GIVEAWAY: $200 SITTERCITY CHIME CREDITS + $50 Restaurant Gift card
A few weeks ago, Mike’s friend from China was in town and for the occasion, Mike planned a big dinner for a bunch of their college friends in NYC. There was even a few people from DC who drove up for the big event.
We hired a sitter but a week before the dinner, she had to cancel. We have a couple other sitters we use pretty regularly but they both happened to be busy on this particular night too. Instead of panicking (well, maybe there was a little panicking), I decided it was a good night to test out Sittercity’s new online service Chime, which specializes in last minute sitters.
Once you become a member, all you do is pick a date. Then Chime matches you with three available sitters and you can choose whoever feels right for your family. Not only are they available, they have all been properly vetted to be part of this service. Sittercity meets every Chime sitter in person and gives them all enhanced background checks.
I ended up selecting a sitter named Katie and was able to wow my husband with a serious save.
On the night in question, Mike’s friend and his wife showed up at our apartment before the dinner with their 5yo daughter Astrid. Apparently, Mike had told them that they could leave Astrid at our place with our sitter while we were out.
Ummm…. did anybody think to tell me this plan? Shouldn’t I have informed the sitter?
Katie arrived (on time) and seemed perfectly fine with the arrangement although I wouldn’t recommend anybody else pull these kinds of stunts on a new sitter. We told her we’d give her a good tip.
I wasn’t sure where everybody was going to sleep and how bedtime routine was going to play out with three kids, but Katie told us not to worry and that she would handle it.
We crossed our fingers and said, “Alrighty then… HAVE FUN!”
I should also mention that we had Katie come on the earlier side so she could get to know the girls a little while we were there. By the time we left, they were all in full on princess costumes having a big tea party and probably wouldn’t have even noticed if we left without kissing them goodbye (see photo up top).
Then we went to the restaurant where Mike had arranged for a private room for our party.
I mingled, had a few drinks, ordered my meal from a set menu and then…
MY SISTER HAD A BABY!
Yes, that’s Dr. B for you longtime readers and this is her second. No, she was not at the dinner.
In the middle of appetizers, I got a text from my sister that they were heading to the hospital. It was two days past her due date so not a huge surprise. I figured I had a little time before I had to leave but my mom called before entrees arrived and said it was go time.
I ended up leaving the dinner, heading uptown, and getting to the hospital just a few minutes after the baby arrived. In fact, my sister texted me the baby’s name on my cab ride over so when I arrived and found all immediate family in the waiting room, I said the name and it turned out none of them knew it yet. OOPS!
Anyway, I got to go in, hold my new niece (HELLO, NEVE AUDEN!), congratulate my brother-in-law and hang out until my sister kicked us all out.
At that point, it was 11pm. I texted Mike to see if everyone was still at the restaurant. Indeed they were. I took a cab and got back there in time for dessert. WHEW!
I told you it was a big night.
Mike and I look exhausted and deranged here but it’s the best I’ve got from the night.
When we got back home, Katie was doing homework on her computer in the living room and all the kids were sleeping. Astrid was sleeping with Mazzy in the top bunk and Harlow had the full bottom bunk all to herself, which made perfect sense.
Everyone seemed to be alive and well. Including Katie.
Another great benefit of Chime is that payment happens online too. No awkward money exchanges when you may or may not have had a few too many on your big night out. AHEM.
For further proof of success, we have used Katie at least twice to babysit since. But I’m sure if she wasn’t available, we’d have a pretty easy time finding someone else.
No “WE DON’T HAVE A SITTER!!!!” panic necessary.
SPECIAL OFFER:
If you’d like to try Chime, use code MOMMYSHORTS to get $50 off your booking. Offer valid for first time users only.
Chime is currently available in Boston, Chicago, New York City and Washington, DC with other major metro areas to launch in the coming months.
GIVEAWAY:
Today, I am giving away $200 in Chime credits plus a $50 gift card to the restaurant of your choice. Just leave a comment below telling me what you and your partner would love to do on a date night out.
You must be a Mommy Shorts subscriber or facebook fan to enter.
Winner will be selected on October 30th.
Good luck!
winner update:
Congrats to Maggie Morris, I hope you get that leisurely date night! Please contact annie@mommyshorts.com to claim your prize.
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This post was sponsored by Sittercity, but all thoughts, opinions and good babysitting experiences are my own.
We would do dinner and a movie because we are boring like that but my husband is a HUGE movie buff that never goes to the movies anymore…poor guy!
