Every time I have a baby (I’m currently at three total), I seem to go into lockdown mode. Getting away when you are the baby’s source of nutrition or comfort can be really difficult. In fact, it seems like every time I try to leave, the baby has a weird day or night. He suddenly wakes in the night when he’d pretty much been sleeping through.
Add to this the difficulty of putting our three year old to bed. He’s nice, but we often worry about asking a babysitter to try and him having a meltdown.
That’s why my husband and I typically just stay home. While it may not be luxurious and overly romantic, we find ways to connect with one another and lower the stress of figuring out how to get out the door without more trouble than it’s worth.
Here are five at-home date ideas that may be so simple you’ve just forgotten they existed!
1. Make take-out your friend – We live in a very small area, so our choices are limited. But we still choose take-out over cooking something at home when we have the chance. It at least feels like we’re splurging!
2. Redbox, Netflix, Amazon Prime Movies – Since we never get to actually go to the movies (we don’t have the heart to ask someone to sit here all night so we can go to a late movie), we choose to just rent. It’s actually a lot cheaper, and we can hit pause to refill our drinks or run to the restroom. Plus, we can snuggle a lot better on the couch than in the very uncomfortable (and often sticky) movie theater seats.
3. Talk! – Seems trivial, but talking really does make us connect even more. When the kids are awake and screaming or crying or playing loudly, we don’t have many opportunities to talk seriously and focus. We have found ourselves turning off all electronics to actually look each other in the eye and talk about what’s going on.
4. Play games – Remember those games you used to play when you didn’t have children and weren’t worried about someone feasting on the Scrabble letters? They can still be a great way to do something different and somewhat educational! We enjoy playing Scrabble or a game of cards to be a little competitive with one another. It also generally leads to fun flirting we haven’t done in a while.
5. Get outside – As the weather begins to get warmer and the sun is staying out longer, being outside is much easier. Our bedroom happens to be in the back of the house where we also have our patio furniture. We put our monitors in our open windows so we can hear anything that may be happening inside, and then we enjoy a late dinner or drinks while we sit in our open and quiet back yard. We also don’t have to worry about how loud we’re being since the kids can’t hear us!
What at-home date ideas do you have? Share!
I find that even now, when my kids are old enough to leave alone, we spend a lot of time at home. my favorite is to simply sit on the porch and talk. I love to reconnect!
Lots of great ideas! I hate to break it to you, but it doesn’t get any easier leaving them when they are older – seems like one of my always gets sick, or has a hard time sleeping if Mama isn’t home!!
I love all these ideas – As far as the outdoors, one thing my husband started is having a fire in the firepit out back and I leave the kids windows open so I can hear them. It gives us a feeling of being ‘out’ (ha) yet I’m right there if they need me!
Cute idea. My hubby and I really need more date nights.