Today’s parenting tip is all about the parents. Kevin and I haven’t had a night away since our anniversary. Our second anniversary, that is. We’ve been married over 4 years now, with 2 babies in the mix. I love spending time with our kids and time as a family, but at the same time, it’s really important to connect as a couple over something other than bottles, laundry, and groceries. Trust me. It’s been a while, and we could tell! The day-to-day business (especially with a baby, when you’re sleep deprived and don’t get a moment to yourself until after everyone is in bed) can take its toll on you and on your relationship, no matter how rewarding those sweet little ones are and no matter how hard you work on being good parents and good spouses. For us, we have to work to carve specific time out for each other.
See, my husband works evenings and I work days – so while the kids get lots of time with both us, we hardly get any time with just each other. I go days without seeing my husband for more than five minutes, all of our conversations are via text some days – so you can imagine, it’s hard to do more than just the family essentials that way. When we finally do end up in the same room at the same time – we’re so tired, it’s hard to spend that time on anything memorable. But now that Roman is sleeping long enough at night to leave him with Grandma, we decided we really needed a night away. Firekeepers Casino put us up for the night on Monday night (if you follow my social media, you got a glimpse or two of our gorgeous room already!) and we had some wonderful quality time.
We got dressed up. We had cocktails. We played some Blackjack and laughed and had a good time. We went to the pool without floaties. We sat by the fireplace and didn’t watch cartoons. I had a wonderful hot bath without rubber ducks. We put on music that was not about animals, numbers, or colors. We went to bed late and we slept in. We “got our Vegas on” and It. Was. Awesome.
(This was the “Do Not Disturb” hanger – you could turn the wheel to choose your reason for cleaning service or for DND. We changed the reason every time we stopped back at the room. And got funnier to us after every cocktail – hey, it’s the little things!)
Their hotel is beautiful and our room was amazing. It’s new, so the decor is contemporary with great modern amenities. It was comfortable, inviting, and had great touches to make you feel at home – like the iPhone dock next to the bed! (And the acoustics in the bathroom as I sang along to my own playlist, because of course you crank up the music and sing along when you are getting ready for your big date.) This was the first time either of us stayed *at* a casino, so we had a wonderful time just walking the floor with a cocktail (oh, and thank you, Tyler, for the fabulous blue martinis), wandering back to the room for a break, going back downstairs for a bite to eat, visiting the pool – it was the perfect balance of down time and entertainment. Lots to do, but in the most laid-back way possible.
It was 1:00 in the morning before we really bothered to check the time! I’m not a big gambler by any stretch – but I had fun sitting down at the blackjack table. We had some really great dealers (well, great aside from the fact that I’ve never lost so much standing on 20, haha). Lots of personality – and that made it lots of fun. If you’re near Battle Creek, or passing through – it’s a great stay, you have to go! You can also check out all their special promotions by liking their Facebook page. We were there on important date business – but it’s set up well for *actual business* too. I hopped on the wifi and got some work done in the morning. My own office isn’t this comfortable!
It was great to get back home and see the kids (who didn’t appear to have even missed us), but it was even better to come home laughing and relaxed, and not so stressed. The atmosphere was totally perfect for a 24-hour date. Would we love more time than that? Of course! But who knows when we’ll be able to do that. Finding time for one night away is a lot easier to manage – and we would be perfectly happy to head on back to Battle Creek for another night at Firekeepers!
Do you have any suggestions or tips for making couple-time during your parenting years?
Ugh, what would I give to get a day away! I went overseas on my own for a week last year, but haven’t had more than a 3 hour date since J was born. And with no family around, that’s not going to change anytime soon. :-( So, I’ll be living vicariously through you :-)
So glad you had a great time!!
Couple time often takes a backseat to family time once kids/babies arrive! What an amazing place to rekindle your relationship with Kevin!
I just wanted to say I love your Blog. I recently started blogging myself and yours is an inspiration. I too totally agree that no matter what age your children are- couples NEED to have dates together every now and then. Even if it can’t be for the night- an hour or two of quality time talking about things other than work or the kids makes a big difference. It helps remember why you fell in love with to begin with <3 Thx for sharing. Glad you got your night away.
We haven’t had a night away in 4 years…maybe one of these days!
Wow- looks like such a beautiful place! You look amazing in your dress! I hear ya on seeing the hubby for a matter of minutes each day… can get to be a huge bummer for sure :( We need to be doing stuff like this, even if for just a short time like you say, more often. :)
It looks like you two had a fantastic time!! The pool and room look outstanding! What way to get some one on one time alone. About the only time JP and I get is on our anniversary, which is coming up. Maybe we need to find a place like this to stay at. ;)
That place is INCREDIBLE! Wowza – sign me up for that kind of getaway!
Looks like lots of fun! I’d love one of those quick get aways now!!!
It is very important to have couple time. I’ve been married almost 25 years and with 4 teens – it’s harder than ever! In some ways, it was easier when they were little. They all went to bed at 8 or 9 and we could rent a movie, at least, on Friday night. When they got older, we were able to go out a bit more. But then when the teen years hit – all chaos broke loose! In those first 15 years, we managed to go away for one night – we were not even gone 24 hours – an hour away from our home! Our mother-in-law was so frazzled, I knew that it wouldn’t happen again for a long time.
WOW! That looks aMAzing! Hooray for date time away from the kiddos…you’re lookin’ great, mama, and it looks like you had a fantastic time!