Date night with a baby

Before we talk about our super romantic date night I have a brilliant idea for you.  Let’s say you want to get together with your girlfriends and eat the most delicious plate of happiness ever.  All you have to do is say, “Let’s make a salad bar and everyone bring different items.”   I promise you, you will not be disappointed with the result.  Not to brag or anything (actually I am totally going to brag) but this was all my idea.  

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Hard-boiled eggs, guac, chicken, veggies, spinach, feta, fruit, sunflower seeds, homemade poppyseed dressing… it was a magical afternoon.  Isn’t it crazy how eating this kind of stuff for lunch makes your body feel a million times better than when you eat candy for lunch;)

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We also dove into the pumpkin bread with dark chocolate that I brought and don’t be deceived by that small looking piece, I had 12 pieces right after. 

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This cutest little girl decided that the sunflower seeds belonged on the floor.   Kids make lunch time a million times more fun.

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After lunch (yeah…. it took us 3 hours to ‘eat’ lunch) Brooke and I ran a few errands and before we knew it Billy got home.  I am severely worried that BIlly is her favorite.  I might not even sleep tonight because of this.  

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We really want to get back in the habit of having a date night once a week.   Two problems with going out for date night:  I am not ready to get a babysitter for at least 8 more years and going out to eat gets really expensive.  So instead we have decided to have late night date nights.  Brooke actually went to bed at 7:25 and so that is when we started our date night.

This is Brooke approximately 12 minutes before she went to bed.  

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We made Billy’s favorite meal.  Ribs.  

The other really awesome part about date night at home is that we cook the meal together.  We first put the ribs (from Costco) in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes and while that was cooking we made the bbq sauce (1 cup brown sugar, 2 cups ketchup, 1/2 cup bbq sauce, 2 tbs worcestershire sauce and 1 onion sautéed in 2 tbs butter) and then topped the ribs with the sauce and broiled them on high for about 10 minutes.  They were perfect and because I am a nerd I figured out that each plate only costed us $3 and eating ribs at a restaurant would have cost at least 50 times that much (that is just what I am telling myself so I feel like I am doing really good at saving money).

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We ended the night with the least romantic television show in the history of the world.  Prison Break.  I don’t know why I continue to watch this show, I feel so stressed out throughout the entire thing.  Billy had a Pellegrino and I had more pumpkin bread.

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Married/engaged/relationship peeps:  How often do you have a date night?  Where do you usually go for date night?  Who plans the date night in your relationship?

Is there a show or movie that stresses you out to watch?  Anyone else seen Prison Break?

What are your favorite toppings at a salad bar?

What is the best part about your Friday?

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81 comments

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Those ribs look delicious! What an inexpensive way to have a great date night :D. I’ve never seen Prison Break, but am currently on season 4 of Breaking Bad and that show definitely has some pretty intense moments! The best part of my current Friday situation is no classes! Have a great day!

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ahh I love Prison Break! Which season are you on?

I’ve been watching 24 on netflix and that stresses me out ha.

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I love the idea of date night- way to keep the spark in marriage alive :)!

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Mmmm I love roasted tofu, tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, kale, and artichoke hearts. The whole food salad bar is such a treat

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Prison Break is soooooo good! I also was stressed out the whole time watching it…I don’t think that ever changes in any of the seasons of the show. My husband and I just finished it a month or so ago. Enjoy! You’ll love it too!

Happy Friday!

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Awww Brooke is so cute! Her smile is contagious.

Our goal was date night every 6 weeks, I think we have done 1. However, we do what you did–every Saturday night we are home together, we pop in something to watch together and make something good to eat, much cheaper than going out.

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I love the salad bar idea. That sounds like so much fun.

Mike and I usually do an unofficial date night once a week or so.

