5 Fab activities for an amazing Valentines!

This blog is written with Victorians in mind. Two days prior to having planned that perfect date, residents have been given directive to ‘lockdown’ and stay at home. Stay within a 5km radius of your home and only be outside for 1-2 hours, wearing masks at all times unless exercising. Now that is sure to put a spoiler on your plans!

So if you are living with your loved one, or plan to meet up on Valentines, there are a heap of ideas to make the day fun. Start with a good sleep-in, brekky in bed. Order takeaway from restaurants, and have it at home or as a picnic. Heaps of restaurants are pivoting and providing easy delivery packages, as are the florists. Watch movies, play board games, do some exercise together … really your creativity has no limit.

On top of all that, here are 5 ideas we thought worth adding into the mix which could end up being highlights of your day together ❤️

Do a date night jar

Find a vessel. A jar, a tin, a box … it doesn’t matter what. Just make sure it has a lid to contain about 52 pieces of paper. Yep you guessed it, now find some nice paper (or any paper will do), and cut up 26 or 52 pieces business card sized pieces (Depending on whether you plan on committing to weekly or fortnightly dates).

Sit with your partner, grab your phones, and write down an activity on each piece of paper that you would like to do together. Googling ‘things to do in YOUR STATE’ will help to find interesting & fun ideas of day trips, lunches or dinners. You could also scan the lonely planet list to see what comes up near you: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/top-things-to-do. Once all your pieces of paper are done, fold them up and place them in your vessel. Select one for each date night/ date day for an adventure you both will enjoy!

Make a romantic red cocktail

It could be time to visit your local bottle-o and get some exotic ingredients to make some truly impressive drinks. We have found these lists (not hard to find when you google ‘valentines cocktails’) which may inspire you. In particular  https://www.thespruceeats.com/romantic-red-cocktails-4178448 … the Red Velvet shortcake looks amazing or https://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/g1294/valentines-day-drinks/  with 42 ‘sexy-ass’ cocktails on this list, there is something for everyone, however the ‘Lovebug Cocktails’ look super cute!! Enjoy!

Learn a dance

It could be from your favourite movie (Dirty Dancing), your favourite dance video (Bad romance), TikTok, or maybe a ballroom classic? Once perfected, video yourselves and broadcast to your fav socials!

Create a fondue feast

Its not something we do every day, but its heaps of fun, and super yummy! Got a fondue kit handy? If not, just use a saucepan and decide on sweet or savoury… then grab some Cadbury Melts or Gruyere cheese from the supermarket, and you are on your way! Don’t forget to ensure you have your fav ‘dipping bits’. For chocolate we suggest strawberries, honeycomb, liquorice, turkish delight, or marshmallows… and for cheese try bread, apples, tomatoes, bacon or pickles! You are only limited by your creativity here and hey … watch where you drip that chocolate! 😉

Our final idea:

36 questions that lead to love…

How much do you really know about each other? Check out the 36 questions on the below link which is part of a study by Mandy Len Catron who explores whether intimacy between two strangers can be accelerated by having the couple ask each other a specific set of questions. Regardless of how long you have known each other this could be an interesting exercise! As Mandy put it, ”allowing oneself to be vulnerable with another person can be exceedingly difficult, so this exercise forces the issue”. Hmmm 🙂  https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/style/no-37-big-wedding-or-small.html

Happy Valentines! xo

  

Your guide to the best ISO Baby Shower!

Whilst all of us are forced to adjust to the new rules of life with Covid 19, precious new arrivals haven’t changed their plans at all! They are coming, whether we are ready or not!

So to combat your inevitable disappointment of not being able to have a conventional event,  we have put together this guide for you to host the best baby shower possible, it may even turn out to be better than you imagined!

Create an online event/invitation

The easiest way to do this is by creating a private event on Facebook. Your event page provides the ‘when and how’ and is a space where all attendees can forward photo’s and messages in one spot. However you could investigate using Paperless Post or Greenvelope who also provide digital invitations and communication platforms.

If for some reason you are not comfortable hosting the event, have a close friend or maid of honour do it for you 🙂

Forward an online gift registry to your guests

This is where we come in 🙂 Sign up to The Gift Register, compile a list of your favourite items – anything from anywhere, then share it with your guests via a URL link. Your guests can select and purchase an item and ensure it is delivered to your address. So on the day of your shower, you will have a special time opening gifts and thanking guests for their contributions.

If guests are close by, another novel idea for gifting is a ‘sprinkle shower’. Have a few people drop presents off every hour (you can use a digital roster such as Signup Genius) and that way the fun is spread over the whole day!

A special guest book

Prior to the day, give guests instructions to submit a sheet for your guestbook (as a PDF by email). This might be a great job for a friend or Maid of Honour. Define the specifications such as size (A5 or A4) and orientation (landscape or portrait) and then have each guest submit their own personalised page. To make it easy, maybe you can provide a template? All sheets are emailed to you prior to the day so you can compile a special book to show at the event!

The online gathering

On your digital platform, set a day and time for the event (just like a normal shower) This is when all your friends and family come together on a live stream. There are a few options here: Facetime group on your phone (only iOS devices), Skype (not password protected), Google Hangouts (needs a google account, max 10 participants) or Zoom (40min max for free)… or you might also want to consider Facebook live! Our advice here is to go with whatever you are most comfortable with and to avoid having any tech issues, make sure you do a trial run prior to the event 🙂

Decorate your home or room just like a normal party … it will get everyone into the mood! You could even pre-organise your favourite take away food or cupcake/snack items to be delivered to your guests in their own house!

Itinerary

If you are on Zoom and confined to a 40minute stream, you could organise your time like this:

0-5mins: Fix any connection issues. Hellos & introductions.
5-30mins: Games of your choice.
30-35mins: Thank guests for all gifts received.
35-40mins: General banter & goodbyes when time is up.

The time is obviously going to fly by and 4o minutes is a bare minimum time to stream. Set alarms to notify you when each section is over. If using this format we suggest sticking to a maximum of 2 games. Obviously with more time, you would have the freedom to pad this out so it is a bit more relaxed!

Game ideas

Create a Kahoot trivia game: A,B,C,D answers … ask questions like: How did parents meet? What colour theme is in the nursery? Who will be the strict parent? What is the circumference of my belly? List baby items from cheapest to most expensive. All the tech for this can be set up prior to the event.

Song contest. How many songs your guest name with the word ‘baby’ in the title? The one with the most wins a prize!

The Price is Right! Choose a standard baby item, and have everyone guess the price (written on a piece of paper). Everyone reveals their answers to the camera. The two guests who are the closest to the price are then given 6 baby items to put in order from cheapest to most expensive. The person with the most items in the correct position will receive a prize.

Optional extras

Organise a drive by Shower Parade! If guests are located nearby, it could be a nice surprise (and a bit of fun)  to ask the couple to go outside (before or after their live stream) and have a few people drive by and throw some nappies and/or presents out the window!!

Consider part of your event to be dedicated to some charitable giving for mums in need.

Don’t forget to do your thank you!

Once all the fun is over, use your chosen digital platform to send out a personalised thank you.

We hope this guide is helpful, and at the end of the day your ISO Baby shower is a huge success!! Maybe even just as much fun as a real one! … All the best for your new arrival! 🙂