a babysitter or grandparent to babysit for us at least once a month to go out and enjoy dinner, a movie, or just a night away from the kids. Now that they are older, it is so much easier leaving them for a few hours to recharge. I loved those nights but definitely don’t think I appreciated them as much as I should have. Trust me though, after three months of being together in our home every moment, I do now.

On top of all the extra pressures quarantine provided such as working from home while teaching your kids, losing your job (or being laid off), trying to maintain a business, homeschooling your children, finding care for your children, disinfecting everything and anything, and so much more … the majority of us didn’t spend a waking moment without our children in tow. Not only was that time difficult for kids, it was also hard finding any kind of way to recharge as a couple. With the stress so high for so many reasons sometimes the only person you can lash out at is your partner. Finding that time to reconnect and make time for each other is important but may have been put on the back burner with everything else happening in our world. During lockdown, without being able to go out or leave our children with anyone, we still managed to have mom and dad time once a week when the kids would have movie night. Our time was almost always interrupted by someone or everyone joining – our card game, board game or new puzzle. I’m sure most parents can relate, during those months there was no such thing as date night, alone time, or recharging as a couple.

After three months, this past weekend our children spent a night with grandparents. It was so weird. The house was quiet; there were no needs to meet, no shouts of “mom,” no fights to break up, no supper to cook. It was finally a real opportunity to connect as a couple, make time for each other, focus on catching up and just relaxing. We are definitely hoping for another night like this this summer, but even if we don’t get one (sans kids), the question is and continues to be: what can you do for a date night when so many entertainment options are still closed?

Here is a list of simple ideas I came up with that you can do together as a couple, while staying close to home;

Sit out by a fire, play lawn darts, washers, horse shoes, visit a lake or beach, pack a picnic, take a bike ride on the PPJ, start a new puzzle, play an old favourite board game (watch out if you’re competitive though, Monopoly boards have been known to get thrown over here), play a card game, have a Netflix marathon, watch an old movie, or a movie you’ve always wanted, visit the drive-in (we did this for the first time ever, check out Pembroke’s drive-in, it was great), go for a drive on the back roads, relive memories from your childhood (old farms, old homesteads, finding new roads and new ways to get to places you go all the time), go for walk, get an ice cream, go for a hike or watch a sunset (or sunrise). Regardless of what you choose to do, I hope you have the opportunity to have some time alone to recharge as a couple.

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