DATE GUIDE
LOVE AT EASE
WELCOME TO YOUR
DATE NIGHT IN G R A B EY DO IT UO R RR ’ SE C NIO PT E EC A R D
Dear Date Night In Box Enthusiasts, Greetings to you and your significant other. If you are joining us for the first time, welcome! If you have joined us before, welcome back! Love can be hard work, but tonight we want to make it easy. We hope this date is a special time for you to get cozy and spend intentional, relaxed time with your significant other. Each month, we give a FREE DATE to a couple who snaps a picture of themselves enjoying that month’s date. To qualify, simply post your photo to Instagram or Facebook using the hashtags #DateNightInBox and #DNILoveAtEase. Congratulations to last month’s winners! If you were given this date as a gift, we would LOVE for you to join us again. We offer a variety of plans to fit your needs, and we also have a Kids Night In Box subscription. Simply visit www.nightinboxes.com and use code 15OFFNIB for 15% off all subscription plans. Warmly, Megan Pruitt Founder of Date Night In Box
BOX GRAB YT OEU R DA A CRTEI C VIIP TEI EC SARD
SET THE MOOD COMPLIMENTARY DINNER MENU TABLE TALK EASY ROLLIN’ SIP & SAVOR CROSSWORD PUZZLE COUPLES YOGA CONTINUE YOUR DATE NIGHT
EO T UTRH R E EM G R A B SY CO I POED C A R D
Take a moment to consider the space where your date will occur. This date is all about relaxation, so we encourage you to get comfy in bed or create a cozy space on the floor. It might even be a good idea to change into comfy clothes! We also recommend pausing to prepare for this date mentally. If you’ve had a busy or stressful day, take a minute or two to clear your mind. Access your custom Love At Ease playlist at datenightinbox.com/love-at-ease.
T OPTIONAL
A
DINNER MENU
B L
GRAB YOUR RECIPE CARD
Each month we include
Hi, friends! I’m Marina
custom recipes
from Marina Makes
provided by Marina
(marinamakesblog.
from (marinamakesblog.
com). When I need to
com). Our hope is that
whip up a quick meal,
you will be inspired to
breakfast food is my
use this recipe card
go-to. Making breakfast
again in the future.
is easy and relaxing no
ENJOY!
matter what time of day you cook it. We love having a combination of savory and sweet in our household—there’s nothing like it! I hope that creating these recipes adds to the magic of your date. The menu includes a cinnamon and maple coffee creamer, sage and garlic sausage patties and fluffy pancakes topped with apples. I’d love to see how your food turns out, so please share pictures of your results on social media; don’t forget to use the hashtag #marinamakeseats. Happy eating!
E T A L K
It’s time to sit back and have a bit of table talk. This fun, lighthearted discussion is sure to bring something new to your relationship! It may seem counterintuitive to plan your rest, but if you are someone who hits the ground running in the morning and doesn’t stop until you hit the sheets at night, scheduling some rest could do you a world of good. People are not designed to go without rest—despite what those who brag about a lack of it might say. The human body, mind and spirit all need routine recharging. The resulting energy benefits not just you, but also your partner and everyone else you interact with. In China, many employees break for a nap after lunch. In Spain, a similar practice is known as siesta; in Italy, it is called riposo. In all these countries, businesses close so employees can enjoy a leisurely lunch and a nap before returning to work. The U.S. hasn’t embraced napping to this degree just yet, but scientists have found that even a quick nap can be an effective means of recharging your mental batteries. You might be thinking, “I’m just not a napper.” That’s okay! Any activity that acts as a break from your daily routine, including walking, reading or yoga, can increase your brain’s capacity to think creatively, help you solve problems efficiently, and allow you to face obstacles with greater focus. To carry this evening’s mood forward and keep your love at ease all month long, take a moment to ask each other the following questions:
What prevents you from taking the time to rest? Which of your current activities do you find restful? How can I support you in making rest a daily priority? Which of our restful activities do you enjoy most? What are one or two new restful activities that you’d like to incorporate into your routine? How can we make that happen this week? PLEASE ALSO CONSIDER THIS LIST OF RESTFUL ACTIVITIES TO GET YOUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING:
-------
Play a midday game of cards. Go on a stroll with your favorite person (or pet). Do some yoga (perhaps the couples’ yoga included later in the date!). Take a good, old-fashioned power nap. Complete a breathing exercise: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds and exhale for 4 seconds; repeat 4 times. Find a busy place to people-watch—and say hello to someone new!
Although it may feel silly to pencil “play cards (12:30-1:00pm)” into your schedule, these little reminders to stop and recharge are sometimes necessary. You deserve little moments of rest every day! CHEERS to keeping your love at ease.
EASY ROLLIN’ KEEP SCORE! MATERIALS
-- 2 d i c e -- E m p t y
Date Night In Box
HOW TO: Easy Rollin’ is a fast dice game of chance. To play Easy Rollin’, players roll the dice over and over. The goal is to get as many points as possible by adding up the rolls’ face value. The first player to reach 100 points wins. Here’s where it gets interesting!
--
Each time you roll, add the numbers on the
--
If you roll a 1 on a single die, you lose all
top faces of the dice. the points from that turn. Your score goes back to what it was before your turn, and
--
your turn ends. If you roll “snake eyes” (two 1s), you lose ALL of your points from the whole game, and your turn ends.
