So, date nights. They are something David and I are trying to make more of a regular occurrence. The girls aren’t tiny babies anymore (sob!) so we are more able to have our wonderful sitter help us out and prioritize our marriage by spending more time together. Plus, I kinda like David, so it’s always a fun time no matter what we do.
That’s a good thing because date nights don’t necessarily mean fancy dinners out. Sometimes they involve a casual dinner at Duckworth’s.
And by “dinner‘ I mean giant plate ‘o nachos that I face-planted into.
Some people tell me I’m lucky I don’t have a sweet tooth. Well, I have a raging nacho tooth which I may argue is more challenging. If any other locals have a nacho tooth, David and I declare Duckworth’s the best local nachos for the following reasons:
- They use REAL cheese, not some drippy, soggy sauce.
- They are generous with the guac and jalapenos.
- The grilled chicken on the nachos is incredibly well seasoned and tastes like real chicken, not fatty leftover pieces that were clearly an afterthought.
Hm, I didn’t plan for this to be a post on nachos, so perhaps I’ll move on.
What did we decide to do with our couple hours of sweet freedom?! What else do you do in the ‘burbs?
Oh yes. Definitely my choice, not Davids’s. I giddily grabbed a cart and reveled in the glory of solo Christmas shopping.
This is David’s forced “I can’t believe we’re taking a selfie in Target at 8:00 pm” smile (well, it would be if David actually ever used the word selfie), to which afterwards I skipped after him belting out You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch!
No kids tagging along and I still can cause a scene at Target. Boom.
I was pumped to find these $0.99 nail polishes for Hailey.
Don’t you find that it’s always the cheapest toys/purchases that kids like the most?
Afterwards we celebrated being almost done with all our Christmas shopping by grabbing a beer at Ultimate Ales.
If you are a beer aficionado within a 30 mile radius of this place, you need to check it out. Owner Mark is awesome and ridiculously knowledgeable on beer. Their selection, both on tap and on the shelves, is out of this world.
A pretty wild night, no? How did we end up?
In bed before 10:00 pm of course. Just the way I prefer it! Ha.
In other news, here are some good reads I’ve found around the web lately!
Creativity can take so many different forms and I loved reading how Jen found and fostered her particular creative calling.
I definitely saved a link to Cassie’s Easy Buttery Yeast Rolls because I love the method she explained of making, then freezing the dough to easily pop one out for weeknight dinners. David would love a fresh roll with dinner!
Lindsay’s post on When Blogging Gets Hard was a refreshing read for me. I certainly have my ups and downs with blogging, but I feel like her post can relate to life in general for all of us.
Sally wrote a post asking if your child is really as picky as you think. I liked her insight and definitely agree that snacking can present itself as picky eating.
This apple cider hot toddy. Another one from Cassie? What can I say, she is my photography idol. Plus, David always brings up hot toddies once the weather gets cold and I never remember correctly how to make them so I can’t wait to give this one a try!
Char showed me how to take my coffee to the next level and make it a cup of nutritious goodness. Char is a wealth of info on plant-based nutrition and I love learning from her!
Kath wrote about Legacybox, and how they digitized her family memories. This is something I’ve really wanted to do with our home movies and pictures, so I definitely bookmarked her post.
I love that Nicole is so candid with sharing her small business tips and loved this post on how she wrote and published her e-books (for some delicious, healthy breakfast and dessert recipes that are worth checking out btw!)
Stephanie shared some awesome tips about how to grow your following on instagram that I really enjoyed reading. Personally I’m a little torn because I hesitate to venture too far from the ‘real life’ aspect of instagram (you can find me here!) that I love so much, but do recognize that people respond much better to pretty pictures. What do you think?
My friend Rachel (whose little boy just turned 1 month old!) shared Katie’s post on 10 things a postpartum mom really wants when I asked her if she had any good ideas on things I could bring to a friend. It’s amazing how quickly I forget what the new baby stage is like!
If you had a date night tonight, what would you like to go do?
Read anything on the web that’s great lately? Link to it below so I can check it out!