Oh man we were just discussing how we’ve only been out three times without my son since he was born. We don’t ever seem to be able to find a decent sitter. I think we would go bowling or to put out and have a dinner I’m not interrupting my husband to deal with GB constantly. I’d say we’d go take those dance lessons we always wanted but that feels like biting off a lot for a first real date in almost three years.
I would love a night out! I think the last time this happened was two years ago. I just want to go to dinner and a movie. Imagine a dinner where I can sit down and eat all my food by myself and watch a movie without cartoon characters. Sounds like heaven!
My hubby and I would go out to the nice restaurant downtown and have a few drinks afterward. Maybe go see some live music afterwards!!
We love it when we can find some good live music, too!
My husband and I love to golf but have found it hard to go out since having two kids in under three years. We would love to go for a nice round of golf together and a rewarding meal after!
We love to go to Providence and have dinner at Federal Hill. We go once or twice a year. But…I’ve been dying to go to Boston. Its a little further but there are so many great restaurants that we have NEVER tried and heard so much about. Going out to dinner without the kids is amazing, s0 normally if we can sneak away, we don’t care if its just to a local chain. There is something so romantic and special about getting dolled up and going on a real grown up date, though. Our babysitter is young and the girls play her so bad at bedtime. I hate to be gone for long when she is over, especially knowing the girls won’t go to sleep (I don’t even know what the baby would do!)
Out to like 4 different restaurants and get small plates at each 🙂 and lots of wine
Definitely skydiving. Ok, probably just dinner.
I’d use the sitter to go Kansas City Power & Light watch the Royals play in the postseason on a weeknight! Go Royals!!!
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My husband and I rarely if ever go out on date night. He works nights as a bartender and I work during the day as a local bureaucrat. So date night means finding and hiring a babysitter for 3 kids under 4 years old but also planning 30 days in advance so my husband can request the night off and loose out on a nights worth of cash income. But on the rare occasion all of that comes together we casually hit up a music venue for live music. My husband hates going out to bars or restaurants (he says its basically like spending his down time at work) but loves live music.
We would love a night out! It would include a nice dinner out, probably downtown with plenty of time to walk around and enjoy the sights, instead of having to rush, rush, rush!
We would do a “fun” date where, in addition to dinner somewhere we haven’t been, we’d go rollerskating or play darts or other games. We haven’t had a chance to do a fun date in a while!
Sadly I think we would get a hotel and watch to and sleep since our 10 month old still doesn’t sleep through the night and our toddler is a large blur of energy all day long!
We were supposed to have a date night last night. Then my 9 year old, my 2 year old, and myself all started throwing up. Yeah it was terrible. My inlaws rescued the 5 month old, and my husband was an absolute hero.
My husband purchased ball room dancing lessons for VALENTINE’S DAY this year…and we have yet to use them. I would love to spend the afternoon learning to waltz and then go for a nice dinner…butttttt it just hasn’t happened between busy schedules and difficulty finding a trustworthy, reliable sitter 🙁
We love heading to LA getting GOOD food. We usually wind up in Pasadena, strolling the streets and hitting the newest hipster coffee house, taco stand and real ice cream (McConnells!).
we would golf! And then eat! And then shop! For ourselves! Can you tell we really need some time away??
This gives me hope that our first babysitter experience could actually go well! AND we could not do bedtime for a night!! Oh, maybe we’d do dinner and dancing! Or trivia night! Or a play! Can we do all of it??
My last few and far between dates nights have been dinner & a movie – which is nice, but I’d really love to go into NYC for the day and explore. NYC dates were my favorite with my husband but it’s hard to get out now with a demanding threenager.
We’d go to a college football game all by ourselves! Not leaving during the first half because baby needs to go to bed sounds like a dream!
We LOVE the movies and finding new restaurants, and it’s the time of year when there are so many good movies that if we could only go to one, I’m not sure what we would pick! Also–we have John Oliver tickets in December and no sitter–yet!
My husband and I have been wanting to go to an OSU college football game since the kids were born, but we have always lacked a sitter that could stay long enough!
I would take our dusty jar of “adult only” date night ideas and pick something. Anything! We usually end up leaving our 5 + 3 year old with friends, and taking the 1 year old with us. The last time we had a sitter for all three was for a parent’s informational night at our oldest’s school… (Whomp, whomp.)
My friend and I have been trying to plan a double date to go to the new sushi place in town for months and have yet to be able to. With my 18 month old and her 6 month old it seems we always have an excuse where one or both of us can’t make it. Covering the sitter would be so great so that we would have to make it out!
My date and I would go out to dinner at a non-chain local place followed by a movie or bowling. Something I have not done in very long.
Dinner, drinks and a concert in the park! And maybe a little hopping around after the restaurant and Uber it home!
