Make sure that you check the bus schedule and that it will be running when you are planning to leave your destination. I understand that the distance to your closest bus stop may not make this activity possible for some, but you never know what fun activities might be on your bus route if it is in your walking distance.
If you do not live in one of the few of the places that have great public transportation (Like the New York Subway, or the California Bart), taking public transportation on a date night may not occur to you. It may seem odd to think about a date being romantic when scrunched between people you do not know, but it can add to the humor of your date. As long as the transportation in your area is safe at night, taking a public bus to a bar or amusement area can become part of your date with a bit of people-watching as well as not having to worry about driving after a few cocktails. Depending on how far away the bus stop is from your house, you can make the stroll to the bus stop with a game of 20 questions.
Make sure that you check the bus schedule and that it will be running when you are planning to leave your destination. I understand that the distance to your closest bus stop may not make this activity possible for some, but you never know what fun activities might be on your bus route if it is in your walking distance.
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Look at art from a professional standpoint, in your own city. If you visit a local museum a few times a year, you may think you have seen it all, but when you take a guided tour with an art expert you can learn a lot more about the back-story of the paintings. You may even learn to appreciate pieces that previously had not been your taste. Some of the more well-known museums have guides ready at the entrance since most tourists would not dream of going to a place like the Louvre without one. When you visit a smaller local place, it can feel like the process of hiring a guide is an added expense and that a visit can be done without an expert. What we end up doing is missing some of the most important aspects of the art. Just make sure that you call in advance to set one up. Even at the little local museums there is always someone available and often times the price is not unreasonable. One of the hardest things for young kids to understand is why mom and dad have to go out for a date night. "It's no fair." Of course they want to be with you, but you also need some time alone. So, how do you get them to not only look forward to you leaving them with a babysitter on date night but to also help push you out the door without the tantrum? Make them a date night gift box! I am not talking about an expensive box. I am talking about a gift wrapped box that you put out as soon as you start getting ready that they can open with the babysitter, lets say fifteen minutes after you leave. Set a time so the minute the babysitter walks through the door they are not hounded with "Lets open this right now" and you make it out into the car and happily on your date with no tears. So, what is in the box? It can be anything that is a craft or an activity. (Look at all our past archives for tons of ideas.). Just make sure the box is wrapped cute so that they cannot wait for the babysitter. They might even help you straighten up the house or their room to get you out the door. I know your time is busy. What time do you have to do a box before you leave? Don't! Make several boxes on a weekend you have free time and then put them away until you need them. Place them high up in the closet so the kids don't see them. Ideas for gift boxes: (besides our own ideas) A recipe for play-dough and the ingredients Small box of legos to build something cool A new movie they have been wanting to watch A new game board they can play with the sitter A craft project Any hands on project. Just make sure it is not really messy so you don't have a dirty house, or anything that requires cooking or sharp tools. You are supposed to relax, not worry. Cake decorating is an art form that I have never acquired the skill for, but I still enjoy trying. Having a cake decorating contest or party can be a fun day project. Yes, you can use cookies or cupcakes, but I find that, since cakes have a much larger surface to create on, they can be more fun. You can start from scratch or you can cheat a bit like me and buy a cheap, plain white frosted cake so that everyone has the same cake from the grocery stores. No baking! That way your time is spent on being creative instead of mixing and cleaning. The purpose of this is activity is the decoration, not the making of the cake. Buy mixed frosting colors for each cake, then have a number drawing to see who picks their frosting color first. By using an assortment of frosting color the results of the creations will be unique. Host a decorating contest among your own family or with some of the neighbor kids. Each person gets to take home their creation so they can share those tasty calories with their own family. This idea also makes a unique date activity! Your own version of Cake wars. Materials: Cakes pre-frosted Candies Mini cookies like animal crackers Sprinkles Draw-on edible pens and frosting pens-fruit-more frosting The Dollar stores have lots of decorations for... you guessed it, a dollar, that can be put on cakes. But remember to remind the kids that most are not edible. Like mini cars, trains, and doll figures. A camera for all the pictures you are going to want to take You can make it a social media contest if it is adults engaged in the contest. I think for young kids hoping for votes might be discouraging, but for adults it can be a lot of fun trying to get their friends to vote on their cake. Never say who decorated what cake though. Make the votes only on the cakes. Have you heard about this clever new website called eatwith? If you haven't, you really need to check this new dining phenomenon out. Basically, you are signing up to be a guest in someone's home for dinner.
