VT Mamateurs

Yesterday marked four years of marriage for the hubbs and I. (Some days it feels like it has been four months, and other days it feels like four decades….funny how that works.) To celebrate the big 0-4 we went to Hen of the Wood in Waterbury for an ah-mazing-meal. Aside from having one of the most scrumptious meals in Vermont that I’ve ever had (seriously- if you haven’t been, GO!), the hubbs and I had such a wonderful time together just talking, taking in the atmosphere, reminiscing about our wedding, and- as much as I hate to admit it- sort of “catching up”. Of course we see each other every day, but since having a child we definitely don’t have the same amount of one-on-one time that we used to get. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit, that I can’t even remember our last true “date night”….May maybe?? Eeks. Don’t judge.

While talking with a good friend of mine once about the importance of date nights, she said something to the effect of: “It’s important to remember that you were a wife before you were a mother”. I couldn’t agree more, and yet, there I was last night, breaking a four (?) month date night drought

As much as I love a nice meal out, or getting dolled up and “hitting the town”, its hard!! Between balancing work, family obligations, travel, friends, and yadadadada, by the time the weekend rolls around sometimes all we want to do is kick back in our sweats on Saturday night. However, last night we vowed to be better and more consistent about date night. (In fact, we plan on hitting up UVM Babysitter Mingle in a couple of weeks, so we have some more childcare options in our arsenal.)

To be fair, we often have “home date nights”, where we’ll get a nice bottle of wine and cook a decadent meal at home, to be enjoyed once the little guy has gone down for the night. We even get super-swanky and break out the “good” table linens and nice serveware: crazy, I know! But, as much of an awesome effort that is (and we will definitely still continue the tradition), it just isn’t the same when Vader is standing next to me as I eat, drool coming out of his mouth, just waiting for Art or I to drop a morsel of food. And who are we kidding? I’m usually enjoying this meal in my sweats. Then, there’s also the aftermath to deal with- nothing is less sexy than being elbow deep in dishwater, scrubbing pots and pans. Sometimes you just gotta get out of the house!

date night at home

It’s a little scary to think that going on date nights probably won’t get any easier once we have a second child. So, for the time being, we’re going to aim for one true date night per month. Nothing too crazy- but will definitely take more effort…which I am more than happy to put forth

So, how do you (and your significant other) do date night? How often? What’s your favorite date night spot? Does anyone else find themselves going months without a true date?

-J