Valentine’s is around the corner and I’m sure you would be planning it in your own special way. However, this year is quite not the same. With COVID hitting hard, it has forced us to think of alternatives for everything. This indeed affects the way we celebrate V-day just as all other special occasions. If you are looking for spending this Valentine’s Day in a special way while stuck at home; you’re in the right place.
12 Date Night Ideas for Lockdown
Here’re 12 romantic date night ideas to celebrate V-day during lockdown:
Love Potion
Celebrate this V-day by involving in some romantic activities at home. Make some yummy cocktails or mocktails and grab your chance to spend time together.
Take it up a notch and create some fun ice cubes with heart molds with some fresh fruit to add a little pizzazz to the drink.
Virtual trip
Go on a tour at your favorite place right from the comfort of your couch, thanks to Google StreetView. Isn’t it amazing to see the Eiffel tower without even leaving home?
Our favorite thing to do is pick out a place we’d like to go house hunting, and hop on Realtor.com or Zillow to search houses, then get on Google StreetView to see what it would actually look like if we visited there.
Games
Playing board games will make you relive your childhood and you can bring back all the silly fun that you had as a kid.
List out the games that you both loved playing as a child OR you can totally get lovey-dovey and choose from Lovehoney’s special collection of romantic games or Fog of love.
Also, it’s not about winning, just enjoy and cherish every single moment that you spend together.
Stargaze
Who doesn’t find it romantic holding the hands of your partner and witnessing the little twinkles in the dark sky?
If you are living in the city without much light pollution, this is indeed the perfect date night plan. Grab a big, fluffy blanket and lay down in your backyard while having a dreamy time with your partner gazing at the stars.
Hold the hands and talk about your dreams, share your deepest feelings and just be in the moment.
Masterclass
How about learning something new together?
Take a course on Masterclass that you both have been eyeing on. The idea here is to learn something that interests you both while having fun. Bring the high school geek back in!
Bubble bath
Take a nice, long hot bubble bath together.
Light some candles, play soft music, drop in some lavender hot bombs, bring in some wine and get super cozy.
This is hands down the best date night idea when you cannot go out anywhere.
Couple’s bucket list
You can sit together and write down everything you wish to do. If you are travel bugs, write down all the places you wish to travel together and start saving for the same.
Make two columns named ‘the places you wish to visit’ and ‘the expenses needed’. You can then create a plan and figure out how to proceed further.
On our travel list is a trip to Bali, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.
Love Underwater
There’re lots of zoos and aquariums that are doing live streams these days. Wouldn’t it be super fun to watch exotic wildlife right beside your partner? I bet you don’t want to skip this.
Karaoke competition
How about having some fun singing competition with your partner?
Your partner would totally love this idea of having a sing-along break from the hectic, busy life.
Love hunts
Plan a treasure hunt and hide some romantic things at places your partner would never notice. It will be super fun watching your partner solve love-riddles.
Dinner for two?
Cook a delicious meal for your partner and make them lick their fingers. You can also plan to cook it together and have a candlelight dinner on the terrace. As cliché it may sound; candlelight dinners are the best for bringing old romance back.
Binge-watch series
Find a show that you both love and start a series marathon. We always end up watching Big Bang theory on a spree!!
Grab a blanket, pull up the sofa, and binge-watch your favorite series.
That’s all from my side. Are you ready to spice things up this Valentine’s? Do let me know which of the above activities you enjoyed doing the most.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I’m sure you can feel the love in the air. Everything is so beautiful about this day, and you want to make it even more beautiful for your special someone. Correct?
You must be well ahead in planning everything, taking care of each and every detail so that nothing is short of perfect – The perfect surprise, the perfect date, the perfect gift…
But wait, when it comes to gifts, we instantly run out of ideas. I mean, flowers, soft toys, perfumes, and chocolates have become so common that they might underwhelm your partner. Looking for a unique gift is such a stressful deal, and at times it can become really challenging.
But, fret not! We are here to make your work easy.
Valentine’s Day gift ideas for couples
Here’s a list of unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas for your special someone that is guaranteed to warm their heart.
