by kathilipp | Feb 28, 2010 | Uncategorized |
The second most noted reason for not dating besides the lack of a babysitter was the cost of dating. So here is a quick list of ideas for dating on a budget:
Have some cut of meat in the deep freeze? Find a recipe that has some ingredients you already have on hand and then challenge yourself to make a fab dessert for under $7. cooking together is prefered. Look at this recipe for Velvet Painting Pie from A Daily Recipe Blog. Um. yum.
- Two reasonably Tall Drinks at Starbucks.
- Three Redbox Movies (One guy movie, One girl movie, and one you can agree on…) 2 bags of popcorn and some Crysal Light.
- Four episodes of The Office on a DVD from Netfilx (this can be free if you finally return that once DVD that has been hanging around your house for a month.)
- Buying a small bottle of massage lotion from Bath and Body and give each other a 5 minute massage.
- Have breakfast in bed. The night before get a half dozen of donuts and the newspaper. Set the coffee pot the night before and wake up to the smell of fresh-brewed Columbian Roast and the funny papers.
I would love to have your creative ideas for saving money but still dating.
Q4U – What is your favorite date to do on a budget?
by kathilipp | Feb 25, 2010 | Uncategorized |
There has been some great advice and tips given so far this week. Today’s question is, what do you leave for the babysitter? Do you leave a list with the important information and detailed schedule of the kids routine? Do you just toss out some pj’s? Are snacks and dinner planned out? Are you lucky enough to have people who know your family so well they have the whole routine down?
What do you leave for your babysitters?
by kathilipp | Feb 24, 2010 | Uncategorized |
How many of you are participants in a babysitting co-op? If you are not (or have never heard of one) are you interested in starting one in your neighborhood. Below is the advice of some moms who have found babysitting co-ops to be invaluable.
Amy:
I’ve done 2 different types of babysitting swaps/co-ops. Both might not be considered a co-op because it’s not a big group – but regardless, I love it and it works!
I have one friend that we swap kids/errands – she will watch the four kids while I go to Target, Safeway or Costco and get both of our lists done. We just decide who is the errand runner and who has the kids based on our load – that is, who needs some alone time 🙂
I also have multiple friends that we will babysit swap – one of us gets date night on Fri night, the other on Sat night. What I really love is the down time when I babysit! When you put your friend’s kids to bed and you are alone in someone else’s house, you don’t have any laundry or dishes, etc to do – so I bring over a book, my laptop or just relax and watch TV – all by myself – it’s great!
Julie:
We have a point system that we use to keep track of sits and keep it fair. You get 20 points when you join the group. One point per hour for the first child, 1/2 point per hour for any additional children. For example, if someone watches my three kids for 2 hours, they earn 4 points. We exchange popsicle sticks to keep track of our points.
The reason we use popsicle sticks is to make the payments more tangible. We used to take turns being a “secretary” and that person would keep track of everyone’s points (instead of exchanging sticks). This became a problem because one family kept in the “negative” month after month even though she knew that she was in the red. (Even though, according to the by-laws, she wasn’t supposed to even ASK for sits because she was in the red, and she continued to and one of the other very nice moms could never say no. The nice mom became very resentful).
We also keep a directory of which everyone has a copy. This includes parents’ names, phone numbers for home and work and cell, pediatrician’s name and number, hospital preference (God forbid!), childrens’ birthdates & allergies. Also answers the questions, “Is your home child-proofed? any pets? smokers? guns?”
Beside the obvious benefit of free babysitting…the new friendships that we have made have been awesome! These are the neighbors I know I can always count on, and we have so much fun with them.
Tami:
We used a plus/minus system. Additions/Subtractions were calculated per child (1 hr for 1 child, 2 hr for 2 children, etc.) Each member rotated being the bookkeeper (commitment of one month) and at that time was kept in a binder. Now could be online. The person doing the sitting called in hours and received the credit while hours were deducted from the other. No one could have a debit of more than 10 at any time. We had two dozen members.
The best benefit was meeting other women with children with the same ages as mine. Also, I was a stay at home mom and that allowed me to do things without kids during the day. I rarely used this at night, but did in a pinch.
I would do it again in a heartbeat! I made lasting friends who I still keep in touch with in IL (I am now in TX and my kids are 27 and 30)
by kathilipp | Feb 23, 2010 | Uncategorized |
It is great how many of y’all have promised to date your spouse in the next two weeks! Today’s step in the dating process is figuring out ways to find an affordable and reliable babysitter. In the comments, share your experiences and your advice to help other moms!
by kathilipp | Feb 22, 2010 | Uncategorized |
OK – I know I am going to get some comments on this post.
Let me be clear – while I am using the word “date” really what I am talking about is making time to connect with your spouse. I just happen to think dating is one of the best ways to do that.
With that being said, I am worried about the lack of dating among my friends (both flesh friends and webby buddies.)
In the survey results, the number one reason for people not dating was babysitting issues – not being able to afford said babysitter, or trust the ones you can afford. (Two of the people who commented were 1. My brother and 2. My neighbor Karyn. I love both of their kids so I guess it is time for Auntie Kathi to step up!)
But the second most popular reason was a lack of time in order to go out together. And that’s just a crying shame.
I have had several friends who have recently gone through empty nest syndrome. (No danger of that around here. Justen just told us he wanted to go for a master’s degree after college at San Jose State. Roger and I will never be alone…) But these moms have gone through the same pattern – gearing up to get the kids out of the house, then turning around and realizing the only one left is their hubby. Since she has spent so much of her life pouring into her kiddos, there hasn’t been a lot of time left over for bonding with her husband. Now – he is the only one left and she realizes that they haven’t talked about anything except the kids since 1995.
I know – at this point, you feel like the kids will never leave. But that is even more reason to date while the kiddos are at home.
It is so important that you not only be mom and dad, but that you be husband and wife first. Your kids will experience a deeper sense of security if they know that their parents are a cohesive team.
So if it is a choice between dating your spouse and one more activity for your kids, I vote for dating.
It is a great way to teach your kids:
1. Mom and dad are real people and really like hanging together – even without kids.
2. They are not the center of the earth.
by kathilipp | Feb 21, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Thanks to everyone who took the time here on the blog and on Facebook to answer why it is so hard to date your spouse. Here is the list of reasons from most popular to least:
1. Babysitting
2. Time
3. Money
4. Is it really worth the effort?
5. Kids Activities
6. Exhausted
7. Lack of Planning
Y’all feeling like you are in pretty good company?
Over the next two weeks, we are going to be brainstorming here on the blog about how to get that time, energy, and reliable babysitter in order to date your mate.
And here is my challenge: Would you date your mate once in the next two weeks?
If it has to be an at home date, that still counts. But I just want you to set aside some time to make it happen. I promise, we are going to give you tons of ideas and motivation, but it is up to you to make it happen.
So – can you- by Sunday March 7th – date your mate? If so, put your pledge in the comments and we will give you everything you need to make it happen.
The second most noted reason for not dating besides the lack of a babysitter was the cost of dating. So here is a quick list of ideas for dating on a budget:
