When you’re younger, every night is practically date night… even if you’re a cheap date. But as you get older and once you get married and have kids, that all changes.

Date Night turns into a monthly holiday… and that’s if you’re lucky. Between work, finding babysitters, kids getting sick, family commitments, etc., it’s next to impossible to find a night where you and your spouse are both free to go out.

So you improvise. And Date Night becomes a relaxing stay-at-home night that begins once the kids finally ship off to dreamland. Except men and women have different tastes in movies. From Expendables 2 to Magic Mike, it can be tough deciding on a film you’ll both agree on. Single moms on the other hand, won’t have such problems.

For all you married folks, however, this post is for you. What follows is a list of the 8 Greatest Movies for Parents to Watch on Date Night:

Date Night

It’s tough to go wrong with Tina Fey and Steve Carell. But this insane, over-the-top comedy about a married couple too busy to really notice each other takes a super wild turn when their regular date night at a restaurant downtown suddenly leads to a lethal, gun-toting, action-packed evening. Suddenly your date nights curled up on the couch with a movie sound pretty darn good, don’t they?

Say Anything

Sigh. Back in the ’80s, all you needed to impress a girl was a gigantic boom box and Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” This is John Cusack at his finest in a film that mixes equal part romance and sensitivity with typical Cusack quirkiness. It also gave us the best movie quote of all time: “I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.”

The Notebook

This movie should seriously come with a box of Kleenex. I defy any guy to watch this with his wife without getting even a little choked up at the end. Women will swoon at Ryan Gosling in this romance to end all romances, while guys will be more than captivated by Rachel McAdams and a “root for the good guy to get the girl” storyline.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Chalk this one up to a guilty pleasure, but Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are just perfect together as a typical boring married couple… who both just happen to be super secret assassins. The fun really takes off when their alter-egos interact for the first time as they’re ordered to take each other down. It’s pretty safe to say, you’ve never had an argument with your spouse quite like this one.

The Proposal

I’m not a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds, but I’ll admit that he and Sandra Bullock play off each other beautifully. Bullock plays Ryan’s insanely aggressive and demeaning boss who it turns out is about to get deported. So she fakes an engagement with Ryan which just turns into one big crazy romantic comedy of a mess.

Can’t Buy Me Love

Before he got his medical degree as McDreamy, Patrick Dempsey had to pay $1,000 to a popular cheerleader in high school so she’d date him for a month. After that, he assumes all the girls will be fighting over him. At least that’s the plot of this ’80s comedy which really takes a good hard look at whether or not you truly can buy love.

Princess Bride

You haven’t seen this classic yet? Inconceivable! I can’t think of a more perfect “chick flick for guys.” It’s full of princesses, romance and true love to keep the ladies happy, but it’s also full of laughs, action, sword-fights and even late WWE wrestler Andre the Giant, which is more than enough to keep the guys glued to their sets.

The Wedding Singer

Another blast from the past. This one’s pretty much a no-brainer. Guys will watch it for Adam Sandler, gals will watch it for Drew Barrymore, and both will watch it for the awesome retro soundtrack.

What movies do you watch on date night?

Photo credit: espensorvik on Flickr

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• iPad with Retina Display – Starting at $319.99 you can’t go wrong with the latest tablet from Apple. The iPad3 has a stunning 9.7-inch Retina Display that features vibrant color and rich detail for the ultimate viewing experience. Plus, its fast. Twice the speed of the iPad2 and faster WiFi connectivity. Perfect for those on the go.

• Kindle Fire HD – Starting at $129.99 the Kindle Fire HD is the best tablet for consuming media and Amazon offers a vast library to choose from. Its easy to navigate, boasts a beautiful HD screen and lightening speed 4G makes streaming content a breeze.

• Super Slim Sony PS3 – Give the gift of gaming and much much more. Starting at $169.99 this PS3 stores more than 1,800 games, 140 movies or 40,000 photos. The choice is yours. Built in Wi-Fi and Blu-Ray make this more than a gaming device.

• iPod Touch 5 – Starting at $241.99 the iPod Touch 5 is like “an iPad for your pocket.” With features including an awesome camera, 1080p video recording, iOS6 and Retina Display this gadget packs a punch.

