Three Tips for Busy Parents Planning a Date Night

It can be hard to find time to be with your spouse when you have kids, but that time is so important. Take the time to plan a fun date night with your significant other. Your relationship will thank you, and your kids will have better parents because of it.

Keep It Simple

You don't have to spend a fortune, get dressed up in fancy clothes, or go to a special event to have a great date night. In fact, all of those things can distract from the quality time you want to spend with your partner. Instead, choose a date night activity that will be relaxing and will allow you to chat and reconnect with your partner. One easy choice is a local restaurant or bar where you can talk, eat, and drink. For example, you can find a pub La Grange IL like Kenny's Pub, sit back, relax, and have a great time with the one you love, all without dressing up or traveling far away.

Find a Sitter That You Trust

Nothing ruins a date night faster than worrying about your kids the whole time that you're gone. Stop worrying and find a babysitter that you can truly trust when it's time to go out. A family member could be ideal, but be sure not to take them for granted. Offer to pay them for their services or to do something to help them out. If you know other young parents, perhaps you can arrange a babysitting exchange where you and your spouse watch their kids when they go out, and they watch your kids when you go out. Or, you may have more luck by looking at a professional service to find a sitter that you know is qualified. Any sitter should have training in CPR and should know what to do in case of an emergency. Try to stick with the same sitter once you find one that you like.

Practice Regularly

It can be hard for parents when they first go out on a date night. The easiest solution to this is to start early and make it a habit. Once you start having fun, you will probably want to make it a regular feature in your life. Consider adding weekly (or at least monthly) dates to your routine and your marriage will surely benefit. Plus, you'll get to have fun as a couple!

Soul2Soul Tour Review

Jeffrey and I had a date night on Saturday - dinner and a concert. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Soul2Soul tour was in Indianapolis, and we thought it would be fun to see them. We've loved Tim & Faith for years and were really looking forward to this concert. It had to be good, right?

Two major entertainers, with multiple songs their fans would love to hear, touring together. They could easily fill up the whole evening and leave us wanting more.

McGraw has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and dominated the singles charts with a stunning 41 #1 singles. He is currently riding the Billboard Country Airplay chart with 3 singles in the top 20, a feat he was the first to achieve, and now the first to achieve for a second time. He is the most played country artist since his debut in 1992, with two singles spending over 10 weeks at #1 (“Live Like You Were Dying” and the genre-breaking “Over and Over”). His recent multi-week #1 single “Humble and Kind,” off his “Damn Country Music” album, is his 59th release to hit top 10 or better, and spawned a New York Times Best Seller book. - Soul2Soul Tour

Why in the world would they need an opening act? I definitely wasn't expecting that, but some guy came on stage. I have no idea who he was or what any of the songs he did were, because the sound was horrible. HORRIBLE.

This was our first clue that the concert might not be as good as we hoped...

I was seriously hoping that it was the opening act's sound guy and that the sound would improve when Tim & Faith took the stage. When the opening act was over, we watched while the stage was reset, and we waited for Tim & Faith - for the concert we came to see. The stage was gorgeous. Tim & Faith came up from underneath and began singing, and...

Sadly, there was absolutely no improvement to the sound. There was so much bass and reverb that absolutely nothing else could be heard. Oh, we could tell that Tim & Faith were singing, but we could barely hear them and could not understand any of the words. And because of the wall of sound, it wasn't just the vocals that couldn't be heard - the sound from the band just kind of blended into the noise, and we couldn't differentiate any of the instruments or music. I'm sure some of those songs were familiar, but who could really tell? It was like the sound guy thought he was putting on a hard rock concert and really had no clue what Tim & Faith's music actually sounds like. We've been to several concerts, and this was absolutely the worst sound ever.

There were quite a few very disappointed people who left early, and several comments about the sound on the Facebook event page - though I'm not sure anyone ever read those. They certainly weren't being read or monitored by anyone during the concert because the bad sound stayed bad.

Stage/light show was awesome but sound was awful. Sad that we couldn't understand any words. Anxious to start hearing new songs on the radio so I can hear the words. Still love Tim and Faith but a big disappointment in the show in Indy last night.

The sound was horrible!! Left at 930 bc you could hardly make out what they were singing... and to think we drove 3 hours for a headache!

Sound is awful. Can't understand the words and can hardly even tell what songs are being played. Disappointing to say the least.

We left after Faith's set. It was exhausting trying to make sense of the sound. We came to hear Tim and Faith, not overpowering band and back up singers. I was so disappointed!

