That's Italian

So, I've come to the conclusion that Date Nights are difficult when you have a baby at home. It's not the money, as the point of this blog is CHEAP DATES, but finding the time. I have been planning "That's Italian" for a few weeks now. The plan was for Kevin to make spaghetti and I would be in charge of the movie. I went to the Netflix site and entered the word Italian in the search box and Mambo Italiano popped up. Sure, why not? I'd never heard of it. It'll either be horrible or silly. So, our first attempt was a combined date night/family night, as Nana was with us. By the time Nana left, I was just too tired to follow through and date night was postponed....

When I arrived at home this afternoon, Kevin mentioned that he had purchased a bottle of Chianti. Perfect, I thought. Knowing we were having spaghetti for dinner, this was a great start to "That's Italian", although the thought of date night hadn't yet crossed my mind. It was Kevin who said, "Don't we have a movie for tonight?" Silently, I laughed to myself wondering how Mambo Italiano would pan out. So, date night it is. Sure, we will have to share it with Charlie, as we can't really ostracize our own child from the dinner table, and yes, we will have to wait to start the movie until after the bath and reading ritual, but we will get our date night in, between innings of the LA Dodger and Chicago Cubs. It was very sweet of Kevin to ask about date night, knowing that the Dodger's were playing tonight. Remember, I am married to one of the FEW Dodger fans in the US. And to think I suggested naming Charlie Dodger. Dodger Riant. Say it out loud. Doesn't it have a ring to it? Kevin is a dodger fan and his first game was at Dodger Stadium with his mom. Names have to have meaning to me and I thought this was a great way to acknowledge Kevin's love of the game and the memory of Mom. OK, so I got off track, but I'm currently listening to the game in the background as I await my meal.

As we were in the middle of dinner, (by the way, Kevin makes a great spaghetti sauce... my dad's recipe ala Kevin, my addition is the dried currents) I explained to Kevin the theme of our date night. "No worries, I didn't rent The Italian Job for our date night movie. He smiled and then I told him that, instead, I rented Under the Tuscan Sun. He looked directly at Charlie and said, "What? I'm giving up baseball to watch some chic flick?" I smiled. We finished our meal, all the while laughing at Charlie shoveling noodles into his mouth. We added some sauce to his buttered noodles and as you can see, a mess was created. Charlie was whisked away to a bath, where he currently sits in an empty tub. Yeah, you pull the plug, the bath is over until you say "I'm ready to get out." Seeing that all his toys are out of the tub (his choice to toss them) and the fact that Mama wants to get this date night moving, it's time to yank the kid out of the tub, dress him, brush the teeth, read the book, and put him to bed. It's Hammer...I mean Mama and Dada time.

35 minutes into the movie, Charlie is still up and fussy. Kevin walked in to "read" him The Hungry Catepillar and within minutes he was out for the night.

Just as we settled back to watch our movie, Kevin jumped up only to return with a bar of Trader Joe's milk chocolate. "I bought it weeks ago and I've been good to keep it A. hidden and B. untouched." My reply, "You read my mind and oh, you shouldn't have. No, you really shouldn't." (I'm trying not to eat junk anymore). You are aware that chocolate and red wine is an amazing combination?

For a complete "chance" movie, it was really cute. I cannot remember the last movie that kept me laughing. It was the Italian version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, only the main character is gay.

So, to sum it up.."That's Italian" consisted of a family spaghetti dinner, Dad and baseball while Mom bathed the kid, a very funny movie with complete Italian stereotypes, good wine and chocolate, and best of all, I was in bed before 9:00 PM. Now, That's Italian!

Pet the Animals

Saturday found us not only on a family date, but a group date. Jon, Colleen, and Evelynn Clow joined us for a trip up to Little Farm in Tilden Park. Luckily for the girls, we drove with Charlie and the boys took Evelynn. This way we could have our own "girl-date-time" without the boys. The plan was for me to follow Jon, but the curvy roads of Grizzly Peak were just too much for him. I lost him within seconds. Like Kevin, he couldn't resist putting the car into gear and taking the turns as quickly as he could. Needless to say, I knew where I was going and was able to read the signs. We enjoyed the views and quickly arrived at the overcrowded parking lot. There was no sign of the boys or Evelynn. We waited enjoying our time together and eventually the boys arrived. They claimed they went the scenic route and were waiting for us. Yeah, right.