Here is how it works. You go online to the website, look up an area you will be travelling to (or maybe just stay local and find one close to your house), look up who is hosting a meal that strikes your fancy, and then then make a reservation based on the days the host has open. It's that simple! A great opportunity to meet new people and enjoy someone else's home-cooked meal. So, instead of just writing about it, we tried it out! We chose Capella in Phoenix, Arizona and definitely made the right choice for our first time dining with Eatwith. Since I am a big foodie, I picked the option of an In-Season Supper. My husband really wanted to try their BBQ, but I won the coin toss. Maybe next time. Making the reservations was easy since each host puts in the days they are available and how many people they will serve. I picked my day then entered my credit card for the reservation. Once my host accepted my reservation, the credit card was charged. All prices are written right on the website so no guessing. Believe me, my host charged way too little for the amazing meal she prepared for us. The first thing that happened is that Capella accepted our request and sent me a quick email. Then, she sent out another email before we came telling me what she would be serving. Wow, was I impressed. My mouth watered immediately. Beet salad with blue cheese, walnuts, and greens. Homemade ricotta gnocchi with sweet corn, mushrooms, and sage brown butter and Vanilla rice pudding! Each host specifies what they will be making as the meal and a little about where and how you will be dining. In our case we would be eating in the couple's lovely home. We arrived at our scheduled 6 p.m time and, to be honest, I was a little nervous. Showing up at someone's home that you have never met to eat dinner with them can cause a little anxiety, but Capella opened the door with her lovely smile and ushered us in. We had a glass of wine, visited a bit, met her husband, and enjoyed some lovely blue cheese crackers she had made. Yes... she made crackers. Then, we went in to her dining room for our meal. Our host is an interior designer so her table and presentation were spot on adorable. The meal itself was a foodie dream. I loved every single dish she served. My husband went crazy for the rice pudding since it is his favorite. After two hours we were on our way home with full a stomach, having enjoyed our hosts' gracious company. Eatwith is a great new concept and would be a wonderful idea for a unique date-night activity or even a girl's night out. That way no one has to cook and you get to try some new dishes and maybe meet a new friend. Eatwith reminds me of a sort of bed and breakfast where the hosts invite you into their home, but instead of sleeping over, it is for an evening meal. Some information you need to know: * You will need to fill out a complete profile. Most hosts will not accept a reservation without one, which seems like a safe and smart practice to me. * You must have a credit card on file to make a reservation. * Each host specifies how many people they can entertain. They also specify if they accept dining with kids as well as other important information. * The prices are clearly stated. * Each host has reviews, so make sure and check them out. That way you can see what other people are saying about their experience. * Each host specifies what they will be making as the meal and a little about where and how you will be dining. Make sure and tell them about any allergies you may have. I found only two hosts in the Phoenix area, but I am guessing this might just catch on and there will be a lot more in the future. Some areas have many more options and hosts, but if you are in the Phoenix area make sure and look up Capella and her husband Nate. http://www.eatwith.com/ Good old-fashioned black and white cartoons can make a fun theme day. If you have never watched one, or else it has been a very long time since you have, they are very, very different from the cartoon humor they have out today. Most are slap-stick style comedy and the humor is dated. Many of these cartoons you will find yourself saying, "Did they just say that?". Host an old-fashioned cartoon get-together or make it a lazy morning activity. I have seen the black and white cartoons on sale for $.99 to $1.99 in a lot of retail chains. Have everyone wear black and white to get in the theme and serve black and white colored food snacks. Try turkey sandwiches on dark pumpernickel bread, white corn chips with black bean dip, and for desserts, break out the Oreos. I remember the very first time I had to do a trust fall. It was at a teen retreat when I was in high school. Now, if you don't know what a trust fall is, it is when you have to fall backwards and hope the people you are with don't let you fall. This activity it is designed to build trust in a community.