The sound really was AWFUL. But we stayed until the end, maybe because we kept hoping it would get better, which it did not. Maybe we're just suckers for punishment, or maybe it's just that we'd paid good money for these concert tickets. We may have been in the cheap seats - though there really is no such thing as a cheap seat when Ticketmaster gets through charging all their fees - but we still expected a decent concert.  (We saw Bon Jovi last month in seats on the same level but almost behind the stage, and while the view wasn't as good, the sound was MUCH better for that concert) This venue hosts numerous concerts, so I'm pretty sure that the sound is usually decent. It has to be, right? They couldn't regularly sell worthless tickets, right?

The lights and visuals were awesome, but sadly not worth much if the music isn't there to go with them. I would have been happier listening to Tim & Faith with absolutely no extra splash - if only I could have HEARD them.

The light show was worth a little something, though I hate to think that Tim & Faith have put that much into their show (heart and soul) and do not realize that the sound is so bad that their fans cannot hear or understand anything they are saying or singing. Because I have to believe they don't know what the show sounds like from out in the audience. It's either that or they're trying to impersonate rock stars instead of being the genuine people I thought they were.

Overall, it was a VERY disappointing concert - a waste of money, and a waste of time. And definitely not up to par with their past tours.

McGraw and Hill have been dominating the music charts since the early ‘90s. They began touring together in 1996 on McGraw’s Spontaneous Combustion tour. In 2000 they created the Soul2Soul franchise with their record-breaking “Soul2Soul” tour, becoming that year’s top grossing and most successful U.S. tour. Their success continued in 2006-2007 when “Soul2Soul II” returned to the road, which was the most attended tour of the year in any musical genre and remains the highest grossing multi-year North American tour in country music history. Pollstar Magazine named it their “Major Tour of 2006,” beating out Madonna, The Rolling Stones and The Red Hot Chili Peppers for the honor.  - Soul2Soul Tour

So, what did you do this weekend? I hear Garth Brooks was in Champaign...

Movie of the Week: No Strings Attached

Jeffrey and I have been seeing a movie practically every week.  We really like the Spotlight Movie Club, which lets us see select movies for $5 on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  It just occurred to me this morning that I ought to at least mention the movies we see each week and maybe even let you know what I thought of them.

Last night we saw No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.  This is not a movie that will ever be nominated for any awards or anything, but it was quite enjoyable.  I'm not sure why - it was just plain wrong on so many levels.  Some of the scenes were very funny, and some of the lines had the entire audience groaning/laughing out loud.  None of it was at all believable, I mean, people don't really act like that, do they?  Especially Adam's dad!   But maybe that's what made it fun - because it was obviously just entertainment.  

Natalie Portman is just adorable, and Ashton Kutcher is sweet.  The movie was entirely predictable and ended up exactly the way you know it's going to end, but getting there was quite enjoyable.

Related articles

• NO STRINGS ATTACHED Interview with Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Director Ivan Reitman and Screenwriter Liz Meriwether (collider.com)
• "Movie Review: No Strings Attached starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher (with trailer video)" and related posts (blogs.creativeloafing.com)

Speaking of that Date Night

Image by Beau B via Flickr

Brooks & Dunn are coming to Summerfest this summer.  Jeffrey and I decided we should see them since this is the Last Rodeo tour, and we probably won't get another chance.  Unless they pleasantly surprise us and decide to stay together, but I'm not holding my breath.

The tickets go on sale tomorrow, but I'm signed up for our local country radio station's email list, and they gave us a code to get tickets a day early.  So I went on line and bought tickets this morning.  What's up with all those fees?  I guess I just don't go to enough concerts to realize how many fees are tacked on when you buy your tickets online.  Oh well - we have tickets.  We're going to see Brooks & Dunn!

I've been a little obsessed all day, though, because I didn't quite understand the seating chart, and they really rush you to make a decision - so the tickets we got aren't exactly where I might have liked.  So I've been randomly looking to see what's available all day - to see if something better comes up.  I almost grabbed some, but I didn't really want to pay double for concert tickets or hope that I could sell the original ones - and probably eat those fees I was talking about.  So, I just have to make myself stop, because unless I start making more money with something like Article Marketing, and even if I do, I don't want to get stuck paying twice for tickets.

