I love Tina Fey. That woman could stand around wiggling her eyebrows and I would laugh like a giddy three year-old after three popsicles. So even though her movie Date Night with comedian Steve Carell was a mixed bag, I still have a soft spot for it because of the premise.

Erik and I have a list of restaurants we want to check out on our date nights. We are both foodies and we love trying new restaurants, but we haven't made our date nights a priority lately. Or if we do go out, we go to one of our reliable places that doesn't require too much planning or dressing up. I used to love dressing up! What happened? 

Part of the problem is that we've been busy. Another factor is that we've just been lazy - too lazy to get a babysitter, too lazy to plan a fun night out, too lazy to make our time with each other a priority. When we were actually dating, we lived in different cities so dates were a big deal. We put thought and planning behind them, but we also just enjoyed each other's company. 

Another factor that puts a damper on date nights is that our roles as parents take top billing over anything else. That's understandable when you have an infant, but once your child is older, you have to recommit yourselves to "couple time." I had a conversation once with a mom who said when she and her husband go out, they agree not to talk about the kids. At the time it seemed weird, but now I get it. 

Erik and I have agreed to make this the year of date night. How do you find ways to connect with your partner?