Dinner for Two

As most of you know, my husband's birthday was Thursday. We called our handy dandy babysitters (Ok, it was the Straightforward Grandparents but they are still handy dandy) and set off for a wonderful and amazing night on the town. We made it to Longhorns, Big Lots, and K-Mart. Yes, for the Straightforward Parents, that's a night without the kids. (However, our date nights usually include a visit to Wal-mart, but we decided to spice things up with two new locations.)

Can I just say that I almost didn't know what to do with myself? I had forgotten what it was like to go to an eating establishment of any kind without forty trips to the restroom, feeding half my food to the Straightforward Baby (yeah, he's eating big people food), trying to keep the Straightforward Son from dancing on the table, or going out to the car to retrieve a blanket, toy, or nippy (that's the pacifier in our household). We just sat there and wondered what we would talk about. Hmmm........Sadly, our conversation even wandered to the lighting in the restaurant. What did we talk about before we had kids? (Single people and married without kids, don't lose me yet! There's something you should know coming up!)

I have read several different items recently that have talked about making special time with your spouse a priority. After that meal, I honestly believe that should be a priority. As a mom, I have felt that my #1 priority should be my children, and that all my time, effort, and devotion should be directed towards them. Earth to the Straightforward Mom--you aren't always right!

Don't get me wrong. Parents should love their children with all their hearts. Yet, we have to remember there is someone else in the mix that got those kids there in the first place! (This ain't called the Straightforward Mom for nothing!) If moms don't make their husbands a priority, there will be no marriage there for the children they so desperately love. It took several articles to open my eyes to this fact.

Recently in "my journey to the point," I have been working very hard to make my husband more of a priority. (His birthday dinner was part of this new effort.) This has not been an easy task. Even though I am self-employed and at home more now than ever before, I feel more busy than when I was working seventy plus hours at my very first job. (The cleanliness of my home does not reflect this, but I assure you that this is the truth.) I have tried to make time for him at the end of each day that is just "us" time. The mouth with which I often get myself in great trouble with has been tamed (ok, I am not all the way there yet, but I am making progress--I say less mean things than before). I am trying to show him that I adore him and that his companionship is important to me. Remember ladies, when our children are grown and out of our homes, that's the person who will be picking us up out of the depths of despair. He will be the one that fills that void and takes up our time. If we don't nurture that relationship with as much (dare I say more?) care as we do our children, what will we have when our children are have moved on to lives of their own?

Pretty soon, I will be reviewing a book I just read on this very topic. I hope that you will come back and check it out....and by the way, I ran 3.2 miles on Saturday. I am contemplating signing up for my first 5K so that I can beat up on myself instead of my knight in shining armor!