What do you get when you cross an oatmeal-stained ceiling, a dog with stickers on her back, and a strange smell coming from the bottom of the toy box? Daily life in the Richardson house! Seriously though, as much as I joke about the craziness of life with little ones, sometimes I just need a break from it all. Unfortunately, Trey and I aren't in a position to hire a babysitter every week just so we can get out for an hour or two of refreshment. So a couple months ago I came up with what might be my best idea of all time: weekly date night at home.
We've declared every Friday night "date night." We do our best to get the kids to bed early (7:30ish), and we have a few uninterrupted hours where we focus just on each other--no kids, cleaning, work, or stress of any kind allowed. We take turns planning date night. For example, last week was my week, so after the kids were fast asleep, I made hot chocolate and we went out to the car and curled up under a big blanket, listening to music and talking. I made "conversation hearts" out of construction paper and whenever we reached a lull in the conversation, I let Trey pick a heart and we would discuss the topic or question on it.This week is Trey's week to plan it, so I'm not sure what we're doing, but I think it involves games and cocktails. Sometimes we bake together; sometimes we play video games or watch a movie; sometimes we do a project or activity (crossword puzzles, looking through photo albums, creating "art" of some sort); sometimes we read and discuss Scripture. We might do scavenger hunts, photo shoots, puzzles, etc. The list goes on and on. It's surprising the amount of things we can come up with! Friday night has become my favorite night of the week... it gives us something to look forward to and gives us a much-needed break from focusing all our energy and attention on the kids. Planning date night is fun because I get to decide what we do and what we eat (and thanks to Pinterest, I have LOTS of good food ideas). But letting Trey plan it is fun too because I don't have to do anything but wait for whatever surprises he has in store for the night.
Honestly, date night has become so important to us that I don't know how we survived without it! I highly recommend it for all you parents out there. And if you have your own "date night at home" idea, I want to hear it! Cuz I might steal it. :)
