the a.m. date

Originally published at Chicago Moms Blog

I don’t know why we never thought of this before: My husband and I, who always seem to be suffering from a shortage of just-the-two-of-us time, sadly often head out to date night half-asleep. We kind of prefer eating a homemade meal with the children, then cuddling up in bed to the warm glow of our Apple with our movie friend, Netflix – it certainly beats heading out to a crowded restaurant or uncomfy movie seats (unless it’s a more inventive/creative kind of date, such as a theater or concert date, which we do enjoy).

The thing is – or maybe it’s just us? – at the end of the day, by the time the weekend arrives, the two of us have a hard time staying alert and open-eyed on a date. It could be due to that 40+ hour work week thing coupled with the fact that while my husband literally is trying to find a cure for lung cancer, I’m trying to find a way to deal with the onslaught of 140+ teenagers that enter my classroom Monday through Friday.

We both have a surge of energy when it comes to tending our kiddos, Baby Girl, age 15 months, and Boy, age 9, but after our kind of days, dressing up for a night on the town is the last thing we’re looking to do.

Enter the a.m. date! Last week, we texted our fave babysitter, Guadalupe, and asked if she’d come watch the kids on Sunday morning. “Of course!” she texted back – reason #1 why the late a.m. date is so much better: Guadalupe is a popular gal and most of the time she’s busy on Friday or Saturday nights. But what teenage girl is busy late on a weekend morning?

Reason #2: My husband and I enjoyed a lovely drawn out brunch overlooking Lincoln Park, and then headed over to the Chicago History Museum (it had been years since either of us had been) with the glow of mimosas keeping us warm. We did some last minute Christmas shopping in peace. We were relaxed, had enough energy to talk and reconnect and then….

Reason #3: We got home just after the baby settled down for her nap and the boy nested himself on the sofa with a book, so that….be still my beating heart… my husband and I were able to catch a nap too! Ahhhh….bliss! We were refreshed enough to spend a nice evening with the kids and watch an entire movie without falling asleep before the end(!).

I think we’ll be catching more late a.m. dates in the near future.