Date night

My husband and I don’t get out very often without the kids. It’s an unfortunate situation but one I don’t normally mind. I enjoy being with my kids (most days; maybe not TODAY after I had to remove my oldest TWICE from my china cabinet, but most days) and I actually enjoy hanging out at home with just my laptop, my prime time television, and my husband if he’s home. Since he’s a musician, he is out more often than I am, but I deal with it.

However, every once in awhile I really need to be out of my home, and going to Mickey D’s to eat a burger while watching the kids throw themselves down the slides doesn’t count. That’s why I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

One very lucky situation for us is that my in-laws live a few blocks away. Both kids love their grandparents, so it works out well that the odd time we do want to go out, we don’t have to deal with the hassle of a babysitter.

Tomorrow, although it’s Saturday, my husband unfortunately has to do a little job that he’s doing with a friend, a side job they do together. However, in the late afternoon, we’ll be packing the kids up and dropping them off with some books and toys and a ball at their grandparents’ house. We may even take their pajamas so that they can be changed and all ready for bed when we come pick them up.

Then, although they will likely eat some healthy supper cooked by my mother-in-law, we will skip healthy fare in lieu of total crap. For my husband I assume it will be popcorn and a large soft drink while I will get the nacho trio with salsa and cheese dip.

Once we have acquired food we will plunk ourselves down and I will try not to shriek with excitement as we sit and watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Yes, I’m 33 years old. Yes, I love Harry Potter. Tremendously. (These days I find myself stirring supper as it cooks while I simultaneously read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in anticipation of the release of the final book next week; also, I plan to do NOTHING all weekend but read the new book.)

The last time we had a date night was at least two months ago. The last time we saw a movie together was… Uhhh… Actually it was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The only reason I didn’t see the fourth installment was because I was in labor for four hours before giving birth.

Either way, we don’t get to the theater often enough and I can’t wait for tomorrow. Half of it, I admit, is to see how they handled the story in the film version, but half of it is also so I can sit in a dark theater and hold hands with the father of my children.

Even if that sounds cheesy.