The good news is, we're going out, going to a concert, and we're going to see Brooks & Dunn before it's too late!  (and we've got a lot better seats than the person who took the photo at the beginning of this post)

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• Brooks & Dunn Officially Riding Into the Sunset (cmt.com)

Date Night at the Bradley Center

Jeffrey and I had a night out last night.  It was a real romantic date – to the Bucks game.  Originally, I wasn’t going to go.  Jeffrey called from work and wanted to know if I wanted to go, but I wasn’t terribly thrilled.  I’m not really a big sports fan.  Beth had to work, or she probably would have wanted to go.  So, she sent Cory a text at school and asked him if he wanted to go.  He said ‘sure’ and it was going to be a boys’ night out, and I was going to stay home alone.

Then Cory backed out because he has a Forensics meet coming up and he needed to practice with his partner.  So, I said I’d go so Jeffrey didn’t have to go alone.  Other people from work were going to be there, so he wouldn’t have been completely alone, but still…

He came home from work, picked me up, and we drove to Milwaukee, found a place to park near the Bradley center – free on the street because it’s better to walk a few blocks than pay $20 for parking.  Then we walked around the building trying to find something to eat.  There are definitely lots of things to choose from there.  Who knew going to a basketball game could mean you could end up needing  diet pills?  I ended up getting a burrito from Qdoba, and Jeffrey got a barbecue chicken sandwich.  Later, at half time we walked around again to get some roasted nuts – so good!  The almonds are the best, but the cashews and pecans were good, too.

It is interesting watching one of these basketball games.  The whole atmosphere is rather circus-like.  It amazes me that the players can even concentrate with all the noise and music going on around them.  Maybe it isn’t so loud down on the court?  Then during every time out or break in the game, something else happens down on the court – games, giveaways, dancing girls. 

The Bucks won the game, and it was a fun evening overall.  No, I wouldn’t pay $60 for the tickets, but if Jeffrey gets free tickets again, I’ll go with him again.

For Love and For Horses

The local radio station I listen to in the mornings has an online dating club, and one of their commercials was on the radio this morning. The young lady was explaining how hard it is to meet people, and the kind of men you might meet in a bar aren't necessarily the kind you'd choose for a long-term relationship. Not in so many words, but you know what I mean. It makes me so very thankful that I met my special someone when I was 12 - even though I didn't know or admit he was all that special until a bit later.

Luckily, there are more tools and resources available now to help singles meet. One I found out about today is called equestrian cupid. It's especially for horse-loving singles. If horses are your passion, it's a good place to meet others who share your interests. Find new horse riding buddies, find new trails and riding areas, and maybe find someone to share your love of horses and your life. Judging from the success stories, this site has helped quite a few people. It makes a lot more sense than walking into a bar and hoping you will have something in common with someone there.

Equestrian Cupid has online chat, equestrian forums, blogs, and equestrian news. They offer FREE sign-up, and it's totally free to place lifetime ads and contact hundreds of thousands of members. We have a lot of horses and trails around here. It wouldn't surprise me if several people from around here are already members.

The Rules

I got this in an email once and just today saw it again on one of my friend's LJs. I just had to steal it, but I did let her know!? Aren't these the rules all daddies should enforce?

Rule One:
If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them..

Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four:
I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a 'Barrier method' of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:
It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is: 'early.'

Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven:
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge . Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight:
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual themes are to be avoided; movies which feature chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.

Rule Nine:
Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten:
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi . When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit the car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

Darkyria - Love Different

Are you single and having trouble finding someone to share your interests? If your interests happen to be dark and metal music, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, then Darkyria might be for you. Hey, I like sci-fi and fantasy! Oh wait - I'm not single. I'll have to send this link to my brother.

Darkyria is the darkest friendship and matching coven for people like him, and you. You can register for free, create a profile, upload pictures, and use their matchmaker engine, called Cupid Angel. Cupid Angel helps you find out about other Darkyria members before you contact them. If you see someone you like, you can 'send them a wink' to let them know you are interested. Then send email or log on to a free video chat.

Darkyria.com : Love Different - for those looking to explore the dark side of love.

Tattooed Love

Even before I got my first tattoo, I was interested in looking at people's tattoos. There are so many really amazing ones, and I kept thinking that one of these days I was going to get one. I kept looking for a lot of years. Once I got one, I realized that they are addictive, and it's hard to stop at just one. Jeffrey hasn't found the right design, so he doesn't have one yet, but now that he's got the motorcycle, it's only a matter of time, right?

Now, if I was single and looking for someone new - someone with a hot tattoo, I'd have to check out these tattoo personals. People with tattoos or people who love tattoos post their profiles on this site in hopes of meeting someone who shares their love of tattoos. They say you should date someone who shares a common interest, so tattoo dating for people who love tattoos makes sense. After joining for free, tattoo lovers can browse profiles, add interesting people to their 'little black book' and send and receive messages. Perhaps they'll find true love and get each other's names tattooed on their bodies.

