|

|

Date Night at the Mall

I don’t think my husband and I have been out by ourselves since The Party back in December.  We foolishly squandered the chance to go out last weekend when the free babysitters my parents were here.  We just weren’t in the mood to go out.

I KNOW!  When am I not in the mood to go out?  It must have been a full moon or something.

Any-WHO.

Yesterday we were sitting around talking about possibly making a deal with the devil replacing our PC with a Mac, and I said suddenly, “Let’s get a babysitter and go out to dinner tonight and then to the Apple store!”

And Hubs was all, “Sure!  Let’s do it!”

I can’t believe it’s taken me 13 years of marriage to figure out how to get this man to go willingly to the mall.  All I needed to do was mention the Apple store, and he’s there.  I can’t believe I never thought of that before!

I wasted no time getting on the phone, but as you can imagine, securing a babysitter on a Saturday at the last minute was no small feat.  After leaving a few messages and getting a few nos, we resigned ourselves to another evening at home.

But then who called at 4:55pm but my favorite babysitter, and who happened to be FREE on a Saturday night!!??

I was so excited.

We make plans for her to arrive at 6:00, and then I ran upstairs to make myself presentable.

In the car on the way to the mall, I reveled in the wonder of silence.  With three kids and the constant stream of neighbor kids in and out of the house, I don’t hear silence very often.  In fact, I’ve almost forgotten what silence IS.

At one point, I scared my husband half to death when I said suddenly, “Hear that!?  Listen!”  Poor guy, he thought something was wrong with the car, but I was just referring to the glorious SILENCE.

At the Apple store, we compared the different models of laptops and desktops.  I’ve been drooling over Nap Warden’s latest purchase, and I would like a laptop SO BADLY, and the MacBook is SO SWEET, but I just could NOT believe the difference in price between that and the iMac.  And the screen on the iMac, oh my WORD.  I mean, I have a nice computer monitor, but THAT… be still my heart.

So we’re leaning towards the iMac.

After we had our fill of the wonders of technology available for our perusal at the Apple store, we meandered on down the mall corridors in search of sustenance.  We put in our names at what turned out to be a mediocre Italian restaurant, but who really cares about the quality of the food when you’re out without your kids?

We wandered the mall for a while until our table was ready, during which time I managed to drag my husband into the Kate Spade store, where I fell in love with this fab brown leather bag — ON SALE for a mere $356.

After fondling the luxurious leather and walking around the store with my newfound friend on my shoulder for a few minutes and looking at it in the mirror from every angle, I reluctantly placed it back on the shelf and said a tearful good-bye.

After that, I wandered through the Loft, where I looked at the dresses I posted the other day.  The green sheath looked particularly promising, but there wasn’t time to try them on, and my husband’s patience for women’s clothing stores was about at its limit.

So we wandered back to the restaurant just in time to be seated.  Right next to a wailing infant, of course.  Because it would be too much to hope that a date night without the kids could actually exclude kids.

Sure, it wasn’t MY crying kid, but still, the sounds of that newborn wail made my mother’s heart ache, and I swear I felt my milk let down, although I haven’t had milk to let down in well over a year.

Despite the pitiful cries of the baby, we enjoyed our dinner and talked nonstop WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, which is a luxury I didn’t even know existed anymore.  We definitely need to get out more often.

What about you?  Do you have regular date nights?

I know all the marriage experts recommend making date nights a priority, but with the rising costs of childcare (What are y’all paying for babysitters these days?  The going rate around here is about $10/hour.  And I thought I was doing well to get $5/hour when I was in college.  That’s some major inflation, people.) and the fact that at the end of the week we usually feel like just vegging in front of the TV, we don’t go out very often.

But perhaps we will start to change our ways.

So now I’m off to church, where I must put aside all thoughts of designer handbags and iMacs and focus on the truly important things in life.  Those things are fun, but they will all pass away, go out of style, and become obsolete.  And the truth is, they offer nothing in light of the hope that can be found in Christ Jesus.  Perspective — it’s key.

Join The Conversation

36 Responses

  1. Sounds like a great date – no kids (of your own), a bit of retail therapy (even if only drooling) and food (cooked by someone else, and dishes also washed by someone else!!).

    Your only mistake perhaps was to not seek out a restaurant where children are frowned upon – we all need a bit of child-free bliss sometimes.