• Olympus TG-810 Digital Camera – This rugged 14MP camera is designed with the adventurous owner in mind. It’s waterproof, freeeproof, shockproof, dustproof and crushproof. And if that’s not enough it has a 5x optical zoom lens, 720 HD video capture, built-in GPS and Compass. Priced to sell at $146.99.

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• Freecycle – Before tossing away the old tube TV or dated mobile phone consider donating it. There are plenty of organizations that will do their part to get these devices into the hands of those that could still operate and use them. Sites like Craig’s List will allow you to list items you want to give away for free as well as organizations like The Freecycle Network.

• Upcycle – If your old gadget is no longer in working condition you can take it apart and use its components for other purposes. Oftentimes you can make fun arts & crafts projects from old devices laying around. Check out our Pinterest board for some inspiring ideas.

• Recycle – If you don’t do anything else with your old unwanted gadgets please make sure you responsibly recycle them! There are many organizations that will gladly take them off your hands and ensure that they are properly disposed of instead of heading straight for the landfill. Best Buy will recycle most electronics even if you didn’t purchase them there.

• Buy Pre-Owned & Refurbished – Sites like ours help prevent perfectly good electronics from ending up in landfills before their time. Buying gently used or refurbished electronics extends the life of products that usually have the same purpose of a newer device minus a couple bells and whistles. Plus, you will save a lot of money! Check out our selection of pre-owned and refurbished items here.

• Update your Software – Oftentimes you can update the internal software of your device instead of discarding it for the newer model. This may seem like commonsense, but its a good practice to keep in mind. You can also look into repairing your current device if there is a flaw, it may be a simple fix. Services like GeekSquad provide tons of free resources to help you with your technology.

Practicing these tips will help keep our planet free from hazardous toxins that result in unnecessary disposal of electronics. Remember, think globally, act locally. Happy Earth Day CowBoomers!

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Source: Arbol

Are you feeling out of sync these days? Does booting up your computer and running simple tasks feel like an eternity? Is your inbox overflowing and overwhelming? If so, a digital detox is in order. The steps below will blend into the perfect elixir to restore your system and sanity for optimal performance. So tune into your inner geek, breathe and reboot.

• De-clutter your Desktop: Not only does a cluttered desktop look uninviting, but it actually slows down your system. Delete unused shortcuts and file away the rest. If you’re prone to desktop clutter, there are apps to help keep it under control. For Windows Users, meet Fences: A free download for XP, 7 & Vista that allows you to segment your desktop files and keep your desktop clutter free. For Mac Users: Try Clean, a free app that moves your desktop files to a folder you specify and organizes them by month resulting in a clean desktop with organized files.
• Organize your documents, photos & music: Now that your Desktop is clean, spend some time reviewing additional folders that could use some TLC. Delete anything you don’t need or use and organize the rest.
• Uninstall Programs: If you haven’t used the program in over a year its highly unlikely you will use it again. Do yourself a favor and get rid of unused programs that are slowing down your system.
• Clear Your Cache: Every time you visit a website information is stored in your cache. Overtime this can create quite the lag when browsing the web. For information  on how to clear your browser’s cache click here.
• Attack the Inbox: First of all, unsubscribe to any email lists that you never read. If there are ads or newsletters you want to read at your leisure but don’t  need them cluttering your inbox, try organizing by labels in Gmail. Flagged emails will bypass your inbox where they are stored in categories you create. Secondly, review everything in your inbox and respond to pending messages and file them away when finished. Lastly, set up folders for any additional categories that can help minimize future clutter.
• Organize Your Bookmarks: Again, delete what you don’t need and organize the rest!
• Kick it to the Curb: Purge the clutter from your trash folder and get on with your life.
• Back It Up: The most important thing you can do to stay organized and prepared is to back up your system. If you haven’t purchased an external hard drive yet, check out some great options here. External hard drives are a great solution for programs and files you want to hold on to but don’t necessarily need on your hard drive. And in the event that your system crashes you’ll be happy to have backed up your files to save yourself the headache of starting over from scratch.

Clean Out Your Computer Day falls on the second Monday in February each year. But don’t wait until next year to detox again. Frequent cleansing will prevent future build up and stress. Tell us in the comment section below when was the last time you cleaned out your computer and you could win a Toshiba Portable Hard Drive!

