New Years Eve - how to make it interesting when tiny tots "keep" you at home?

So I'm wondering ... what do other people do to make New Year's Eve a bit special when "confined" to home with very young children? I understand for many "it's just another night" - and fair enough - but I'd like to hear some ideas on how to make the night a tad more interesting :D.

We normally have a nicer than normal bbq (as in a decent steak and some prawns etc) and crack a bottle or two of bubbles. But other than that, it's just an ordinary night given the boys don't care one iota about NYE and need to be in bed around their usual bedtime.

dp and i spent one nye in the pool, skinny dipping with a bottle of wine after the kids had gone to bed. other than that, we pretty much treat it like any other night, although i'm hoping we get out for this years.

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dp and i spent one nye in the pool, skinny dipping with a bottle of wine after the kids had gone to bed.

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Yeah that ^^

We have also had friends with kids over, the kids all go to bed at a reasonable time and we could party afterwards.

Hmm, I 'spose we could skinny dip in one of the enormous puddles on our back lawn LOL :p Us and the cane toad who has been doing backstroke in the puddle at night time lately.

Oh I'd LOVE a pool to go skinny dipping in. I think it's time to start looking for a block of land to build house number 2 on....... :think:

There was a thread a while back about ideas for date night. will see if I can find it casue there was good ideas in that

Can't find it, but I'm sure others will have some great ideas.... I can't think of any though :doh: I haven't made it to midnight for years :Redface:

Usually we'll just kick back with DVDs & our fav snacks! Even before having DS :D

This year we're hoping to make it to the local Family Night down at the waterfront. There'll be kids rides, baby animals, BBQ etc plus fireworks at 9pm. Best of all it's FREE! But depends on Moo as it doesn't start til 5:30pm.

Last year DF made me stay up until midnight..I was quite annoyed, all I wanted to do was go to sleep at a decent hour knowing that I'd be the one getting up to DD during the night and in the morning! Can't remember what we did..think we just watched a movie and had a couple of drinks.
This year, who knows. might drag the Wii out for a bit of fun!

I'm thinking .... I'd better start planning ;)

last year we headed to the MCG for the fireworks, but got rained out...

so this year the neighbours have decided that we are all heading the the vacant block up the hill with some beer and bubbly and watch the fireworks at 9pm...

Actually Cassius I think you just reminded me..lol..we stood out in our backyard and could just see the tops of some fireworks! I think we were going to go down to where they were being held, but it was a bit cool outside and we thought it might be a bit loud for DD (she was only 5 months old). Maybe this year we'll go down, although I haven't even heard anything about new year's celebrations here, apart from NY day races :rolleyes:

DH usually works until late NYE, so often i will just snack until he gets home then I cook a special dinner for us to have late at night and we play board games until the midnight fireworks. He's not working this NYE but I bet we do something similar.

Growing up always had big new year get togethers (being Scottish its a big thing), since being with DH we have been to some friends places for BBQ or 1 year we went to dinner then to movies to see happy feet and home LOL. 1st year as parents we went to friends 3 hrs away and stayed night, last year I was preg so my best friend came over and she stayed night and we ate and watched a dvd and chatted was lots of fun!! This year I think we are going to friends for a BBQ but may be leaving before midnight due to 1 hr drive home and 2 kiddies.

We usually watch movies and get some snacks, maybe some nice cheeses. Sometimes some wine. At midnight we go look at all the fireworks, usually people in nearby streets let them off

usually DH and I watch the NYE music thing on tv. This year we've been invited to a friends house but I think I'll stay home because I don't fancy being hung over the next day. OMG I"m getting old!

I find it too hard to be hungover when you have kids who need you, it's difficult for me to even stay up that late with dd1 being an early and demanding riser!

DD1's first new years we had a heap of friends at our place, we put her to bed at the usual time and we all had a laugh, the boys had drinks and we had the music on etc as normal.
DD slept through it, last year i don't think we did anything at all.

I don't see why you can't have a nice BBQ, a few friends etc.

Looks like some friends with children the same age as ours are coming over for a bbq - the kids will entertain themselves for the most part (well, maybe not so much my DS2) and leave us old farts to eat, drink and be merry! Till 9pm-ish, at least. By then our friends will have left to put their youngsters to bed.

While DH and I may hang about till midnight, there's a better chance we'll ring in the new year snoring soundly. LOL!

Happy New Year everyone!

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Last year DF made me stay up until midnight..I was quite annoyed, all I wanted to do was go to sleep at a decent hour knowing that I'd be the one getting up to DD during the night and in the morning!

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LOL, I kept dozing on the couch and DP woke me up. I was wrecked because we were mid move and I had spent the 2 days prior cleaning.

Some friends invited us over this year but I don't feel comfortable around them. They like to drink and I really don't want to be surrounded by drunk people this year! They'll be saying "come on, have a drink" because they don't know I'm UTD and if I told them, the whole town would know... I think we'll have a quiet night in and watch the celebrations on tele as well as randomly dash in to resettle DD when the fireworks start going off

We usually cook a nice meal for the two of us, this year we're having:
Herb fritters with smoked salmon followed by
five spice salt and pepper squid with a rocket salad and aloi dressing