A Year of Mother-Daughter Dates

My daughter’s Love Language is quality time. I wanted a unique way to gift her personal experiences because that’s what she values. This year we wrote to each other in a Mother-Daughter journal, and in one of the prompts she listed, “Things I would love for us to do together”. Our list inspired this Christmas gift idea: a pre-planned pre-paid monthly Mother-Daughter date that she could look forward to all year long. The most important requirement was that they were One on One dates, so I tried to choose things that would lend to that. I didn’t do Bowling, for example, because we’d want to do that with the entire family.

I made cards in an envelope for her to see and get all excited about, and bought a calendar she could use to mark her upcoming events. I would have loved to make a personalized calendar with her baby and family photos. We can take Instant photos of each of our dates and put them with the cards.

My favorite part was all the painting I got to do for her surprise! I used my favorite watercolors, tried out some new permanent paint pens, and practiced my typography haha. I’ll highlight a few of my favorites. Check it out below!

Mother-Daughter Beauty and Spa Date

L is now 10 years old, and we have yet to get our hair and nails done together! It is very rare that I go out to have that stuff done for me, so it will definitely be a treat. I found a local beauty academy and scheduled back-to-back haircuts, manis, and pedis. I hope it’s not too much pampering for her for one day!

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Bookstore Date for Mother-Daughter

I’m very pleased to have a daughter who loves reading and books (even more than I do, which is a lot!), so this Bookstore Date was a Must on this list. I imagine us having fun just looking, but I budgeted for her to be able to come home with 1 or 2 books of her own, and for us to share a treat somewhere before ending our night. The bookstore I chose is a small local shop (rather than the franchises in the bigger city), but I liked how charming it felt the last time I visited. The bookstore I painted is how it feels rather than what it physically looks like haha.

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Mother and Daughter Go to a Show

When is the last time we went to a show together! I love squeezing my daughter’s hand, sneaking in a snack, dressing all fancy for a night out with her, and getting something fun to eat after haha. I looked into ballets (never been), musicals, comedy shows, and more. I think I found a great fit with BYU’s “Living Legends”. This dance and music performance pays tribute to ancient cultures in America and the Pacific Islands. I remember my first time watching it in college before my daughter was born, and thought she would appreciate the beautiful culture, skills, and uplifting message.

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Mother Daughter Race

This “Getting Active” date actually combines a couple of items on L’s list of things she wanted to do together: go for run, and go see temple. The “Temple to Temple 5K” is held around Pioneer Day, so I’d like to run in honor of my late Grandmother Rebecca. Participants run for 3.1 miles between the city’s two temples. It’s actually held the month that Jer will be traveling, so I wasn’t sure if I should do it because this past year it was difficult for me when he was away. There were days I couldn’t even get out of bed. I’m hoping that making this commitment to run with my daughter during that time will help me to be more consistent and stay well. I’m looking forward to that one-on-one time we’ll have together running training for it. It’s a free event, but I plan to pay for a timer thing that would allow us to start and finish before the big crowds show up; less chance of us getting separated in the chaos.

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Mother Daughter Tea Party

What better way to celebrate our birthdays than with Afternoon Tea?! We share the same birthday month, and a love of tea parties. The shop it’s held at has a fancy gold and black floor with a Parisian atmosphere, and smells of chocolate because they make it next door! This would double as a “Restaurant that adults usually go to”, and a special occasion we can dress up for. Someday I’d also like to try tea with her at the Grand Hotel in Salt Lake.

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Mother Daughter Stargazing Date

Of course my Bookworm Daughter also loves space and the stars. Last summer we rented a telescope from our local library and got to see a full moon over the reservoir by our house. I noted how much she was into it- she didn’t want to leave and was begging to do that again. After some research, I found that the King of Meteor Showers “Geminid” happens every December. It’s so prevalent and lasts long enough that you don’t need a telescope to see the lights in the heavens! As long as we dress REALLY warm (or bring hand warmers), find a dark secluded place… and maybe even bring thermoses of hot chocolate… we should enjoy the wonders in the night sky.

I made a note card explaining what a Year of Dates was, and decorated it with Lilies—the flower that my beautiful daughter was named after. Some of the other dates were:

• Hike and Paint
• Nickel Arcade
• Thrift Shopping
• Game Night
• Sewing (Halloween Pillowcase Treat Bags)
• Baking

There were many other Mother-Daughter Date Ideas!

• Paint ceramics at a store like Wildflower or Color Me Mine
• Karaoke and/or Dance Party
• Museum of Art
• Attend a Ballet
• Go to the Theater for a Movie
• Picnic in the Park
• Roller Skating
• Ice Cream
• Musical / Play / Concert
• Dessert Place
• Candle Making
• Build a Bear
• Bike Rides
• Pet Shop
• Swimming
• Jewelry Making
• Comedy Club
• Floral Mini Class