    Our babysitting rate here is about £5 per hour – which equates to your $10. We don’t have date nights enough, but hope to have one soon.

  2. oh I WISH we had a regular date night!! But yes, babysitters are too expensive. We pay anywhere between $5-$10/hr – mostly depending on the age of the sitter & how much experience she has.

    So, on a fairly regular basis you will find us in chick-fil-a on a saturday night, because after we eat dinner the kids can go play on the playground & we can sit at the table right outside & talk. Not ideal, but it works okay.

  3. Wow! The going rate for babysitters around here is $5 per hour, and my daughter makes plenty. When did babysitters start getting paid more than the minimum wage? They certainly deserve it, but $10 an hour? Nice. (for them, not you, of course) Glad you got to have a grown-ups night, even if the baby did interfere. Hubby and I will go out Monday for our anniversary. Lucky for us, babysitters are a thing of the past 🙂

  4. Wow! The going rate for babysitters around here is $5 per hour, and my daughter makes plenty. When did babysitters start getting paid more than the minimum wage? They certainly deserve it, but $10 an hour? Nice. (for them, not you, of course) Glad you got to have a grown-ups night, even if the baby did interfere. Hubby and I will go out Monday for our anniversary. Lucky for us, babysitters are a thing of the past 🙂

  5. Wow! The going rate for babysitters around here is $5 per hour, and my daughter makes plenty. When did babysitters start getting paid more than the minimum wage? They certainly deserve it, but $10 an hour? Nice. (for them, not you, of course) Glad you got to have a grown-ups night, even if the baby did interfere. Hubby and I will go out Monday for our anniversary. Lucky for us, babysitters are a thing of the past 🙂

  6. Wow! The going rate for babysitters around here is $5 per hour, and my daughter makes plenty. When did babysitters start getting paid more than the minimum wage? They certainly deserve it, but $10 an hour? Nice. (for them, not you, of course) Glad you got to have a grown-ups night, even if the baby did interfere. Hubby and I will go out Monday for our anniversary. Lucky for us, babysitters are a thing of the past 🙂

  7. Wow! The going rate for babysitters around here is $5 per hour, and my daughter makes plenty. When did babysitters start getting paid more than the minimum wage? They certainly deserve it, but $10 an hour? Nice. (for them, not you, of course) Glad you got to have a grown-ups night, even if the baby did interfere. Hubby and I will go out Monday for our anniversary. Lucky for us, babysitters are a thing of the past 🙂

  8. Wow! The going rate for babysitters around here is $5 per hour, and my daughter makes plenty. When did babysitters start getting paid more than the minimum wage? They certainly deserve it, but $10 an hour? Nice. (for them, not you, of course) Glad you got to have a grown-ups night, even if the baby did interfere. Hubby and I will go out Monday for our anniversary. Lucky for us, babysitters are a thing of the past 🙂

  9. We do more “day” dates, where we leave town to go to the land far far away (I live in rural Iowa) where “real stores” are, about a 2 hour distance. We shop and have lunch and are back within an hour after our little boy gets off the bus.

    My husband is the chief of police so he only work Wed-Fri, once in a while a Sat (LONGGG shifts) but that leaves some really nice days off to take a day trip every couple of weeks.

  10. First of all, I must chime in that I LOVE my iMac. Absolutely love it and haven’t even thought twice about my old PC. Love it. Seriously. You should buy one.

    Second of all, what a nice date night. And what a nice husband to let you do a little looking around the mall. I love the Kate Spade bag!!

  11. Every other Friday night we have small group. so we try to go out to dinner and some spend some time alone with each other before we have to go back home to our daughter. About once a month we will do an extensive dinner and movie, but so far we are loving the moment when we get to be alone without children. *smile* Oh and the only way I can get my hubby to go to the mall with me is if I promise to buy him a cinnabon and milk. And I am paying $20 to my babysitter for 2 hours.

  12. No, we do not have date nights. I pay ~$8 an hour for one kid, so $10 sounds about right for 3. We don’t know any good babysitters. Glad you had a nice time!

    What was the mediocre restaurant, might I ask?

    We have the new iMac. My husband comes from a Mac family, so we always have Macs, but I must say I do really like this computer. We also use it as a TV in our bedroom.

