How we spent our Anniversary!

We’ve never done anything super elaborate for our anniversary.  The most elaborate thing we’ve ever done was to have dinner at The Melting Pot.  That was going to be a ‘tradition’ from then on because… well, have you been there?  It’s AMAZING!!

The tradition lived on for 2 whole years…….

….. and then we were poor.  Eating at The Melting Pot is not cheap, my friends!  Each time we went it cost us over $100… for just the two of us!!  Oh, but it was soooo worth it!

Since then, we’ve done absolutely nothing fancy whatsoever.  Remember?  5 kids?  Umm, yeah, that’ll put a stop to any plans you might have for dinner and a movie.  Not only are movies and restaurants overpriced but what about a babysitter? 

We used to have one of those.  Actually, we had a few of them.  Anthony has a sister that lived just a few miles away with four kids, and all our kids adore each other…

… she moved to Arizona this past Christmas.  ON Christmas day.  Is she nuts?  I think yes!

My parents were always willing as long as they didn’t already have something going on…..

… my dad was offered a job in Santa Barbara, CA in January of this year.  He took it.  The nerve! 

My sister was willing if she didn’t already have plans to go clubbing or something….

… she moved to California with my parents.  How rude! 

I’m beginning to see a pattern developing.  It’s US!  **Gasp**  I promise, we shower!

So now, we are in a predicament.  While it’s easy to find someone to babysit the girls {they are pretty well-behaved and have some manners}, the boys are a different story, entirely! 

My grandpa would even watch the girls if I asked him to.  Anthony’s parents would have no qualms about it.  I have a cousin who also would not object.  She actually comes to get my girls on a weekly basis just to go play at her house with her daughter. 

No one wants to take on the boys.  My cousin HAS taken them but I feel that they overwhelm her slightly… besides they {my cousin’s little fam} go to bed at like 7:00 or 8:00 every night.  No, seriously!  It’s ridiculously early!  I don’t know how they do it. 

I know there are some neighbor girls who would babysit {but seriously, they don’t know what they’d be getting themselves into with little C} but I have issues with leaving my five children in the hands of a teenager…… at night…… with no adult.  And besides, I once asked a girl in my ward what she charges to babysit.  Do you know what she said? 

$3-$5 per hour, per kid… {and she claimed this to be pretty standard for all teen girls… please tell me she’s wrong!}

WHAT?

So, for me to leave my five children, even at only $3/hour… that’s $15/hour….

Dinner + Movie = 4 hours {approx}

divide by 3, add 7, multiply by x, remember the square root of pi {isn’t that banana cream?}, and carry the Y…

{or something like that…}

That equals $60 bucks… FOR A BABYSITTER!!!!!!!

PLUS, probably another 40-60 bucks for dinner and a movie!

Ummm, no thanks! 

So, what did we do for our first anniversary without a babysitter?

Maybe not ideal but you know what?  We really enjoyed it!  Happy 11th anniversary to us!

How do you usually celebrate your anniversary?