Love & Marriage

Yesterday was our 8th wedding anniversary. We got takeout and watched the election returns after the kids went to bed. Not a super-exciting evening, but it was actually somewhat fitting since for most of our honeymoon in Key West, coverage of the 2000 election (the year of the hanging-chad) was on in every restaurant or bar we visited for the entire week. Of course, I love to have a fancy, romantic night out as much as the next person, but the next person might be a mom like me who feels that sometimes it's too much work. Mason didn't have school yesterday so we all had a great afternoon at the Botanical Gardens. At the end of the day, like my kids, I was worn out. I was happy to put on my pajamas when the kids did, and it would have taken a whole lot of effort for me to take a shower and get dressed to go out.

Here's my latte from the events of my anniversary, or "birthday of my wedding" as I said to the kids, do what works for you. Yes, you and your spouse should absolutely spend some quality time away from the kids, but it doesn't have to be a fancy night out on a Tuesday. Sometimes we have great date nights when we rent a new movie and get take-out from Outback. We've had breakfast dates on a morning when the kids were all in school. Before we know it, the kids will have better things to do than spend time with us, and we're not in a hurry for that to happen. For this year, it's enough to tell Rob that his anniversary present is a $77 Bunny replacement from eBay, and a promise not to spend any more on auctions. Lattes, on the other hand, are still a line item in our budget!