Enjoy a Fondue Date Night at home with these 5 simple planning tips! Keep the magic alive and well by enjoy a quiet night in!

 I know this might sound crazy, but 4 kids and 9 years into parenting, we have still never paid a babysitter. {Gasp!} I’m not sure exactly how or why it has happened this way, but somehow, we’ve made it work. Between the willingness of parents and siblings and friends, we’ve managed to squeeze in enough date nights to keep the magic alive, as they say. That, and we’ve gotten really good at planning date nights at home!  It’s funny….and probably common….but the older we get and the longer we’ve been married, the more we both love a good date night in. We typically try to make it happen once a week, and over the years we’ve discovered a few simple tips for keeping them stress-free and enjoyable.

 Tip #1: Plan it. I know this might sound obvious, but really, plan it. Just like you would make a plan to go out, it’s important to make a plan to stay in! Whether that means buying groceries in advance or figuring out a dinner plan for the kids or dusting off the candles and pulling the matches out of the drawer….an at-home date night needs a little bit of forethought. Not to mention – the anticipation of it is half the fun!

 Tip #2: Figure out the menu. We’ve done everything from ordering our favorite takeout to making simple appetizers to cooking an entire meal together….and I really think the variety is part of what we love so much about date night in. We recently tried making our own fondue….and let’s just say there may be no going back. We served it with fresh shrimp, crusty bread, blanched vegetables, green apples, and grapes….and each enjoyed it with a glass or two of Cambria wine (Chardonnay for me; Pinot Noir for Jorden). It’s my new favorite date night menu – hands down – and you can grab the fondue recipe HERE!

 Tip #3: Choose a location. Preferably NOT the same place you eat your family dinners. Consider a picnic dinner in front of the fireplace or a romantic set up in your bedroom. Look for any space you can create ambiance so it doesn’t just feel like an ordinary night. One of our favorite date night spots? Our living room coffee table. It requires no extra set up, but since we only eat there on date night, it still feels special.

Tip #4: Set the mood. Speaking of ambiance, setting a date night mood is so important. First, turn off the TV. Ours tends to be on a lot at night….so we have made a conscious decision to have date nights be TV-free. We usually dim the lights, turn on some music, light some candles, and use your best dishes. It’s amazing how just a few simple changes can make all the difference!

Tip #5: Find something to do. Clearly, good food and drinks are an important part of a date night in. But beyond that, it can be fun to have something to do together. We love to talk, so some nights that’s all we end up doing. Other nights we might pull out a deck of cards or one of our favorite games. And every now and then, if I can convince Jorden it’s a good idea, we might make dessert before calling it a night.

Fondue Date Night -Make it your night

Whether you’re planning your first date night in or you’ve been doing it for years, I promise you’ll LOVE this Fondue Date Night! And for all you wine lovers out there, if you haven’t tried Cambria Wines yet, you are missing out. We’ve fallen in love with them – for date night or any special night – and I know you would too! Find out more on the Cambria website or by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

What are YOUR best date night tips?? I’d love to hear from you!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cambria Wines. The opinions and text are all mine.