Gift your partner a chance to learn from some of the world’s best minds. They’ll be able to explore masterclasses from celebrities like Alicia Keys, Gordon Ramsey, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Salman Rushdie, and many more.
Letters to Your Love
Awaken the poet inside you from slumber and write him/her a sweet letter on a vintage postcard. It doesn’t matter if you are not able to write a perfect one, just be honest with your feelings. The thought, emotion, and efforts you put in a handwritten letter will shine through their face and will surely make them feel special and cared for.
This tiny book contains 50 prompts that make it easier for you to express yourself. So go ahead and fill it with everything that you love about your partner.
Create a custom star map of the night when you both first met or kissed each other. You can even add a personalized message that is special to you besides the time and place. I bet this will make your partner all teary-eyed, but in a sweet way.
Whether it’s your first valentine’s or you’ve been together for years, these cards will surely inspire thoughtful conversations that might never happen otherwise. An added advantage, the cards will prompt you to ask further questions to find out who you both are together.
What story is sweeter than yours? So, go ahead, explore your camera roll and select the photographs of your cherished moments together and surprise your partner with this unparalleled gift.
Spa Night At Home
A little bit of pampering every now and then is not only amazing but necessary. Gift your loved one the experience of a massage, facial, or Mani/Pedi, this will surely fill them with joy.
Want to take it a step further? Plan out a DIY Spa Day at home with scented candles, soothing music, Rose petals, and exotic massage oils. Maybe even cook their favorite meal and have it ready to eat once the massage is over. They will be just flabbergasted.
Are you exhausted with a Netflix spree every weekend?
Try out this monthly date-night subscription box where you can curate your favorite couple games to spur the romance back into your lives. Check this out for a really good time.
So that’s all from my side. Now it’s your turn, select any gift that you find compelling enough from the above list and give it to your partner. Later, come back and share your experience in the comments.
Guess what! Valentine’s is around the corner and everything in town is going to turn rosy red or blush pink. Are you excited to celebrate this festival of love?
Growing up, we had the tradition of showering love to our dear ones on this day through cards and gifts. My mom used to gift me something special during Valentine’s. It was more of a family bonding than only showing love for your significant other.
If you’re spending this Valentine’s with your family or a partner or alone; showing love to yourself never does any harm. Hold yourself tight for I’m going to take you on the journey of treating yourself with all love and fun this Valentine’s.
12 self-love ideas for Valentine’s Day:
Make a handmade card for yourself
You may have crafted beautiful cards for birthdays or anniversaries; how about creating one for yourself. My 5 and 9 year old are masters at making homemade cards, and I get one every time there’s a special occasion.
It’s always super pleasing to receive a loving card with a little note to self. Do this for yourself this valentine’s and shower all the love.
Cook your favorite meal
Nothing beats homemade food. Do you always wish to try out the new recipes but felt short of time? This is your chance to show yourself the much-needed love, by cooking your favorite meal. Hop on to some YouTube tutorials, gather the ingredients and wake up your hidden MasterChef.
Dance your heart out
You won’t imagine the blast of happiness this activity will bring to you.
Lock your room or close the doors and dance your heart out turning the music aloud. Do not worry if your moves aren’t perfect. You are dancing for yourself and not for attaining any certification. Chill and just enjoy.
Prepare a homemade face-pack
A skin-care a day kicks the dullness away. Try out some DIY homemade face-packs to refresh your skin this Valentine’s. Besides this, you can enjoy an at-home spa day.
You don’t really need much for this. Just dim the lights or light some candles, tune slow music, take a hot bubble bath, file your nails and enjoy your homemade face-pack.
Discover your self-love language
Just like knowing your love language, it’s important to also be aware of your self-love language.
What’s the best way you can show love to yourself?
Note down all the activities and pick a few that you love doing with yourself.
Sign-up for an online class
Working on yourself is better than wasting your time on some non-productive activities. So, spare some time this Valentine’s to educate yourself.
My favorite places to learn are Skillshare and Masterclass. I have been learning about photography on Skillshare and I have been honing in on my cooking skills on Masterclass, both of which my family appreciates!
