{Day 17} :: Date Night

A little over two years ago, Jamie and I decided it was time to get serious. Why on earth was it so hard to plan a date night? Oh, that's right. The four kids. The lack of funds.

The serious part? We determined that those factors wouldn't stop us. And they haven't. For over two years.

It's quite simple, really. Sunday night is date night. Always.

The kids know the routine by now. They eat at their normal dinner time, with Jamie and I sitting at the table and chatting with them. After they've finished and tidied up, I scoot them upstairs. Jamie makes a bee-line for Chipotle.

It is at this point in the week that I'm extremely motivated to get my children to bed. I'm hungry, for one. But most of all, I know it's almost our time. Our time alone. And the kids know it (and actually think it's pretty cool.)

Once they've been (politely) banished to their rooms, I come back down and whip out the card table and take care of the place settings. And then my favorite man walks in the front door with a bag of burrito deliciousness.

(We used to order two burritos, stuff ourselves and have leftovers which were mushy and weird by the next day. It occurred to us that perhaps it would be wise to split a burrito. So that's what we do. There's plenty of food, and it's a wonderfully frugal and healthy way to have a weekly dinner date.)

Of course dinner also comes with a movie, just like it did when we were dating in high school. Sometimes it's a Jimmy Stewart classic or a Hitchcock thriller. Other nights we're in the mood for something modern and a little crazy, like Psych.

I usually keep a little something that's sweet stashed in the freezer so we can enjoy dessert after our meal. Something that's sweet and chocolate. Something that's sweet and chocolate and bearing a strong resemblance to chocolate peanut butter ice cream.

We cherish this time together. Even if we've had a busy Sunday and don't get home until later in the evening, we still make it happen. Because we know that sitting with each other is one of the most important things we could ever do. Both for ourselves . . . and for our banished children.

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Have you found a way to schedule a regular date night with your spouse? If not, start with something very simple. Make it reasonable and predictable, yet special. Pretty soon you'll find that it's a commitment on your calendar that you'll never even think about giving up.