Saturday, February 12, 2011
Mom's Night OUT!
Tonight I was invited by some friends to do a girls' night out! This is pretty exciting for us, since we are all moms who almost never get time away from our kids. And there's something special about just hanging out with the girls, enjoying glasses of wine and appetizers and desserts we don't usually let ourselves indulge in, that brings out the fun-loving inner teenager that many of us have been suppressing for a while now. I'm looking forward to it! Unfortunately I can't share in the wine because I am pregnant, but it should still be a pretty fun time. I felt a little guilty leaving my husband alone on Valentine's weekend, but A) we don't usually do much for Valentine's Day; B) we are going to cook a nice dinner together tomorrow night, and C) I realized I have not done a single activity with my friends since he came home from deployment. That was 7 months ago! While he was deployed, I was on my own with 2 kids, and yet between the coupons for free Saturday Night childcare on base, and some helpful baby sitters, I managed to go out and do something fun without kids about once a month. Nothing wild, I am not a party girl and have never been into the clubbing scene. But just dinner or ice cream with friends is exciting to me! Now since he has been back, we have been trying to do date nights together once a month, but anytime I heard my girl friends wanted to do something on a weekend, I would think, "Well, I can't do that. Weekends are our only time with Daddy!" So I have gotten out of touch with the very people who were most supportive and helpful to me during the deployment! I think family and couple time is a wonderful thing, and will always be a priority in our marriage. But we shouldn't have to neglect other friendships too. Now that we are getting ready for the next deployment this summer, I think it is a important thing for me to get back in touch with my friends, and help our friendships to grow even before the deployment starts. What about you? How do you balance time for your family and your friends? And what is your go-to hang out spot? Ours is either Starbucks or Olive Garden. :-)
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I hardly ever get out with the girls -- don't really have many girlfriends here. Hubby is a group commander so everyone works for him, which makes things awkward. Plus, other spouses of Colonels have college kids and I have an almost 4 yr old and a 10 month old. My favorite hangout is usually a coffee shop, too. Nice to "meet" you -- glad you joined the milspouse blog group. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteHeidi
Yay for girls night out! My girlfriends usually head to the local sushi restaurant. I love your blog and can't wait to follow you on your journeys.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, nice to meet you too, and thanks for your post! While I have never experienced life as a Colonel's wife, I can imagine it would indeed be hard to fit in, especially with young kids. I have a hard enough time meeting other new moms who are only 20, when I am almost 30. Worlds apart! But my husband always reminds me that there is no rank among wives. You would probably fit right in with some of the Gunny's wives I have met. For me the best way to meet local moms has not been through the battalion, but rather through playdate groups. That way, your kids are the same ages, even if the moms are not, and you have something in common. If you are in the Jacksonville NC area I can make some recommendations, but otherwise I encourage you to go to the website Meetup.com, which is a national site, and check out local groups. You might be surprised, and hopefully make some new friends!
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