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

[AndiE]

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 .

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.

[boobaloo]

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.

[black_rose]

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

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.

[AndiE]

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

[Cherished]

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.......

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 I haven't made it to midnight for years :Redface:

[~Hestia~]

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

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.

[ss_storm]

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!

[indie24]

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

[Tinks]

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!

[black_rose]

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!

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

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.

[AndiE]

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!