Once a year Jeff and I will take the day off from work and spend the day together while the kids are at school. It's awesome to feel like we are playing hooky and enjoy going out when the rest of the world is busy at school or work. If you haven't done this with your significant other, I highly recommend it!
This past Monday was our day date. We made plans to go to the movies and see "The Long Shot". It's a funny movie and the perfect choice for Jeff and me. I am truly a middle school boy at heart and really appreciate Seth Rogen's sense of humor. It's not for everyone, but I don't get easily offended and laughed through the whole thing. Jeff did too so it's good I've got a partner in crime.
Imagine our surprise as we take our seats and watch the 11:00am show fill up with moms and babies. Lots of moms and babies!! Jeff and I managed to stumble upon the baby friendly showing at the movie theatre. I am all too familiar with this special kind of showing. I used to take Ian and Sam to the movies all the time when they were infants at a different nearby theatre. It's pretty awesome and a great way to get out of the house and still watch the latest movies. The theatre does not turn the lights all the way down, there are strollers everywhere when you walk right in, and more moms than you can count feeding their babies and getting them to fall asleep during the movie. I do think they even shorten the amount of time of previews before the film starts. Normally, the standard has been 20 minutes worth and this showing had about 10 minutes.
I remember one showing I was at (years and years ago) when they stopped the film temporarily and the manager made an announcement that the local public schools have called for a Winter weather advisory and they are letting school out early due to the impending storm. The manager wanted us to know in case anyone had school-age children they needed to go get. It is really awesome how accommodating they are for this particular demographic, who I'm sure at some point never thought they'd be in a movie theatre again after just having had a baby.
Anyway, I digress. Jeff and I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of all this. We intentionally went out while our kids were at school and here we are surrounded by at least 30 moms and their infants. For the most part, they were all good. The few that couldn't settle down left and came back once they were quiet.
But the best thing about being surrounded by these babies? They weren't ours and we could leave the movie theatre and go back to having our 2 kids who are in 5th and 8th grade. I think Jeff agrees with me that we are so happy to be beyond the baby stage. :)
Showing posts with label date. Show all posts
Showing posts with label date. Show all posts
Friday, May 17, 2019
Monday, October 22, 2018
It doesn't get much better than this.
Ian had such an insanely amazing day on Friday, October 19th that you couldn't help but smile being around him. It was definitely one for the record books.
Ian's middle school is doing a production of "Rock of Ages". Competition is fierce to not only get a role, but to perform in the play at all, even as a minor player. There's auditions on acting, singing and if you manage to get a call back, dancing. Approx. 225 students try out and only 50 or so get a part.
Just a side note: Ian tried to get a part in last year's play, "Little Mermaid", but didn't make the cut. He made lemonade out of lemons and volunteered to do lighting. However, he quickly found out that lighting wasn't all it was cracked up to be. And he still had 6 more shows to work after this realization. :)
Ian worked hard on his audition and made it very known to us that he really wanted this part. It's the part of Lonny, who is the narrator of the show. Lonny is described as the guy who commands the audience and owns the stage. He is friends with the best people and everyone wants to be friends with him. Everyone loves him. Ian's drama teacher said, we want this to be the most likeable character of the show.
Ian finally heard back on Friday afternoon the results.
How's that for an awesome result? Top line billing! OMG! Ian came home and couldn't stop jumping up and down. To see this level of excitement was contagious and soon, I was jumping up and down with him. Way to go Ian! He is going to make an awesome Lonny!
But wait, there's more!
The previous week Ian asked a girl out for the first time. Ever. !!!! His date was Friday evening, going to their school's high school football game. He said the date went really well and he was excited to report that he held her hand -- in front of the whole school to see. How's that for making an announcement to everyone that you are together?!?! He also said she looked cold and he offered her his hoodie to put on. She had a coat on and now Ian's hoodie too. Ian is in 57 degree weather with just a short sleeve shirt. He is silently thanking his parents that we made him put jeans on and not wear the shorts he was planning. So Ian had everyone coming up to him (even high schoolers who he didn't even know) congratulating him on getting the part of Lonny (it's a really BIG deal!) and then seeing him with a girl he likes. He couldn't have been happier than if we told him we were putting a go-kart track in our back yard.
