When was the last time you had a night out without the kids? Is it the planning or the cost that keeps us from planning a regular date night... $20 for 2 to see a movie, $75 for dinner and then another $50 for a babysitter... or another night at home on the couch with a $5 movie rental and take-out? Parents need to get out and enjoy some adult time outside the house and it does not have to be expensive. Check out the Parent Perks for discounts on movies, theater and restaurants!

Date night ideas
Try something different each week whether it is going to dinner, packing a picnic, taking a walk on the beach...

• LOCAL EVENTS
  Fiesta Ranchera is this Thursday at the Stow House! Don't miss this great adult night out and the start of FIESTA... Sample food from local restaurants and award winning local wineries and bars. Dancing under the stars to SB cover band, Area 51. Details & tickets
  Attend the annual adults-only Celebración de los Dignatarios or Recepción del Presidente to celebrate Old Spanish Days Fiesta
• THEATER
  Buy SEASON TICKETS to a series of shows at one of our theaters.
  Local theaters include: PCPA, The Lobero, The Granada, SB Theatre or UCSB Arts & Lectures
  Enjoy a movie and take advantage of Tuesday bargain nights at the Movie Theatre
• CLASSES
  Take a parenting class through Family Fuel
  Take a class in art, dance, music, cooking, or communication class together through
  the City of SB Parks & Recreation or SBCC Continuing Education
• DINING & COOKING
  Enjoy a fabulous dinner at one of our local RESTAURANTS
  Prepare some meals together at Dream Dinners
  Go for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and then wander around town or through the bookstore.
  Pick up a picnic meal at Gelson's, Whole Foods, or Pierre Lafond and head to the beach.
• EXERCISE & SPA
  Get in shape together and set up night to go workout as a couple. Follow it up with a massage.
  

Need a sitter?  Often the one thing stopping us from a night out is finding someone to watch our kids. If you do not have family in town, consider doing a date night swap with another family. They take all of the kids ones night and you reciprocate the next time. You can also try our classifieds to find great babysitters.

In-home dates... Before we had our first child we really thought that we would be the kinds of parents that would get a babysitter and make "date night" happen at least once a month. Once reality set in we found ourselves too exhausted those first few months to make those dates happen. By the time our first child was about 6 months old we we were ready to see movies or have dinner out without our little one so we began the process of finding a sitter that met our expectations. We were so fortunate to meet a wonderful college student who was great with our baby and we felt good about making nights out a priority. Once we had our second child, our sitter graduated from college and those date nights became a thing of the past as we found it more difficult to find someone who could take care of an 18-month old and an infant; however, we knew how important that couple time was so we started in-home dates... These require a little bit of preparation and sometimes a little creativity, but you can have a fabulous time spending quality time with your partner in your own home! Once you get the kids to bed, here are some ideas for in-home dates:

• Candlelight dinner in the backyard or dining room
• Don't cook -- get your favorite take-out and just enjoy it
• Get a DVD and watch the first movie you watched together
• Make a mix CD or playlist of your favorite songs to enjoy throughout the evening
• Splurge on special cheeses, wine, fruit and dessert

We'd like to introduce you to Michael Hagler, our MVP dad. Michael's wife, Cara OCallaghan, told SBParent.com about her husband, "Michael is the dad every kid wants to play with! He is super involved in our son, Zaiden's, life."  Read more >>

Some fun evening outings have started this week including ZOOVIES this evening where you can enjoy a movie under the stars. Scroll down for a list of activities.

Below is only a partial list of upcoming events and activities so be sure to click on our EVENT CALENDAR so you do not miss anything >>

Use the PARENT PLANNER to click on events and resources you are interested in and click PRINT MY PLANNER to print or email your list.

Camp Calendar | School Schedules | Movie Showtimes

Click here to view restaurants & takeout >>       
Click on the business names below to go directly to their websites.