Stayte

With a small baby at home, little disposable income for babysitters, and the nearest relative a plane ride away, Colin and I spend most of our weekend nights at home. We do the bulk of our socializing during the day and have the occasional dinner party after Little C goes to sleep, but romantic dinners out are a thing of the past. Or so we thought….

Taking inspiration from the recession-inspired “staycations” Colin and I have instituted our own new necessity-inspired ritual: a stay at home date, or “stayte.” Now, this is more than just ordering a pizza and cuddling on the couch while watching a movie. We did that, but it started to feel like both of us relaxing at the same time in the same room. It did little to inspire romance. So, we instead decided to recreate the whole going out experience.

Instead of ordering pizza or Chinese food, we pick up food from a bonafide date-y restaurant, the kind that uses caramelized onions and exotic cheese to good effect. We dress in flattering attire, not pre-bed sweats. We clean the living room and do the dishes to avoid distractions of jobs left undone. We dim the lights, light a candle, set the table and the ipod, and eat our dinner in actual courses. We make horrible jokes about the service being slow and the waiter rude and laugh despite ourselves. After dinner we play games, make out, and even dance if we’re inspired. No one’s looking.

Baby or no, chez nous has some obvious advantages over a dinner out. There’s never a wait, parking and braving the elements are non-issues, no one will stare if you have heated debates or make out sessions, the music is always good, no one rushes you out, and you can have a long luxurious dinner and still be in bed by 10 AM (a definite advantage these days). Granted, there’s a bit clean up involved, no one brings you your plate, and there’s always the threat of a cry from Caleb bursting our well crafted romantic atmosphere. But the advantages greatly outweigh, and so the stayte is here to stay.