Dates in a box aren’t a foreign concept to this MilMom, I actually made some for my husband for Christmas this past year. But I didn’t even know that actual dates in a box subscription existed at the time. I was still in the throes of infant-dom and then PCSing – the only subscription boxes I was aware of those awesome diaper boxes coming from Amazon (thank goodness!). I searched the “#dateyourspouse” and someone had shared their date night in a box on Instagram.
This box was our first. I didn’t have expectations, because I honestly wasn’t sure what it was going to be like. A few days ahead of the box arriving, I got an email stating that there was a music list available online under my account and a shopping list. Most of the grocery list were items we had in the pantry, so I only had to pick up a few things.
The box came much quicker than I anticipated. In fact, the online shipping log didn’t even show it had arrived when it did! I was pleasantly surprised by its arrival and glad I had picked up the grocery items ahead of its arrival.
The box itself was colorful and bright with the words “Aloha” on it! Oooo, a Hawaiian themed date! We haven’t been to Hawaii, so this would be fun! Each purchase of these boxes supported relief efforts in Hawaii in regards to the recent volcano eruption.
Unboxing revealed it was packed to the brim – the first thing I did was pull out the pamphlet. It listed the contents of the box, revealed the Hawaiian theme, included the drink recipe and dinner recipe. The dinner recipe included a way to use the crock pot or the oven which I appreciated. Since we got the box and decided to do the date that night, I opted for the oven option. If I got this on a weekday, the ability to use the crockpot would have been used and is certainly nice to include. I don’t know if there is normally a crock pot option since this is our first box, but this is definitely a perk. Busy days don’t mean you don’t want to have a nice date night. You certainly don’t have to do the included recipe, but I found it fun. Firstly, the recipe was for pulled pork sandwiches. I had no idea it was so easy to make pulled pork – and will certainly be repeating this again! I love that it is a way to try new recipes, techniques and styles, and I didn’t need to buy that many items because a lot were things we already had on hand.
Two Minute Mixology packets were included with two brightly colored, flower-covered cups. This was an introduction to Minute Mixology – the coconut mojito was a hit. I could see the appeal to carrying these to add to water, or in this case pineapple juice, for a beach or park day to have a fun mocktail on the go.
The pamphlet outlined three included games to play – Aloha Bingo, Lei It On Me, and Konane. I haven’t laughed that much with my spouse (about non-kid, non-work things) in a very long time. The bingo game included a card that you had to cut out “bingo balls;” I was surprised they weren’t punch out. The instructions said to cross off the box on the bingo card as numbers were called, but we used the beads included for the Konane game so that we could play Aloha Bingo again. These games provided for time to have kid-free, work-free conversation about goals, reminiscence and fun. Having someone else do the creative work for us so we could enjoy the night was a treat. We were both surprised by the questions and statements and had a lot of fun. Since having the date night, my spouse has frequently said how much fun he had – and I had fun too!
The pamphlet also outlined movies to continue the Hawaiian-themed evening, which I thought was a nice way to continue the date night or even have a second date evening in.
The Date Night In box overall was lovely! Having a pre-planned meal and evening activities was a sweet way to spend time together. Since date nights can be rare, if not annually (hello military ball), having a pre-planned evening in to share together monthly is a nice treat. The beauty of this subscription is that you can pause it as well if for any reason you can’t do the dates …ahem, deployment.
If you want to try it out for yourself – click here. We were given this box for free, but are not ambassadors for this company and do not earn commission on any purchases.
Our plan is to have this giveaway in October so that you will receive your free dates in time for the holiday season – when more opportunities for dates (if your spouse is home) are available with 72s or 96s with the holidays. Enter the code “ONEFREE” when purchasing a subscription, and get one box free!
How do you keep your dating life going through the busy times in life? Please share in the comments!
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