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We almost always go out to dinner on our date nights. Not very creative but it works and we know we’ll always find romance over a good meal. :)

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Favourite toppings at the salad bar: beets (baked, not pickled!!), dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds. Mmmmm!!
The best part of my Friday is that I’m not working the overnight shift and will be able to either take a nap after work, go to bed early, or both (most definitely both!! — I know. I’m too cool!!)
I LOVE Brooke’s expressions — she’s going to be such an enthusiastic child!! And you looked super cute all gussied up for your date night (not that you don’t usually, but you can tell that you added some za-za-zoom to your everyday look!).

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Brooke’s smile is amazing!
Prison Break and 24 used to stress me out so bad! Thank goodness we had the seasons instead of watching on tv week by week!

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Prison Break stressed me out too when we watched it. This spring we watched the entire serious, sometimes it would be a whole season in a weekend!

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We try to do date night once a week and we alternate who gets to choose where we go, but there are a few places that are off limits (ex. bbq- limited vegetarian options).
The Office and similar shows stress me out- the awkwardness makes me nuts. I’ve yet to watch Prison Break.
Favorite salad bar toppings: Avocado, nuts, blue cheese/gorgonzola, artichokes, apples or pears.

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We used to try to do date night every other week, but my husband is in the middle of midterms, so I don’t try to push my luck.

I used to love Prison Break, but it all went downhill once the finally busted out of prison. Michael is SOOO hot.

Lastly, I’m going to my race expo today AND I have a girls night planned. Friday doesn’t get much better!

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Prison break was the most stressful time of my life!!!! Some nights Dave (hubby) wanted to watch it and I’d be all, “ummmm, I’m not in the mood for serious right now, I can’t get invested this moment.”
It took us about 7 months to get through the entire series (on Netflix). Where are you right now?? I’m SO glad I finished it, but season 3 is really difficult and depressing.

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Favorite salad bar topping: pickles, tomatoes and olives.

I’m engaged, and I feel like every day is a date night. I know that will change eventually … but, with no kids, we are always either making dinner together or going out to dinner or a movie.

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I agree! I think being engaged is like a year-long date night, haha (and I love it!)

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Haha! I feel the same way! It’s like we started this new chapter in our life and everything is all fresh again :-) Love being engaged!

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I don’t actually watch all that much TV, but any kind of scary movie or show totally stresses me out. I think the last horror movie I watched was The Ring back in like 2002 or something, and after not being able to sleep well for a month, I swore off the freaky stuff for good. I’ll stick to Disney, thank.you.very.much ;)

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I LOVE Prison Break!! I think that we got through all of the seasons in about a month… :) Brooke’s little cheeks are way too cute!!!

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I can’t remember the last time that my boyfriend and I got a date night. He is traveling so much these days that when he does come home he wants to catch up with me and the kiddos. I see that as a good thing though:-)

My favorite salad topping is hard. I also think that it changes constantly. I love chickpeas! Hummus is currently my choice salad dressing.

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Prison Break was the one show that both my husband and I could watch together. It does get a bit repetitive but its so suspenseful.

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Brook’s face in that picture is priceless!! My fiance and I don’t have enough date nights for sure. We’ve been trying to save money on going out so we’ve been having a lot of nights in instead- which like you said is fun if you get to cook together. :)

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We plans each other surprise date nights every other month but we still go on dates other times too just don’t really call them that.
I was just saying last night that Vampire Diaries does! haha
Avocado/guac if they have it!
We are having pizza for lunch at work! Shh don’t tell my husband ;)

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Our date nights are very similar. I usually plan and either cook for Matt or we cook together. But I always do dessert by myself and never let him know what it is more than 2 minutes before I serve it. I watch Dexter and am stressed the whole time I am watching. I have no idea why I keep watching because it really casues crazy anxiety. Also, hands down, best salad topping is avocado. Second, hard boiled egg.

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I love your date night idea! Since having babies it has been so hard to have frequent date nights… for the very reasons you mentioned and so many more, but I love the thought of just doing it after they are in bed!

LOVE the photo of Brooke laughing, adorable.

I am on day #3 of staycation and am loving every second of this Friday at home with my babes.

