Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/1491611
22 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • February 2023 family money WRITTEN BY NIKKI DUCAS Date Night In With tween and teen boys, my house is loud. I really do love the fact that my boys want to share everything they are interested in from the latest comic they are writing to what they are doing on their YouTube channel with me. However, since I am a home- schooling mom, the clamor is constant given that we are together a lot. Don't read me wrong, family time is one of the top rea- sons we started homeschooling 7 years ago but now more than ever my husband and I need quiet time without interruption to regroup, relax and just listen to one another. Years ago when our boys were little, we set aside Saturday night as what we have penned as "Date Night In" when we would spend a little more on our meal than we would normally, but spend a whole lot less than we would if we went out to a restau- rant and hired a sitter. Although our boys are old enough to stay home alone and we take full advantage of being able to slip out whenever we pos- sibly can, we still enjoy our Date Night In from the comfort of our house. We are now able to go to the grocery store without the kids and choose what we'd like to make together. Our favorites are oysters, porterhouse steaks, and sushi. This time carved out is just for mom and dad after a stressful week. It allows us to relax and enjoy each other's company with- out the rigor of a busy restaurant or having to worry about driv- ing after enjoying wine with dinner. I am so fortunate that my husband likes to cook so the evenings that he is the chef grants me an opportunity to truly relax. If you and your partner don't find cooking relaxing consider the many options for take-out or food delivery around Fredericksburg. Our boys have come to expect Date Night In and look forward to it (it seems even more than we do now!) and get disappointed when plans get shifted on a Saturday night. To this day, they still get SpaghettiOs in front of the TV but now they eat in their playroom with the door shut and get to stay up later. My in-laws used this meth- od when my husband and his sisters were young and we've continued the tradition with our children. I can tell you as a mom from the trenches how important it is to spend time alone with your partner and how good it is to carve time from the everyday hustle and bustle to focus on one another. At the end of a long week, there is nothing better than sitting in a quiet house, enjoying adult conversation and television with your beverage of choice in hand with the only other person in the world that gets your crazy kids.