With 3 young kids, I wouldn’t say that my husband and I used to have time to go on date nights super regularly, but we did make a big effort to schedule a sitter or grandparent as often as we could, and carve out some grown-up time for ourselves.
Since we have essentially been spending our time safely at home for eleven weeks now, we have had to come up with, not only ways for our family to create special moments together, but also (and there is no nice way of saying this) ways to escape the constant demands and presence of our adorable, but constantly needy children (whom I love very dearly).
I am the first to admit that I signed up to be a stay at home mom several years ago, knowing that I would be on call 24/7, but a national pandemic brings forth a whole new level of need and attention that none of us could have ever predicted, especially with a soon-to-be two year old. I recently started carving aside time for my husband and I to have a “stay-at-home” date night once a week, and it has been a really fun thing that I look forward to planning.
Now that we finally have consistently warm weather in Boston (we do not take our New England summers for granted!) we are spending more time on our front porch in the evenings, trying out a new cocktail and on humid nights enjoying the smell of the Atlantic ocean . We are having bonfires after bedtime, and social distancing with a few of our very close friends and neighbors. As much as I love being a Mama, I have to admit that it is really nice to have a few hours of adult time to look forward to, once a week, after the kids are asleep!
This week was my favorite date night so far, and I wanted to share in case any followers wish to do the same. We set our 2 older kids up with a movie on our bed (a special and novel treat for them too) and enjoyed a fun new cocktail, a charcuterie board for dinner (one of my very favorite indulgences) and learned all about the game of backgammon (this one by Gray Malin is so beautiful, and so fun!). With a long summer just beginning, I have lots more ideas of how to keep these date nights going. A wine tasting, hopping on to “house party” with friends, putting together a slideshows of past vacations and fun memories together, and planning take-out from our favorite local restaurants, just to name a few. I’ll be sure to keep you posted, so be sure to follow along for more ideas in the weeks to come! Feel free to leave comments on how you are creating date nights at home, or setting aside time for yourself, I would love to be inspired!
XX
Katie
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