Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Date

Mr. Math Tutor and I went on a date yesterday.  It was definitely a married couple kind of date.  We started with lunch at Olive Garden, during which I started to feel a migraine coming on.  Bummer.  We then went to Wal-Mart where we picked up some shades to replace the old ones in the dining room and in Ga'hoole Girl's room.  I also got some spray glitter for Ga'hoole Girl's hair for Halloween.  (And we might have gotten some other stuff for some loved ones for a special occasion - but, maybe not.)  Then, we drove across the street to JoAnn's to pick up fabric so I can recover some pillows - probably will end up being after the first of the year, but I feel so much better having the fabric now.  We then stopped at Barnes and Noble for Mr. Math Tutor to buy some references for his tutoring business.  I got to just mill around a bookstore - downright heavenly.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day was marred by a full-blown migraine.  Despite that, it was really nice to actually go on a date and spend the day with my hubby without the kids.  We used to do this at least every two weeks.  It was easier because we had money to go to nice restaurants and hire babysitters, but also more necessary since I was working so much.  Getting around to dates is harder these days because of my headaches, but we try to make it a priority every month or so.  Many of our dates are just running errands together, but it's a great chance to talk without the kids.

Having dates with your spouse can be quite important for a marriage to thrive.  For some couples with small children, it may just be setting aside time alone after the kids are gone to bed.  Others might enjoy a particular hobby together, such as hiking or skiing.  Sometimes, just running errands or taking a drive together does the trick.

How often do you and your spouse get to go on dates?  What kinds of things do you do?  How important is it for you to do this?  What kinds of unusual ideas do you have for dates?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like fun! C and I used to go out more often when we had a babysitter. She was great with the boys but she went off to college. :( So we don't go out much together alone unless we're visiting relatives. When C and I do go out, we usually go out to eat (simply because we don't do that much anyway) or go shopping (to the mall). Before kids, we had all sorts of great date nights---going to auctions were our favorite (but it costs money). We also liked going to symphony concerts (yes, I got C to actually like and enjoy classical music!) We went hiking (we do that as a family now), we go flying (both alone and as a family), and someday hope to scuba dive (which will take us to beautiful, faraway places)! Nowadays, we rent a movie and watch it after the kids go to bed. I've also made chocolate fondue and we ate it by candlelight and just talked. I think as long as you spend time together, that's what is important. I know so many women whose husbands don't spend time with them at night after the kids go to bed. They're either on the computer, watching TV, etc. I am blessed to have a husband who wants to spend time with me. I used to get aggravated because I had so many things to do (and still do!), but I realize that he can help me (and it gets done) and it's important to spend that time every night talking. Have you guys seen the movie Fireproof? If not, it's awesome and you guys should make it a "date" to see it!