First date ever! And it landed on the same day as Ian getting the role in the play. Talk about an awesome day.
I am so happy for Ian. He has come far from just one year ago at this time, he'd come home every day from school and announce that he was dying. Every time he walked into another class he'd either get nauseas, his back would hurt, he'd have a headache and lots more other ailments. His transition to middle school was a rough one. It was touch and go there for a while on if he was going to survive 7th grade. ;)
With 8th grade, it appears Ian has found his groove. He has a great group of friends and being a theatre nerd is not such a bad thing. Between now and President's Day Weekend in February, Ian will be spending almost every day working on either his school play or the musical he is in with his AFYP (acting for young people) group. I love that he has the confidence to do this and getting up in front a whole theatre full of people is not intimidating.
This girl he is interested in is a very lucky young lady. I hear from those in the know (ok, Ian), that he will be getting date #2 in the works. Now, I just need to figure out a way to meet her.
Ian's middle school is doing a production of "Rock of Ages". Competition is fierce to not only get a role, but to perform in the play at all, even as a minor player. There's auditions on acting, singing and if you manage to get a call back, dancing. Approx. 225 students try out and only 50 or so get a part.
Just a side note: Ian tried to get a part in last year's play, "Little Mermaid", but didn't make the cut. He made lemonade out of lemons and volunteered to do lighting. However, he quickly found out that lighting wasn't all it was cracked up to be. And he still had 6 more shows to work after this realization. :)
Ian worked hard on his audition and made it very known to us that he really wanted this part. It's the part of Lonny, who is the narrator of the show. Lonny is described as the guy who commands the audience and owns the stage. He is friends with the best people and everyone wants to be friends with him. Everyone loves him. Ian's drama teacher said, we want this to be the most likeable character of the show.
Ian finally heard back on Friday afternoon the results.
How's that for an awesome result? Top line billing! OMG! Ian came home and couldn't stop jumping up and down. To see this level of excitement was contagious and soon, I was jumping up and down with him. Way to go Ian! He is going to make an awesome Lonny!
But wait, there's more!
The previous week Ian asked a girl out for the first time. Ever. !!!! His date was Friday evening, going to their school's high school football game. He said the date went really well and he was excited to report that he held her hand -- in front of the whole school to see. How's that for making an announcement to everyone that you are together?!?! He also said she looked cold and he offered her his hoodie to put on. She had a coat on and now Ian's hoodie too. Ian is in 57 degree weather with just a short sleeve shirt. He is silently thanking his parents that we made him put jeans on and not wear the shorts he was planning. So Ian had everyone coming up to him (even high schoolers who he didn't even know) congratulating him on getting the part of Lonny (it's a really BIG deal!) and then seeing him with a girl he likes. He couldn't have been happier than if we told him we were putting a go-kart track in our back yard.
First date ever! And it landed on the same day as Ian getting the role in the play. Talk about an awesome day.
I am so happy for Ian. He has come far from just one year ago at this time, he'd come home every day from school and announce that he was dying. Every time he walked into another class he'd either get nauseas, his back would hurt, he'd have a headache and lots more other ailments. His transition to middle school was a rough one. It was touch and go there for a while on if he was going to survive 7th grade. ;)
With 8th grade, it appears Ian has found his groove. He has a great group of friends and being a theatre nerd is not such a bad thing. Between now and President's Day Weekend in February, Ian will be spending almost every day working on either his school play or the musical he is in with his AFYP (acting for young people) group. I love that he has the confidence to do this and getting up in front a whole theatre full of people is not intimidating.
This girl he is interested in is a very lucky young lady. I hear from those in the know (ok, Ian), that he will be getting date #2 in the works. Now, I just need to figure out a way to meet her.
