Date Night

You need a reliable babysitter for date night. Should be easy peasy, right? The truth is that this relationship is a two-way street and sometimes parents, unknowingly, can make the job harder or less satisfying than it needs to be. We reached out to our babysitter network to find out what they love (and loathe) about minding our kids.

Be Ready

You made reservations and even put mascara on, but your date night checklist is not done. First, tell the kids how you expect them to behave for the sitter. When she arrives, act excited to set the tone.

Pregnancy is an exciting time. Despite a lengthy preparation list of name selection, nursery decorating and baby registries, it’s important to keep your relationship a priority—especially since it’s soon to change from a twosome to a threesome or more! Date nights are a great way for couples to maintain a happy connection, yet parents-to-be may feel less motivated—physically and emotionally—to take the time, energy and money to nurture themselves. However, the effort is well worth it! Here are several date ideas for expectant couples:

As a couple, you want all of the romance, but none of the stress. Wine, cuddling and conversations of the future make for a night to remember. If you want to make your night at home something a little fun, demonstrating a bit of effort without forcing the night, try creating your own wine pairing party. Use this as a jumping off point for a romantic evening for two.

Set The Mood

One reason that wine and romance go together is that they both require the same balance of seriousness and fun, never being demanding nor frivolous.

How many times have you been with your spouse and realized you have both spent the last 30 minutes staring at your phones or tablets? It’s a hard habit to break and now that our technology is so portable it can feel like an inescapable problem.

We are all guilty of giving our technology way more attention than our partners at one time or another. It is time to break the habit! We want you to unplug yourselves from the world and tune in to each other for an intimate evening together.

It’s the simple moments in our marriage that we often love the most. Your husband bringing you a cup of tea in the morning. Your wife bringing home your favorite sweet treat for you. A little shoulder rub every now and then.

Yes, a shoulder rub. It doesn’t sound earth-shattering, but actually introducing some romantic massage into your marriage comes with a whole variety of amazing benefits for your relationship with your spouse.

With much of the nation gripped by icy cold temperatures, the last thing you probably want to do is brave the wintry weather outside. Being stuck inside has its benefits, though, especially when you’re stuck with your sweetie. Keep those long winter nights interesting with these five fun and romantic winter date ideas.

S’mores by the fireplace. All you need is a chocolate bar, some marshmallows and a box of graham crackers and you’ve got yourself

Last week, we gave you five fun ideas for indoor winter dates (click here). Now it’s time to take the romance outside with one of these five outdoor winter date ideas that are just as fun.

Go sledding. Remember the thrill of careening down a snowy slope as you hang on for dear life? Well, that adrenaline rush is just as exciting now that you’re grown up. Grab a sled and head for the nearest snow bank or make a day of it by taking a morning drive to the mountains while you enjoy the snow-covered scenery.