Go for some shopping
Take yourself on a shopping date and shower the love you always carried within. Maybe you were eyeing your favorite tee for long or wishing someone to buy you your favorite purse, get them all for yourself, girl! Now is the time to really treat yourself on this day, if you have been holding back!
Movie marathon day
If you’re someone who loves movies like crazy, this is the best way to spend Valentine’s.
Go on a movie spree and watch a series of your all-time favorite movies. Grab a box of popcorn and enjoy your eve.
Buy yourself some flowers
Use code AJ15 to save 15% on any and all of their products!
You don’t have to wait for someone to bring you flowers. Get them for yourself this Valentine’s. It doesn’t always have to be a rose! My favorite places to get flowers, every day, not just Valentine’s Day are Trader Joe’s, Fry’s, and Whole Foods. Online, check out The Bouqs.com or if you want something that’s going to last longer than one week, if that, LoveBox is perfect! And if you use AJ15, you can save 15% off their products!
Sunflowers are super refreshing for this time of the year. Go and rejuvenate your space with their fragrance.
Donate or help someone
Helping someone will always make your heart full of joy and gratitude. Even if you can’t spare lots of money; gifting a one-time meal is also sufficient.
Listen to some motivational podcasts
Show yourself some love by listening to some inspiring and motivating podcasts. This will lift up your mood and you will feel super-charged.
Bring together a self-care basket
Make some self-care kits for your loved ones and even for yourself. Gather all the things you need to nourish your body and mind and assemble them in a basket. Voila, your customized self-care basket is ready.
In the end, Valentine’s Day is not only for showering love to your partner or loved ones; it’s also for treating yourself with utmost love and care. I hope that these self-love ideas will help you celebrate V-day with lots of fun and peace.
Do let me know in the comments how you’re planning to spend Valentine’s this year.
Some people aren’t able to enjoy the holiday season due to feelings of stress and depression. These 15 tips on how to avoid holiday depression will help you to enjoy this holiday season.
It’s that wonderful time of the year…well, honestly it’s not such a wonderful time of the year for everyone. Present among the shopping, parties, baking, extra cooking, and entertaining lurk unwanted guests for some people: stress and depression.
Each year, a lot of people experience sadness and depression around the holiday season due to the stress of all the hustle and bustle as well as the expectation to be feeling merry and generous.
Instead of enjoying the holiday season, they dread it.
However, if this sounds like you, know that there are some really practical tips to help you minimize those feelings so you can cope with holiday blues and stresses more than you thought you would.
15 Effective Tips for How to Avoid Holiday Depression
Causes of Holiday Depression
If you already struggle during the holiday season, seeing others feeling merry and bright might make you feel more like an outsider and make this time of year even more challenging.
As women tend to carry the burden of shopping, gift wrapping, planning holiday events, organizing family get togethers, and other responsibilities, more women tend to feel more holiday stress and depression during the holiday season than men do.
However, there are lots of reasons why people may feel more stressed and depressed than cheerful during the holidays, including:
Finances – spending money when finances are tight is definitely a big reason why many people feel stressed rather than merry. Not being able to afford gifts or holiday events can be devastating.
Stress – the stress of shopping and planning gatherings on top of everything else during the busy holiday season can cause high levels of stress which can zap the fun out the entire season.
Grief – losing a loved one during the year can be especially painful around the holidays for anyone, but that’s especially true for seniors. It’s normal to feel sadness around the holidays if you have lost someone during the year.
Estrangement – if you aren’t currently speaking to certain family members or friends, holiday gatherings can cause feelings of sadness, resentment, and guilt to rise to the surface.
Separation or Divorce – for anyone who’s newly separated or divorced, the holidays can be especially sad if they remind you of happier times. This situation is even more stressful for adult children who have to balance seeing multiple sets of parents.
Loneliness – for anyone who is single or lives alone, the holidays can be depressing as they see others enjoying time with their families.
SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder causes many people to feel depressed due to the lack of sunlight. Other medical conditions can have an impact and cause holiday stress as well.
