Moms’ Night Out
Make It a Moms’ Night In: Ten Easy Ideas
As a mom, you’ve likely played hostess for play dates, team dinners, scout meetings or sleepovers, but when was the last time you invited your friends over for some fun?
According to Brenda Mott, mother of three and owner and consultant of Momtourage (www.MyMomSupport.com), “Whether you are a new mom or an experienced mom, a stay-at-home mom or working mom, you are the caretaker for everyone in the family. Oftentimes you take little time to care for yourself. Moms’ nights provide social, emotional and intellectual stimulation that moms need to enhance their well-being.”
Amy Hilbrich Davis, mother of seven and founder and CEO of Inspiring Moms (www.InspiringMoms.com), agrees that spending time with friends is important. She further explains that it is important for moms to model healthy friendships. If moms want their kids to grow up with great friendships, they should be good role models. “If you treasure it, you make time for it,” insists Davis.
If you’re ready to schedule some fun, then read on for some creative ideas from Mott and Davis to make Moms’ Night Out a Moms’ Night In. You’ll save money and make memories.
- Play games. Have every mom bring her favorite game and spend the evening visiting as you play old and new games. Encourage everyone to bring a snack to share and no one will go hungry.
- Enjoy a dessert or dinner potluck. For added fun, base the food on a theme or culture.
- Host a movie night. Rent a great chick flick and laugh and cry together. Mott suggests serving ice cream after the movie so that moms have time to socialize.
- Throw an accessory party. “Everyone brings accessories they don’t use anymore and has a swap,” says Mott.
- Craft the night away. Find someone who can teach a craft such as knitting, embroidery or crocheting. Working on scrapbooks or making seasonal crafts is also good fun.
- Learn something new. Maybe you’d like to learn about gardening, self-defense or a new language. The sky is the limit. Find someone to help teach a new skill such as a local master gardener, or borrow a video from the library and have fun “playing school” with your friends.
- Give back to the community. Find an organization such as a women’s shelter that could use something you can assemble at home, such as a health care kit. Get your friends together to assemble and donate the items.
- Swap books. Invite moms to bring their favorite book and have them give a quick review. Take turns trading books so that everyone goes home with a new book.
- Cook together. Spend the night making a few different freezer meals. Assign different ingredients to each mom or have one mom buy all the ingredients and divide the cost. Set the meal prep up in an efficient assembly line and you’ll walk away with a few meals to feed your family and have had some great girl time. There are many helpful books and web sites dedicated to freezer cooking if you need some inspiration.
- Share your interests. Davis says that if you have “a core group of friends that truly care about one another, you’ll want to know what excites each other.” Take turns sharing your interests with your friends. Perhaps you’re interested in green living. Share your recipe for your favorite homemade cleaner. Maybe you love photography. Show your friends a new trick you learned to get the best shot. Everyone will leave learning a few new things and more important, you’ll get to know each other better.
So, what are you waiting for? Ask Dad, the grandparents or a babysitter to watch the kids and have fun. If you can’t make a nighttime activity work, take a cue from Rebble Kelsey, an Overland Park mother of three. While her kids are at school, she takes time for friends. They enjoy making jewelry while they visit. “Time with friends is that chance to see the beauty in other people that I would like to be part of. It challenges me to be better in the roles that I fill, but also reminds me not to take myself too seriously,” says Kelsey.
Elizabeth Welter lives in Olathe where she is hoping to invest more time in her friends.