As mentioned in last week’s blog – making time for yourself and partner is as important as anything you can do for yourself and your family!

 
“Date night” doesn’t mean you need to leave the house or spend money on a sitter either.

 

Sometimes, we feed the kids and put them to bed, to have a second late supper ourselves. Other times, we wait until they are in bed and have more of a wine and cheese night while watching a movie. There are many many ways you can devote some time to YOU and things you “used to do”.

 
Here are some cheap (even free!) ideas for ways to cultivate that all important relationship between parents:

 

Try star-gazing in your own back yard or out in the country. Just bring a blanket or two, gaze upwards, and talk together.

 
Go to an amusement park or arcade. It doesn’t have to be a fancy, expensive park. Go without the kids and BE kids again. Play those silly arcade games like whack-a-mole. Impress your spouse with your strength or cunning…or laugh at your ineptitude.

 
Play a game from your childhood – croquet, badminton, hide and seek, miniature golf. Reminisce and be playful together.

 
Pretend-You’re-a-Tourist date. Look around your city and do the things a tourist might do – go to an overlook, a quaint neighborhood, the botanical gardens, a museum, whatever is special about your hometown. Gawk if you like, after all you’re a tourist.

 
Build something together – ice cream sundaes, a pizza with your favorite toppings, a tower of blocks. Perhaps you will find a chuckle over the odd or weird combinations that reflect your different approaches to food, building, and life.

 
Plan a “Favorites Night” around your favorite food, clothes, games, sports, etc. Each spouse could choose a favorite activity which you then combine into one evening, or one parent could propose their favorite activities for one date and the other plans the next date with his favorites.

 
Ride a city bus for the whole route or just in a different area than that in which you normally travel. Reflect on the sights you see.

 

 

Go eat from a food truck downtown – there are lots of gems to be found and you can go for a wonderful walk afterwards.

 
Go Picking! 
Spend a sunny day with your date at a local berry patch, fruit stand, or open-air market. Make some selections and then take them back home and have fun making a special dessert together. Sharing a cup of coffee and a fresh-fruit desert is a relaxing and inexpensive way to spend special time together.

 

 

Regardless of how YOU choose to spend some quality time together alone with each other, remember to unplug and truly visit!

 

 

Comments and suggestions are welcome, as always.

 

Live Well!