Monday, January 9, 2017
Date Night Extravaganza
We don't usually go out on New Year's Eve. It's really not our scene to party or go crazy bringing in the new year. Most years you can find us at our good friend's house having a very kid-friendly dinner and early countdown celebration. That's typically more our speed. However, this year we sprung for a babysitter (can't even remember the last time we had a babysitter!) and went out.
I loved our evening. We had an early dinner with another couple, followed with a comedy show at 7:00pm. Jeff and I had seen this comedian a few years ago and thought he was hilarious. He was going to do a New Year's Eve show just down the road from where we live. How perfect! For some reason Jeff didn't remember seeing him the first time despite all the details I was able to give him about our evening. This is very strange to me because usually Jeff has an amazing memory -- like an elephant. After the comedy show, we hit the road and went to the new MGM Grand hotel and casino at National Harbor. Despite it being a Saturday night, New Year's Eve, very newly opened (only 3 weeks) and the new "IT" thing, we easily found parking and had no huge crowds to deal with. We briefly played a bit in the casino, walked around the hotel and got some yummy dessert. I have to say SJP's shoe store is gorgeous and beautifully displayed. If you like shoes, this is one place worth checking out.
It was a great night! I am glad we had this time together, because hours after, Sam got sick and we were grounded at home.
Oh yeah, right after the lights came up at the comedy club, Jeff leans over to me and says, "I think we saw this guy before." Seriously??? I told him 3 different times we had.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Documented by Sam
Jeff and I had a date night not too long ago. We went to dinner and a movie. The babysitter we've been using, Patrick, is very good with the kids. He only has to say to Sam, "Time for bed" and she will listen. However, this most recent babysitting occasion, Sam started giving Patrick a hard time and refused to go when he told her it was time. In fact, she started whining saying she wanted Daddy to put her down. Patrick told her that her father was not able to do that. After more resistance, Sam said she was going to call Jeff. Patrick told her we were at the movies, but that didn't slow her down.
We got out of the movie and Jeff looked down at his phone. 3 missed calls from home. I looked down at my phone and saw a text message from Patrick "Everything is fine. Sam is fighting me on going to sleep. She keeps calling Jeff."
I call home and tell Patrick not to kill himself trying to get her to go to sleep. It's not worth making him miserable getting her down. Sam doesn't have school the next day and whatever happens is fine with us. I told him to feel flattered he was going through this. Sam only pulls this crap with me, Jeff and my mom. This means that she feels comfortable enough to bring Patrick into her inner circle. Hopefully Patrick was amused by this because I need to keep him to come back. We don't go out very often, but when we do, its nice to know we have a reliable sitter to call on.
Once we get back home from our evening out, we find out that Sam is indeed asleep. However, Patrick explains to us what happened. As Patrick is fighting with Sam to go to bed, she is calling Jeff and telling Ian to help her quickly write these numbers down.
The next morning when Sam wakes up, she comes out of her room holding a square post-it note. In her own handwriting is the following info "Daddy 9:00". The first thing out of her mouth when she sees Jeff is, "Daddy, I tried calling you at 9:00 (pronounced Nine Zero Zero) and you weren't there!!"
She actually documented the time she called Jeff. And she remembered that this was something she needed to tell him right away when she woke up. It is very impressive that she had the forethought to want to write down the time of the calls. It's also a little scary that she is only 5 years old.
If this is what we are dealing with at age 5, what's going to happen when she gets older?
We got out of the movie and Jeff looked down at his phone. 3 missed calls from home. I looked down at my phone and saw a text message from Patrick "Everything is fine. Sam is fighting me on going to sleep. She keeps calling Jeff."
I call home and tell Patrick not to kill himself trying to get her to go to sleep. It's not worth making him miserable getting her down. Sam doesn't have school the next day and whatever happens is fine with us. I told him to feel flattered he was going through this. Sam only pulls this crap with me, Jeff and my mom. This means that she feels comfortable enough to bring Patrick into her inner circle. Hopefully Patrick was amused by this because I need to keep him to come back. We don't go out very often, but when we do, its nice to know we have a reliable sitter to call on.
