Thinking of how to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year? We love our classic romantic meals and movie dates, especially with the minimal planning and mental prep involved. But why not try something new and experiential this year? Here’s an added incentive for you- studies show that couples who try new things together are happier. And of course, the phrase ‘date night’ is entirely flexible (we know that for many of us, it’s dependant on which time of the day we manage to extricate ourselves from our kids!).
Here are some recommendations from team makchic, for those important pockets of time together:
Lu Sean’s Pick: Cheesemaking and Woodworking Workshops
Nora’s Pick: Hiking and a Picnic with a View
One of our favourite dates till this day involves waking up at 3am on my birthday, driving down to Semenyih at 4am and going up Broga Hill just in time to see the sun rise. Afterwards, we enjoyed our humble picnic spread of supermarket-made sandwiches and cut fruits (anything tastes better when you’ve spent all that energy!), and just talking about nothing and everything.
After we got married, 4am call times became 9am (as it turns out, my husband isn’t a morning person, hah!) but that didn’t deter us from continuing to find new hills to climb, even if it meant bearing the full brunt of the afternoon sun.
If you (or your partner) are not regular gym rats, you may think this sort of “active” date isn’t for you. When my husband and I first started going out, we weren’t exactly fit; and I used to suffer from asthma. But this slowly built our interest in physical activities and also helped to motivate us to take care of our bodies. Start with the easy trails and hills first (Taman Tugu with nice little pondoks you can have a picnic at, Bukit Besi Alam Damai, Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve, Taman Rimba Komuniti Kota Damansara, FRIM) to measure your endurance level. The hardest mountain we’ve climbed so far is Gunung Datuk, which stands at 855m and took us 3 and a half hours in total.
There’s something about victoriously reaching the peak after all the hurdles and difficulties you faced together during the ascend – a pretty perfect analogy for experiencing relationships, don’t you think?
Elaine’s Pick: Theme Parks
My husband and I began dating way back when we were teens, so we enjoy going back to our cheesy, old school dating experiences whenever we get the chance to. Not only does it bring back memories, but it also brings out the big kids in us.
Our recent ‘date night’ trip to a theme park without the kids was an exhilarating and completely different experience, where we weren’t stuck on flying elephants and dragged on rounds of carousel rides (don’t get us wrong though, we absolutely love family theme park outings as well!). We ended up acting like carefree teenagers again, indulging in ice cream for lunch at 3pm and screaming our lungs out (okay, maybe that was just me) during adrenaline-pumping rides. It was fun taking a break from adulting, having the roles reversed and being kids together again.
Liyana’s Pick: Going For a Bike Ride
Kimberly’s Pick: Sip and Paint Experience
As much as I love art, I’ve never been much of an artist myself (my child’s school artwork often puts my sad stickman figures to shame!). So, imagine my utter surprise when my husband and I managed to come up with more-than-decent reproductions of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” during a recent Sip and Paint session at Art and Bonding!
We thoroughly enjoyed our three hours of learning how to paint this masterpiece, guided by our patient art teachers and enjoying the company of our fellow participants. A glass of wine (or juice, for those who prefer non-alcoholic beverages) was also provided as part of the experience, along with painting supplies and protective smocks. All we had to do was turn up, and turn on the creativity! The leisurely act of painting was quite therapeutic, enabling my husband and I to unwind, slow down and have quality conversations during the time we spent on our paintings (along with a healthy dose of banter about each others’ artistic abilities – or lack thereof)!
The three hours flew by, leaving the both of us with a better appreciation of our respective talents and our time together – definitely a date night experience worth repeating in the future.
Happy Valentine’s Day, #makchicmumsquad! For more unique date night ideas, check out our previous article: 10 Unconventional Valentine’s Day Gifts Ideas.