I would love love love to have a hot meal in peace with my husband while we have a conversation if we so desire. Shooting pool or going bowling for “dessert” sounds like heaven since it’s been years since we’ve done anything like that together. Wow…I’m daydreaming about it now.
I want to recreate our first date! My husband and I met here in NYC eight years ago. Shortly after we married we moved to London, had our son, then moved to chicago. We just moved back to NYC in August and would love to go ‘out’ like we used to. I want to take him to all the East Village places we went on our first date. Well those that are still open anyways! RIP Waikiki Wally’s
On our date night out we would eat hot food, we would not take anyone to the bathroom or get anyone more “dip” for their vegetables or wash any dishes!!! It would be fabulous!!!
Date night out would definitely be movie and dinner–Cinebistro fits the bill!
LIVE BAND KARAOKE!
I don’t even know what wed do with a night out! It happens so rarely! Probably go on a hike or find some yummy Asian food. Shoot, even getting to go to the grocery store sans kids is a big treat!
We would go to a football game since the stadium is too loud and busy for my 7 month old!
We would love to go out to our favourite sushi place (omakase, of course), and then head to Chinatown to get foot massages. 🙂
We totally need a night out. Baby number three is due in a little over three weeks. Quinn is 20 months and Rylee is 3 and a half, and they are active, funny, sweet littke girls. We can’t wait for this little man to get here.
Probably dinner where we could actually finish a meal together. One of us is usually eating by their self while the other one is outside with our little one. Then maybe we’d go watch a movie. The new Bond moving is coming out soon!
Dinner and a movie since the last time we went to a movie I was pregnant with my almost 4 year old. We do manage dinners out, but never get in a movie as well.
Would love to win this! I am a local too, I saw you in the street, but did not want to be a crazy person who said hello. Love your blog.
Would love to win this! I am a local too, I saw you in the street, but did not want to be a crazy person who said hello. Love your blog.
We would go to dinner and some form of music venue. It would be amazing to not have to wrangle a kid with us, and eat food from my own plate and fork. dreaming big.
Dinner out with cocktails and then swing dancing!
We’d go to one of the many local restaurants that do any allow minors. 🙂
I would love to go to dinner and then a comedy show! I can’t remember the last time we did that 🙂
My husband and I would go to the movies, maybe even a double feature. I can’t remember the last movie we saw just the two of us!
Honestly, we’d love to take a nap! But, we really enjoy going out to dinner at adult places. There’s 1 restaurant we love and don’t get to enjoy very often, so that would likely be the destination of choice!
We’re pretty low-key: drinks and dinner. I want to go somewhere nice enough that we need to dress up and I can wear a pair of my otherwise forgotten heels.
We would go to a couples cooking class so we could learn a new skill to teach our kids.
We’d probably go to dinner. Maybe a movie if something we really wanted to see was out. Maybe a hotel where we could get some sleep!
There’s a restaurant we really like where we have only ever been for brunch, with kids in tow. It would be amazing to go there at an adult time of say, 7pm, or you know anytime it’s dark. With an almost 3 year old and a 9 week old we haven’t managed that yet. Hmm, probably more realistic would be a coffee shop date where we would actually sit inside, preferably with great books (real ones as opposed to our usual phone ones). For now the drive thru coffee while kids nap in the back is okay too! 🙂
We would definitely go to dinner and a movie. While we’ve had a few opportunities to go to movies since my son (15 months) was born, it’s always during the day so we can drop him off with family instead of make them come to our house and deal with bedtime. Going to a non-matinee movie with my hubby sounds like heaven to me! Especially if we choose a theater that sells booze!
My husband and I would love to go out for cocktails and dinner without cutting anyone’s food, negotiating 3 more bites, or explaining why no one can have a sip of mommy’s “juice”!
Oh, man. Maybe tickets to a show we really want to see, or even just a movie. DEFINITELY dinner at a swank place that is not kid-friendly. Someplace with a killer cocktail list that makes a mean Old Fashioned.
My husband and I would love a simple date night out. Sadly, I’ve had a movie gift card in my wallet since my last birthday. My birthday is Nov 2 and i still haven’t used it! I think its time!
I would love to have a nice dinner out with no little hands in my plate! ????
We would definitely have dinner at a place that doesn’t feature crayons or high chairs, then either a movie or comedy club.
My girlfriend and I have been dying (haha!) to go to Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Not so romantic but something we definitely can’t take our toddlers to but want to go ourselves.
