Mommy needs a date night!

I am sitting here surrounded by laundry and various toys dreaming of a night off with my hubby where somebody else will cook for me and then clean up my mess, but my lovely daydream is quickly replaced with thoughts of who would watch the kids, and the typical calculations of the budget. I am sure many of you are also in need of a date night so I thought a post about cheap dates and also dates where kids are without a sitter would be helpful.

First off is cheap dates for those of us who can find a babysitter-
1) Use coupons from a daily deal site to enjoy a meal or activity at a lower price. Groupon, Living Social, and Restaurant.com are good sites to try.
2) Go to Costco or Sam's club for an adventure. Both of these places provide stuff to look at, enough samples of food products to be considered a meal, and also cheap snack bars.
3) Geocaching. My hubby and I just started geocaching a few years ago and it is a great way to build teamwork in a marriage and force yourself to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, geocaching is like high tech hide and seek using a GPS to find a certain location where a box is hidden that may contain prizes or who knows what. For more information click here.
4) Dress up as though you are going to a five star restaurant but instead dine at a fast food joint.
5) Click take a pic( sorry my two year is on a Dora and Diego kick)! Grab a camera and your hubby and go click crazy. Take pictures of everything you see including places, people, things and of course each other. When the roll or the memory card is full print them and then sit down for coffee and enjoy the memories made.
6) Be a kid again. Go to an arcade and play video games with one another or even go to a park and take turn pushing each other on the swings.
7) Movie night. If you have a laptop with a dvd drive or a portable dvd player find a nice secluded area to park your car under the stars and enjoy a modern take on a drive-in movie.


Dates for parents who cannot find a babysitter
1) Buy the ingredients to make your favorite restaurant meal at home.  Cooking together can be fun and you also end up with a great meal to feed yourselves and your kids
2) Purchase popcorn from your local theater and grab a Redbox movie to enjoy at home after the kids have gone to bed
3) Play a board game or a card game with one another ( make it interesting and more adult oriented by making any game a stripping game)
4) Play video games on your computer or gaming console. Make sure you play games that both of you enjoy and can fully participate in

How do they know?

I would really like to know how my children, mainly my youngest, know what nights end in mornings where we need to be up and someplace at an early time. It seems that the days that just involve us staying home are the ones where they sleep in and sleep the whole night before, but heaven forbid the ones where we have plans should be the same. Today, was a morning where we had plans and sure enough my youngest (10 months) was up at 11ish acting as if I had never fed him in his life, again up at  3 wanting to be fed and then up yet again at 4 for reasons that I may never know but those reasons kept us awake until my hubby's alarm went off at 5:30. I currently can barely function as a human being so I am not sure how my little night owl's expect me to function as a parent. Well, I must conquer this day with my sleep deprived brain and thank God for the creation of Netflix streaming, my Keurig coffee maker and food that does not need my involvement to me consumed by children under three.

He may get the sucker, but I feel like the sucker.

This past week we have been potty training our two year old and he is doing so well that he has managed to out smart us. We decided that bribery would be best when teaching our son how to use the potty( don't judge. Trust me it works) so he gets a sucker every time he pees. I suppose we should have tried to set some rules because I am convinced that this kid has managed to control his bladder long enough to pee every time he is done with one sucker. I will admit that although I am a bit worried about his first dentist visit I am super proud of him for being such a big boy.

Tips on how to potty train from a mommy who has no clue!
- try to keep the child in underwear as much as possible. Pull ups are handy, but most kids are unable to really tell the difference from a diaper.
-Use a reward system. It can be stickers, candy, or whatever you know your kid will want enough to convince him/her to get on the potty.
-Reward him/her when they stay dry or when they use the potty, but also remember to still show you are proud of them despite any accidents.
-Keep cleaning wipes handy in the bathroom ( Clorox or Lysol pre-moistened wipes are great). Learners are not always the most sanitary!
-Mom and Dad may need a reward as well so make sure the coffee pot is always ready to go

Do you have any great tips to add to the list? I will add more as they come!