"Make Time for Regular Date Nights."

When I was pregnant with Nico, I got a lot of advice from my mom friends. A LOT. One thing I heard over and over was: “Don’t forget, you’re a couple first.”

In those early days of going from a couple to a family of three, I actually felt even closer to Chris. Becoming parents together was this beautiful, shared experience. It felt natural to integrate Nico into our lives, and somehow, we found an easy rhythm balancing parent time, alone time, and couple time. Honestly, I never felt worried about nurturing our marriage because it just felt good.

Fast forward to baby #2 Teo and this is when things shifted. Not in a bad way! In fact, I feel closer to Chris than ever. But the reality is life now revolves around the kids’ schedules (because seriously, how tf else do you manage two kids without one?). We're tag-teaming daily, and before you know it, months have gone by without real couple time.

Suddenly, that “Make time for regular date nights” advice? It’s clicking.

So that’s what we did. We took the advice. One of us gets to plan the night and the other doesn’t know where we’re going until we get there, which makes it exciting for both of us. We put the kids to bed, rally no matter how tired we are (because yawwwwwn, dinner and drinks at 9pm? Who even is she?), and we go. It’s non-negotiable.

Which brings me to the Date Night in LA series. Because as much as the suburban life is calling my name, this is why I can’t leave LA.