Mommy and Me

So, I thought I'd wait a day or two after my "Bestest Night Ever" post before writing this one.

Not to take anything away from Daddy-Sonwun night, but I enjoyed the following day, Daddy-Mommy day, just as much.

We called in a babysitter and, by 9:30 a.m., Neomom and I had dumped the kids like a bad habit and were in line at Tim Horton's drive-through. Armed with coffee and a couple of breakfast sandwiches, we headed for Winnipeg for a leisurely day of kid-free fun. (Love my kids.)

At Timmy's, we didn't hear one whine from the back seat about apple juice, cookies or muffins. As we headed east on the TransCanada Highway, there were no fights, no one was looking out anyone else's window, no one was spitting, no one was "talking too loud" or "looking at me."

We talked without interruption, all the way to Winnipeg. At the St. Vital Mall, we walked at a leisurely pace without having to tell anyone to stop playing hide-and-seek in the clothing racks, we shopped and could actually concentrate on what we were looking at.

I love my boys, but every now and then it's nice to be out in public, doing mundane things, with my wife.

I realize for many of you, this is normal. Maybe you get a "date night" once a week, courtesy of Gramma, or Uncle Buck. But part of the joy of the RCMP lifestyle, with all the moves and being so far from family, is that lining up a trustworthy new babysitter or two, in each town you move to, takes a little time.

You know, as I contemplated writing this post, I did my usual brain scan for funny, unusual, wacky events that took place during the day. When I wrote for the newspaper, we called it the hook.

But honestly, there really wasn't anything that stood out. It was just the regular old stuff, sans kids. But I guess that's the point. Spending almost a whole day alone with my wife is not just a breath of fresh air, it's a hurricane. It's rare, it's appreciated a whole lot more.

Anyhoo, we finished up the day with a nice lunch at Earl's, a place I've wanted to check out since we moved to the area, and then headed over to the casino to lose a little cash. Mission accomplished.

As I realized on Sonwun-Daddy night, it's great to do things as a family, but it's equally important to find time to connect, on an individual level, with each family member, as well as yourself.

Have a great Friday!