After each roll, you have to decide if you want to keep rolling and risk losing your points (if you roll a 1) OR play it safe, pass the dice to the next player, and keep the points from your turn. If you’d like to kick the game up a notch, here are a few additional rules you can add:
--
If you roll doubles, you MUST roll again
--
You can only win by scoring exactly 100. Any
(unless you roll “snake eyes”). roll that brings your overall score to 97 or 98 (meaning you can’t get to 100 because you would have to roll a 1) sends your score back to what it was before your turn, and your turn ends.
SIP & SAVOR MATERIALS
-- 4 c o f f e e a n d t e a s a m p l e s ( i n c l u d e d ) -- 4 t a s t i n g c u p s ( i n c l u d e d ) -- C o f f e e B r e w B u d d y ( i n c l u d e d ) -- C o f f e e / t e a m u g -- 4 c u p s o f h o t w a t e r
There’s nothing quite like a warm beverage. Something about coffee and tea can make you slow down, sip deliberately and relax. A hot beverage simply brings coziness to a room. For your date, we have prepared a coffee and tea tasting. In your Date Night In Box, you will find Caramel Mudslide Coffee, Colombian (Decaf) Coffee, Ginger Peach Tea and Herbal Bedtime (Decaf) Tea all provided by Coffee City USA. Additionally, you will find a handy Coffee Brew Buddy to help make your delightful drinks and four tasting cups. When making your coffee and tea, please adjust the suggested measurements to fit your personal preferences. COFFEE INSTRUCTIONS: Place the Coffee Brew Buddy directly into your mug with coffee grounds inside. We recommend using two tablespoons (or 1 coffee scoop) per cup of coffee. Pour one cup of hot water into the mug. Once the hot water has been added, the filter (and grounds) can be removed and rinsed for the next sample. TEA INSTRUCTIONS: The Coffee Brew Buddy works wonderfully for loose-leaf tea as well; just use one tablespoon per cup of hot water. Place the Coffee Brew Buddy directly into your mug with loose-leaf tea inside. Pour one cup of hot water into the mug and let the tea steep for 3-4 minutes. If coffee and tea are not your typical drinks of choice, we encourage you to still give everything a try! While you enjoy your warm drinks, consider taking a few moments to meditate. If you’re feeling brave, head to datenightinbox.com/ love-at-ease for a guided meditation. If that’s not your style, take 5-10 minutes to sit quietly, focus on your breathing and enjoy the meditative songs on the Love At Ease playlist. While you sit quietly, focus on your body—identify areas you might be holding stress or tension and attempt to relax them.
CROSSWORD Work together to complete the crossword puzzle below. If you need help, flip to the back of your date guide for a word bank.
ACROSS: 3.
The state of being free from tension and anxiety
6.
Extreme fondness
9.
A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, includes breath control, simple meditation and the adoption of specific bodily postures
10. A term of endearment 12. The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or person 13. Free from disturbance; calm 14. Cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength
DOWN: 1.
Absence of difficulty or effort
2.
A state of happiness and satisfaction
4.
Attraction between two people
5.
Able to be easily modified to respond to altered circumstances or conditions
7.
A momentous occasion in a relationship, a smooch
8.
Conducive to or characterized by the expression of love
11. A common mantra repeated during yoga
PUZZLE
COUPLES YOGA You might have noticed a theme with the crossword puzzle you completed. If you guessed couples’ yoga was in your near future, you guessed correctly. According to Harvard Health Publishing, yoga has many benefits, including better body image, heart benefits, improvement to overall fitness and fostering calm and mindfulness. Have no fear if you’re not a seasoned yogi; these movements were created with all experience levels in mind. We partnered with Elena Bradford at Half Moon Studio of Aiken, S.C. to provide you with this soothing activity. In your Date Night In Box, you will find yoga cards to walk you through the poses. Find a space with plenty of room to enjoy this activity together. Give each pose a try and remember that it’s all about having fun and enjoying one another’s company!
If you’d like more detailed instruction, you can head to datenightinbox.com/love-at-ease for a guided video.
REFLECTION TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON YOUR LOVE AT EASE DATE NIGHT IN BOX. DISCUSS THESE QUESTIONS TOGETHER:
-----
What aspect of the date did you enjoy most? If you tried something new as part of the date, what was it like to experience that with your partner? What did you learn about your relationship? How will you use this date to build on your relationship moving forward?
WAYS TO CONTINUE YOUR NIGHT --------
Continue practicing couples’ yoga, whether you find a local studio or find instruction online Prioritize relaxing individually and together Visit a local coffee or tea shop and create your own tasting Enjoy a couples’ massage Go for a quiet sunrise or sunset walk together Practice meditation (a great free app is Insight Timer) Indulge in breakfast in bed
CROSSWORD PUZZLE WORD BANK 11. om
14. rest
8. romantic
13. tranquil
7. first kiss
12. commitment
5. flexible
10. sweetheart
4. spark
9. yoga
2. contentment
6. affection
1. ease
3. relaxation
DOWN
ACROSS
#DATENIGHTINBOX @DATENIGHTINBOX