Date Night at Home for Mummies Who Can’t Get Out

When I first met my husband 11 years ago, we used to do so many date nights, whether it was simply a movie together or a drink at our favorite local bar. We both looked forward to these date nights, our time spent together; but now with two kids, it’s just not that easy anymore.

It seems those one-on-one shared moments were far easier and more frequent pre-kids, but now seem to come with some challenges … but does it have to be that way?!

When I asked some moms what restricts or prevents them from having regular date nights out, most of the answers were variations of the following:

1) The cost of a sitter PLUS dinner is too much
2) Kids don’t sleep well or don’t settle with a sitter
3) I’m still breastfeeding so I can’t take long periods away from my baby

I understand these are  realities. but we shouldn’t ignore the importance of ME time, US time, TOGETHER time.

So many couples get caught up in life; the everyday madness of work, kids, housework, and everything in between! We so quickly forget to make time for ourselves as a couple.

So that’s where date nights at home come in. Date night doesn’t have to mean leaving the house and it doesn’t have to cost you more than the ingredients for your meal. Add a little creativity, and make a slight effort towards the dining table instead of the TV room.

I myself am guilty of using the convenience of a TV dinner. When my husband walks in the door, we are generally both exhausted, so we grab our dinner trays and eat while watching one of our favorite series. This is OK! But I encourage you to, once a week, make the effort to sit down and actually chat with your partner face-to-face. Talk about current affairs, celebrity gossip, TV shows, upcoming holidays, or whatever gets your mind off the kids sleeping in the next room.

We started doing this regularly, and I can tell you it makes a world of difference to just be together, to talk, to CONNECT.

My tips on doing a simple date night at home:

• Use that dining room table you only set up for dinner parties, or even the breakfast bar in the kitchen!
• Grab some nice placemats and set a little place for two.
• If you don’t have placemats, be creative and use an oversized decorative napkin (unfolded) or simply keep it bare, at the end of the day this is about quality time together.
• Pull out those beautiful candles you rarely light, you know the ones collecting dust next to your bath, or the ones you threw in the back of the cupboard after your last birthday.
• Candles create an instant calm, romantic and intimate feeling – bingo!
• If you’re tired or hate cooking, order in! The point of this is not to create more work for you, but to make things more relaxing – take the time to sit down and talk to one another.

And that’s how you bring Date Night to you!

Have a laugh, some wine (don’t forget the wine!) and remind yourselves that it’s good to slow down the madness of life as we women know it.