How To Avoid Holiday Depression
Now that you know the main causes of holiday stress and depression, here are some helpful tips for avoiding potential triggers and coping with the holiday blues.
Making Plans in Advance
Waiting until the last minute to make plans causes stress about the uncertainty of the future. Instead, make plans ahead of time so you know where and with whom you’ll be spending your holidays.
Shopping Early
Putting off shopping adds enormous stress – especially when you need to ship packages to loved ones. Shopping early (even before Thanksgiving) helps you avoid the shopping crunch and gives you plenty of time for gift wrapping.
Make a Budget and Stick to it
Finances are one of the biggest holiday depression triggers, so take a little time to make a plan that helps avoid adding additional stress to the season.
Before you do any shopping, decide how much you can afford (or want) to spend and stick to that budget. While the season is about giving, that doesn’t mean you need to buy happiness with gifts. Instead, come up with amazing gift giving alternatives, such as making some easy DIY gifts.
Asking for Help From Friends and Family Members
Women tend to feel like they need to do everything to make the holidays special. Instead, try asking for help from family members, kids, and even friends. Many hands make light work – and allow more time for fun which reduces stress.
Be Realistic
Your highly annoying cousin or extremely opinionated and political uncle won’t suddenly be the opposite of what they have always been, and the holidays don’t need to be perfect. Tread carefully when it comes to setting expectations and err on the side of not having any.
If you can simply remain open to new experiences and new holiday traditions, it will alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that many feel around trying to make the holiday season “picture perfect”.
Taking Time to Slow Down and Rest
When times are hectic and busy, we can end up running “on empty” before we know it. When times get busy, it’s extra important to make time for rest and relaxation. You’ll avoid feeling depleted, which will naturally leave you feeling better.
Practice Self-Care
Restorative routines are those routines that help you replenish and feel your best. They’re even more important during the holidays than normal. Schedule in time to read a book, watch a favorite movie, take a nap, or anything else that helps you feel your best.
Ditch Social Media
A lot of people on social media tend to only portray the very best things. They don’t show the stress or exhaustion they feel – only the Pinterest perfect decorations and smiling faces. It can be too easy to compare what we are feeling inside to the way that people look on the outside and feeling even worse that the two don’t equal each other.
If you feel yourself doing this and feeling worse after being on social media, take a break from social media until after the holiday season.
Spending Time to Reflect
If you have been through something particularly difficult, allow yourself time to reflect and even grieve, if needed. Allow yourself to feel your feelings because pushing them down only leads to more depression.
Avoid Family Conflicts
Family gatherings and dynamics can be a huge trigger during the holidays. Try to set aside differences. When that’s not enough, avoid family conflicts by changing the subject, helping in the kitchen, escaping to the bathroom, or hanging out with the kids.
Embrace the Power of No
Many people feel like they need to say yes to every event, idea, or activity. If you really want to say no but say yes instead, you are likely to feel overwhelmed, resentful, stressed, or exhausted (or a combination of these feelings).
There is absolutely no reason why you need to participate in every event or take on extra responsibility if it’s too much for you. Pay attention to what you’re needing and follow that.
Reach Out
The worst thing you can do when you’re experiencing holiday stress or blues, is to isolate yourself. Get together with friends, participate in community events, support groups, social media sites, or even just reach out and chat with a friend if you need a shoulder to lean on.
Give Your Time and Talents
Research has shown that helping others helps us too. If you’re feeling depressed or lonely during the holiday season, try volunteering to help those in need. You just might find joy and satisfaction in it.
Continue Your Healthy Habits
It’s a common practice to give into overindulgence over the holidays. If you really want to feel your best so that stress and depression don’t take over the season for you, maintain your healthy habits. Continue doing things like:
Get enough sleep
Eat healthy food choices at meal times
Enjoy a healthy and filling snack before going to holiday gatherings so that you don’t overindulge on unhealthy food choices
Get regular exercise
Get Help From a Professional
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you may continue to feel bad. If those feelings continue, please seek help from your doctor or a mental health professional. With help, you will feel better.
