Date Night with Hubby

Find a beautiful place to watch the sunset. Bring a bottle of wine if allowed at the location. Sit back and relax!

Dancing, bowling, a movie, or have the kids watched somewhere else so you can have quiet time alone at home.

walk in the park this time of year is nice. How about taking in a play or concert. No eating involved and time to share each others company.

My husband and I have also been married 13 years, although we don't have 5 boys :). We just have 1 girl and 1 on the way. An idea for you... My husband and I created a date jar. We each put ideas into it and pull one out when we have a date. They are ideas that we normally wouldn't do. I have some things in there that I have been wanting to do FOREVER, but husband is hesitant. He has some like that as well. For example, I have pedicures in there. I love them and my husband is hesitant as he wonders if it is a "manly" thing to do (LOL). I also have dance lesson in there. He has things like golfing, go-kart riding (which I am not a huge fan of, but I have fun watching him act like a kid.) I don't know everything that is in there and neither does he, but it creates a kind of adventure. The things that are a bit expensive are on a different color paper so that if we have a tight budget that month, we don't pick them (ie couples massages or dinner in Chicago can be very expensive). Good luck and have a lot of fun! You deserve it.

A movie, a walk in the park, a picnic, a swim, bowling, a night in without kids, etc. It doesn't have to cost anything. You could even go fishing or a boat ride if your in to something like that. Just time to get away from the kids and be by yourself is great.

NEVER EVER run errands on a date! I know it's tempting, because you're "right there" and "it'll only take a minute." Unless we're out of diapers or milk, I guard our date time religiously.

My husband and I are pretty lame on date night, too, so I remember everything we've done that's different.

Once we went to a black light miniature golf place. We're not usually the type to go blow a lot of money, and it was a bit pricey, but it was also really fun. My husband is really competitive, but I have more luck, so it was really funny to beat him and tease him and have him pretend to be mad that he was losing. But it's just miniature golf, so he didn't really care. It was just fun.

We also take advantage of seasonal things, like corn mazes and pumpkin patches. It's a totally different experience to go as a couple than with kids. I suggest going alone first, then take the family to the pumpkin patch. (we don't pay for our kids to go in the corn maze--they're a little young and it would cost a fortune, so we take them to see all the other stuff and on the free hay rides)

Once, DH and I just went downtown and walked around. We found a brochure with sights to see. They weren't anything spectacular, but there was some information about old buildings and some sculptures. It was fun to have something to go see instead of just wandering aimlessly.

You could also look for a small theater troupe and go see a play or musical.

We found out about the cheap theater here in town and scan their web site every week for a movie we might want to see. If there is one, we jump on the opportunity and go. It's extra fun because we get a movie, popcorn, and a soda or candy for $4 each person!

I also have to say that I respect you immensely for still being alive after having 5 boys. I have three, and wow, it's just nuts!

Have you ever tried geocaching? It's fun and gets you outdoors, and gets you a little exercise too. And, it's free once you buy a handheld GPS unit. You can find them in outdoor stores like Academy or Bass Pro, or even Wal-Mart.

If you've never heard of it, it's like a scavenger hunt using latitude/longitude coordinates to find a hidden "cache." Go to www.geocaching.com and open a free account. There are caches hidden literally everywhere--probably within walking distance from your house! You can choose a starting point on the website and give it a radius to find caches for you. It will give you a list; click on a link for a cache that sounds interesting. The link will give you lat/long coordinates, maybe some clues, and a description of what you're looking for (for ex, an ammo can, a plastic jar, etc; some are giant and some are tiny). Then enter the coords in the GPS and go hunting. When you find the cache, there will be a log inside. Sign the log, then go back to geocaching.com, pull up the link for the cache, and log on your account that you found the cache.

Caches are rated on terrain and difficulty. There are really easy ones, and then there are some that require special gear to reach (i.e., climbing equipment, scuba gear). The more difficult the cache, the better the prize!

Anyway, just thought I'd share. My husband and I went geocaching on our first date. Now we go every now and again just to get out of the house and do something different.

*UPDATE*
After I posted this, a local magazine came out with an article about geocaching, here: http://metrofamilymagazine.com/geocaching-getting-your-te....

One thing I learned from the article that I didn't know (because I have a very basic cell phone); there is a GPS app you can download for your phone instead of having to buy a GPS unit. My guess is that the app won't be as accurate as a GPS unit, but it should get you in the right area.

Make a "no running errands rule"! That's what always ends up happening on our date nights as well :) I second bowling. Also maybe a couples massage, putt putt golf, comedy club, romantic picnic in a park (involves eating), visit a museum, or go to the zoo (yes, it's fun even as an adult). I hope your able to come up with something nice to do together. Date nights are so important :)

We have the same problem. What about museums in your area? You could take a class together (cooking?) so that would cover a few nights out. We sometimes just head to a bar and take in a sports game; even though we're not really talking, we out, together, having fun. You could go ice skating during a "free skate" time (my husband plays hockey, so he likes that one). Couples massage? Some of these are obviously more expensive than others. In the summer you could pack a picnic and then grab ice cream after (still eating, I guess, but very different). Anyway, that's what I got for now. Hope it helps!

