Friday, December 18, 2009

Date Nights

Dating your spouse is important. Scott and I try to have a date at least once a week. Whether that be a trip for two to the grocery store while someone else watches the girls, a special meal with wine after the girls have gone to bed, or an actual night out on the town makes little difference to us. The important thing is that we are spending time together talking without all of the little distractions that so joyously fill our days.

There is certainly a different kind of variety to our dates since the girls came along. Back in the days b.c. (before children) we traveled, spent many a weekend rock climbing at Palisades Park, we often pondered over which of the multitude of restaurants we'd choose for dinner, and we even saw the occasional movie.

These days we literally consider going to the grocery store together a date! Sad, but totally true, and I can't even remember the last time I was in a theater?!? We have much fewer dining choices nearby, but that doesn't matter because we (mostly Scott) have gotten pretty good at making meals that are both yummy and healthy right in the comfort of our own home. However, for those nights when we are in the mood to go out, we've discovered restaurant.com and I can't think of a simpler way to save money while dining out! If you want to check it out there is more info on my left side bar in the JuiceBox.

We used a restaurant.com gift certificate for our most recent date night last week and had a wonderful meal at only a fraction of the cost. After which we strolled the big bookstore in the mall, and then predictably ended up the evening at the grocery store. So basically, spending time together alone is important to us, but getting the work done has to happen too! I suppose we must be complete dorks to think grocery shopping is date worthy.

The folks over at the Juice Box Jungle want to know if married people feel like they are dating enough, but what I want to know is this: are there any other folks out there who think a trip to the grocery store counts as a date as long as no children come along??

This is a compensated post from the Juice Box Jungle and restaurant.com. However, all the opinions are 100% mine. Oh, and as an added incentive for checking out restaurant.com, from now until Christmas you can use the code SANTA to receive 80% off.... thereby making $25 gift certificates $2.

2 comments:

Candace said...

Hey Mary Beth,

Yes, a trip to the store alone counts as a date for us - LOL! Although we're not technically alone, we still have the baby with us - it's just the older children are w/ family.

This was a great deal at restaurant.com, there's just not many options for the B'ham area - well, not many options that are familiar dining places.

I wish we could get out more often, it's just so expensive to date. We also tend to count nice dinners at home as dates - such as Valentines w/ homemade steak and salads (with all 4 children). :)

Glad you guys enjoyed your date!

Stephanie said...

Oh, yes, it definitely counts as a date! It may not be glamorous, but it gives you time to connect, to talk, and to laugh together. :)

Our favorite "dates" are in our house - talking, watching a TV show, or enjoying a glass of wine after our girls are tucked in for the night.

stephanie@metropolitanmama.net