hint of a specific flavor? Is it smooth? Have pretzels or crackers to clean your palate in between tastings, and a bowl of coffee beans or coffee grounds to smell helps to clear out your sense of smell before the next tasting, too.
Learn Something New
- Take an online course together
Several colleges and universities offer you to audit a class for free through Coursera, where you get all the course materials, but not the tests. Or for a fee, you can get the test materials, too, and receive a certificate when you complete the course.
Khan Academy is always free and also offers lessons and courses on a variety of different topics. - Watch YouTube videos
I never really used YouTube for much before, except for one specific woman, The Art Sherpa, who offers step-by-step instructions for painting. If painting doesn't interest you, just search for a topic that both you and your spouse want to learn. Perhaps you've wanted to learn how to fly-fish, play a new card game, or do a DIY project for your house. - Create your own book club, just for the two of you.
You can read on your own time, whenever time that works best for each of you, but then come together in the evening before bed and talk about the chapters you read that day. Search for discussion questions for the book you decide, or use some generic questions good for just about any book:
What character is your favorite & why?
How do you think the book's title relates to the book? What other title would you give it?
What did you like best about this book? What did you like least? - Download an app and learn together
Duolingo is an app that allows you to learn a foreign language.
Watch TED Talks together on a variety of subjects.
Lumosity is an app that gives you daily challenges and puzzles to train your brain to grow. - Talk & come up with a bucket list of things you’d like to do together
Many couples talk about their hopes and dreams before they are married, but once children come into the picture, sometimes you can lose sight of what your hopes and dreams used to be, or perhaps they've even changed. Traveling the world may not be as important to you now as it once was. Talk about things you want to do, listen to what your spouse says about things they want to do, and then come up with a real bucket list of maybe 10 things you want to do together... and then start planning how to make one of those things happen! You may learn something about your spouse that you never knew before!
| Check out these other great resources: |
 |  |  |
Welcome to Macaroni Kid Reading!
Are you looking for things to do from Berks County, PA with kids?
We have a kid-friendly event calendar just for families in Berks County! It's packed full of local events, festivals, fairs, storytimes, character visits and local family fun. Our newsletter contains fun activities, information and local highlights for our area, too!
Sign-up for FREE by clicking HERE.
Macaroni Kid Reading is a FREE weekly newsletter and website focused on family fun events and things to do with your kids in Berks County. We strive to enrich communities by connecting the libraries, schools, rec centers, local businesses, and organizations in Berks County with local families. Macaroni Kid Reading serves areas including Reading, West Reading, Wyomissing, West Lawn, Sinking Spring, Wernersville, Robesonia, Fleetwood, Oley, Blandon, Birdsboro, Boyertown, Douglassville, Exeter Township, Leesport, Hamburg, Bernville, and everywhere in between. Macaroni Kid Reading is published by a local mom that lives, works and raises her children in our amazing area.
