The Non-Negotiable: At Home Date Night
At a recent Today’s Mama team meeting the question of “non-negotiables” came up.
Non-Negotiables are the things that you make happen, no matter what.
It’s not as heavy as it sounds. For example, my non-negotiables include morning coffee, ironed clothes, and a good pair of sunglasses.
Another non-negotiable?
A little something we call “At Home Date Night”.
Since starting a family over five years ago, our social life has slowed to a crawl. My husband and I manage to go out on real date two or three times a year...usually around a birthday, our Anniversary, or the release of a movie starring Chris Hemsworth.
Our recent Anniversary night out.
Last year, we got into the habit of making Friday night our dedicated night to hang out at home together after the kiddos are in bed.
Over the years, Friday became a night like any other...full of stuff. But now Friday night enjoys protected status. There is no working on the computer, nobody goes to the gym, no kid-free grocery runs, and chores get ignored.
The kids go to bed early. We get takeout, pour an adult beverage, put our feet up and eat in front of the TV.
Because we know how to party.
I know it probably doesn’t sound like much, but it’s our favorite night of the week.
It’s busy around here and there are weeks when At Home Date Night is the one and only night when my husband and I sit still in the same room for longer than five minutes and direct our attention to a shared experience.
We watch movies, stockpiled television shows on the DVR, and once when my brain was too tapped out from the week to make a thoughtful decision, we ended up watching a Duck Dynasty marathon.
Duck Dynasty in full force.
At Home Date Night is a non-negotiable for us because it’s a consistent bright spot in our week. Sometimes it feels like the first time we have a chance to stop and make eye contact since the previous Friday night.
So...can you recommend any good movies?
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