Monday Inspiration // Creating a Date Night

Now that Florence is one, Alex and I decided we wanted to get serious about making some time for us. Going into parenthood, we both wanted to be intentional about not letting our relationship slip away. Of course, we knew things would change and that many of the things we used to do together as a couple wouldn't be realistic with an infant. The biggest thing we didn't prepare for was how tired the both of us are at the end of the day that even when we want to make time for each other, it's hard to. Most weekends the most we feel like doing is sleeping in and lounging around the house-which is totally fine but it's easy to forget what it's like to look forward to something together. To learn something new together (besides parenting stuff). It's incredibly revitalizing to step outside of the house and out of the parenting bubble for a breath of air and do something that is centered on the chemistry of two.

So to make this happen we picked a set day every month, no excuses. As soon as we decided this, I found a babysitter in the neighborhood. And booked her for our first date.

And when Saturday night came around we were both tired. I considered calling the sitter to cancel. I nearly forced myself to change my clothes and brush my hair, but we had committed to this night and I wanted to see it though. So we went out. We walked to a local brewery we'd been curious about. We played darts. I had a soda. An older woman gave us tips on how to win at ping pong. We made jokes and ate popcorn, and it was everything we needed, and nothing fancy. And the funny thing is, when we got home later that night, I actually felt I had more energy, not less.

Now, we're both set on making the next 11 dates happen over the next year. I'm excited about it. We both are.

What do you do to keep your relationship balanced? Date night ideas?!

photo by Bluebird Day Studio