Eat! Slowly, thoughtfully and at a good place that people choose to go to based solely on the food/atmosphere; not because they allow kids. 🙂 I miss this…
Since I’m knocked up with number two, I know we need to take advantage of as many date nights as possible before April. We’d probably stick to our normal routine of a movie at BAM (it’s my pick this time) and dinner at our neighborhood favorite Roman’s. Nice to just enjoy an uninterrupted flick, a quiet dinner with a mocktail and some of their ridiculous chocolate sorbet.
My husband and I would go out to dinner with no kids!!! Maybe do some Christmas shopping without the kids… Just spend time together, with NO KIDS!! 🙂
Um, go to the next star wars movie, duh!!!
We would go to Rose’s Luxury, the super-trendy restaurant in D.C. that explicitly does not take reservations! If we had a $200 credit we could actually have the time to wait the 2-3 hours that it requires to get in on a weekend.
If I don’t win, I hope you do! We got to go to Rose’s for our anniversary last year, thanks to my in-laws coming to town to visit (and babysit), and it was fabulous! We showed up at 3:30, and managed to get into the second seating at about 7:45 – it was worth the wait.
We would probably do dinner and a movie. We try and get out occasionally for a date night, but in a few months we are moving away from family and our amazing babysitter. One of my biggest worries has been finding a new sitter for the kids!
I would like for my husband and I to go to Pittsburgh (the nearest big city) and go somewhere we’ve never been to eat and maybe see a band or something. We normally just do dinner and a movie when we go out, but that gets quite boring after a while.
Good food, music and wine!
We would probably have a grown-up Disney night and ride all the big people rides that we dont get to do with the little lady.
I would like to go to a quite sit down restaurant, I can’t go anywhere quiet with my 2 year old.
We love to go for dinner and drinks, usually with some friends. We get time together at home, but rarely have time with the other people in our lives.
We have not had a date night in over a year so we would take full advantage. We would start with dinner, then go to the new date spot we have that has bowling and drinking. If it’s not to late we will take a stroll downtown just enjoying our time together
Fantastic! On a night out would love to start at happy hour then a delicious steak dinner. Then depending on the mood, a movie marathon or dancing all night!! Would be so amazing to win !!!
Our date night would likely involve dinner, drinks, and maybe some sort of show – live music, theater, or something like that which we haven’t really gotten to do since our second was born (ahem, over 2 years ago!). We moved away from where our families live a little over a year ago, and haven’t really found a consistent, reliable sitter yet – I’ve mostly been using a rotation of friends, who often want to go to the same events we do (or we want to hang out with them!), so I feel bad asking them to babysit.
Is sleep an option? We would definitely go to a nice dinner and maybe a movie but I am always up for catching up on sleep!
Sleep? ha ha ha.
Fancy dinner and movie.
We often joke about renting a hotel room, ordering room service, and then just watching tv or sleeping – yep….we’re that exciting – but….more likely we’d do dinner and a movie. Although, we’ve been wanting to try one of those escape from a room adventures so maybe we’d do that. Really….it would just be nice to be out after dark together.
I’m not putting my name in for this competition, I live outside the US. I just wanted to say how much I love the picture you posted of you and hubby. Yes hubby looks tired but you look so beautiful and is just a really nice picture.
I’ve become a big fan of afternoon into evening dates. One of the things I miss most is seeing a movie in the theater. I’d love to have a matinee movie date with my hubby, followed by dinner after, and then maybe even more drinks. It’s still an early night, we get time together, and we aren’t rushing through dinner to make a movie. Heaven!
I just became a work-at-home mom, my husband just started his own business this past Spring and our 18 month old son just discovered he can open the unlockable dishwasher regardless of its stage in the washing cycle.
A date night for us would be ANYTHING away from sitting on the couch watching tv — we’ve exhausted every Netflix comedy tv series we (and our friends/family) can think of! While I am SUPER GRATEFUL for a toddler who goes to bed at 7:30 and sleeps 12 hours, our predictable nighttime routine drives my thrill-seeking husband nuts. I’d like to spice it up a bit with a sitter and date night!
Our date night would be an afternoon date- a bike ride up the lake shore together to lunch. And then maybe an early movie. 🙂
We’d go to our favorite restaurant for charcuterie and cocktails, and then over to House of Blues to catch a concert. My now 2-month old went to many concerts with us in utero, but we’ll leave him home this time!
Well considering my son is a year and a half and my husband and I have only been out about 4x since he was born, I would definitely say that we’d go out and have a nice dinner and a much needed glass of wine. Perhaps at pinstripe so we could play some bocce ball or bowling as well. Hope we win,our anniversary is the date of the drawing. It would be a nice surprise:)
We would love to go out to dinner at a fun restaurant and later for drinks at a local bar. It would be nice to switch things up from dinner and movies at home. We are definitely all caught up on tv shows.