How to Avoid Holiday Depression – Final Thoughts
Everyone feels stressed at the holidays, right? Well, to some degree that might be true. Be on the lookout for these symptoms:
Sadness
Irritability
Extreme fatigue
Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness
Guilt
Loss of interest in normal activities
Crying
Difficulty concentrating
Changes in sleep or appetite
If you experience these symptoms, your stress and holiday depression might actually be a more serious mental illness. If these symptoms persist more than a few weeks, please seek diagnosis or treatment from your doctor or mental health professional so that you can get back to feeling like yourself.
Even if the holidays have taken their toll on you in the past, that doesn’t mean that will be the case every year. Use these tips to avoid holiday depression to practice self-care so that you can feel better – and maybe even enjoy – this holiday season.
I love showing our girls things we did when growing up, even though Steve and I will have very different upbringings than our girls. It takes us back to our younger years, and let’s us be kids again. No matter what, board games and the old school Operation are no doubt going to stand the test of time.
**Little disclaimer – Hasbro gifted us these games to try out, but all the opinions are my own, and the content is all my own.**
Monopoly and Operation may have gotten some new characters and new rules, but the concepts are still the same.
Family Game Night with 4 Legged Friends
Usually, game nights are just the 4 of us, but now that we have Louie, our French Bulldog puppy, we are trying to include him and Champ as much as possible in activities. Because he’s still small, it’s really easy to put him at the table and try to have him in the game with us.
Champ loves to sit right around the table, mostly because he thinks (and often does) he’s going to get a snack.
The only he got on this night was a few extra lovins from the girls, Steve, and me, which I think he also enjoyed.
OPERATION PET SCAN was a big hit in the house with everyone because it looks so easy, but actually takes a lot of concentration! There were several times during the course of the game the buzzer went off and each person asked if they could have another try or “just one more time please!”
It’s safe to say, this one will be a staple in our house for a long time!
For family game night, lately we’ve been playing at least one, sometimes two games because we have nothing but time.
Our second game was Monopoly Crazy for Cats and I’m not gonna lie, I do love how it’s not about the money and all the rules like the original game was. It seemed simpler and easier to grasp when trying to explain it to our girls.
It has cats for the currency, there are only 4 players maximum, and a few properties you can buy. Of course, the board still has a Go To Jail space as well as Go.
We didn’t get to finish the game out, but plan to play it until we have a clear winner, which I’m sure will be Steve or we will play until he wins. <—- Anyone else have a super competitive husband and one who never wants to lose?
Since spending more time at home and watching all of the shows on Netflix, we have turned to board games to help give our girls a sense of what we did growing up, but also to take away more screen time, and these games from Hasbro, which will also make perfect gifts, parents can purchase these games from Walmart.com with these links: https://bit.ly/33VOnlA | https://bit.ly/39TlJp2
*This post is #sponsoredcontent by Hasbro but the opinions, content, and photos are my own.*
Having a 5 year old in the house means we have a plethora of unicorns and babies, but none quite like these cute new toys we got from Hasbro at Walmart.
They are the cutest looking unicorn themed things ever!
Hasbro Unicorn Toys from Walmart to Complete your List!
I know this year has been hard on everyone, but maybe not more than on our kiddos because they can’t really comprehend what is going on. These cute little unicorn toys have been a bright light in this otherwise gloomy time for my 5 year old.
Finlee has been walking her cute little unicorn FurReal Walkalots every morning, with her Baby Alive doll and Louie, her French Bulldog puppy.
I think Louie wishes he could hook into one of the spots for other FurReal toy pets and walk next to his new unicorn friend!
This sweet Baby Alive doll has a cute little unicorn outfit is removable and she comes with a diaper and a baby bottle.
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I love how quickly these two little unicorn themed toys made Finlee’s day and her whole year better. These cute toys are sure to make any kids day and year better, and you can knock out your shopping list by adding these and heading to Walmart to shop!
Walmart has a whole collection of Unicorn toys by Hasbro. These make great gifts for kids on your holiday shopping lists! Walmart is my one-stop-shop for all gifts this year!
How cute are these toys though?
Parents use these links to see these products at Walmart! https://bit.ly/3guxsM6 l bit.ly/3oMp8dB
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