Dating and love has changed drastically for me in the last ten years. I used to go to concerts or long lunches or stay out late with a special someone, but now I’m perfectly content to get out of the house for a few hours while someone else watches the kids, go to a movie and dinner and hopefully get home after everyone has gone to sleep.

It’s a romantic married life we lead.

But I wouldn’t change it for anything, and I’d like to share what romance looks like for my Valentine and I.

Romance is:

putting the kids to bed when I’ve has spent “quality time” with them all. day. long.

finishing a project with the kindergartner while I go to a book club meeting.

drawing a lunch box note when my well of creativity is dry.

doing the dishes before making breakfast on the weekend.

letting me choose a dinner of sushi and a movie with lots and lots of feelings AND taking me to Target afterwards.

taking the trash can out to the road when it’s –3 degrees and dark.

picking up sour cream on the way home from a long day at work on Taco Tuesday (or Thursday or Sunday or whatever day I can only muster up the energy to cook hamburger meat and throw tortilla chips at the kids).

fixing the closet light that has been bugging me for years AND the faucet ON THE SAME DAY.

a Starbucks gift card for my birthday and Christmas so I never have to buy my own coffee.

entertaining the kids with Minecraft or the XBox while I “read” in bed (and by “read” I mean sleep)

spending an hour making gluten free chicken parmesan because gosh darn it, it just sounds really good.

sneaking pictures of my butt just…well….because you like it.

These are the things that make my 34-year-old married self swoon.

Happy Valentine’s Day, babe.