When you live in a home that houses 3 generations you very rarely have any uninterrupted alone time as a couple to chat or just enjoy each other’s company. A few years ago my husband and I decided that Wednesday night would be date night. We picked Wednesday because it’s midweek, a couple days have gone by since the weekend, and by that time we are in desperate need of an inner battery recharge! Don’t get me wrong, I love having my daughter & grandkids living with us but I also feel it’s important for my husband & I to have some “us” time.

We don’t do anything fancy. Most Wednesdays we go to the local pub and grab a bite to eat. We’ve become friendly with a few of the waitresses and it’s nice to see them and catch up. We sit at pretty much at the same table every week and our waitress knows to get my husband a Bud Light and myself a glass of white wine (Yes we’re that predictable, lol). While we enjoy our drinks and eat our meal we talk about whatever’s going on, whether it be a job my husbands working on, a craft fair that’s coming up for me, maybe we have an issue that needs to be talked about, or just comfortable small talk. We’re usually only out for less than 2 hours, but it’s our 2 hours for just us, to reconnect with no interruptions.

I love our date nights but I love our family dinners as well. Yes they’re loud, yes they’re chaotic, and yes there’s usually at least one spill, but it’s the one time during the day we all sit down together, no tv or electronics, just talking. The part of family dinner I love the most is what we call “Rose & Thorn”. Each one of us tells a good point of our day(a rose) and a low point of our day(a thorn). A common rose of my grandkids is usually something about how they love being with their family, but also can include something good that happened at school, or getting to the next level in a video game. Most of the time there are 2 or 3 roses to be shared by each grandchild which makes my heart smile. A thorn can include being spoken to for not listening to mom, not being able to go outside for recess if it’s a nasty day, or not getting to the next level in that video game. Us adults also join in with our rose & thorn. I love how they spark conversation, create a sense of gratefulness, and can help in talking about & solving a thorn.

If you’re living in a multi-generation home like we are, or maybe just a full house, I hope that you too are taking time for yourselves, whether it be a dinner out, running errands or going for a walk or ride. Its not about WHAT you do, it’s about doing it together. It’s so important to stay connected as a couple. But as important as date night is for my husband and I (definitely one of our roses!), and how much we look forward to it, our crazy, chaotic family dinners are equally as important and fill me in a way that dinner alone could never do. ❤️

Do you and your spouse have a date night? If so, what are your favorite date night traditions?