Extreme Date Night

Last Saturday, something highly unusual happened to me as the mother of two kids under age 4: My eyes didn’t pop open until nearly 9 a.m.

No one had woken me by barking pre-dawn shouts of “Mama” from down the hall. No one cried out for whole milk at 4 a.m. There were no whiney requests to watch “Super Why” while eating cinnamon sugar toast prepared by a bleary-eyed mom. As I lay there under the covers, it took me a minute to remember why the house was so peaceful and still: My children weren’t home.

The smile slowly spread across my face as I realized that my husband and I were in Hour #14 of our Extreme Date Night. That’s a phrase I just coined for when the grandparents pick up the kids for a sleepover so mom and dad can have a night and most of the next day to themselves.

It goes without saying that the Extreme Date Night is the best gift ever for the parents of young children. Of course we love our kids, but it is wonderful to take a break from their constant upkeep, and to do what we want to do without having to consider how it would mesh with the wishes and nap schedules of Lucy and Isaac.

This particular outing was even better because it was combined with a belated celebration of my husband’s birthday. Back in September, my in-laws had given him tickets for us to go see a show by comedian Louis C.K. at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. So after grandma picked up the kids, our big evening on the town started with dinner at Panera Bread in the Hunt Valley Towne Centre (what can I say, I’m a cheap date). Then we drove to Fells Point for a quick stop at the Sound Garden record store. Then we made our way across the city to the Meyerhoff for the show.

Day Two of our Extreme Date Night began with a late breakfast at Ashland Café. We then went to the Towson Town Center where were picked up a couple Christmas presents for the kids, proving that they were never really far from our minds even as we were enjoying some time away from them. I even managed to fit in a quick cleaning of the house in their absence, which was great because when they are here,

Eventually Joe and I were done partying like it was 2006, and we went over to my in-laws’ house to pick up the kids. Judging by how rested I felt, I’m guessing that the grandparents’ batteries were running on empty. We’ll give them a few weeks to recharge before we start laying hints for our next date night in honor of our sixth wedding anniversary.