Date Night Ideas for Busy Parents
*#AD – This is a collaborative post
As Mum to 2 children, one who doesn’t like sleep, as well as running a home and keeping on top of the blog, I could be forgiven for feeling like I still work full time. In recent months, it has felt like life has passed me by in a bit of a blur, and as such, me and my other half have spent very little time together.
After seeking advice from fellow bloggers about how they manage to keep the blog and family balance I decided to reintroduce the concept of Date Nights.
The reality is that our Date Nights are somewhat limited as we can’t very often get a babysitter and Neve is a complete boob monster, but we can have a night twice a week where phones are put away and we do something together, enjoy each others company and actually, dare I say it, TALK!! *shudder*
Here are some ideas for Date Nights for busy parents. If you’re a single parent still looking for love – options such as this dating site are a good place to start.
Box Set Binges
I can’t really remember the last time I sat and properly watched TV. Apart from Neighbours (which I watch religiously every day whilst Neve eats her lunch!), most evenings are spent catching up with the blog and as such, the screen never really has my full concentration. With the new series just starting (and Mike waking up at 2am last night to watch it!!) Mike has suggested we have a Game of Thrones box set binge, starting from the first season. I have seen the odd episode, and so far know that there’s a ‘dragon lady’ and lot of nudity, but Mike promises me I will enjoy it, so we are starting from the beginning. This should cover a fair few date nights no doubt!! 🙂
I’m thinking, popcorn, blanket and snuggles 🙂
Al Fresco Dinners
Once the kids are in bed (no matter how short lived that may be!) we are going to try and have dinner on the patio and enjoy the early evening sunshine whilst the summer is still with us! We are yet to fire up the barbeque this year, and having spent a lot of money rennovating the garden we are keen to make the most of our new space! I love sitting outside as the sun starts to go down, and this is the closest we are going to get to a holiday this Summer!
Cooking Together
We used to love making meals together before we had the girls, and I have to say, we ate much more interesting dinners as a result. Because of how rushed tea time is before the kids go to bed, we rarely get to cook together anymore, as one person is always watching the children whilst the other one slaves on their own. I am planning on getting a meal subscription box service so that we can have some quality food inspiration, and reduce wastage at the same time with just the quantity of food we need.
The Daytime Date
We have decided that we will also set up the odd daytime date, when the children are at school or nursery, and we can spend the whole day together without interruptions. Whether it be a swanky meal at a local restaurant, a spa day and pamper session or a visit to the cinema to watch the latest releases, there are some things that are much more date like when there are no little people in tow!
Baby Sitter Share
This one is stil work in progress, but as most of my friends now have children – we are going to attempt a baby sitter share scheme. We arrange a sleep over play date with their child at ours, meaning they can go out on their date, before they return the favour and give us a night off in return. Whilst Neve is feeding this isn’t an option for us just yet, but as soon as it is this one sounds like a fantastic solution!
What Date Night options would you suggest for busy parents? For more date ideas see welovedates.com/ie
*This is a collaborative post*
