Our Very First "Date-Night In"

For any of you who haven't tried this...
it is a must! 

BabyWise talks about how putting your marriage first is the best thing you can do for your family and, though Hubs and I totally agree with that, we tend to keep it simple by having a cup of coffee at the table sans kiddos or having a conversation without allowing interruptions for an allotted amount of time. Well, tonight we did it up! We decided early Saturday afternoon to have a date night and, since no one was free to watch the tikes, we had a "night in". I did some quick planning {thanks to my favorite cook, Ina Garten}, ran to the store for all the ingredients needed, and started a cooking frenzy from 3p to 8p. Sweet Hubs kept the kids busy and got them bathed and into bed, then Hubs showered while I made the finishing touches on the meal, slipped into a dress, lit some candles, came up with some "Date Night Guidelines" to keep it special {NO talking about kids. No technology. Kind words only, no teasing or sarcasm. Compliment the Chef. Enjoy.}, and put on some piano music {okay, so there may have been a little Bryan Adams mixed in too}. 

It. Was. Wonderful. 

I highly recommend trying this at least once and, if you can swing it, keeping it up once a month. It's cheaper to stay in. You can hone your culinary skills. You have an excuse to cook "fancy" food your kid may not be able to enjoy. You get to reconnect with the love of your life. Why not?!

In case you were wondering... this night was made possibly by Ina Garten's recipes from her Barefoot in Paris cookbook. Scallops Provencal, green beans with roasted red onion and peppers, garlic mashed potatoes, and Meringues Chantilly. All recipes were simple and DeLicIoUs!!!