Not Your Typical Date

As a parent of young ones, it can be really easy to get in a dating rut. Recently, we’ve even had a few nights where we were so eager to get out we found ourselves out, kidless, with no idea what to do. We once just wandered Target and grocery shopped. Yes, the time away together was still great. However, sometimes dates need some spice to spark conversation and fun that can be hard to find time for while raising a family.

I am very blessed to have local in-laws who are always willing and ready to help out with the girls during the day when I need help and in the evening so we can go on a date. This past weekend, they even watched the girls for the whole day – over 12 hours!!! Don’t worry, we took full advantage of the day.

What did we do with all those hours? Why, we had a wonderful day at Wondercon in Anaheim!

Every moment was just so great. We loved being together, we loved the event, but even more than that it was so nice to just take care of each other – the two of us – for a whole day. We splurged on yummy food and took time to see all the things that looked interesting. We stood in a line for autographs, saw famous people, and went to a panel about one of our favorite cartoons.

Although there were many great parts of the day, one of my favorites was posing with the people in costume. We took a few pictures of character we liked, and then I sent one of me with a princess to Ellie. She liked it and asked for more, so I proceeded to track down every princess I could find. Sometimes this even involved me shouting across a crown and running to catch a princess for a photo!

We were definitely nervous about the burden of leaving the girls all day with my inlaws, but everyone did great. We even received fun pictures throughout the day of all their adventures. They went on a walk, went to the park, read books, and to top it off met the Easter bunny! I am really glad that we took the opportunity to have an all day date!

I know that an all day event is not always realistic with young children, but I do want to encourage you to try new things and spice up your dates. I have a neighbor that always takes advantage of dates nights to do something fun or new. They go roller skating, go to the trampoline park, or try something new for dinner. There is lots of fun to be had out there with your spouse!

Do you have any fun date ideas you’d like to share?