We do it! We have weekly date nights even with five kids. Take a look at these Date Night Ideas for the home, for free, or even for special occasions out of the house. Where to find a babysitter, why date nights are important and more!
Date Night Ideas
This post isn’t late. I know Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but having a date night is more important than just on February 14th. When my husband and I first got married, date nights were not very important to me. I know that sounds silly. Honestly, coming from being a single mom, I was just grateful to have a partner to sit at home with me at the family table. I had had my fair share of dates during that time I was a single mom.
My husband, however, he wanted to court his wife. That reads incredibly sweet but it was a bit of a stressor to me. So I didn’t initially view it as sweet. I viewed it as adding something additional to my plate, I viewed it was having to get dressed and put on makeup, I view it as work to prepare the kids and try to get out the door… you get it moms, right? The perfect date for me was more like April 25th – not too hot and not too cold! Haha!
However, he was right. It wasn’t a date on the calendar, it was what we invested in each other. The more infrequent our dates become, the more I can feel the stress on our marriage. We needed to invest at least a few hours of alone time in our marriage without the distraction of kids, tv, chores, etc in the home.
Thus, began, our weekly date nights.
Date Night 101
When you need a date night, but don’t know how to go about it, you may need Date Night 101. Dating your spouse is important, especially if you have kids. It’s easy for your relationship to fall to the wayside. Focusing on each other for a certain amount of time each week can really help your relationship grow. I’ve tried to cover every aspect of a date night to help make it successful for you and your spouse.
Date Night Bucket List
What if you have a sitter but you don’t know where to start with WHAT to do? I want you to check out my Date Night Bucket List. This is a list of items will help you narrow down exactly what you want to do! It’s fun to get ideas from a bucket list and then execute those ideas.
Free Date Night Ideas
What if you have a sitter but need to stay on budget? There are lots of free date night ideas out there. Some ideas that I have for a free date night is making dinner at home, taking a walk at the park, taking a hike in your favorite park, head to a local book store and look at the books, go to a free museum, head to the beach, play a sport together, or just sit and talk!
You can see more free date nights in our Date Night Bucket List.
Elaborate Date Night Ideas
Sometimes you need a fancy night out. Maybe you and your spouse haven’t been out in a while and you just want to do something fun together without worrying about money. We do a date like this at least once every few months.
- Do a weekend away
- Wine tasting
- A night out on the town
- Go to a fancy restaurant
- Ballroom dancing
Date Night at Home Ideas
A few truths. It’s possible that you won’t be able to find a babysitter, but you still need that quality time with your spouse. Go ahead and look into date night ideas right at home. Dating your mate is important, and it doesn’t need to be difficult.
Here are a few date night ideas at home to help you out:
- Have a BBQ after the kids go to bed
- Cook a dinner together, right at home
- Have a dessert night where you eat your favorite desserts
- Have a game night at home
- Order takeout
- Have a movie night
- Have a game night together
- Sit on the patio and have cocktails
- Tell Alexa to play romantic music.
If you are feeling the love, try a Date Night Box Subscription or Date Night Cards.
Some of these Date Night at Home Ideas are creative and fun, also make an effort to go out. I really fought my spouse hard to have more date nights at home, but he was right in his rebuttal. I exclusively focus on him if I am away from my home. I am tried at home, I have a long list of things to do, and the kids will all fight for my attention. While, on the occasion or even season, it is okay, hire a sitter to help you get out of the house.
Where to Find a Babysitter
Finding a babysitter can be well… interesting. We have had a few that clearly were not a fit. You have seen that Luvs Second Kid Babysitter commercial, right? On some nights, this was me!
Split Your Kids Among Friends: It may be hard for one friend to take on all of your kids, so split them up! All the kids don’t need to be together in order for the parents to getaway.
Trade Babysitting Nights: Trade babysitting with another mom. While this can be harder, it is possible to make it work.
Word of Mouth: You can ask friends for a referral to one of their favorite babysitters. Word of mouth is always the best way to hire someone. I have also asked around and found babysitters in church nursery and have even found some on local Facebook groups.
Stalk the Park: Don’t think I am kidding. My kids were playing at the park one day and I observed a babysitter with another child. She was doing great and I thought, she would be a perfect fit for my kids. She was with a a year before going to college!
Care.com
Sometimes the best way to find a babysitter is to head to Care.com to find one. If you don’t have family in the area, it’s best to choose a platform like this that can help you find someone that fits your style. Not all babysitters are easy to find. Care.com will help cut out the middleman and help you find a babysitter that can make those date nights a reality.
Care.com is how we found our Nanny. We had a nanny for two years before our three boys were old enough to attend preschool. For us it was more affordable than full time preschool. She also was so incredibly helpful by making dinner, running errands, doing small chores, etc.
Have you heard someone say, we or I don’t have time for that? The truth is as moms, there are some things we really don’t have time for, but we do have time for what we put first. My advice to you is to make date night a priority. If you don’t, they will never happen. When they have time to happen (like the kids are all finally out of the house), you might look at your spouse and think – who is this man? Don’t let that happen. Don’t grow part, make your marriage first.
Whether you do date nights at home or hire a sitter, use these tips to help you date night happen with your spouse.
Print this Date Night Bucket List – Ideas for home, for free, and unique ideas. Pin to Pinterest.
Have a great babysitter? Take a look at these Nanny and Babysitter Appreciation Ideas! Pin to Pinterest.
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