Goth Gathering

Every time we go to Summerfest - the World's Largest Music Festival, on Milwaukee's lake front - I tend to watch people. It always amazes me the variety of people, all in one place. One group I always notice is the black-clad, black eyeliner-wearing goth crowd. You can always find them, right there along the lake front, in a big group around some picnic tables. I always wonder, besides wondering how they can wear those long, hot-looking black clothes in the summer heat, how they know to meet there. Yes, besides the obvious, that they are always there. I bet quite a few of them have signed up online at gothscene.com, a gothic dating site. Right on the front page, they can search for members in their own area, then sign up for free and send messages or flirts to one another. I must admit, though, the member pictures on the front page are not exactly what I would consider candidates for goth dating, but what do I know? I'm sure there's more to being considered goth than just the outward look.

Please Call the Police

Saturday afternoon and night, Beth went to the State Fair with her boyfriend Tim. Actually, they went to the mall first and bought clothes, but that's beside the point. We told them to be back by midnight. The fair closed at midnight, but we didn't see any need for them to be out that late. Midnight was late enough.

Jeffrey and went to visit some friends and go to dinner. Cory stayed home because he had a date with an older woman - his friend Caro was in town, and they wanted to go get ice cream. Jeffrey and I ended up watching 300 with our friends and headed home later than we had intended. So, about 11:30 I called Cory to let him know we were headed home. Beth wasn't home yet, so I told him to have her call when she got there, so we'd know she was home. A few minutes before midnight, we got a call from home. I was expecting to hear Beth's voice, but instead it was Cory telling me that one of Beth's parents was supposed to call the police department. What? Not what I want to hear. I'm all worried something has happened, so, in the time it takes me to get the police officer on the phone, all kinds of horrible things are going through my head. Is she ok? What has she done?

Come to find out, they had stopped in the park, which closes at 11pm, so Tim could have a cigarette before bringing Beth home. So, since this car is parked where it shouldn't be, the police officer pulls up behind them to see what they are doing. Since Beth is a minor, he had to call us and let us know he had talked to her. Beth called soon after and we told her that we were almost home and would talk to her and Tim when we got home. What does it take to get through to them that, just because they don't have to be home before midnight, doesn't mean that they should try to pull into the driveway at exactly midnight. So you had some extra time. That's good. Being early is good. It shows that you are being responsible. Jeffrey also made sure that Tim understands that, even though he's not allowed to smoke in the house, if he really needs to have a cigarette, he can go outside. No, we don't agree with his smoking, but that's his problem. Just don't put yourself and our daughter into a bad position.

You know most of the problems they get themselves into is just that they don't think things through and realize what the consequences might be for their actions.

We Need Our Sleep

I've run across a couple blogs recently written by mothers of young children - babies and toddlers. Reading their blogs brings back all kinds of memories from when my kids were little, memories of breastfeeding and diapers and not getting enough sleep. This description of pumping breastmilk while at work, really made me laugh. Yep, I used to do that - though I didn't need power because the electric pump never worked for me. No, I just had to express by hand sitting in a bathroom stall. Hey, you do what you have to, right? Who needs to eat while on break, anyway?

Also, speaking of not getting enough sleep? My kids aren't little any more. They sleep through the night. Reading the experiences of some of these other moms makes me realize I was really blessed in that area. Both my kids starting sleeping through the night quite early - 8 weeks and 5 weeks old. I am thankful for that! Now, however, they are teenagers, and that means they don't want to go to bed at night. Ok if they're home, but this week Beth has had her boyfriend over, and we didn't make him leave until 11:00, which means we can't go to bed. You know, just to be sure he does leave when he's supposed to. Then last night they decided to go see a movie. The movie was supposed to start at 9:00, and Beth said it was a short movie - only an hour and 35 minutes.

She was supposed to call when the movie was over. When she didn't call, I went online and looked the theater up. The movie didn't start until 9:25, and it was 135 minutes - meaning the movie didn't get over until 11:40. We went ahead and went to bed. She called at about 11:45. Then, of course it was pouring out, so it took longer than the usual 30 minutes to get from there to here - and I couldn't go to sleep until I heard her come in.

Yeah, she's a teenager. She doesn't have to get up in the morning - though I do go in and wake the kids up around 9:00 or so because I don't think they should sleep all day. But, even though she doesn't have to get up, we do. Tim has to get up and go to work in the morning, too. I don't think she should be doing this again, at least on a weeknight. We'd like to get some sleep!