  13. Hi there! I feel like I haven’t commented in months. I’m coming out of the baby fog, at least for the afternoon. Sounds like your night with your husband was really fun – I just love last minute date nights when all the details come together. I used a MacBook for the first time while we were in Colorado. I thought it would be hard for me to switch over but now I’d do anything to have one of those. Still, I see your point about the iMac’s price. Either way, you’re getting a great system.

  14. Unfortunately, we are rather lazy about date nights–though we talk about it. Finding a good babysitter seems overwhelming, but I’m sure would be worth it if we would hop up off our duffs and look. We’re more homebodies. Yawn, I know.

  15. We need to be more diligent about date nights. I love time alone with my sweet husband, but it is a lot of work to arrange it…and money!!

    I recently switched to a MacBook from a PC and am SO glad that I did!!!

  16. I want that bag! AND congrats on (thinking of) joining the Mac world! I don’t know what I’d do without my Mac; iPhoto, iWeb, iEVERYTHING! It’s great and so intuitive. Once you go Mac you’ll never go back (tacky to say but SO TRUE).

  17. I was just thinking the other day that my hus and I need more date nights. My mother-in-law is in town so she’s a good option for babysitting, but she’s still a busy woman herself.

    I am bound to get some sort of child-free dinner this month though since my birthday is at the end of the month and I usually get taken out for that. So, we shall se…

  18. We try to go out once a month or so. Sometimes it’s more most of the time it’s less. We usually have my mom babysit (which totally rocks!), but when we do have to get a sitter we pay her about $7/hour and usually just round it up to a nice even number- like $21 would be $25. Sometimes we’ll put the kids down early (meaning don’t let them take a nap all day so they’re totally worn out come 7pm) and get something to-go and just eat at home. It’s nice just staying at home with the kids are all asleep.

  19. No kids here yet, so dates nights come a little easier, or at least not as costly! We always do something on the 29th of each month (see blog for more details).

    I’m excited about you maybe getting a mac! That is all I will use. I have had several versions, and which one depends a lot on budget and what you plan to do with it (ie: memory needs, photo/video editing etc).

  20. I know, babysitting rates are crazy now. (not that I have kids, but I know that’s about the going rate now.)

    My hubby and are are starting date night/day ourselves!!! We are going to go to a matinee movie every week. Or maybe do something like miniature golf or whatever. But yeah, we’ve had some hardships in our marriage and I really think that it IS very important to have a date night. At least once a month.

  21. We have just one child and DD’s best friend is an only child as well. We try to exchange babysitting for date nights at least once a month.

  22. I have an iMac and I love it… LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! 😀

    And I pay $7/hr for babysitters… which has proven to be expensive on my date nights… which only happen when some strapping, non-crazy man asks me out. And here of late? I’ve been squirreling all my extra money so that I can go out with him. Fortunately, we do try to go out on Thursdays when the kids are with their dad or on the weekends our kids are with their other parents…

  23. Thank the LORD for parents that are 5 minutes away and actually get offended if we use any other babysitter. But when we do have a babysitter, every time I pay them the thought goes through my mind, “Do you have any idea how much I made babysitting when I was your age?” Great way to feel REALLY old right before a date! 🙂

    Anyway, hubby and I have recently started having a date night once a month. Those nights are PRICELESS!

  24. haha…we stopped in Kate Spade last month at the outlet mall, and my boyfriend thought everything was horrid and overpriced 😛 he did pick out cute things at the Coach store, though…

  25. We do not do regular date nights, but are trying to get better at it. I would say we have gone out on our own 5-6 times in 2 yrs? Friends of ours have a child the same age as ours, so we have started swapping babysitting…we are hoping to try this once a month…At least until we start having more kids!

  26. I feel like a loser commenting on an old post, but what can I say? My desire to read blogs comes and goes in my precious moments of non-nursing and such.

    We do get out fairly regularly sans kids. Especially in the fall. We attend every home football game for the college we attended–our entire fall is scheduled around the football schedule. The rest of the year we try to get out when we can. I understand the going rate is 10/hour, but I pay less and still get the sitters to show up. Depending on the time frame, I average 6-8/hour. I mean, if a teenager is coming over at 7:00, all she has to do is get the kids in bed. They’ll have had dinner before then, and they can watch a movie and then they go to bed. So I don’t feel the need to pay someone 10 bucks to watch my satellite TV and eat my food. Most of our sitters are kids of friends at church, and they know us, and see babysitting as a service to us, not just a money maker to them. We’re blessed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search
Close this search box.