No idea where you live, how big the town/city

here are a few thoughts

walks in the park
check out the museum
go to an art gallery
movie every other month
take dance lessons
help at local organization (soup kitchen, nursing home, hospital, library)
drive through the country
star gazing once a month
one night in motel yearly (no kids allowed)
production of local theatre
trip every other year (vegas baby!!!!)

I'm from Nebraska too and you are close to Lincoln, how about catching a Husker game?!?! And if that's too pricey there are tons of sports bars with a cool atmosphere especially if you are in Lincoln on game day!

I checked out that cache thing someone mentioned figuring there wouldn't be anything close to us in Nebraska and I was amazed to find there are several hidden close!

My sister-in-laws have went to Skeeter Barnes in Omaha and had a good time if you could get away that far. It's like an arcade for adults and you can use the tickets you win to buy prizes.

There are fun activities going on all the time at the Lied Center in Lincoln. Their website is http://www.liedcenter.org/ so check it out.

When we stay in town we have gone to movies, bowling, to the sports bar in town, to a friends house to watch a football game or just hang out without kids!

That's all I've got, hope this helps!
J. : )

How about a couple rounds of miniature golf? Or a drink in a jazz bar, or an evening at a comedy club?

Check out the website for your town or the largest town near you. Most cities have free events that are open to the public. Even local museums or art galleries will have events you can attend for free or low cost.

We also like plays, check your local theatre group. I love local colleges because they always offer continuing education stuff that includes one day workshops on cooking, dancing, acting as well as plays and live music events. Think outside your usual box. What are some things that may have crossed your mind as interesting and try to fit those types of things into your schedule and budget.

A friend of mine got her husband the flying lessons he always wanted. When he would come down from the sky, she would have a picnic lunch waiting for him. She was surprised about how little it costs and always thought it would break their tight budget.

Date nights can also consist of getting the kids out of the house and then having some fun and adventure in your kid free zone home. Keep it simple, drape silk or satin fabrics all over a room throw the pillows down on the floor in matching or contrasting fabrics, make a simple meal, frozen seedless grapes, a bucket of ice, a bottle of wine and a tone of imagination. Have fun.

What ever you do. Thinking outside of the box really helps.

We like to go get a cup of really "high end" coffee (which we normally wouldn't do) and go for a walk. Most of the time, we end up talking about family "stuff", but at least it's quiet, nice scenery and a little exercise!

book a day at a day spa, a nice room and a massage service.

i second the poster who recommended geocatching, it is fun, but i like to do that with the kiddos

We do have date night weekly and have since daughter was a baby. It has been a major priority in our relationship.

Things we do: sometimes a great restaurant, we love fine wine so we go to wine bars, wine tastings, we enjoy sports so we attend sporting events and sometime go the sports club venue to watch the events, my hubby is a golfer so I will tag along with him while he has a practice round, we like live music and we will go to a nightclub to listen to a band play, etc.

Have fun!

Joanne, do you live locally here in MPLS? Or are you in NE as your tagline says? That makes a big difference!

have you thought of spending a whole night out? do something exciting for a date and get a bed n breakfast as treat to each other, after 13 years you deserve it!! if you like wine, go wine tasting, or go to a drive in theater, get coffee & watch the sunset together or do something out of the ordinary, something you would do before the kids came along ; ) good luck!

The best date I ever had was a comedy club.

LOL. Our Date nights always involve eating too. We just love food!
I think it depends on where you are. We live in a very remote area and there isn't a lot of entertainment. We love going for drives and checking out the scenery. We love Fall colors (can't wait for that!). My hubby is a total sports finatic, he is very "macho", so its not like I can drag him to a quilt show or anything, but we do find things to do. We really just enjoy being together without all the noise! Try bowling? or Pool? You don't have to drink to go to a bar...
If dinning out is your only option, try slowing it down a bit. Order a drink (doesn't have to be alcohol) when you get there, sip on it a while then order and appitizer. order another drink then order dinner, etc...Let your waitress know that it's Date Night and you would like to pace your meal out. They should be completely accomidating to that...It makes the evening more of a get away than just a meal. Be sure to tip well, if they are accomidating. :)

My husband and I attempt to have "cheap" date nights at least once a month. I enjoy finding activities that involve eating like drive-in movies (yes, there are still some around), we send our daughter away to family and cook a nice romantic dinner at home with or w/o movie, hiking, volunteering together (serving food, food drives, etc.) make you feel good and give you something to share together, entertainment (concerts, sport games), maybe some bowling...

Good luck! Have fun!

Movies! I say that as a huge movie fan. We almost always go out to movies. Sometimes we see an early movie and then have dinner so we can talk about the movie.

Go bowling. Go to a concert. Go to a play. Get his and her massages. Go during the day and go hiking.

Do you go to movies? Like live music? My husband and I see a lot of live music we enjoy. Sometimes this involves dancing -others it's more of a straight up concert experience. We love to go bowling too.

this website has tons of fun date weekly night ideas:

http://www.simplymodernmom.com/category/project-52/

You have some great suggestions here. The only thing I would add is you need to stop running errands. Make it about you and your husband being people and not harried parents. Date night should be a romantic breath of fresh air.

Have fun!