Parent’s Date Night Fiascos

It has been AGES since we last hired a sitter and that isn’t because we haven’t gone out without the kids, but mainly because we’ve had family and friends in town who have been able to watch the kids for us. Lately that number has been dwindling and we found ourselves with two events happening last week that we wanted (and needed!!) to be out without the kids. Instead of hiring a stranger like we did A YEAR AGO, we managed to find a family friend (a babysitting virgin mind you) who was up for the challenge and so I got pumped for two date nights in one week!

However, as with most things, the events didn’t unfold as planned. I hear my single pals sharing their dating stories and while our date nights are NOTHING like some of their fiascos, I must admit that date nights for parents take their own weird twists! So I thought I’d share a quick glimpse into my world where chaos meets the unexpected and hope you’ll have a laugh with me this Monday!

Date Night No. 1

My vision : I’d spend an hour showering and getting dressed up for the fancily delicious good cause, Eat to The Beat. I’d show our friend, the babysitter, where all the necessary items were, I’d have fed both kids and they would watch a Disney movie while we went out. We’d Uber our way to the Roy Thompson as soon as the event started and I’d mingle with some familiar faces as I dined my way through the menu curated by 90 female chefs. I’d also be supporting Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support and meet the amazing breast cancer survivors who would be all decked out  and volunteering at the event in their fancy corsets.

What happened : Sitter arrives, I’m rushing around trying to sneak in a shower. She mentions that she needs costume ideas and I volunteer  to show her the ones I have…as I’m digging through the wardrobe something (dust? a bug?) flies into my eye and it IMMEDIATELY gets bloodshot red. I abandon my mission and decide to shower in the hopes of getting whatever was in my eye out. I step out of the shower and my right eye is swollen…very Halloween ogre like actually! Instead of spending an hour doing my make up and choosing an outfit, I grab the cleanest dress I can find and my make up bag, toss on a pair of flat sandals ( no heels!!) and run too the ER. I know… this was an hour before the event kicked off! I laugh at the irony of the whole ‘date night’ as I wait for the nurses and doctors to tend to my eye. Luckily I’m in and out in an hour (someone was on my side!!), I put on my make up in the waiting room at the ER and I get the hubs to pick me up.  We head to Eat To The Beat and luckily my eye was unharmed as a few steroid droplets help bring the swelling down. I’ve lost an hour of eating so I try my best to make up for it, meeting the amazing chefs and sampling the delicious treats they have. I’m glad we got to the event, even though I definitely did not LOOK or dress the way I envisioned.  Food highlights that evening included Chef Nuit Regular’s amazing Miang Kung , the Salmon Poke bowls from The Drake and the Pork Belly Tacos from mom-daughter duo at Tilde Taco! We get home to learn that Little Monkey conked off in the living room ( a total win) and found Baby Boy awake reading. We also learned that he had a poopy diaper and our sitter You-tubed her way through her first diaper change. So resourceful!!

Date night No. 2

My vision : An awesome house party on Halloween night with our friends where we’d enjoy a few bevvies before heading out to the Bier Markt, leaving Baby Boy and Little Monkey with the sitter (yes, she came back :)). Kids would be asleep and so the sitter could relax and watch Netflix while we went out for a few hours.

What happened : The hubs woke up with flu like symptoms and was fairly exhausted, the kids were coughing and I was starting to cough as well. We all ignored the tell tale signs and prepped for the party and had an awesome time. For the most part, things unfolded as planned…except for my make up. I really am horrible when it comes to face painting!! Baby Boy refused to sleep but the sitter didn’t mind, she enjoyed a glass of wine  we shared with her before our departure and then spent the night reading and watching TV with him. Little Monkey was conked out though! Our group dwindled as the night progressed yet we made it out to the bar. However we’re so out of the scene that we really didn’t anticipate how horrible it would be trying to grab a taxi or Uber as the bar closed and it was pouring buckets. DOH!! So we did what we knew and WALKED HOME in the rain as I desperately tried to hold my pee in! As I walked home I seriously regretted our decision to party outside of our home…why would I torment my body like this? We got home but definitely not the way I envisioned! Needless to say, we were all insanely sick come Sunday.

Date night No.2 definitely worked out to be a little less stressful than No.1 but at the end of the day….we did get out. That’s the important part, right? I really think it’s time the hubs and I take a much needed night away from the kids as it has been a bit too long since our last escape!