10 Ways to Save on Date Night from iMOM

Check out this great article from once again...our favorite: iMOM. 

We just LOVE them and all their great ideas for strengthening marriages and families!

1. Check out Restaurant.com. Type in your zip code and it will provide you a list of both local and chain restaurants in your area that are offering discounts (some up to 80%) on gift card purchases. Make sure you check the fine print.  Some have minimum purchase requirements or restrictions - like "valid Mon-Thurs."  You print the "gift card" at home so you can use it same day, or keep it for up to a year from the date of purchase.   If you and your honey have a favorite restaurant, stock up and use them throughout the year. 

2. Have some coffee talk. Head to a nearby coffee shop with iMOM's Fun Questions to Get to Know Him Better.

3. Eat at home first.  A babysitter, dinner and a movie can break the bank for date night. Keep a little extra money for popcorn and soda by eating at home with the kids before you go.  Make it a simple pizza night with paper plates so you don't have to worry about cooking or cleaning up.  

4. Head out a little later. Many babysitters will lower their hourly rate by a couple of bucks after the kids are asleep.  You just may need to take a shot of Espresso before you go.

5. Make it a date day. The weekends are full of free or super cheap events like food and music festivals, trade and antiques shows, garage sales and farmers' markets.   Pack a picnic lunch ahead of time so you won't have to buy expensive concession food.

6. Play hooky during the week. It's an easy way to save on babysitting! Drop the kids off at school like you would any other day, then drive past the office and on to a museum, aquarium or theme park.  Most places offer discounts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when it's not as busy.  If you can't skip the whole day of work, meet your husband for breakfast or lunch.

7. Rotate babysitting with another couple every month.  When it's your night to receive the babysitting, go ahead splurge a little on a nice dinner, wine or concert tickets with the extra money you saved in babysitting.  You and your honey deserve it every once in a while.

8. Take your house back. If you have school-aged children, farm them out to neighbors, family or friends.  If you have little ones, put them to bed early. Then, turn off the TVs, computers and cell phones, light the candles, and enjoy the house (maybe even naked) that used to be all yours.

9. Use your annual pass. Many families invest in annual or seasonal passes to their favorite museum, theme park, aquarium or zoo.  Leave the kids at home, ditch the park map, and rediscover your favorite family spot with each other.

10. Put your tax dollars to work. Even with government budget cuts, chances are your county website is offering a multitude of instructional classes like cooking, painting, ceramics and even dancing. Sure you may have to meet in a musty old recreation center, but for only a few dollars per class, it more than makes up for the odd aroma.

© 2011 iMOM. All Rights Reserved. Family First, All Pro Dad, iMOM, and Family Minute with Mark Merrill are registered trademarks.

Parenting

Parenting and Marriage are the two main areas that we can continuously be learning and improving. I LOVE books! Especially getting books from the library (FREE) or at the goodwill bookstore (off of Rosedale Hwy, just passed Calloway-these books are usually .95 cents!). I also love book recommendations! 

I found this blog: Modern Parents Messy Kids.

She has some book recommendations that I'm curious to check out. These are books that I have not read and of course I'm not saying MOPS recommends them. This is just a curious fact to check out since they pertain to a lot of areas in parenting that we moms face. 

CLICK HERE

to go directly to the page and see more info.

Here is a brief over view of what books they are talking about and their photo of the books:

1. 15 minutes Outside - It seems every spring since having kids I make a vow to spend more time outdoors with them.  From what I've heard, this book is full of ideas for getting families outside and I like the attainable goal of starting with just 15 minutes a day.
2. Siblings Without Rivalry - I first checked this out from the library on my pediatrician's advice when I was pregnant with S.  Then I had S and promptly forgot about it until it was mentioned again by a teacher at her toddler group.  Considering that the longest relationship my children will have will be with each other, perusing a book or two on how not to ruin it as their parent seems worthwhile.
3. Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child - If you're a regular reader here than you've probably picked up on the fact that I'm a big proponent of emotional coaching.  Despite learning about it from early childhood educators and attending presentations on the topic, I've still yet to read the book on it.
4. The Five Love Languages of Children - I think the premise of this one is fascinating, that kids have specific love languages they're most receptive to and that you can actually figure out which one works best for yours.
5. Raising Confident Boys - Honestly I don't know anything about this one but I keep seeing it on the shelf of our toddler group library (which is generally a good endorsement) and I find it so intriguing.  There's a lot being said these days about self-esteem and self-worth for girls but I rarely hear mention of the topic specifically related to boys.

(From Modern Parents Messy Kids)

Are You Ready to Take the Marriage Challenge?

We say it over and over again...we LOVE iMom and all their great articles and info. for strengthening families. Here is their list for a 30 Day Marriage Challenge! Who's ready to take the challenge?

Click HERE to download. Print this out and put it somewhere you can see it..but DON'T SHOW YOUR HUSBAND! =)

Spiritual Directory Assistance

I found this on Pinterest and thought that this would be a great printout to keep in a journal!



Click HERE