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That salad bar is a GREAT idea! It all looks so yummy!
My boyfriend and I don’t really have too many date nights, but when we do, we usually plan them together and go out to dinner. I like the idea of cooking together, though. Fun and Cheap? Yes, please! ;)

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I’m engaged, and since we live together and don’t have kids, every night is pretty much date night! We sit down to dinner together almost every single night. As far as going out, well, that doesn’t happen as often because we’re saving up to buy a house and we’re having a wedding in 10 months, so money is tight! That’s why I consider every night we sit down to dinner together date night!

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Love the salad bar idea! I’m married and we don’t do date night nearly enough….maybe once every couple of months. I need to do better, I had already been thinking that we should go out soon. Have a great weekend!

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I just finished the first 4 seasons of Damages on Netflix. That show stressed me out big time. If anyone hasn’t seen it, they need to start it right away. I couldn’t stop watching. And I’m married. We don’t get date nights very often, but when we do we tend to go out to eat and to a movie. It’s still our favorite night out.

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In our first year of marriage my husband & I were soooo obsessed with Prison Break! It’s such a fun memory from that time in our lives now :)

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oh date night… it hardly EVER happens around here… work, school…kiddos.. its hard but really try to get out of the house sometimes.. even if you two just go walk around the mall or a run.. Seriously. it will do wonders to your relationship. Brent and I NEED to work on that.. so we are going to vegas for the weekend with no kids! I’m kind of freaking out.. Ive never left them a whole weekend with someone but I know they are in good hands. I’m excited to just get away for a little bit though. Momma needs it! ;)

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Hubby and I just had our second date night since baby! I must say…it’s hard…hard to leave baby, and hard to reconnect again with hubby! BUT it is soooo needed. We are going to try and do this once a week. Expressing milk is the best thing ever – a bottle means our ticket for a night out. We alternate who picks each date…and we too just keep it simple! When I come home I feel refreshed and renewed, ready to love my little and my big man so much more!

Also- love love love the salad idea!! So fun!

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Not to sound bitter, lame, or womp womp about it, but, the best thing about Friday nights is that I can do whatever I want with zero obligation :) This usually involves TV and blanket time after work and the gym, and I go to bed early so I can get up and knock out a long run. Minus the long run tomorrow because I’m a week out from my first marathon! Taper/rest/yay.

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I don’t think we “technically” have date nights. Except for work, we do EVERYTHING together so it’s almost like we’re on a date all the time!

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I was the same way with prison break! I kept saying I was going to stop watching it but then I kept coming back for more. It totally had me hooked and I watched all of the seasons on Netflix in a couple months.

Our date nights are usually similar. We put the baby to bed and then start our at home date night after that.

The best part about this Friday is that it means it is the weekend and my mom is coming into town!!!!! Yay!

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Salad bar pot luck is genius!

We have two kids (5/3) and it is hard for us to have weekly date nights, which is generally okay with me. We try to do something about once a month and it usually involves going out to eat and maybe to a movie…or during the holidays maybe going to a concert or holiday themed event. Also, our kids do go to daycare a couple days a week, so when Hubby gets home we try to go for a walk or bike ride together before going to get them.

LOVE prison break! Such an intense show. I also love CSI: Miami and Reba!

Fave toppings: cheese, peppers, onions, sunflower seeds and EVOO

Best part of Friday is that we are leaving our kids with parents and going out with friends from college to Dave and Busters and staying overnight in a hotel!

Are you back to running at all yet? I am hoping to get another long run in before it gets too cold here for me to keep running outdoors…

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Ohhh…I loved Prison Break! Michael is very nice to look:) It is stressful and sometimes outrageous at times but I loved every show. Took me 4 months to watch but worth it!

Best part of the salad bar: hard-boiled eggs because I am too lazy to make them at home.

Best part of Friday: 1/2 day at work:)

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We don’t get out all that often, though we have two “date days” this month, both of which are running events (including a half marathon tomorrow!) :) My kids are 8 and 6 and we have yet to hire a babysitter, partly because we don’t go out much, but also because we are lucky to have both of our families here in town, so usually we can find a willing grandparent to help out. Since my kids are school aged, sometimes my hubby will come home early and we will sneak out for lunch and a matinee, because we are cheap like that :)

Dexter is my stressful show…I love it, but am always so worried that he is about to get caught!

