Meow

Hey, two followers!

So it's almost 5 p.m. My wonderful sister-in-law will be here shortly to watch my children so that my husband and I can get around to celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary, which happened at the end of August. Weekly Date Night? Try Biannual Feel-Guilty-That-We've-Been-Ignoring-One-Another/Some-Major-Milestone-Passed-Unnoticed Night. Good thing we're secure in our undying love for one another.

I'm just so darn excited about a grown-up meal in a childfree restaurant that has an actual wine list. We may even meet up with our cooler (younger) friends at a trendy bar for drinks afterwards. This hasn't happened since two kids ago, right around 2003! Together I mean. We go out with our own friends all the time but with the ongoing childcare issues, babysitting is usually reserved for weddings or mandatory events. The last time I went to a bar, the appropriate attire was black dress pants and a dressy shirt. I don't think they're even called dress pants and dressy shirts anymore. And when I say I go out with my friends all the time, I mean the neigbourhood pub if we're feeling adventurous, but usually mid-day coffee, kids in tow.

While I should be upstairs getting ready, I'm like downtown deprived these days and kind of paralyzed by the appropriate dress code. Do I wear the leopard-print dress or the zebra one (and before any cougar jokes start, let's just say there's a reason spots aren't one of the animal trends this year)? Or is it jeans and a nice (not dressy) top? Red lipstick or my usual gloss-and-go? New haircut - will it curl well or should I wear it straight? Decisions, decisions.

I'm sure my husband will be delighted to see me in something other than sweats and a stained tank top, but when you only "date" twice a year, there's just as much pressure as if it was the third date with a new guy you are really into: "Remember why you love me? Remember when I was fun and pretty and you thought I was witty and determined rather than a bitchy nag? Those were good times!"

I read in some book about happiness once that some study found that the couples who tended to make it to their 50th anniversaries weren't necessarily any more in love with one another than those who divorced. They just realized that no one's perfect, and though their spouse pissed them off sometimes, they knew that someone else would probably piss them off too - and maybe over heavier stuff. So essentially, the secret to a good marriage is resignation. That's fantastic because we're both really good at being resigned to things.

So, now I have to go try to get all dolled up while Middle Child is whigning and shoving a new beach ball from a goody bag he got today in my face to blow up, and BOF is tearing the heads of his sister's polly pockets, and Daughter is trying to convince me to let her try trimming her own bangs. But would I trade these crazy kids and their chaos for anything else? Um, I'll let you know in about 20 years. That's when I'll know if my investment of time and money in them has paid off.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving people!