JuiceBoxJungle

Mommy Dates (and a Giveaway!)

Posted 6 months ago on Mom For Him

We have four girls who are close in age, and we like it that way. It makes a lot of things easier because they have a lot of the same interests and can share clothes and toys. We do almost everything together and encourage them to share so no one feels left out. This is great, but in such a busy household, we don’t have a lot of time to spend with each child one-on-one.

I received a MOPS email about a month ago that challenged me. It told the story of a mom with two girls who had the opportunity to take one alone with her on a trip, but didn’t want the other to feel left out. It wouldn’t be fair to take just one, would it? She decided to do it, and the other girl stayed home with Dad. Everyone had a great time and it gave her and her husband time individually with each girl. The challenge was to think of her girls as individuals, and not just as “the girls”, and to give them each focused time instead of always focusing on being fair.

Wow, that hit the nail on the head. We often try to be fair and we do often refer to them as “the girls”. I want to have a close relationship with each of my girls, and this challenged me to make the time to spend with them each individually. But how? It’s hard enough to make time for dates with my husband! How will I fit in one-on-one time with four kids?

As I prayed about it and Ted and I talked about it, it became clear that I just needed to TRY. So I’ve decided that “Mommy Dates” can be just taking one child with me to run an errand, for a walk around the block, or to check out a new store. Or sometimes I can take two at a time and then the other two can have a “Daddy date” at the same time. We don’t have to spend money or buy anything, and things don’t have to be fair or even. They think it is special to go on a “Mommy Date”, and I hope that it will help to build closer relationships with them as they grow. Cookie magazine suggested making “school year’s eve” resolutions, so this is one of mine. To spend some quality time with each of my girls (and my husband) on a regular basis.

Now for the giveaway! One reader will win a $5 Brinker’s gift card valid at Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, On The Border, or Maggiano’s. You can use it to take one of your kids (or your husband!) out for a date!

Everyone has up to four ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment about how you make time for dates with your kids, or with your husband, or just a creative idea of something fun to do that doesn’t cost a lot of money. This first comment is required to enter. Make sure your email address is listed in the comment or in your profile so I can contact you in you win. 2. Become a subscriber by email or RSS feed in a reader, then leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you are already a subscriber, just leave a comment reminding me that you already subscribe and which method you use (email or reader). Thanks for being a subscriber! 3. Become a follower. I added a widget on the right hand side of my blog where you can become a follower and your cute little picture will show up. After you’ve done so, leave a separate comment letting me know. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment letting me know. 4. Add MomForHim to your blogroll or add my new button to your blog’s sidebar. Then leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so with your blog address so I can come visit you! :-)

Any comments not following the above guidelines will be deleted. This giveaway will end on September 3rd at midnight, and I will choose a winner using random.org. The winner will be notified by email.