My sisters and I haven’t had a girls’ night in ages. We used to have one once in a while—usually to a movie or lunch out, or even shopping (though that’s not one of my favorite activities, unless books or art stores are involved)—but with all of us working full-time now, it’s hard to reconcile our schedules. One of my sisters and I had a lovely day out in January, but ever since the only things we’ve been able to do together include our monthly family game nights and the occasional movie at my house (which has to be kid-friendly).

So you can imagine how excited I am to not have one, but two girls’ nights scheduled in one week—one with my sisters (a movie at my house, after my daughter’s bedtime) and another with my best friend (a movie out, sans kids)! And as excited as I am about these movie dates, I’m thinking…we need more girls’ dates. My middle sister and I had decided to do a date every other month, but I’m not sure what happened there—probably just those work schedules again, not to mention money issues. A monthly night out sounds good to me, and I thought we could brainstorm some good girls’ night out activities (other than movie nights) together.

Here’s what I’ve been thinking about so far…

Cocktails: We could always do tapas and drinks, or even dinner out. I love small-plate and tapas, especially when we order a bunch of them and pass them around to sample.

Explore: My sisters and I are all artists in some way or another, so it would be fun to explore an art store, museums, or special exhibits.

Crafting: Taking all of our art supplies to a central location—like one of our homes, a park, or a coffee house—and spending a few hours crafting over coffee and treats sounds like so much fun.

Concerts: I haven’t been to one in over a decade (other than a couple of musicals—which would also be fun, come to think of it) and would love to go!

Classes: We could always sign up for one of those one-time cooking, pottery, wreath-making, or other seasonal classes offered at the grocery store or the local community college to do together.

What other ideas do you have for a girls’ night out? I’d love to hear about them and share them with my friends and loved ones!