What do you want to do tonight?

Am I the only one that finds themselves asking this question and often answering it with wasted hours spent on the computer, phone, or in front of the tv? I have to admit, sometimes I'm just plain bored.

One of my favorite things to do when I'm feeling like life is stagnant is to brainstorm ideas and give myself some guidelines...I'm more creative with boundaries, what can I say?

Thus, our evening guidelines were born. (I say guidelines because you've got to be flexible)

Sunday- Redfin search.  We are always on the look out for our forever home and although the idea of moving stresses me out I feel like part of being a good wife to Jeff is indulging him in this and trusting that he's not going to move us to Timbuktu.
 
Monday- Jeff and I trade off having time out with friends (usually after dinner).

Tuesday- Home improvement, which can be as simple as cleaning a bathroom or hanging a picture.

Wednesday- Themed dinner night.  And to make this more interesting we've decided to go through the alphabet. (I'm telling you, I get more creative with self-imposed structure.)  We are also attempting to learn French using Rosetta Stone and if we're ever really going to do it we need to put it on the calendar...unfortunately, we haven't followed through with this one yet.

Thursday- Wesley's choice, within reason. He works a little better with options but I think this could get interesting in the future.

Friday- Tech free, no TV, no phones, no computer. This is so liberating!

Saturday- Free day!

(this photo was taken on our "A" theme night where we dined on Alaskan King Crab, salmon, asaragus and baked Alaska for dessert...it was so much fun and really delicious. We've been thinking of ways to have crab work for all the alphabet ;))

I think it could be fun to mix this up every month or so.  Keep the things that work...I love the themed dinner and tech free night so they'll be staying for awhile.  So, while I was in the brainstorming mood I came up with a few other ideas.

- Sports night or family workout...Wes has some 2lb dumbbells that he likes to use.
- Dance party & music night.
- Science project night.
- Raw or vegan dinner
- Purge & clean
- Art night
- Movie & popcorn
- Pinterest night...find something fun on pinterest and go for it!
- BBQ & picnic

The possibilities are endless and I've already seen the positive effects for our family.  Being creative and intentional together really helps answer the "what do you want to do tonight?" question in a truly enriching way.

If anyone happens to do this already or feels inspired please do share your ideas so I can incorporate them as well.  Happy planning!