Yes, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and that means love is in the air. Sure you can find plenty of mushy, smooch-filled articles all over the Internet. You can find tons of “Most Romantic” lists for DVDs, books, vacations, restaurants, socks, whatever. But they all pale in comparison to the most magical love of all: pixelated love.

Who says only flesh-and-blood humans get to have their hearts ripped out of their chests only to be stomped on mercilessly? That’s right, video game characters have just as much right as you to do the stupidest most dangerous things imaginable, all in the name of true love.

Grab a tissue, cue the electronically romantic soundtrack and behold the 8 Greatest Video Game Romances!

8. Dirk the Daring & Princess Daphne (Dragon’s Lair, 1983) – He might be a tad bit clumsy and occasionally shriek like a 6-year-old girl, but Dirk the Daring was a knight with a mission: Rescue the beautiful Princess Daphne from the evil clutches of the fire-breathing dragon, Singe. Talk about your burning love…

7. Adjectiveless Smurf & Smurfette (Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel’s Castle, 1982) – One of the high points of the Colecovision system, this smurftastic game (see, that could mean “really, really good” or “total piece of garbage”) saw players take on the role of A Smurf With No Name as he fought his way through countless Gargamel traps to rescue the lovely and talentless Smurfette. Unfortunately, seeing as how Smurfette was the only girl Smurf in a village of more than 100 Smurfs, it’s pretty doubtful she’d settle down with just one blue boy.

6. Clark Kent & Lois Lane (Superman, 1978) – He’s a klutzy reporter with a fake pair of glasses. She’s an intelligent, sexy journalist without a clue. Granted, in the Atari 2600 version of this game, you don’t know any of this. All I know is that whenver the mega-powerful Superman bumps into the sparkly Kryptonite, two things happen: First, there’s a cute little DING noise. Second, Superman loses his powers and reverts to Clark Kent in a suit! The only way to save him is to find Lois and give her a kiss on the lips before flying off to save the day. If that ain’t 8 bits o’ love, I don’t know what is.

5. Cloud and Aerith (Final Fantasy VII, 1997) – When your first date is merely payment for being a pretty girl’s bodyguard, you just know things are off to a rocky start. Sadly, the lovely Aerith’s life is quickly snuffed out, before she and Cloud can really make a go of it. But true fans know that, just like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this ill-fated couple are way more popular as tragic lovers than actual ones.

4. Pac-Man & Ms. Pac-Man (Ms. Pac-Man, 1982) – Even before Bill Murray and the rest of the Ghosbusters came to town, the Pie Man himself showed he “ain’t ‘fraid o’ no ghosts!” Pac-Man ran through haunted corridors, ate gigantic fruit, and swallowed ghosts whole. Call it odd, but this crazy courtship eventually paid off when he met the Pac-Girl of his dreams, locked lips and eventually received a visit from the stork in the name of Pac-Baby.

3. Link and Zelda (The Legend of Zelda, 1986) – Gamers first fell in love with Princess Zelda on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Heck, before first meeting Link, the only elves worth knowing either worked for a fat guy in a red suit or hung out in trees while they made cookies. Year after year, game after game, Link has fought his way through insane hordes of villainy all to ensure the safety of Princess Zelda. Hopefully these two crazy kids can eventually get hitched and live happily ever after.

2. Mario & Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros., 1985) – You know it’s fate when you continuously head off to rescue your love, only to find her in yet another castle. Think about it, Mario’s just an Italian plumber, tossed into a world where he has to dodge fireballs, avoid giant flying bullets, step on rabid flying turtles, squash armless walking mushrooms, oh, and take on the closest thing around to a fire-breathing dragon. The only reason he really goes through all of that for Peach? Yeah, the second he gives up, he knows Luigi’s moving in on his woman.

1. Left & Right Paddle (Pong, 1972) – Arguably the first commercially successful video game (and the precursor to the Atari 2600 console), Pong is so much more than just a virtual version of tennis. It’s the home of the greatest and most tragic video game love story of all time. Trapped on opposite sides of a screen, the left and right paddle are forced to endlessly toss a ball back and forth, never daring to let the ball slip through their grasp. Fighting against every biological impulse, they stay in place, longing to just run into each other’s wide embrace. Sadly, all these two can do is love each other from afar, never daring to express their true emotions.

Be sure to enter CowBoom’s For the Love of Gaming contest for a shot at winning a PlayStation 3!

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