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Ha! Date night happens once a month, if our schedules allow. Having kids mean we appreciate that one night together so much more. Most times we plan for a date and the kids crash because “it sounds like so much fun and we miss you!”

Friday is amazing because it means two whole days with my loves. And I can sleep later then get in a long run without feeling pressed for time.

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Right now I’m obsessed with peas and Parmesan cheese on my salad! (And other things, but those are key!)

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That’s so nice to hear about doing a date-night. I definitely think it’s important!

That salad really DOES look amazing.
What’s more amazing is Brooke’s face before going to sleep. Soooo adorable!

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We do “Date night” once a week and it alternates who gets to chose. Yesterday I chose bowling and BBQ. I had a deal chicken for the dinner and the bowling was cheap.
Salad Bar toppings: egg, bacon, ranch.
Best thing about Friday: I haven’t decided yet.

The Kidless Kronicles

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I am married, but we don’t have kids yet, just 2 fur babies so it’s a lot easier for us to go out and have a date night. Honestly though, we used to do it a lot more but it just gets so dang expensive when we can cook virtually the same thing at home for half the price!

Before I knew how to cook we went out a lot more. The only thing we really go out for is sushi because I don’t know how to make that :)

The best thing about my Friday is that I have a 5K tomorrow and I’m really excited to eat pasta, lay on the couch, and watch a movie tonight so I can relax before my race! :) Do you ever run 5Ks or do you just like the longer distances? You’re so fast, I would think you would love 5Ks!

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My girlfriends and I do a supper club every month and we did salad bar theme awhile ago and it is still my all time favorite theme! This is making me think we may need to repeat it….

I just started watching Revenge on Netflix and it is starting to stress me out! Such a good show though!

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When we were first married we’d have weekly date nights (usually our fav seafood restaurant or try something new) but since I’m pregnant now and exhausted by the end of the day, we enjoying cooking together and relaxing while watching football. We don’t really watch shows but both are huge NFL fans.

Fav salad toppings are beets, dried cranberries or really any berry.
Its’ FRIDAY!! Luckily its a more quiet day on the work front, I have my 22 week pre natal appointment so get to hear his little heart beat again (can’t get enough of it) and decorating the house for my hubby’s birthday which is tomorrow.

Have a great day:)

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This is so cute that you still do this! It is a great idea. Looks like a blast!

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we try to do a date night once a week which without kids (well, besides the husband) is relatively easy to do.

live tv shows stress me out a little especially when it starts to have the awkward silence.

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What a cute idea for date night!

I love the idea of a BYO salad bar too, I bet you can get so much good stuff from friends!

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You should try the ribs from Trader Joe’s! The baby back ribs are the best.

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Since my boyfriend is also in SCU Law and I’m still a student, we do date nights at his home or my home (we still live with our parents, hehe). It usually involves Netflix and take-out. Once in a while, we’ll go big with some sushi.

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I love the idea of bring an ingredient to make a salad bar! I’m totally going to do this with my friends!

Favorite salad toppings are pickles!

Best part about my friday = knowing that we are putting up our Christmas tree in the morning!

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SPEAKING of date night…I told my hubby last night that we need a movie theatre date before our baby comes (I’m due in 2 weeks!!!!!). So I think we’re either going to go tonight or by next week at the latest!!!

That picture of Brooke’s excitement to see Billy makes my heart melt. I can’t wait for my little baby to be that excited!! Also love the salad bar idea…ugh, I think I need to call my friends over right now!!!

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Our oldest is 9 years old, with #5 on the way and we have never had “regular” date nights out. We go out probably 2-3 times a year and it’s always family watching the kids. We do however have date night “in” on Saturdays where we put the kids to bed and bring Cafe Rio home and watch a movie or tv.

