Summer Fun Date Challenge!

5 Date Ideas To Add Fun To Your Marriage

How would you like to add some fun to your marriage? It’s summertime! Have you planned plenty of activities and fun for your kids but none for you and your spouse?

Who doesn’t like a little fun?

How do we end up having a full summer with zero quality time with our spouse? Somehow, we find our calendars filled with all kinds of summer activities, most of which are not dedicated, intentional time with our spouse. Even those of us without children will tend to focus more on group activities during the summer, rather than dedicated alone time with the one we love.

Group summer activities are not “date night.” A fun group softball game with friends or a bbq with neighbors are great, social summertime fun! However, those activities do not count as dedicated, intentional time nurturing your marriage.

If we are not leaning IN to our marriage, we are leaning AWAY from it. There’s no neutral.

SO, let’s lean in!

Let’s plan some intentional, summer fun for just the two of us!

Here are 5 ideas for affordable, easy, fun (and some you don’t have to leave the house) dates for you and your spouse.

5 SUMMER FUN DATES!

1. Farmers Market Surprise: Go to a local farmers market. Give yourselves $10 each. (or whatever amount you prefer) Split up for a short amount of time and find something (or many things!) for your spouse, only spending the amount given. Enjoy the time thinking only of what your spouse would like and then have fun surprising each other! Once you have your gifts, spend as much time enjoying the market together.

2. Game Night: Grab a board game, new or one you’ve played a million times, and play. No kids allowed. If you want to go the extra mile, get The Discovery Game, which is specifically for couples. I have a good one planned for us…..BeanBoozled. That looks like it will be a hoot!

3. Row, Row, Row Your Boat: Find a body of water, rent or borrow a canoe or kayak (preferably one you share) and spend a couple of hours rowing your boat. You can learn a lot about a couple by how they row a boat together! LOL!

Seriously, though…we’ve had some stressful boat experiences mostly because we were fighting over who was in charge of steering the boat! (Truth: I was in the front and should not have been steering, but I totally was!)

However, we have had some beautiful moments on a boat surrounded by nature. Conversations are different on a boat…I don’t know why, they just are. Try it.

4. Food Adventure: Time to get daring! Go to a restaurant that you NEVER thought you would go to….or make a recipe together that seems a bit scary or includes ingredients that kinda freak you out. Whichever you choose, decide together to try something new and strange! What’s the worst thing that could happen? You could discover–TOGETHER–something new and exciting that you love! *see above, I LOVED this beet pizza! Steve, not so much.

5. Tourist Time: Find a local “tourist trap” that you have never been to and visit it, just the two of you. It doesn’t have to cost a thing. We have local museums with free admission. Or you can visit a local park or beautiful vista off the side of the road (see above!). It’s amazing how many wonderful things are all around us…and we only see them when we have guests in town. (can I get an Amen?) Go enjoy those interesting, fun, and gorgeous places with the one you love most.

OK. There they are. Five, easy, totally do-able dates for you! NOW, go do them. We challenge you to pick 3 of these dates. Schedule them on the calendar. Plan your babysitting swap or whatever it takes to free up 3 days or nights.