We headed in with our bags of celery. It was an amazingly sunny day with just a slight breeze. Charlie was off and running. First, to the barn to look at the chicks. They were so soft (blocked by a window) and fluffy. Charlie didn't care about these, but Evelynn and I thought they were adorable. We wandered up the hill to feed the goats, who had already been fed and weren't interested much in what we had to offer. Kevin and Colleen "argued" over the wild turkeys..were they or weren't they. Colleen won and I was thrilled. Colleen is wonderful and calling Kevin out. We headed up to the black sheep. I joked "Where's the Green Sheep?" (one of Charlie's favorite bedtime stories. What interesting looking creatures. An enormous mound of black wool sitting on four black toothpicks (legs). We all laughed about the "smart" sheep who actually came over to eat some celery. It was a hoot to watch the sheep take the celery from Evelynn, to watch Kevin shake that "thang" (the celery to get the attention of the "dumb" sheep) and to watch Charlie just try to figure the whole thing out. I cannot wait until he is just a little older so he can make the sounds. He does make a "haaaa" sound for the goats.

The best part of the day was visiting Curly and her piglets, who were just two days old. They were the cutest things and they were all pink minus the one "black sheep", I mean piglet. Now, Curly on the other hand was a good 500 pounds and Curly, really??? I was expecting to see a 400 pound Harley riding bald with a long gray beard guy, not a pig. And for the record, Curly is a male name. They should have named her Miss Piggy.

After visiting the cows, again very funny creatures up close, we headed to the visitor's center. They were closing, not much to see. The only change we would make is to go earlier in the day, enjoy a picnic, and head for a walk around Jewel Lake. Who knew there was a lake?

We ended the visit to Little Farm with a stop at Inspiration Point to look out over the Bay. It reminded me of our first date, "Sunrise, Sunset". I will always have a place in my heart for the Oakland hills and the "View of the Bay".

This was 100% CHEAP, better said, FREE! I have to say cheap dates with the kid and friends was quite fun. A day filled with smiles and laughter, mostly at the expense of the animals, some at the expense of ourselves, was worth while.

Window Shop

As you know or don't know, Tuesday is our usual date night as Nana stays for dinner and then gives us a few hours to have a "date". This time, Saturday was our day. After a lovely wedding for our friends, Paul and Lynette, at Sterns Grove and a drink at the Hyde Out (care of Billy), we were off for some window shopping on Union Street. We found perfect parking (a difficult task in San Francisco). However, before we could peak into one shop, my bladder had other plans, not to mention my stomach. So, in the theme of " 52 Great Cheap Dates", we cheated. We had a burger (for me) and an Ahi Tuna burger (for Kevin). So, we spent $50. We hadn't been out in a while and we enjoyed a meal and drinks without Charlie. I hate to say this, but damn was it pleasant. It was so relaxing to enjoy a meal without having to pick food up off the floor, make sure the kid is happy, and Goddess forbid, rush!

Now, with a full belly we were on our way. Union Street is full of boutiques and expensive ones at that. Which is I guess the point of window shopping. The only shop I knew was bebe and if you aren't a size 0, why bother? We did walk into a few shops and I just laughed at the price tags. I could buy an entire outfit for the price of one shirt. I must say, it brought back memories of Jon and Michael. The first time I met Jon was on their visit to SF and we spent the day on Union St. We shopped and shopped. Now, I can shop with the best of them, but I can also haul ass through stores. If I don't see anything, I'm done. I'm very good at weeding out the crap. Shopping with Jon and Michael, two gay men, what a nightmare! Enough of my date with the boys, this is about my husband. Lucky for me, Kevin is a great shopper. We spent time in Z Gallerie and found a wonderful couch that would be perfect for our place. Oh, yeah! Job! That's the purpose of the blog, cheap dates. I guess buying a $1000 couch doesn't constitute cheap.

Our next stop was an "antique" furniture store (Mid-Century). Not, my type, but fun to wander through and once again, laugh at the prices, yet still admire the beauty. We did make it into one of my favorite's, Twig (a Jon and Michael special). Here Charlie (who wasn't with us) found Nana her Mother's Day gift. It was our only purchase of the day and Nana with love it. Although, I will be adding my own personal touches to the book.

The day was perfect. The sun was shinning, the wind was blowing, and Kevin and I held hands the entire day. I can't remember the last time we held hands for any length of time. I look forward to the next time we go window shopping. Any suggestions?