10 Year Snogiversary

10 years ago I kissed my now wife for the first time. This was a significant part in our lives. In this modern day, people don’t get married straight away and some people not at all (and some people aren’t allowed too!).

On the 14th of December 2001, we had our work Christmas party, we had been on a couple of dates, but this was the night we would share our first of many intimate moments. This that been a date that has been very important to us. We were engaged 1000 days after that first kiss. We were married 2000 days after that first kiss. Even after being married, the 14th of December is the date that we go back to. Apart from our 1st wedding anniversary, I don’t think we have celebrated it since.

As we have done a bit of a role reversal this year, I asked Mel if she was going to organise the celebration. Mel isn’t the best at organising events and over the years, I have organised all the anniversary celebrations… so when our anniversary came round, I wasn’t holding my breath that a romantic night was planned.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Mel had done some sly investigation work and had booked my 2 favorite restaurants in SE Queensland for the Friday night. RockSalt and Aria. Mel gave me the final choice and we decided on Aria, as the views of the Brisbane River and Story Bridge were the clincher. 

Nanna and PJ were watching the kids and we spent the evening together, dining on awesome food, drinking great wine and reminiscing about our time together over the last wonderful 10 years.

You are my life. I breath for you. I lie down next you each and every night and smile. We have created 4 beautiful children. We work together every day so our children show respect, love, are well mannered and have the best opportunity to be the very best they can be. I love you.

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Macca’s

We had an impromptu McDonalds run last week, as I had to do a few things after school and didn’t have time cook. At 6pm, I called Mel to ask how hungry the boys were, she replied “Pretty hungry. What are you going to have?”Now this was a slightly loaded question, as we are supposed to be on a diet. “Not sure, I don’t mind going to Subway if you want?” was my response. “We have Weight Watchers meals, don’t we?” “Yeah, cool. I’ll just get the boys food then.” I hung up and drove to Macca’s. I thought, the boys are hungry and all I have is a Weight Watchers meal waiting for me, I’ll over order and get a cheese burger for me ;)

Now I have 3 “eating” kids at 4, 5 and 6, so I ordered 5 cheese burgers, 6 nuggets and 2 large chips. On the way home, I’m thinking, I’m getting a cheese burger and a couple nuggets for sure.

I took the food inside to the savages and went back out to the car to unpack it. I would have been outside for 10 minutes max and came inside to paper everywhere. Apart from a few fries, there was no food to be seen. I looked in the bag for a spare cheese burger or two… Nothing. I asked Mel, she just shook her head. I sat down to my WW cannelloni and sulked.

If they are like this at 4, 5 and 6, what are they going to be like in 10 years :s.

Must be doing something right.

All 6 of us went out for Thai on a recent holiday. Mel sat in the car, while I went inside to see if they could accommodate us.

“Can I get a table for 5 and a pram please?” I asked the teenage waitress.

She looked at me quizzically and said “We don’t have prams, but I could give you a high chair?”

“No, we have the pram, I meant, we need space for a pram.”

“Oh… Well it’s probably best outside, is that OK?”

“Yeah, that’s fine”.

We made our way to the table, Jaec at the head, Izaac and Kaine opposite each other with Mel and I next to them and Yve parked on the end.

Even though we were outside, it was still quite intimate. There was a family of 3 near by and a group of 8 behind us. I asked the boys to use their inside voices and apart from the odd occasion when Izaac got excited, they were pretty good.

As we were leaving I walked the older 3 to the car and Mel made her way through the other tables with the pram. The boys were in their seats, when Mel finally got to the car. As I strapped Yve in. Mel told me that the table of 8 stopped her.

“Those people on that table stopped me to tell me what wonderful children we had and we must be great parents. The boys were so well behaved and it was very rare to see kids of that age out at a restaurant and not have them running around the restaurant screaming.”

I smiled, it’s nights like this that make me feel proud to be a parent.

Remember what your parents gave up

When you are in the middle of parenting, you sometimes forget what your life used to be like before kids. I was reminded of this when we went out for dinner last week, just the family (just the 6 of us ;)). As I offered my wife the rice and then the curry, I said to Mel “When was the last time we did this?”.

Sure we have been to maccas and food courts etc, but we both couldn’t remember when we went our to a restaurant for dinner when it wasn’t on a special occasion with extended family or friends. 

We didn’t go out because it’s too hard with the kids, but mainly because it’s expensive to go out with children, it then got me thinking about what else we have given up for the kids and what my parents gave up when they had me.

The list is way too long to write here, but those of you with kids, think about what you have given up and those of you without kids, have a think about what your parents have given up.

Sure some people have children and their lives don’t change, but having said that, you do have to give up time with your kids, whether it’s through choice or the need to work for the unholy dollar.