Once we get back home from our evening out, we find out that Sam is indeed asleep. However, Patrick explains to us what happened. As Patrick is fighting with Sam to go to bed, she is calling Jeff and telling Ian to help her quickly write these numbers down.
The next morning when Sam wakes up, she comes out of her room holding a square post-it note. In her own handwriting is the following info "Daddy 9:00". The first thing out of her mouth when she sees Jeff is, "Daddy, I tried calling you at 9:00 (pronounced Nine Zero Zero) and you weren't there!!"
She actually documented the time she called Jeff. And she remembered that this was something she needed to tell him right away when she woke up. It is very impressive that she had the forethought to want to write down the time of the calls. It's also a little scary that she is only 5 years old.
If this is what we are dealing with at age 5, what's going to happen when she gets older?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Adding it all up
When I first got married, I delusionally thought Jeff and I would be able to have a date night every Saturday. In my dream of what it would be like to be married, we'd have a babysitter on retainer and some Saturdays we'd go out with other couples and some Saturdays it would be just Jeff and me. I had no idea just how much I was in a fantasy world, until I realized how expensive it would be to pull this off. Not only do Jeff and I not go out every Saturday, we don't even go out one Saturday a month. More than likely, our need for a babysitter has dwindled down to when we HAVE to have one. For example, a party invite that is not kid-friendly, an office holiday party, etc. Getting a babysitter for Jeff and I to go do something just for fun, for us is a luxury indeed. It involves careful planning; who wants to go to restaurant that ends up having lousy service or a long wait, or a movie that you want to walk out of?
This past Saturday, Jeff surprised me with lining up a babysitter, just because. I can't remember the last time we went out, just because. I thought it would be fun if we did something other than dinner and a movie. We went to a comedy club and saw two very funny comedians. Well worth the ticket price. But it all adds up:
Pizza for kids/babysitter = $14
2 Tickets = $50
Parking at garage in D.C. = $22
Food at comedy club (dinner) = $60
Babysitter from 5:15pm to 10:30pm = $60
Total for the evening: $206.
Seriously, is this crazy or what?!?! Why does it have to be so ridiculously expensive to go out for an evening with your husband? Even if we did the dinner and movie combo, we'd only be saving about $40.
It would be so nice to live close enough to family where babysitting wouldn't be an issue. I am not a jealous person by nature, but the one area I really wish we could be more like some of the other families we know is when the grandparents live close by. How nice it must be when they can take the kids for the evening, even just going out for dinner. By the time we get a babysitter, I feel like it needs to be this great event and well worth the energy and money invested in to our evening out. Who wants to spend $150+ on a movie that sucks?
Fortunately Jeff and I enjoyed our evening out. Good thing too, because it will be many, many months before we can do that again.
This past Saturday, Jeff surprised me with lining up a babysitter, just because. I can't remember the last time we went out, just because. I thought it would be fun if we did something other than dinner and a movie. We went to a comedy club and saw two very funny comedians. Well worth the ticket price. But it all adds up:
Pizza for kids/babysitter = $14
2 Tickets = $50
Parking at garage in D.C. = $22
Food at comedy club (dinner) = $60
Babysitter from 5:15pm to 10:30pm = $60
Total for the evening: $206.
Seriously, is this crazy or what?!?! Why does it have to be so ridiculously expensive to go out for an evening with your husband? Even if we did the dinner and movie combo, we'd only be saving about $40.
It would be so nice to live close enough to family where babysitting wouldn't be an issue. I am not a jealous person by nature, but the one area I really wish we could be more like some of the other families we know is when the grandparents live close by. How nice it must be when they can take the kids for the evening, even just going out for dinner. By the time we get a babysitter, I feel like it needs to be this great event and well worth the energy and money invested in to our evening out. Who wants to spend $150+ on a movie that sucks?
Fortunately Jeff and I enjoyed our evening out. Good thing too, because it will be many, many months before we can do that again.
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