One of my goals for 2019 is to intentionally find simple and meaningful ways to connect with Hubs on a regular basis.  It’s something that we’re always learning, and adjusting as seasons change.  Sometimes we’re great at making it happen, and other times not so much.

And since most of our regular date nights happen at home after the boys go to bed, we are always looking for new and fun ideas to keep date night interesting around here!

We received this Date Night In Box for review.  All opinions and experiences are mine alone. This post contains affiliate links.  That means that I will earn a commission if you click through and make purchases through those links. Please see disclosure for more information.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that one of the resources we’ve been using to help us keep date night a priority is Date Night in Boxes.

What is Date Night In Box?

Date Night in Box is a monthly subscription box that includes everything you need to have your very own dates right at home.

There are new themes each month with a date night guide that walks you through each of the fun activities, games, talking points, and even a suggested menu and Spotify playlist to help set the mood for your date.

[You can read about all of our dates with Date Night in Boxes here.]

A Month of Dates: November’s Give Thanks Box

Okay, so full disclosure here.  We got this box back in November.  So, it’s the Give Thanks box, appropriately themed for…you got it…Thanksgiving.

And that’s just one of the reasons we love Date Night in Boxes.  They send you the date box, but you get to make the rules.

November and December were busy busy busy for us.  Not only did we spend time traveling with family for the holidays, but we also spend about a week and half fighting a yucky cold that we all shared, Hubs got a new job and spent some time away traveling for training, we hosted our annual gingerbread house party, plus all the other holiday fun.

It was a great season.  But, we were on the go a lot.

So, we took our time with the Give Thanks Box.  We did a little bit here and a little there.  We even included Little in on some of the fun and made it a whole family thing for parts of it.

Because Date Night In includes so many activities in each box, you can totally spread them out over multiple dates and not miss out one bit.

What’s in the Box

The Give Thanks box was packed full of fun things to do and try.  In our box was:

• Our Date Night Guide
• Custom Spotify Playlist (that’s always so good – I’m actually listening to it now in the background.  These playlists have also provided some really great kitchen dancing in our home, just saying.)
• Suggested dinner menu by Marina Makes (This month’s menu included a Turkey, Brie & Cranberry Pesto Phyllo Wrap, Paremesan & Thyme Mashed Potatoes, and Salted Caramel Cheesecake Muffins for dessert.)
• 2 packets of spiced apple cider mix + individual sugar packets
• A container of caramel dip
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• A “thank you for” note card with an acrylic frame + dry erase marker
• “Thanks for…” sticky note pad
• “Gratitude Slam” letter game cards
• Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar book in loving memory of Tripp Halstead, a young boy who passed away in 2018, in the hopes that it would be passed on in his honor.  (Seriously love the hearts of the DNIB team for always thinking of ways to give back.)

Our Date(s)

Like I mentioned, we did the activities in this box over multiple little mini-dates.  Some were after the boys went to bed, others during afternoon naps on the weekends, and even others in the middle of the day with the boys involved.  It’s not how we usually do these boxes, but I enjoyed having lots of activities to look forward to in the middle of a busy season – so it worked for us.

Cooking Together: Cheesecake Muffins

For our first date, we decided to make the cheesecake muffins together.  We usually skip much of the menu (or I cut out the recipes and save them for later) since we tend to eat as a whole family before the boys go to bed.  But, I knew I wanted to try these muffins so we did.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of these.  They turned out way more muffin like than cheesecake like and I think I overcooked them a little bit (even though the recipe specifically warns against it).

But, we had a lot of fun cooking together.  It was a great reminder to me that just doing things together is fun.  No matter what it is.  Anytime I post a kids’ craft or activity idea, I’m always reminding you that it’s more about process than perfection.

We make our memories in the process.  I forget this when it comes to things with myself and Hubs often, but it’s true just the same and this was a good reminder of that for me.

Perfect start to our dates.

Learning Something New: Ice Cream in a Bag

The next activity we did was making ice cream for apple cider floats.  Actually, Little helped with this because he loves ice cream so much.  We had recently made ice cream in an ice cream maker together and this was a fun way to learn a different way to do it.

I’m happy to report – it was super tasty.  And now we know how to make ice cream in a bag.

We’ll mark it as a win.

And we saved the apple cider for a cold night later on.

Read Together: Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar

A fun backstory from the dating archives – when Hubs and I were dating, we actually gave one another fun kids’ books as gifts a couple of times.  He gave me this book for Valentine’s day one year and I gave him this book when he graduated undergrad.

We still have those books and enjoy flipping through them sometimes.

So, when I saw this sweet book in the Date Night in Box, I was really excited to read it.  And, just as I expected, it was the sweetest.

And I just love Date Night in Box for sending it in memory of a sweet family that has suffered such a sad loss.  A great reminder to hold our people close and to tell them that we love them every. single. day. 

In it to Win it: Gratitude Slam

Alright, so my FAVORITE part of the boxes each month continues to be the fun games that they send.  I’m not a competitive person, but I still love to play.

This was a game that neither of us had played before so there was a small learning curve to it, but we got it.

Essentially, you choose one word to start the game, deal all the cards and then each person can change one letter at a time to create new words on the board.  There is no taking turns, you change the words when you think of a new one, and the object is to get rid of all your cards first.

A little speed, a little strategy, lots of rhyming words.

Actually, this game moved a lot slower than I expected and became way more teamwork than competition.  I totally didn’t realize how difficult it would be to come up with words only changing one letter at a time….especially when you use a word like blest for your starting point….

But, it was still super fun and we both agreed that we enjoyed working together on the challenge.  We’ll be playing it again soon!

Final Thoughts on our Date Night In Box

Per usual, we really enjoyed this Date Night In Box.  We usually try to plan a longer date night and do the full date box in one sitting, but that’s just not how it worked out for us with the Give Thanks box.

And I think that’s part of life and marriage.  Being flexible, but intentional.  Making time for one another even if the time is small and the season is busy.

Breaking our box up into multiple dates was perfect for us and helped us really engage in each part and enjoy them all.  And to be honest, we might be doing some of our future boxes that way too instead of trying to wait until the perfect time to have our date night.

That’s one of the big things I love about Date Night in Boxes and a big reason we are so thankful to have them in our mailbox each month.

Those little boxes are a tangible reminder that we need to prioritize our marriage and one another and make time – no matter what else is going on around us – to connect with one another.

Get Your Date Night In Box

If you are looking for new, fun, and still simple ideas to make date night happen this year, I encourage you to check out Date Night in Boxes.

I am not kidding one little bit when I say that they have been so incredible helpful to us in making date night a priority and we always have so much fun when we do these boxes together.

It’s a great investment in your relationship (and they make GREAT anniversary or Valentine’s Day gifts if you’re already planning ahead…)!

One month is just $41.99, which seems cheaper than dinner out and a sitter.  You can also get monthly subscriptions for 3, 6, or 12 months at a discount.

Click the photo below to grab yours today.  I promise you won’t regret it.

We can’t wait to get our next date!