Finding Me time, Your time, and Our Time

Recently (like in the last 2 weeks) I've been finding the importance of going out with friends by myself.  Usually I'll do a playdate or a lunch date and I've got the kids with me.  But with school ending and friends moving, I've needed and wanted to catch up with some friends who I won't see for a while. I've been out to dinner a few times by myself. It's been nice to have to only worry about what I'm ordering and not have to worry about a timeframe.

I realized that this is an important part of motherhood: reconnecting and staying connected to your friends.  Maybe you've already figured this out.  My life revolves around my kids (in a good way).  I'm always with them and I look for activities that they will enjoy and I love being involved and helping out. But it's good to take a step back for an evening and relax.

Before when my husband would call from work telling me that he might go to a Happy Hour (which he rarely ever does) I would be frustrated because I would be home all day with the kids and then have to do all the bedtime routines with them and not have a break until after 8pm. 12+ hour days are loooooonnnng days.  But I realize that my husband needs an outlet as much as I do. Recently (and for whatever reason) we've both have taken time to go out with our respective friends.  It's been nice. We both feel like we are a part of a social group again. Since we're both taking turns doing it, it just evens itself out.

In addition to going out with friends, Hubby and I have made a point to go on a date night at least once a month. I love this time together. We get a babysitter and we just enjoy an entire evening talking and spending quality time together.  Just two nights ago we had nothing that had to be done immediately and we decided to watch a Netflix movie on our Wii. No planning required. It was great.  It's been a while since we've had a low key evening.

Me time, your time, and our time....good times :)