I am a big believer in date night, although I must admit, we don't always keep it sacred.  We have three teen boys and it seems like we are always shuttling them around to baseball, hockey, guitar lessons, to a friends, etc.  And we both drive to the next town for work. Many times, we don't always feel like driving anywhere (even if its to a nice restaurant) so one of our favorite date nights is to pick up take-out from this local Vietnamese place and watch one of the tivo-ed shows we rarely get to watch.  I know it sounds really lame but we love it and we get to connect.

That doesn't sound lame! It's all about what makes you happy and what you enjoy as a couple! I love it! I can imagine that the more hectic life gets the harder it is to motivate...but I'm glad you make the effort!

We have eight children ages 13-2, so we just take our date night at home.  The children go to bed early on Thursdays and we lock ourselves in our room and talk and watch tv and drink wine and eat something special.  Very cheap and very sacred. :)

PJ

We go frisbee golfing, snow boarding, to the gym, watch a movie or fav show, hike, fish, or just go out for drinks (coffee or alcoholic).  My fav date is when the hubs planned a sunset date.  He got me flowers, bought strawberries and champagne.  We talked and got bubbly until the sunset.

Date nights are very important, although DH and I haven't really had a date night since Claire was born. We do try to spend alone time together as much as possible. When we put Claire down at night, we will snuggle on the couch, catch up on our DVR'ed shows, read, or just talk. It's so nice, even if it's not a whole night out together, a hour or just a couple minutes of quality time really does keep our relationship strong!

My husband and I haven't been on a date in FOREVER! We made it a point to put down our work and spend time together the other night. My husband surprised me by renting a chick flick and brought home ice cream. We have a 10 month old who doesn't sleep well, so we stayed in and watched the movie together. It was nice.

We take mini-trips--we went to D.C. last fall, and on a random trip to Philly a few weeks ago.  We stay overnight--even in Philly, which is less than an hour away--to get away from life.  And we do this cheaply by booking cheap rooms online (and by cheap I mean 'we don't pay a lot for them' not 'they are crappy hotels'--we typically stay at the Marriott.  We get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner, and spend a day or two being tourists.  I write about all of our trips on my blog--here's the story of the most recent trip: http://elbodans.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/weekend-getaway/.  I think it is really important to have time away together to recharge, especially if you have kids--we don't--or if you have very similar jobs--we DO (we're both English teachers so, I guess technically we have a LOT of kids!)

I couldn't agree more Tracy! I love to get away with my husband even if it's for a weekend getaway. We used to do it a lot more and even just go into Manhattan and spend the night...with tightening budgets we've done it less, but some of my favorite memories are from getting away together!

My husband and I don't have kids yet, but we want to always make time to go on date nights. For now, we have opposite work schedules so we probably see each other less than if we had kids! But anyway, we go out to eat or to a movie. Sometimes we will go shopping or go someplace special but that's enough to keep us happy! Good food, good company, and good entertainment is key for us!

For all you Mrs. & Mamas who want to spice up Friday night dates with your Mr., you should visit The Dating Divas site!  It's were married friends all share their date ideas to help each other keep that spark alive in marriage.  www.thedahlingdatingdivas.blogspot.com  One of the best gifts and foundations you can give your kids is the secure feeling that Mom and Dad love each other and are dedicated to each other and the family no matter what.  I LOVE dating my husband and three boys keep us busy, but we make time!  I love the replies that talk about making time together special even if it's hiding in the bedroom or taking a drive together.  Quality time is what it's all about.  Love it!