As a working mom, I love date night. It means I get a baby-free evening to hang out with my husband. I spend some extra time on my hair and makeup and feel a little more like my pre-baby self. What I don’t love about date night is the fact that it’s at night. I’m a bit of a homebody, and if I have to be out past 10:00 p.m., I really reconsider my plans. Momma likes to be cozy in bed no later than 9:30 p.m. whenever possible.
Which is why I’m here to tell you that date night doesn’t have to be at night.
I’m not suggesting you give up date night entirely. I’m just suggesting you try a different time of day.
After a long day or work week, it can be hard to muster up the energy to get dolled up for a night out. Plus, there’s the added effort of finding a babysitter and figuring out what you want to do. It is date night after all, so you want to make it count! So my husband and I started doing something else instead–lunch dates! Going out to lunch is a perfect (and cheaper) alternative to dinner. We’re also able to fit it into our schedules more frequently than date nights.
Here’s how we make lunch dates work:
- We put it on our calendars. We’ve found that by treating our lunch dates like a meeting and adding it to our work calendars, we’re less likely to schedule over it. In the event something comes up at work, we’re diligent about rescheduling. You can even take it a step further, if you’re Type A like me, and make it a reoccurring event on your calendars.
- We meet in the middle. Since we’re typically working during the day, we find it’s best to meet at a restaurant that’s half way between our jobs. This means that neither one of us has to go too far out of our way .
- We keep it short. Obviously, these lunches are happening during the work day so we can’t be gone for hours. We typically keep it under an hour. We’ll try to call our order in ahead of time or place our order online so that it’s ready when we arrive which saves us some time.
- We already have childcare covered. My husband and I both work so our son is at daycare during the work day. This means we’re not struggling to find childcare in order to go on a date. It’s already to taken care of!
What I’ve grown to love about our lunch dates is that they’re nothing fancy and they’re always laid back. I’m talking pizza, burgers, or sandwiches–fast food type places. What helped me realize that date night doesn’t have to be at night was understanding the importance of date night, which is maintaining a strong relationship. Research shows that date nights may foster stronger marriages and relationships. So, it doesn’t matter the time of day you go on a date. We’ve even gone to Starbucks for 15 minutes before work. What matters is that you’re taking the time to reconnect with your spouse. We will still go on actual date nights (I’m not that much of homebody). But I encourage you to give lunch dates a try.
Do you have a favorite lunch spot? Share it in the comments below!
