Tim and I have been lamenting about the fact that we never took the advice that was given to use REPEATEDLY by moms and dads who came before us: hire a babysitter AT LEAST once a month. We were told again and gain, “You can’t afford not to.”

So true. And yet, we couldn’t seem to come up with the money to pay a babysitter AND pay for dinner and/or a movie. So even though we couldn’t afford NOT to, we still couldn’t seem to afford TO do it!

But we knew something had to give this past February when we realized that our last date had been in early November, when my mom was visiting us…and we had no prospects for another date until the end of March, when my mother-in-law would be coming to visit. It makes NO sense for us to only have dates when our parents come to town!

Then, we decided to think a bit more creatively about the time we DID have. You see, twice each week, Darah is away from home from 9-2 at a parent’s day out program. Tim is still able to come home for lunch on those days. In the past, we have spent that time vacuuming and mopping the floors, taking out the trash, and cleaning the kitchen. And that was a very good thing to do. But we realized that an even BETTER thing to do would be to have a lunch date twice each month on one of those days. The childcare is already covered, and the menu prices are typically lower at lunch.

The only down side is that the dates are brief, but since we were used to having NO time together, this has been a huge improvement! We are getting to try out some fabulous restaurants in Chattanooga and just have some quality time together. We are also committed to finding a babysitter in the near future so that we can go on a date longer than 50 minutes in the near future. But I’m glad we’ve made this small change, as it is making all the difference!

Now I’d really like to hear from you. Have there been any “little switches” you have made so that you can have more quality time with your partner? Any tips and tricks for other readers, to help them find the time where none seems to exist, at first glance? We still have a lot to learn, so I, for one, am all ears!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”