Prison Break is very addicting and stressful. I started skipping parts and episodes in seasons 3-4 because they weren’t as good, but I just wanted to know what happened!

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My boyfriend and I go out to eat every once in a while. I guess a date night for us would be dinner and a movie (haven’t done this in foreeeeever) or bowling! Sometimes we just stay in and make dinner which I think is way better than going out to eat. And then he does the dishes which is awesome. :D

Walking Dead sometimes stresses me out. Especially when the zombies are right behind a character and I’m like “TURN AROUND!!!!”

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My husband and I are like 3 episodes away from finishing Prison Break…definitely stressful!

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I’ve heard Prison Break is awesome, although I’m wondering how they kept things interesting after he, you know, breaks out of prison? Or did that not happen?

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I had to stop watching Prison Break because I was so anxious while watching it! haha

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We try to have date night once a week, but it can be hard because we mostly have opposite work schedules. We either cook together or go out. Tonight we are going out for date night :)

TV shows like Criminal Minds sometimes stress me out.

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Our tried and true date night is the 29th of every month since we got married on a 29th. We have not missed one yet and it has been years! We alternate on who plans them, and some of our favorites have been the mid week cook together ones like you just had.
One of my absolute favorite traits about Chris is that after all these years he still knows how to date me.

I cannot get enough avacado on salads right now.

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You two are too cute with your date night – what a great idea to save $$!

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Love this! We usually go out on dates at least once a week, but lately we’ve been really indoorsy. Usually we take turn planning or just make it up as we go! (:

Salad has to be one of the most magical foods ever. I LOVE sprouts and cucumbers on mine!

Annnnd, my favorite part of Friday’s is that tomorrow is Saturday/ Thank you rebecca black… (:

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I loved prison break!
Haven’t had a date night in a very long time! Might drop the kids off with the grandparents and have a date night/Christmas shopping night.

I love eggs and pecans and cucumbers in my salad. With a creamy ranch dressing yum!

We r cleaning house tonight and grocery shopping for a party we r hosting on Saturday!

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How fun! And that salad bar looks amazing!!!

We have a date night every week almost, but we don’t have any kids. We usually do either a fun dinner at home & then an activity, or go to a cabin, or go to a movie or rent one & cuddle. Sometimes we’ll go get fro yo or play games with another couple. We’re pretty chill :)

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i would love to have more date nights than we do. my daughter is 11 and she’s old enough to stay home, however, i don’t like leaving her home by herself, especially at night for some reason. then, i feel guilty about leaving her while we go out and have our fun. i feel like i’m neglecting her and that it’s not fair that she’s not with us…… geeze, the guilt trip of being a mom. :)

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Gah… date night is kind of hard to come by around here. Hubby is a resident (in pediatrics!) so his schedule can be kind of wonky. Some months we get lots of good “us time” in, others we don’t. This month, we’ll have a bunch of time. We do fun things like bike rides, rock climbing, movies, making dinner, watching movies & such. Some months like last month we’re lucky if we see each other for a couple of minutes some days. Literally. He was on nights so our schedules were exactly opposite, and he didn’t have weekends off either.

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24 stressed me the heck out, especially watching it week to week. Gah. Just can’t do that with awesome shows. We’re recording Dexter and saving to watch them all once the final episode is done. :)

Haven’t really had a date night with the husband in a while. hmm.

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MMM ribs! haven’t had them in ages, I need to correct that ASAP!
my bf and I have a date night probably once every 2 weeks or something, we have a few fav restaurants that we generally rotate between, we are very much creatures of habit. We both plan, changing who decides the restaurant every time.
Anything scary or coppish before bed! I’m a baby and if I watch anything semi scary or realistic like those detective shows I normally can’t sleep… my poor boyfriend, they are his favourite and I make him record them and watch when i’m not around.
My favourite part of fridays is knowing the next day is saturday and I get to sleep in… so sad I know!

