It’s really easy to make excuses for NOT going on a date night with your spouse. No one argues whether or not it is important, but there seem to be all these “reasons” to not make it happen:
- It costs too much money.
- No one can watch the kids and babysitters are expensive.
- There’s nothing to do around here.
- No one can watch the kids and babysitters are expensive.
- We don’t have the extra time.
- No one can watch the kids and babysitters are expensive.
If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.
–Ryan Blair
Barry and I probably went 6 years after we were first parents with NO DATES. None. Zero. After a while, we started to notice that things seemed more like we had become roommates with benefits than spouses.
You work so hard for a long time to woo each other and then all of a sudden you snag them and act like it no longer matters. I’ve got you, my pretty! And your lounge pants too! Barry and I decided to take matters into our own hands – because we had all the excuses. We decided date night needed to become a part of our marriage.
You guys, I understand date night is not easy when you have small kids. But I also understand not everyone is in that phase. Maybe your kids are older and you’re busy with sports. Maybe you don’t have kids but your schedule is PACKED. Maybe you live in a new place, away from family and friends.
Take what you have and make it work.
I’m going to tell you what we’ve done for probably the last 10 years. It works for us. It’s something we look forward to each week for date night: Trashy Pizza Night.
What? Trashy Pizza Night?
No, this is not a night when we watch trashy movies and eat pizza. Trashy pizza is our bizarre way to say “not homemade” (I take Sundays off, ha ha).
Every Sunday night, EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT, after the kids go to bed, we eat pizza – usually from the frozen section of Aldi. 😉 And we watch a movie. We don’t do anything else. Our “date night” is a time where we talk, we eat, and we watch movies. That’s it.
And you guys, it’s legit. It doesn’t take any more planning than to make sure there is a frozen pizza on hand, a movie queued up, and the willingness to delay dinner until the kids go to bed. There really can’t be a much simpler date.
Make the effort – even dates at home are better than none at all.
