Making time for a night out

Our 13th anniversary is fast approaching and we finally think we know how we want to celebrate it. A few weeks ago, I sent out an email to my moms’ group about anyone will to do childcare for all 3 boys so Clint and I could enjoy a night out. To my surprise – I received 3 responses all willing to watch all three boys! One friend said she thought it wasn’t fair that we get out only one night a year and said to take her offer for another night out before baby comes. Sweet! I relayed that info to Clint and he said, “One night a year, more like 1 night every 3 years.” He had a point. I can’t remember the last time we went out w/out the sonny’s. Since the older boys have come of age we have been going out more and more w/ just the creaky boy. With Clint being home practically all summer, I was beginning to think that having a night out might be a waste of time and money and maybe we should just order in and enjoy more family time. We have been doing everything together lately. If we need milk, we both end up going to the grocery store just to go together. Can you believe it – right now he’s at the grocery store without me? He asked if I wanted him to wait till after the daycare baby was picked up so we could go together. I thought about it and said he should just go and get it done now. I had a bad night sleep the night before last and I feel very sluggish and achy from it, so I am resting up while the daycare baby sleeps and creaky is w/ dad.

A few days ago I was driving home from cleaning and wondering what kind of night out we should have. I was starting to think that having a night out wasn’t such a grand idea. I was wishfully thinking if we had gobs of money what would we do? If money wasn’t and issue what kind of night out sounded like fun? Nothing came to mind. Instead of wasting money for a stupid movie – seems like nothing good is in the theaters that would be worth my money and a free sitter. I thought maybe Clint would want us all to get together w/ one of his new friends and his wife and go out for dinner or just drinks and sit and talk w/out kids. That sounded like something that would be better than sitting in silence in a movie theater that I would end up falling asleep through the movie (I’m notorious for falling asleep during theater movies). The last couple of times we have gotten together with this couple, tables have turned – meaning I am the one on toddler duty whilst Clint is enjoying a lovely conversation. That has never been the case. I was usually the chatterbox while he was running after the little guys. It’s hard to keep a conversation flowing while keeping your eyes on small children. The last two times we got together with this couple, I felt I was avoiding deep topics just because I knew I couldn’t expound on them. Or that I was talking really really fast just to get out the story before I had to make sure Creaky wasn’t tearing it up.

So, a night out with other adults and no children sounded like a mighty fine night to me. Before I could tell Clint my idea and see if he was game, he showed me a trailer for a movie coming out called Quinceanera. It looks like a great movie that I can totally sink my teeth into. Although I never had a quinceanera, I knew plenty of girls who did growing up. I enjoyed the fact that Clint enjoys my culture so much that he always wants to watch movies that have to do w/ Mexican-Americans and not only movies but that he loves to cook and eat Mexican food. I think if it wasn’t for him, our kids would stick to pasta and pizza. We hope the movie comes to a theater near us soon. It opens today in NY and LA but hopefully it will come soon here. It won at Sundance in two categories. I just read a review in the NY times this morning and I wish I hadn’t. It wasn’t a bad review, it just told more about the movie that I would have liked to see before reading. Anyway, I’m excited to go out now with just the two of us. I don’t know what kind of food to eat before we go. We can’t eat Mexican because we will just be disappointed, we just tried out this little place for lunch on Wed. and it was pretty good, but still. Clint will be making Carne Adovada for dinner tomorrow – it’s his first time but I’m sure he will make it superb. I would do anything to replicate the chile relleno burrito I had in NM at Go Burger. Clint and I can’t get that burrito out of our minds!

Anyway, we will see where we end up for dinner and WHEN we actually go out. Time is running out – baby will be here in a few more weeks! Maybe we can eat spicy Thai food and that would help me go into labor!!