So here’s the thing, I love Friday nights. I always have. Even as a kid I remember being so excited to watch the TGIF series of shows with my mom while we ate snacks and snuggled up in our comfy pj’s.
As I got older, my ideal Friday nights changed. They were no longer for watching sitcoms with my mom. Now they were for hanging out at a friend’s house or going to the mall to look at boys. Seems funny to me now considering that I absolutely hate the mall, but such was my life back then. Another shift happened with my Friday nights once I entered college. They were then for parties and clubs. I loved going out dancing with my girls and just having a good time. We weren’t drinkers and were never into drugs, but we loved good music and laughs and that is exactly how we’d kick off our weekends.
A few years after college I began adulting and doing adult things. I got a “real job” and got married. I’d put away my dancing shoes years prior but my husband always loved going out on Friday nights. He used to say that if we went out on a Friday, it would make the weekend seem longer. By that time, I was over hanging out on Friday nights. That “real job” was exhausting and I hadn’t even had children yet! By the time Friday hit I felt like I was running on fumes. All I wanted to do was come home, take a hot shower and get in the bed. But we were newlyweds and date nights are important to a marriage at any stage. So we’d run out to a movie, go to dinner, or have some couples over to hang out.
Fast forward 13 years and 3 kids later and as you probably guessed, I am beyond tired on Friday nights. My job has changed to being at home with my children which leaves me absolutely depleted by the end of the week. While my husband still feels that doing things on Friday makes the weekend feel longer, between work and spending time with the kids, he is usually worn out himself. So once again my Friday nights have transformed into something else, something wonderful! Now they are all about family, pajamas, and Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. We usually watch a show all together as a family after dinner. Then while the little ones sleep on the couch, my husband and oldest son and I end up getting in these deep conversations about life and the world as we know it. This can drag on until the wee hours of the morning but I love every minute of it. Afterwards we tuck the little ones into bed, I throw myself into my pillows and watch triple D from the comfort of my bed until I doze off. I cherish these nights and so do my kids and husband. In a sense, I guess I’ve gone back in time to the Friday’s that I so enjoyed as a kid. Life is funny that way. So no, I’m not dolled up and headed to a party or a night on the town, but that’s okay. I am right where I need and more importantly want to be.
~1spentmom~