Date Night

Once you have kids things change.  I realized this again after spending a wonderful dinner with my husband a week ago.  Before kids, going out to dinner was just something we did on a regular basis.  Now with a little one at home it becomes an special event!  One that gets written on the calendar and circled with a heart (ok so maybe there wasn't a heart around it but it was put on the calendar!)

As we sat in our cozy two person booth at the Melting Pot (which I had a coupon for because if you read this post you would know that dropping $100+ on one dinner isn't part of my new plan) I looked at my husband and started to think about the 8 1/2 years we have spent together and how our 4 year wedding anniversary is just two months away.  WOW!  8 1/2 years, that's the life of a 4th grader!

Mmmm Fondue

What a journey it has been.  When "they" say you never know where life will take you "they" aren't kidding.  When I first met Luke we were both heading into our senior year of college.  I had dreams of going to Graduate School (Now I realize that was probably only due to the fact that I was majoring in Communication and what in the world do you do with that degree!) and Luke was heading into his final hockey season of his college career with a team ranked #1 in the country.  If someone would have told us that in 9 years we would be married, living in Wisconsin and have a two year old and a new born I'm not sure I would have believed them (mostly due to the "living in Wisconsin" part!)

Our dinner that night was delicious and we had the fondue routine down considering we like to unofficially consider the Melting Pot one of "our" restaurants as whenever I would go visit Luke in a new city that he was playing in we would always look for a Melting Pot to go to for our special date night out.  The only disappointing part for me was the fact that I couldn't enjoy one of their yummy cocktails and instead had to settle for a non-alcoholic raspberry lemonade thingy.  It was good but Luke's wine looked WAY superior!

My drink

The best part of the night was the uninterrupted conversations that we were able to have.  No kid screaming or poking at us, no TV or other people rerouting the conversation.  Just the two of us, like it was in the beginning (plus Luke's phone, I think he suffers from being under stimulated. hehe  He's one to have the TV on all day and night just for the background noise)

Luke texting/googling/emailing.

My goal is to do this at least once a month.  For some that may sound easy but when you both work full time, have to find a babysitter in order to leave the house and have other commitments throughout the week you forget to plan for just the two of you.  I know it's important and I can see why.  I'm thinking next month maybe we should do something other than just dinner.  Any suggestions?

I would like to thank my mother-in-law and her husband for watching Max while we were out.  It sounds like he only cried for 5 minutes when we left which is pretty good these days considering he's been an overly clingy Mommy's boy the past few months.

Restaurant Review: Buck and Honey's, Sun Prairie

Last night Luke, Max, my dad and I all went out to eat at Buck and Honey's in Sun Prairie.  My dad travels to Madison for work once a month and when he's here we always go out to dinner.  The last two dates have been to Buck & Honey's.  It has become my favorite local restaurant.  Not only for the food but also for the atmosphere.  Max loves it too!  I'm not sure if it's the spinning "B&H" sign that he stares at constantly, the waitresses who walk by and ogle over him or the fact that he gets to sit in a high chair and play with whatever is in front of him on the table... except wine glasses and steak knives are off limits!

Watching the B&H sign spin around and around.



Ready to play in his high chair!



The menu at Buck and Honey's features a nice selection of salads, sandwiches, main entrees and dessert.  They have a separate lunch and dinner menu.  For dinner I ordered the "Steak and 3 Scallops" mixed entree and with that received a choice of two sides in which I selected the garlic mashed potatoes and the daily vegetable (asparagus).  Luke ordered the "Buffalo Chicken Salad" and my dad ordered the "Buck's Chicken."  I must love the Steak and 3 Scallops as this is the second time I have ordered it.  I would also recommend their "Lobster Pasta" special that I once had.  I have since called to ask if they are offering it again as it was AMAZING!  The pasta was homemade and the lobster was delicious.

My Steak and 3 Scallops... yum!

The story of Buck and Honey's is a cute one.  Tom Anderson the owner always comes over to say hello and makes you feel at home while there.  Their slogan is "Celebrating a Simpler Time."


Photo of Buck and Honey Birkinbine, who the restaurant is named after.  Buck once farmed the land that the restaurant sits on and is one of the area's best known residents.

On Wednesdays and Saturdays they host live music and there is even a small outdoor patio to enjoy during the summer months.  The bar looks pretty fun too, however, now that I'm a mom I don't get very many chances to experience that!  If you are looking for a small party or meeting room the "Charles H. Bird Room" (named after the first settler of Sun Prairie) is available and is nicely decorated.  I would highly recommend checking out Buck and Honey's next time you are in Sun Prairie... you may even see us there!