I’m the new Baby and You Mom Blogger! {Date Night}

I have been so excited to tell you all that I’ve been chosen to be the Mom blogger for the Baby and You Facebook page. For the next few months I will be writing some fun articles and just hanging out on the Baby and You page. I hope you will join me there too, as there is some great discussion and it’s just fun to be able to connect with other moms in the same stage as you!

This week’s topic is on Baby and you is Date Night.

I recently asked a bunch of moms what came to mind when they heard the words ‘Date Night’. Besides the obvious Tina Fey and Steve Carell from the hit comedy, Date Night, many moms commented that date night was non-existent after having children.

Once kids enter the picture it can be difficult to make time, or frankly, have the energy to go out on a date. With 2 little girls, and no family close enough to help with babysitting very often, my hubby and I have had to get creative with making date night work for the stage of life we are in.

Make a Date

Mark a night on your calendar every week or two just for date night. It is important to keep this date and not bump it up for anything. Be prepared to stay up a bit later than usual (remember those early dating days?!?). After the kids are in bed pull out a board game and a favorite snack. Turn off the phone, computer and any other distractions and just focus on each other. You and hubby could take turns planning date night. Maybe one night you’ll cuddle up and watch a movie, one time you’ll order in a special meal, one night you may light candles and enjoy a favorite drink and dessert ~ get creative.

Flirt

You may giggle when you read this, but it is still important to flirt and keep the romance alive. Try simple things like writing down one thing you really appreciate about your man and slip it in his vehicle before he leaves for work or send him a text just thanking him for something he did.

One thing I do is spend 1 minute or so before my hubby gets home from work to think about the things I absolutely love about him. This helps me smile when he walks in the door and not greet him with all the things on the “to do” list or how the children made me want to pull my hair out all day long. I sometimes take a few extra minutes to apply a bit of make-up or spritz on some perfume, if I think about all the time I used to get ready to see my man or how often I day-dreamed about him, I know I can take a few minutes out of my busy mommy life to do the same.

90 Minute Swap

Finding a babysitter can be expensive, so here is something else that I have tried. I drop the girls off with a friend and meet my hubby for a quick lunch date. Then one day I take my friends kids for 90 minutes so her and her hubby can do something together without kids, even if it is just grocery shopping.

Out on the Town

Of course, if you have a great babysitter or family who are willing to watch your kids and a budget that can handle it, it is great to be able to actually go out alone. Double dates with friends, dinner and a movie, a night at a hotel, mini golf, a picnic in the park ~ these are all fun things to do do together, they may only happen on rare occasions, but are absolutely worth it to keep that spark alive!

These are a few things that have helped hubby and I have that one on one time we need to keep our relationship thriving. Yes, sometimes the girls start screaming in the middle of our home date nights, or they just end up falling asleep later than I hoped they would, but realistically, that’s just a part of being a parent. I know that soon enough the girls will be grown up and I’ll have all the time in the world to go on date nights with my man, for now we get creative and enjoy date nights in a different way…and that’s ok with me!

Do you make an effort to have date night with your man?

(This post is also being published on the Baby and You Facebook Page, come by and leave your comments there too!)