In the past twenty months the definition of date night has drastically changed for Nate and me. If you weren’t aware, having a child changes things! During the first ten months of Caleb’s life we left him for date night twice. We wished we could have left him more often but we didn’t have people offering to watch him and he was simply a difficult baby who needed his parents. During this season we found tons of at home date night activities to keep us connected as a couple but it was weird to not be able to drop everything and go out to dinner or to a movie whenever we wanted.
The more recent ten months of our little man’s life has been easier. Not only have we gone on many, many out of the house dates, we also got to go to Mexico for a week just the two of us! We have people begging to watch our little man and we are not saying no!
For a while, especially when we did nothing out of the house just the two of us, I thought that maybe we weren’t truly getting to have date nights. If we’re at home not doing something that’s elaborately planned out, is that a date night? There’s no reason it can’t be! Here’s my criteria for a date night…
Intentional
Date nights have to be intentional. No, this does not mean they need to be planned out ahead of time! It just means that you and your significant other have decided to intentionally spend time together, making sure that you’re connecting! I could turn to Nate right now and say “Let’s play a board game” and all of a sudden we could be having a date night! Connecting is key and having fun is a plus!
Without Kids
Family dates are awesome! We love going out to dinner with Caleb, taking Caleb to get ice cream, going to the park with Caleb… But those are not date nights. Family dates are SO important but they do not qualify as date nights! The marriage relationship should always come before the parent-child relationship. ALWAYS. In order to maintain a healthy marriage you have to do things without your children! Have to.
In my view of things, that is it! That’s all it takes to have a date night! There’s no magic about it and nothing that you have to get all in a bother about doing. Be intentional and do something without your kids. Period.
Recently I wanted to make a yummy treat for Nate and me for date night! I wanted a dessert that was light and summery so, after Caleb was in bed, I threw together Strawberries and Cream for my love and me and we ate and chatted, catching up on life and talking and dreaming about our future. (Have I mentioned we’re buying a house???) It was simple and quiet but it was a date night and it filled our connection cups up to the brim!
Before checking out the recipe for Strawberries and Cream to enjoy on your next date night, here are some date ideas compiled from bloggers all over the blogisphere!
Ingredients
2 Cups Firm Strawberries
2 Cups Half and Half
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (Optional)
Instructions
1. Cut firm strawberries into bite sized peices
2. Mix half and half, sugar, vanilla extract, and balsamic vinegar together
3. Separate berries into two bowl and pour half and half mixture over
4. Enjoy!
Your Turn:
What qualifies as a date night for you?
Have you ever tried strawberries and cream?
2 Comments
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April 15, 2020 at 5:35 pm
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