It's a date!

I remember back in the pre-kidlet days when Pig and I could go out pretty much anywhere we wanted to go and whenever we wanted to go there. We saw movies when they were still in the theaters, ate at diners somewhat regularly, and could drop everything to go check out a particular store just because we felt like it.

Enter the kidlets. Movies are now seen multiple years after the fact when we finally have two uninterrupted hours awake after the kidlets get to sleep. We have not eaten out anywhere for a number of years now due to Rooster's and my severe food allergies. (My food allergies got worse during and after my pregnancy with Rooster, which may or may not be related to why she has such bad reactions to certain foods.) We can, potentially, still go out to random stores, but we have to take into consideration how cranky, hungry, tired, alert, and ornery everyone is before heading out the door. We certainly have less of a window in which to shop, but that's kind of okay since we have far less money with which to spend. I'm not entirely sure I know what "alone time" is anymore either, since there is always a kidlet or more who is trying to separate Pig and I.

Now enter the babysitters. Pig and I were actually granted time alone together today. Relatives of mine agreed to man the battle stations here at the house while my husband and I had our first date in ages. I was thrilled, but very much concerned that the chimney repair company would come too late and interfere with our date start time. Sadly, that almost came true. The chimney people came just a few minutes before Pig and I left for our movie date. Pig went outside to explain to them what work needed to be re-done correctly, and then we left.

It was with great glee that Pig and I saw our first movie theater movie in ages. We were annoyed with how badly it strayed from the book. We kept whispering to one another about all of the plot points that were completely disregarded or altered. Before you start scolding me for talking during a movie, please keep in mind that there was only one other couple in the entire theater, and they were rows away from us doing the same darn whispering thing. We basically ripped the entire movie apart, from its inability to exist as a stand-alone movie to its thumbing its nose at the second half of the book on which it was based. In other words, we had a blast.

Pig and I do not always have time to string two sentences together to direct at one another, and here we had the chance to watch and critique a movie. We joked. We bantered. We were not interrupted fourteen times by a kidlet asking us to come and look at what a good job they did going potty. We could hold each other's hand and no one suddenly pushed us apart so they could be in the middle of Mommy and Daddy. There were no tiny, cold fingers poking us in the face to get our attention. No one demanded that we leave to go home after the first preview rolled or asked to use the bathroom so they could play with a new and improperly cleaned toilet. It was bliss.

Don't get me wrong. I certainly love my kidlets and am incredibly thankful that they have blessed my life. However, I was extremely grateful for the ability to have some grown-up alone time with their father. Maybe next time we can actually watch a movie that we will enjoy!