Date Time

One of the most difficult tasks is finding down time with my husband and my kids.  In the daily chaos that is life, time always seems to slip through my fingers.  There is always "to do" list left over at the end of my day.  I'm guessing I'm not alone.  So once a month I'm going to dedicate a blog post to some fresh date ideas to get your creative juices flowing!  You'll find some may be a bit quirky, but I want to try to cover something for everyone.  Whatever your cup of tea, this weekend take time out to enjoy life with the people who mean the most to you.

Instead of a movie, try live entertainment:  a live band, a balloon artist, a community theatre performance.

A new twist to dinner:  try a local pizzeria instead of a chain pizza place.  When you order your pizza, ask them to cut it in a heart shape.

Have a picnic inside.  Spread out a blanket in front of the TV and put on your favorite movie while you munch.

Play a board game...this time turn the television off.

Visit a local museum.  Call ahead and ask for special rates/discounted times.

Go window shopping for houses.  Even if you aren't in the market for a move, touring homes for sale (new or established) can give you great ideas for redecorating your own home.

Read a book aloud.  You could make this a nightly date for 15 minutes.  I found a book I thought my kids would love.,  They were considerably less enthused.  So I told them we'd read it aloud together.  At first they only wanted me to read.  On the third day, one daughter wanted to read some.  The next daughter followed.  They got so involved in the book, they couldn't wait to see what happened.  They ended up finishing it silently without me!

In case you weren't counting, four of these six ideas are FREE!  Whether you go with your spouse, your kids, your parent, your sibling, your friend, or just by yourself...enjoy some downtime. 

*I can't take complete creative credit for this brainstorm.  An email I received got my idea train going.  If you can't wait for next month's ideas, you can check out http://www.redbookmag.com/601230.