Hello, and happy Friday! So, I have started on my getting out of "dirty mommy" mode. I am actually wearing my hair down (not in a ponytail) and although I am wearing sweat pants, I have put on layered t-shirts instead of a hoodie, I have mascara on... I am making progress! I kissed my husband twice this morning before he left and I squeezed his tush. How naughty is that? It made me giggle and as I type this I have a little secret grin knowing I was able to squeeze the tush without any of the kids (OR MY MOTHER) seeing it. I am a 40 year old woman who feels giddy over a stolen moment with my hubby!
So, my mom is in town for the weekend. She offered to watch the kids on Saturday night so Phillip and I could have a date night. I know, a date? WHAT is that? I am so excited to get all dressed up and go out with Phillip, but where? Do what? I am way to old to be shakin-my-thang on the dance floor at the dance club with the 20-somethings, and bingo at the VFW sounds a bit "mature" for my taste. So, how do we take advantage of this night out (without guilt- I swear I will NOT feel guilty) and have a bit of adult time and romance? I guess the problem for us is that we get in the car and we are like... what do we do? I-dunno. What do you want to do? I-dunno. You? I-dunno. I think as parents we get shell shocked when we get dressed up and go out on the town sans kids, to the point where we can't even make up our minds regarding what to eat. At the end of the I-dunno session, Phillip and I usually settle for Culvers. No lie, because it is what we KNOW. Our kids LOVE it, so it is what we are used to.
So, knowing that we have this pending date night on Saturday night is kinda stressin' me out. I mean, our "normal" date nights end up starting at 9 pm on a Saturday. All of the kids are in bed, and we snuggle in for a movie and a glass of wine, to wake up on the sofa at midnight because someone snored so loudly we woke up in a panic! So, going out for date night is a novel idea. And what to do... Do we do the normal and go to Culvers followed by Menards and Wal-Mart to do shopping without the kids? Or should we find something FUN to do as a couple... I mean, even though we are mommy and daddy, we are partners in this journey of life... we deserve some romance and fun. I think we should try something different.
So, the Saturday night date challenge for the Wenndts begin. I have done a bit of researching to see what we can do. And maybe, I keep this list so that Phillip and I can do something different every month as a romantic reconnect. I have some great friends (K and M) who always find different things to do on the weekend - soup dinners, chocolate walks, etc. M always sends me the information, and I try to go-- but with the younger kids it can be too hard to do ANYTHING after 7 pm. So I live vicariously through his adventures with K. So, maybe I take the information I have gathered from M and really make a list of things Phillip and I shall try in the next few months. I think I have a plan! Here is how I plan on setting up the monthly date night with Phillip...
1) Always have a nice dinner out on date night. Somewhere different! I personally want to start trying local eateries in my town! I love using Living Social and Groupon, and I have a Living Social deal to use for a local Irish Pub... I think we will try this on Saturday night! It is downtown, and centrally located to anything we could do (but far enough away from Wal-Mart, get me here? LOL)
2) Do something different. Every date night, do something different--- try NOT to do the same thing every time. So, once go to a movie, and the next date night go for a romatic walk in the park. Try not to get into the "date" rut... you know, the date rut you were in when you were in your early 20s and dating. You would go to Applebee's and then to the local dance club to dance. Every weekend night you went to Applebee's and the local dance club to dance (for me it was at UNI and we went to Club Shagnasties. Yep, the name says it all).
So, here are some random things I think Phillip and I should try over the year on our date nights... Things we might enjoy. And if we don't enjoy it- at least we tried it to see if we liked it or not (another DUH statement for the world to read).
1) Comedy club - we love to laugh. We have been to the comedy club here in town, so we know it is a "safer" bet for us on date night. The ownership is different now, so it will be a different experience when we are there. I am not sure if the dueling pianos will be there still. IF not, it could make me very sad.
2) Painting pottery at one of the paint-it-yourself pottery studios
3) A benefit dinner- these are usually a bit expensive, but your money goes to a good cause. You can get all dressed up in your Sunday-go-to-meetin' clothes and have some great food and bid on great auction items!
4) Go on a midnight picnic... or late night picnic. Take some fruit, wine, and a blanket. Enjoy the evening looking at the stars, talking with each other, and flirting. LEAVE THE CELL PHONE IN THE CAR! I love this idea, but February in IOWA may not be the right time for this.
5) See a play. Live theater is AMAZING! Spend some time watching a live production instead of a movie.
6) Go to a concert. Wether it is a high school orchestra concert or Bon Jovi (I use Bon Jovi, because I have always wanted to see him in concert... then with the whole, OH MY GOODNESS HE DIED fake internet thing, it really rekindled my love for Jon Bon Jovi)
7) Go karaoke. Make each other play KAMAKAZI KARAOKE and just randomly pick songs to sing. Be horrible. Laugh at yourself and have fun!
8) Have a grown up gathering at our house with friends. Have the kids go to grandma's for the night... play cards, have food and entertain.
9) Go to a bar and hit on each other. Like they do in the movies. Flirt. Then, take the man home with me. I mean, he is my husband, but no one else has to know it. Of course, this requires lots of make up, big hair and tight jeans on this 40 yr old bum.
10) Rent a hotel room with a jacuzzi. Suprise my husband with it... have it set up to be man-omantic (which is my term for man romantic).
So, these are my thoughts- I am not sure what one we are going to try Saturday night, but I KNOW we won't be going to Menard's or Wal-Mart. They are NOT on this list. I am smiling, and I am excited. NOW, where are my perfect BUTT jeans.
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