Valentine’s Day is traditionally spent going out with your significant other, enjoying a fancy meal and going to a movie or a show.
But let’s face it, that’s not always the case when you are a parent.
This Valentine’s Day, the Huber boys got to go on a fun North Fork date with their ol’ mom and dad. Instead of a dinner and a movie night with my husband, we opted for a movie and lunch date for the whole fam.
They picked the entertainment and what they wanted to eat; we just picked the restaurant.
The first step, as with any date, was preparation. Since Brian’s hair was starting to look like sideburns and Evan couldn’t see, we decided the boys needed to look their best for a day out on the town. We took them to Tailored Male in Cutchogue for haircuts and lollipops. Taking them to the barber usually drives me crazy, but I found that bringing iPads, complete with Plants vs. Zombies usually sweetens the deal.
Our next stop was O’Mally’s in Southold for lunch. The restaurant recently reopened, and like some of the other kid-approved restaurants mentioned here, it has a kids’ menu. Evan had his usual hot dog, and Brian, Bill and I had burgers. I’ve never heard Brian rave about a burger (or any food for that matter) like he did about his cheeseless bacon burger. Also, I discovered that he is a big fan of steak fries. One more food I can add to the “approved” list.
Our final destination was Mattituck Cinemas for the 3:30 p.m. showing of “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.” By then, it had started snowing heavier, so a movie was a perfect way to end our date. We’ve been fans of SpongeBob for a few years now, since the kids transitioned from the Nick Jr. channel to regular Nickelodeon. We loaded up with popcorn and water and everyone enjoyed a good laugh.
If dates go really well, they typically end with good night kisses. Brian and Evan each got them when we dropped them off at Grammy and Pop-Pop’s for a Valentine’s sleepover. The roads were getting worse from the snow, so Bill and I enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner at home.
If you’ve been home, frustrated by the cold and snow, take your kids out for a night (or day) on the town. Let them get dressed up, pick what they’d like to do and add some fun activities and surprises in.
Hopefully your surprise will be more fun than haircuts.
There are plenty of great indoor places to take them. Here are a few additional spots:
Safari Adventure in Riverhead: Kids will have a great time climbing on the equipment, sliding down the inflatables and playing arcade games. Plenty of lunch options, too.
The All Star in Riverhead: If your little ones aren’t bowling 300s, you can easily adjust the bumpers for each player.
Long Island Science Center in Riverhead: A new favorite place for the Huber boys. They do nights out, camps, school break programs and weekly themes every Saturday. Check out Brian and Evan in a recent News 12 feature on the school break robotics camp!
North Fork Fun –n- Fitness in Southold: It has open play on Friday mornings
Lyrical Children in Calverton: They offer multiple music classes.