This trust fall has now been built to a much higher height (I mean a really high height!). There are a few great companies out there that have taken this concept to the extreme and built high ropes walks and pole climbing (where you have to stand on top of the pole with no rails to hold onto). Now you do have a harness that they can securely bring you down with, if you fall, and your team belaying you, thus the TRUST factor. I went to a high rope course with my "at risk" group of which I am a mentor. We headed out in the early morning and spent a whole day trying to help each other over walls, walking on a beam and helping each other not fall, climbing up what looks like a telephone pole, and last, walking across a high ropes course designed to scare the heck right out of you. The purpose is to encourage you to work as a team to complete the challenge and to build each others trust. I loved it! I actually think this should be a prerequisite to those couples engaged to see how they could work together under pressure. Heck, this would be a great engagement gift. As for the teens, this would make a great family activity with them because face it, you would be totally cool and, of course, sometimes teens need to remember that their parents are the ones they should always trust when they are in a jam. There are many rope courses around the US but here is one. onedayadventures(dot)com/ If you have ever considered being a mentor and you live in Arizona you can check out the Phoenix New Pathways program. Most other states have Youths At Risk programs as well. One of the hardest thing sometimes for couples to do is to show genuine appreciation for each other off the cuff. If you have been thinking that it has been a bit too long since you have shown your significant other how much you appreciate them, instead of racking your brain about a nice and simple "I love you" gesture, just ask them how they would like to be shown how much you care. The idea is pretty simple really. Each person takes ten slips of paper and writes on each one something they would love to have someone do for them without having to ask. Then each person folds up the slips, (do not show the other person what you are writing on the slip) and puts them in a decorated jar (or an old peanut butter jar can do as well. No need to get to fancy with a simple gesture jar). Each person has their own jar with their name on it. You can write things like, "Give me a kiss on the cheek", "bring me a cup of hot coffee in the morning", "surprise me with a piece of Godiva Chocolate", "cut me a rose from the garden", "turn on the football game", and "hand me a bag of chips." Keep it to simple gestures only! These thoughtful things do not have to cost money and do not have to be done right away or with any time frame. Just having them there somewhere you can both see the jars might remind you both to appreciate each other with little gestures. Now, NO picking through the jar for an idea you like. When you want to show you care, simply pick a slip and do that small gesture. Stay away from things that take a long time to accomplish or cost a lot of money. This is about small gestures that you can do anytime. Replenish the list as needed. "Kidnap" your date before they usually get up, preferably sunrise, (depending on the activity planned) and only let them put on their shoes with their pajamas, (or maybe slippers since you can always pre-purchase some fuzzy animal ones!) If your date is not comfortable heading out in their night clothes, use a three minute change rule or offer a long coat to go over their pajamas. Have a picnic breakfast at a nearby park or quiet area (donuts, bagels, fruit, juice, or maybe bring champagne for mimosas if you are over 21 and alcohol is allowed there). Your date can end there of course, but you can consider adding on depending how daring your "victim" is. I don't suggest taking a very conservative or quiet person to the mall in pajamas, since that can turn the dream date into a nightmare, but if they are adventurous maybe hit a movie or drive around and find the perfect house you would want to some day wake up in. Make sure to get permission beforehand from any roommates or parents. Trying to come up with a quick and easy date idea? What about a finger paint date. Pick up some finger paints, a cheap canvas or poster board, and easels, if possible. If you cannot locate an easel then don't worry, you can put the canvas in your lap and paint. Head out to your nearest park, add in a few snacks and drinks, and then commence to painting. Obviously, you do not have to be talented or creative to participate. Just have fun pretending to professionally paint your surroundings with your finger paints. Bring sponges to make textures or use some of the leaves or branches you find. You can create your art separately or you can make make one masterpiece together by taking only one canvas. To spend a few hours just having fun, bring construction paper packs so you can go through as many as you like. Don't forget to bring wet wipes for after to clean up your hands and maybe an apron or old shirts while painting. |
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