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the salad bar idea is definitely getting used immediately especially since i am the type of person who considers anything on a bed of lettuce to be a salad

the boyfriend and i don’t really plan date nights. we will plan on seeing each other and then one of us will just be like “hey wanna go get some pumpkins and carve them?” or “hey wanna drive an hour and a half north to go to that micro pig farm?”

ive never watched prison break but i do watch the walking dead which is very unnerving to watch alone and thus can only watch it with my boyfriend and turn my head away every 2 seconds while saying “is it over yet?” I swear I like it though.

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We’re having a date night tonight too! We haven’t been out on too many dates lately because of our busy schedules and my digestive issues buttt I can’t wait to bring them back! Tonight we’re thinking of watching Modern Family reruns and making chocolate pumpkin peanut butter cups ;)

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Our favorite thing to do on the weekends is stay in, order takeout, curl up on the couch, and watch movies. We enjoy dining out, but try to stick to doing so only on the weekends, for both $ saving and health reasons.

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Oh date night-we never used to get those.My family is on the East coast and we are here in Marin County!My daughter is almost 13(son is 6) so she can babysit-so we have been going out every couple weeks-always real close by and after my son goes to bed so she doesn’t have to do much.So nice!!!Yeah,we went years without regular date nights-just the occasional babysitter.
Well-we were regularly watching our beloved Giants-so now we have to find something else between November and April!!!
Ribs look amazing!!!

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I’m dating….pretty serious boyfriend. Date nights happen sporadically. We’re pretty much even as far as planning the date. (He always drives though…he’s got the cooler car!)

I stress out when I’m watching sports! Sooo exciting!!

Salad bar toppings: Crab (or “krab”), yellow & red bell peppers, hard boiled egg whites, green beans, beets…..okay, okay, I’ll stop!!

The best part of my day today has been meeting my boyfriend for lunch….though, I may get a chance to run and bake later…..three of my favorite things!! Enjoy your chocolate egg!!

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Ha! You are going through all the shows that I went through on netflix too! My fiance got obsessed with Prison Break right after we finished Friday Night Lights. Also loved Mad Men, Lost, & The Killing. All shows that you have to watch at least 6 episodes at a time.

Also that salad bar lunch looks heavenly.

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so this is my first time commenting…i love your blog! haha, but i just HAD to say that Prison Break is the best. LOVED it! the hubs and I are now hooked on Once Upon A Time, and Merlin. seriously dang good. we watch em on Netflix(streaming).

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We do date nights with our toddler. Family date nights! But we do get to get out by ourselves occasionally.
We watched the all of the seasons of Prison Break in record time! We couldn’t stop ourselves.

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Very cool idea, as we are due with our first baby in 3 months we’ll be jumping on that bandwagon :)
We often do a Friday night date night where we get a DVD and either go out for dessert or get yummy treats to have at home with the DVD. We’re such Nanas this is about as fun as it gets but we love it. And sometimes we bring our mattress into the lounge for a sleep over. Treat city!

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I bet you could do a trade off thing with your friends, even if you just stay at home.

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Date nights are a MUST. We trade off babysitting with our neighbors for date nights. I generally plan the date nights, which sometimes irritates me if I think about it too much lol. We generally go out to eat or something so we can chat. I usually indulge in wine. ;) One time we did go hiking and that was awesome (no wine while hiking).

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Oh, and I am totally going to steal your salad bar idea for our running club potluck next Friday!! So Hah!

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We actually just started having date night last week–my brilliant idea:) The plan is to switch off every week planning what we do and trying to keep it a secret all week long (my husband is horrible at keeping secrets, so we’ll see!) Unfortunately this weekend we are both not feeling so hot so date night was cancelled until next weekend:(

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Married 13 years, and we had date night all summer long once a week. We chose different places to eat and usually ended the night with a scary movie. We like those kinds of movies. We only do the regular date nights in the summer, when we can afford it. I think my favorite topping is the dressing…I found a ceasar vingerette I love by kraft that is really low in suger. I do the same, steak for my family of four costs less than fast food for four if we cook at home.

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