Bulk Foods Mom and Dad Date

R and I recently had an especially enjoyable date afternoon that cost all of $2.80! Here's what we did:

1. Drove to Central Market and picked out about 18 different snacks from the bulk food bins and bought just a tiny amount of each (about 20 cents worth each snack). They were interesting snacks, most of which we had never tried before: dried cantaloupe, wasabi peas, dried garlic pods (!!), a few international candies, etc.

2. Walked around Mayfield Gardens, a picturesque private park here in Austin that is open to the public and enjoyed the water gardens, flowers, and plenteous peacocks that were wandering around the grounds.
3. Settled on a pleasant bench under the trees there and discussed a chapter of the book Shepherding a Child's Heart (a book that we have both read several times, but we still find fresh food for thought there as our children get older)

The snacks gave us something to do and pleasant, light conversation as we talked about our preferences. The garden gave us quiet (an increasingly precious commodity), and a romantic setting. The book gave us a renewed unity in our vision as parents.

We're fortunate to have a family at our church that regularly does babysitting "swaps" with us; that way, both couples can have inexpensive date nights; so we're always trying to think of new ideas for things we can do for dates. Any suggestions?

Mom and Dad Date Idea: Free Coffee and Book Browsing at B & N

My husband and I love bookstores! When we were dating we would often study for classes together in bookstore coffee shops. For breaks we would wander the store and each find a couple of books we were interested in. We met back up in the coffee shop to browse through the books and show each other fun things.

Good news: You and your husband can enjoy this date for free this month! From now until the end of October you can get free cappuccinos at Barnes and Noble Bookstores! Click here for the coupon!

60 minute research date

My sister and brother-in-law do something I think is really clever and seems good for marriage-building. They go on cheap, 60 minute research dates. Here's how it works:

They keep a running list of interests that both of them wish they knew more about. The items on their list could range anywhere from bacteria-resistant staph infections to learning how to fly-fish.

When they have an extra hour or two free, they pack up their laptops and head to a coffee shop. They spend sixty minutes separately researching the same topic on the internet(whatever they have chosen for that day) and then come back together and give each other little reports on what they have learned.

Doesn't that sound like a great idea for building togetherness?

Here are some ideas for adapting the date idea for couples with children:

1. Maybe only 30 minute internet sessions (60 minutes might be a little unrealistic)
2. If there are two computers connected to the internet at your home, you could do the date at home after the kids are in bed (complete with popcorn and hot chocolate).
3. Maybe keep the list of Mommy and Daddy common interests posted somewhere that your kids can see. It's good for them to see the things that you enjoy together that have nothing to do with them. If they know you are going on a research date they might even be curious about what you learned when you see them the next day.