Guest post from Beth. Date in a box!

Hey friends! Still missing you guys, still loving Boston!
Today's guest post is from Beth over at My So Called Life and it is an awesome idea for those of us married and in desperate need of dates! 
I cannnnnnnot wait to tell you all about my lovey-dovey Boston dates and then try these ideas in the coming weeks when we're missing the city:) 
Thanks so much Beth for sharing! 
Happy Friday! 
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Hi guys! Wow this is so great to get to be a guest blogger.  I love all the stuff I get to read about on here, it always feels so personal. Thanks Jessi, I hope you and Nick have so much fun in Boston.

So if any of you guys are like me, married with kids, or have been dating that special someone for a while, you know that dating can be very monotonous. My dates with my husband lately have consisted of dinner and trying to find a movie we both want to watch and can stay awake to the whole time. And while I cherish the small amount of alone time I get with my husband I am ready to spice things up a bit. A few weeks ago I stumbled upon The Dating Divas blog and was scrolling through their dating ideas when I saw the perfect one, the Date in a Box! It looked so simple and fun to do I knew I just had to do one for us.

After doing my own scavenger hunt around my house I found just what I needed:

• an oatmeal container
• scrap piece of material to cover the container
• my old scrapbook scissors that cut designs
• reversible mat stack paper (construction paper works too)
• some old resume paper
• some stickers with hearts (I actually bought these at Hobby Lobby)

After searching more than enough websites about cheap dates, fun dates, dating ideas, anything to do with dating, and having to come up with a few myself I was able to get 52 dates to go in my date box. Here is a look at how many date ideas that is...

Doesn’t that look exciting? So here is a countdown of my favorite 25 cheap and fun date ideas:

• have each person design and make a boat out of things around the house, then go to a river/stream and race them
• living room camp-out, complete with all lights out, flashlights, camping chairs, and a make shift tent (also if your child has a cloud b toy you can turn it on and star gaze)
• grab a disposable camera and turn an evening of just going out or running errands into fun by taking spontaneous pictures (you can even theme it up by taking pictures of each other by every stop sign you see)
• grab a roll of pennies or gather some from under those couch cushions and go to a fountain and make wishes together
• look at the stars without getting cold by going to a planetarium, sneak in a thin blanket and cozy up with each other
• with each one of you having $10 in hand visit your local flea market and see who can find the best present for each other, then walk around together finding creative uses for “junk” you might find there
• visit a botanical garden and get lost with each other in there, sip cups of tea from the cafes that are there and enjoy the romantic scenery
• grab your favorite books of poetry then rent a row boat and take turns reading out loud to each other as you enjoy the scenery
• meet like strangers at a train station, buy the cheapest ticket you can find and create your own adventure with your “new” friend in that town
• write down 20 personal questions on scrap sheets of paper, throw them in a bowl and take turns answering them, you are each allowed the right to not answer one question
• celebrate a special trip to a bed and breakfast and let someone else do the cooking  and cleaning for you (a stay during the winter months should be a lot cheaper)
• pick the best spot to watch the sun come up or go down, rendezvous at this spot at a set time with coffee and doughnuts or hot chocolate and settle into your front row seats and enjoy the moment
• Recreate your wedding night as much as you can, even down to what your wore turn your bedroom into where you stayed
• build something together like a coffee table or even a dresser, touching as often as possible
• volunteer together
• find the tallest building in your town, meet by the elevators and have a vertical adventure, if you have enough time visit a few other tall buildings, then head to the corner cafe or bar to share whatever come in their tallest glass and see who can tell the tallest tale
• dress in your gallery-going garb and attend an art opening or a museum partaking in the high brow culture, then head to your favorite ice cream parlor and order something you would never order alone
• buy or borrow a huge 1000 piece puzzle and just sit inside with some tea or hot chocolate and chat while you put it together
• take a pottery class together and decorate your home with your new funky pieces
• sign up for an hour of dance lessons together (most places allow you to take one for free)
• sight see in your own city, visit all the tourist attractions and pretend to be tourists, don’t forget your camera
• take a sketchpad to a scenic bluff and draw your own version of the vista, then frame them together
• grab a group of couples and create your own version of the Amazing Race, each couple chip in $10 and let a mutual friend pick out the prize, then meet at a set spot at the end and see who gets the grand prize
• take a video camera to all of your favorite places and film them documentary style asking questions about what they remember about this place and why it is special, edit it on your computer to create your own special DVD
• create a time capsule of all the dates you have been on, bury it where your grandchildren can dig it up one day to see what dating was like for you, don’t forget to include pictures, love notes, and anything else you want them to remember about you as a couple

I hope this has inspired you to have a little bit more fun with your dates and to come up with your own date in a box, I know we are planning on having a lot of fun with all of these. I will also be blogging about these dates www.bethwitherup.blogspot.com if you guys want to read about them. Oh yea, here is how my date box turned out.