And have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Erin says
Haha we almost always end up at target on our date nights too! Glad I’m not the only one who is excited by that. 😉
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
thanks for the love, friend. now you’ve got me craving nachos!
Katie Crenshaw says
I love this!! Thanks for sharing!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood says
We were kind of at a loss as to what to get out 18 month old this year for Christmas because the whole Christmas or presents thig yet, so we decided on a big stocking of cheap little toys (hello, Dollar Spot, I’ve already got half of what I need!) and one or two presents. I know that no matter what we get him, the random $1 gifts will reign supreme!
Kate says
If my husband and I had date night tonight, I would love to just have dinner at a cozy restaurant – nothing fancy. Going shopping sans kid does sound enticing, too. 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I used to be on the fence about date nights, but David talked me into them. He felt that we needed to break up the middle of the week from our normal routine. We’re trying to go out every Wednesday night. Nothing fancy by any means. This last Wednesday it was sushi. It’s been so nice to have a night off from cooking after work and not having to do dishes. Plus, it’s been great for us to explore restaurants we haven’t been able to try since moving to our new town back in March. Date nights are great for marriages! 🙂 That’s what I’ve learned. I’m glad you guys were able to get out and about and nice job tackling your Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving has passed!
Char @ Nutritiously Fit says
I LOVE your posing with the Target sign pic because a) you’re so flippin’ pretty and b) you so have the right idea for date night, haha!! I would seriously love to do that as well on date night.
I think it should be mandatory that nachos come piled high with guac. It’s just mean if they don’t!! Christmas shopping almost finished is a beautiful sentence to utter as well. Better than my: we haven’t even started! haha!
John J. says
We did, while raising you and Kris, and do now have regular date nights. One of the reasons we have a great marriage. Tonight’s “date night” is dinner at our club and listening to one of our favorite musicians. And, we’ll be in bed by ten!
brynn says
My husband and I work three miles apart, so once a month we have a date lunch. It is much easier to find one hour during the day then schedule a sitter at night. And it is a great distraction from work as well. It is my favorite new traditions.
Lauren @ Oh Hey! I Like That! says
I’m pretty sure that I also have a “raging nacho-tooth.” We may need to start a support group 😉
Heather says
Love that you guys ended up at Target after dinner. Ha ha. That’s definitely something we’d do as well… it’s just so much easier to browse without kids! :p I’d love to go out for a breakfast date – it’s my favorite meal and we haven’t had a good breakfast date followed by thrifting/antiquing in a long time.
Whitney says
I LOVE that your photos are of your real life and NOT super posed or staged. Keep doin’ you!
Suzana says
I went to a breakout game last week, it was loads of fun! You go into a staged room and have to puzzle through a tresure-hunt that leads you to the exit through clues. The one I did had loads of codes and teamwork activities – it was actually aa wonderful double date. I’ve linked to a similar place 🙂
Jenny Pittsburgh says
I love that your husband is such a good sport. And that really sounds like the perfect date night to me…my husband went to Trader Joes the last time we went to dinner solo. So nice not to be rushed!
Heather H says
If we were to have a date night *tonight* we’d probably go to Mockingjay – but we’re going to try to do that in the next couple of weeks 😉 Our girls are very close in age to yours so I can totally relate to that feeling of being able to go out for a date night without too much worry!! 🙂
Kelly @ Noodle to the Rescue says
I appreciate your detailed analysis of the key components of perfect nachos. 😉 I agree completely.
I SO miss Target since we moved from Denver. The nearest one is 1hr away now. I guess I should console myself that I’m saving money…
I’m looking forward to a date night (actually a date afternoon) on Saturday. We’re going to grab a late lunch/early dinner while the in-laws watch the kiddo. I have my heart set on a cheesesteak. Don’t come between a pregnant lady and her cravings… 🙂
Happy Weekend!
Sarah says
I love instagrams that look real and not staged! So annoying when it looks like a professional photograph from a nice camera because to me, the whole point of instagram is capturing the little moments in life from your phone!
Hilary says
Date night sounds so fun! I am in a long distance relationship, so even though Im not married and don’t have kids I can relate to it being so important! I have a pasta place picked out for my next date night, and a trip to a huge park to go explore!