Dating Again!

Ryan and I are at blissful period of parenthood where...
     1 - I don't have to nurse a baby to sleep,
     2 - I'm not puking pregnant,
     3 - we aren't too poor to go out once in a while,
     4 - and our kids will let just about anyone put them to bed!
When all the stars align like this, it's time for some dating. Yippee!

First, here are some people we've "used" for babysitting:

Neighbors:
pros: can walk (so no transportation needs)
cons: expensive ($7-10 per hour), don't know LDS bedtime routine - Primary songs, prayer, scripture stories (Collin is pretty much old enough to lead all this stuff now though)

Young Women -
pros: know the LDS routine
cons: usually have to be picked up and dropped off, cost money ($5-7 per hour)

Young Single Adults -
pros: all the Latter-day Saint bedtime knowledge of YW plus usually won't accept pay and can drive themselves
cons: busy schedules

Side Story: The new basement has a "theater" (a giant tv and surround sound). So we invited the YSAs over to watch the Christmas Broadcast back in December. Then afterwards, Ryan proposed an idea:

They could come over once a month after we had the kids in bed, and they could have a YSA Movie Night while we went out on a date.

And guess what? They totally took us up on it! Hopefully, it'll become a regular thing. Sweet.

pros: they provide own transportation, free

cons: too late for dinner. Oh, and I provided snacks for their movie, but that was my choice.

Friend Swap -
pros: free, provide own transportation
cons: have to go out after kids are in bed (so no eating out), have to return the favor (though this isn't really that big of a deal)

Now here are some things we've done this last month:

dinner: Still by far my favorite date. I just love to eat out. Unfortunately, most of the "free" options above are specifically linked to a later departure time, which rules out dinner. We usually try to hit places that aren't kid-friendly - unique, pricey menus with slow-ish service.

comedy night: Brian Regan came to town, and we went with a big group from the ward. Good times.

basketball game: The local university men's team was playing downtown. Tip off was 7:05, and we were able to get there about twenty after. Swish! And it was only $8 for each of us.

game evening: Arrange for two babysitters to come to your home. Invite over several families. Leave a jar near the door for contributions to the babysitters. Everyone puts their kids on one floor with the sitters, and the adults play games and chat on another floor. Genius!

Barnes & Noble: Sit in the cafe browsing books/magazines and share a treat. We prefer travel books, where we dream of warm destinations. Sigh.

Rhythm Kitchen: Sit in the restaurant and listen to live music. The quality of music varies, but we shared a piece of cheesecake and some brie & fruit and chatted for hours. It was a good later-evening activity.

temple weekend: For another very few months, my parents are still in St Louis (a mission awaits them soon though). It isn't technically our temple district, but we head down there on a Friday night (3.5 hours), go to the temple and out to lunch on Saturday morning while my parents have the kids, and return home after church on Sunday. It's a busy weekend, but we get to go to the temple, and the kids get to see their grandparents. Good deal.

hockey game: We haven't gotten to this one yet, but there's a minor league here in town. Games start at 7pm, and if we can make it by 7:20, we'll still get plenty of entertainment. Score!

Do I have your mind clicking now? Look at all those babysitting and date ideas! Now go schedule a night, and enjoy your husband. It's almost Valentine's Day after all. :-)