Last-Minute Valentine's Day Gift: Solved

So it's February 13th, you don't have a gift for your sweetheart, and you don't have any cash to get them one anyway. No problem. For my solution you only need a cheap deck of cards (I got one for $.50 at the dollar store), and a sharpie. And don't worry, I already made this gift for Brenton for Christmas, so I'm not giving away anything should he read this post before tomorrow.

If your husband is like mine, he likes to take you out on a date every week. It's important for him to ask you, make a plan, and treat you well. But with his very busy schedule, it's hard for him to come up with original ideas all the time, especially ones that may need to be at home because you can't find a babysitter.

If you're like me, you love spending time on a date with your spouse each week, and you appreciate how much he wants to be the one to plan it and ask you. But sometimes there are really fun date ideas you want to try, but if you told him what they were it would spoil the surprise. Ok, maybe you're not as melodramatic and difficult as I am, but the surprise factor is super important to me.

THE SOLUTION: 52 DATE IDEAS, ONE FOR EVERY WEEK OF THE YEAR!

You can do this may different ways, but here's how I made mine. There are 52 cards in a deck, 52 weeks in the year. It works perfectly. I wanted to have a bit of variety, so I broke mine down this way:

Black suits (spades and clubs)= dates that are 100% free
Red suits (hearts and diamonds)= dates that cost at least some money (anywhere from $-$$)
Face cards= group dates (but still keeping the black suits 100% free group dates)

Now you can make your deck all pretty with scrapbook paper etc. if you want to, but let's face it, your hubby will most likely not care about the aesthetics. I simply wrote each idea on the card with a sharpie so he could read it. And as an added plus, that means you're still giving him a functional deck of cards. Maybe you could make one of your free date nights a card game night! Win-win!!

Don't think too hard. Write down some of the date ideas you've always wanted to do, and then write down some ones you know he'd appreciate, too. After all, your marriage is a team effort, and it's ok to do some super romantic dates as well as some super fun masculine ones, too. You're a partnership, so compromise.

I'm not going to give away all my awesome ideas in this post, but if you're struggling to come up with some here's a few to get you started.

- Card game night (you've already got one deck!)
- Make Italian food and watch "The Italian Job"
- Make a picnic and go to the park (this is great if you can't find a sitter for the kiddos). If the weather's bad, set it up inside.
- Invite some friends over for a game night. Have everyone bring their favorite board game.
- Make gourmet nachos and watch "Nacho Libre." (your husband will thank you)
- Poetry Night: share your favorite poems with your spouse. Choose one sonnet, limerick, love poem, rhyming poem, and sad poem. Then write one together, maybe even while watching "Dead Poets Society."
- Have dinner with some friends. Each couple is in charge of one course.
- Set up the camera and do a couples cooking show. Once you're finished cooking, watch your video while eating the yummy food.
- Make a photo booth by pinning a sheet on the wall. Set your camera on a timer and take some silly pictures. Print off the ones you like and slip them into your spouse's lunch, back pack, shoes, etc. throughout the week to remember how much you love each other.
- Go for a walk and reminisce about all the things you're grateful for in your relationship this past year. Maybe walk by an ice cream parlor on your way home and get ice cream cones. (another one that's great if you can't find a sitter and you can still push your kids in a stoller).
- Each of you pick out your favorite chocolate dessert and enjoy it while watching "Chocolat."
- Go through your music together and make a playlist for the car that has songs you both like listening to, so you never have to argue in the car over what to play on a long drive.

Ok, there's a dozen to get you started. Remember, don't think too hard. It doesn't have to be something spectacular to be fun, and it doesn't have to be important to anyone else but the two of you. And then you'll know that your husband has lots of ideas for fun dates, but you can still be surprised each week with the one he chooses.

You're welcome.

Happy Valentines Day!