Dating My Husband and Downton Abbey
Mari of Inspired by Family Magazine blog brought up a good point last month: the need to date our husbands again. It’s true. With three busy kids, we are great at coordinating the logistics of who picks up whom at what time, but after a day of running around, we are pooped. Our dinner-without-kids have been relegated to our anniversary and our birthdays. And when I got sick for my birthday dinner-without-kids, we still haven’t had time to reschedule.
As for movie night, we are even worse. We used to get out for a non-kid movie once a year (which isn’t much, I totally agree). But it’s been years since we’ve made time for dinner and a movie out. It takes so long that we are lucky to just eat dinner out.
Mari’s vision is to encourage our readers to get back to the basics by sharing simple and fun ideas to date our husbands, and just in time for Valentine’s Day! She has assembled a great group of mom bloggers and we hope you will share your ideas too!
Downton Abbey Stay-in-Bed Date with Your Man
My idea rides the Downton Abbey wave that is currently sweeping our country. I laugh because it was MY HUSBAND who got hooked. He felt a little embarrassed watching a “chick” show — it isn’t but that’s how he perceives it — and he wanted me to join him. Honestly, the TV he typically watches is not on PBS. It’s Barcelona soccer, golf, Jersey Shore, Anthony Bourdain shows like No Reservations (he likes snarky and foodie), and action flicks. Downton Abbey is the last show I would have guessed he would watch!
So I watched a few episodes with him and got hooked!
What is Downton Abbey? Think Real Housewives meets Masterpiece Theatre at the turn of the century in England. Drama. Lots of drama. Several romance storylines going on at all times. Great acting too. And, the appeal for Americans I think … is that you find British Aristocrats to be silly and fairly useless. They just seem to change their clothes all day. They don’t do any work to speak of. And they are proud of that. Makes you wonder how England avoided a communist revolution.
We used NetFlix for the first season and watched it in bed on a laptop after the kids went to sleep. We stayed up too late some evenings watching 3 episodes. Pace yourselves, people!
When we finished the first season, my husband found this site to watch Season 2.
Now we are caught up, so we are recording Season 3 to watch at our leisure. The TV for the DVR is not in our bedroom so that is the only downside. UPDATE: my husband found episodes on PBS that we can watch on the computer.
If you really want to step it up for your husband, make this traditional English Sunday Supper before you turn on the telly. A nice meal followed by a Downton Abbey marathon is a nice way to snuggle up this winter!
Please check out the other wonderful ideas for dating your husband. And please share your ideas by leaving a comment or linking up. Thank you!
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We’ve tried to have movie/TV nights after Dylan is in bed…but we are usually too pooped by the time that happens! We have whole seasons of TV shows on DVD but can’t seem to get together to watch. It doesn’t help that we don’t have a TV in our bedroom. We had one before Katrina, but after the storm we made the conscious decision to not have one. I didn’t want Dylan to see that we elevate the status of TV such that it was something we invited into our bedroom. It also makes the argument that he can’t have one in his bedroom a whole lot easier! That said, I wish we had one hidden in a closet we could bring out once in a while!
Hi Dee,
We are watching “TV” via our laptop using NetFlix or other means. That might be one easy way to get some movie/TV in for you without a TV. It works on an iPad too.
It’s nice to have a movie night date with my husband. We like do pick out a movie and watch one every Friday night once our son goes to bed. It’s nice to be able to just sit down and relax with each other too.
Hi Tanya,
That is wonderful you are getting a movie night once a week at home! It is nice to relax together and sharing a movie that you both nice is such quality bonding time!
I have to admit I’m kind of excited for the day when my oldest turns 12 (um, he’s 4 now, but who’s counting?), and he can babysit for us. The pain of getting a babysitter is perhaps the biggest reason why I don’t go on dates with my husband. However, I love your idea because you can go on a date but stay home to do it! We love Downton Abbey, too, although we haven’t watched any of Season 3 yet.
Hi Amy,
We found Downton Abbey Season 3 on PBS Channel … or at least my husband did so we are able to watch it now on our laptop. Getting a babysitter is a pain, especially if you don’t need one regularly. We have a few older kids in the neighborhood but they always seem to be busy. My oldest is now 13 so I pay her to babysit and also give some money to the younger siblings so that they listen to her. It adds up to less that what a babysitter would cost.
Other moms I know will do a play date “Night Out” swap. They take the kids with their kids so we can go out and then vice versa. That works too but not for us because we have 3 kids so it’s hard to find a family where it feels fair to dump off all 3 of my kids but if you have less kids, that is another good and easy way to get a babysitter squared away.
Oh my gosh! We did the same thing! We we got caught up in just a couple weeks – so addictive! Great date activity!!!
Hi Ann,
I’m glad to hear that Mr. Doodles and Jots watches Downton Abbey too. My husband did not want anyone to know that he watched it but I said, “Oops, already wrote it up so I am posting it. Don’t worry dear, no one will think less of you.” He finds his Downton Abbey addiction a little embarrassing! It IS a good drama though! Nothing to be ashamed of! We just watched the first two episodes of Season 3 last night. We had missed those.
I am tottally hooked! Love Downton Abbey! I have watched all episodes already and can’t wait for season 4…Someone told me Mr Selfridge is also good and kinda like Downton. I think next time I have some time I will get down to see it finally…
Haha, lucky you with husband liking british series! I don’ t think it happens a lot 😉
Hi Alexandra,
My husband so wanted to keep it under wraps that he likes Downton Abbey. But hey, the danger of knowing a blogger is that you get written into a post. It turns out that Doodles and Jots’ husband likes it too, so he’s in good company.
Mr. Selfridge sounds interesting. Let me know if you like it as much! We are finally caught up on Downton Abbey Season 3 but my husband says you can buy the DVDs for Season 4 already since they aired one year earlier in the U.K. I’m not sure we are going to do that but it’s very tempting!!!
We are so badly hooked on Downton Abbey. I refuse to make my husband a supper, but I would sit in bed and watch the show with him. I wouldn’t even mind eating scones in bed.
Good idea!!!
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Hi Dee,
Sorry about the annoying comment thing. Glad it helped. Watching TV via computer or iPad in bed is life’s great pleasure! Hope it works out for you. Do you have an iPad or laptop to try it out?
Love your Downtown Abbey date night – snuggling in bed with a favorite show can be very romantic!
Hi Jen,
We are truly enjoying our Downton Abbey date night in bed … can’t believe the season is over and with such a cliffhanger!