‘Tis the season of love, and I dislike Valentine’s Day, but I do like my husband so I’ll do my best to seduce him extra this month, not just Feb 14.
We usually just have a weekly video game date-night, where we share chocolate and kill zombies together, but ever now and then you need to spice things up, know what I’m sayin’? And like, we fancy, but we ain’t rich, so the date ideas need to be on a budget.
Here’s some fun ideas to try with your significant other / soulmate / sorta crush / ‘it’s complicated’ / enemy-to-lover:
- Start a fire (candles or fireplace) and listen to a nice audiobook together.
- Make a finger-food tray and play two-person board games. Our personal favourite is ‘Pass the Pigs’ with pickles and cheese.
- Head to your local Dollar Store, and each spend $10 on gifts for one another. This can be as serious or funny as you want (one guess which side I lean toward LOL). Enjoy a nice dinner together and open each others’ presents.
- Have a Youtube date where you create a shared Youtube list, and each add 30-60 minutes worth of videos or so. Laugh together and enjoy some treats.
- Go on a photo date and take picture of stuff. Downtown is our favourite spot for this, but you can go anywhere you think will have interesting things to photograph. Stop in a cafe or diner for a treat, or pick something up and park somewhere while you eat and look at each other’s photos.
- When was the last time you went bowling? Seriously. It’s usually under $10 per person, and it’s good, nostalgic fun. Enjoy some ice cream after (or hot chocolate, since February in Canada is freaking cold).
- Beer/wine/soda/chocolate milk tasting. If there’s an event in your area, awesome. If not, you can do it at home. We love to buy all the craft sodas we can find, and taste test them one by one, being descriptive like we’re on a yacht in France: ‘this cream soda has a subtle butteriness, with hints of vanilla and cotton candy after-taste’.
- Go to an escape room in your town/city. This one is a little pricier, but it never hurts to splurge once in a while, and it’s a bit cheaper if you go with another couple or two.
WRITING UPDATES
- Due to some family complications, I didn’t get much work done on Shift. I’m kinda bummed about it, but sometimes you just need to take things one day at a time.
PERSONAL PROJECTS
My dear, sweet Benjamina dog struck again. A friend loaned me a book in this adorable cloth bag, and guess who jumped up on the table to steal and chew it to death? So now I’m making a new cloth bag for my friend, because the store that sold it closed a year ago. Thank goodness I have a cricut and graphic design prowess. Not the craft project I envisioned for this month, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
RECOMMENDATIONS
MUSIC
I’ve listened to a lot of songs by SISTRA this month. Also on repeat are “Rockstar” by LISA, and “Sports Car” by Tate McRae.
BOOKS
I read “Fangs” by Sarah Andersen, which is a graphic novel of the life of a vampire and a werewolf dating. It’s cozy, and slightly morbid. I scared my dogs by suddenly laughing out loud, and loved it so much I’ll need to buy my own copy (this was a borrowed from a friend). Next up on my TBR is “The Spellshop” by Sarah Beth Durst. I’ll let you know how it goes in next month’s newsletter.
SHOWS
I’m digging Chinese period dramas these days. I just completed a show series called “The Double” on Viki, and oooooohhh, it was juicy! So much political intrigue, backstabbing, and dramatic coughing up blood. It involved a plot for the throne, but the main character is a woman who is intelligent, persistent, and damn savvy. The romance is subtle but lovely, and the male lead actually won my admiration instead of eye rolls. I love a couple who respect and trust each other, with a slow, steady build of their relationship.