Around the World Date Night at Home.

By Samantha Curtis @hooahandhiccups

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BeHealthyForEveryPartofLife #CollectiveBias

My husband and I have been married for almost 5 years, and I think I can count the amount of dates we’ve been on on two hands. Between work obligations and then having kids with no family around, we don’t get out often. Our kids are two years and 6 days apart, so for the past 4+ years I’ve been pregnant or nursing… crazy right? A date night was much over needed so recently I had the idea to plan one at home. Even without a babysitter, I wanted to do something special and out of the ordinary.

I snuck this invitation, his passport, and a few things into his briefcase before he left for work and waited anxiously for him to discover them. When he finally did, he texted me out of confusion and of course I didn’t tell him a thing But I set everything up so that when he got home from work that day, we could have a fun little meal from various countries around the world. Unfortunately we haven’t gotten to do much traveling together so this was kind of fun to pretend we were heading abroad!

What I used:

I made the invitation in Photoshop and used Washi tape to outline it.

I found this giant wall map and thought it would be fun to use as a placemat/tablecloth. I tried to place the food as close to their spot on the map as I could.

I used tiny chalk boards to designate the country where the food came from.

I added the “Oh the places you will go” sign, globe, cork holder with grapes as extra decoration.

I made some of the food and picked up some of it at a store. I don’t have much time so I had to spend it wisely.

I served a few of our favorite dishes, all from different countries:

Pizza from Italy.

Kielbasa and Pierogies from Poland.

Egg Rolls from China.

Pad Thai from Thailand.

Taquitos from Mexico.

Sushi from Japan.

We had SO much fun; it felt like we were at our own little food tasting event and it was something that we don’t normally do. Which made it even better. We didn’t even mind that our kids were running around and being crazy; as far as we were concerned, we were on vacation.

When I told my husband to pack his bags, he obviously didn’t need to pack any real bags! But I made sure to include a few necessities with all of the food and drink we would be indulging in.

Here’s what I picked up at Walmart:

Advil Liqui-Gel: With advanced liquid fast relief, I didn’t have to worry about a headache ruining our night. (Use as directed.)

Nexium 24HR:  The #1 prescribed acid blocker brand (Based on IMS health data: total Nexium® prescriptions 2006 – 2014) was a must have. With so many different foods, I was afraid of us getting heartburn. Had to have this! (May take 1 to 4 days for full effect. Use as directed.)

ChapStick Total Hydration: It’s 100% Natural and instantly smoothes and moisturizes lips. I think this one is a pretty obvious for date night

Although I love my kids, I definitely think I need more date nights with my husband. And since we don’t have many options when it comes to sitters, it looks like I’ll be thinking of some more creative ideas to have date night at home

What do you do when it comes to date nights? Do you have date nights at home? I would love some ideas!