adventures in motherhood: how close are you to your parents?

Do you live close to your parents? Are you happy about it?

My mom and dad live a 6-7 hour drive north of here -- and my in-laws live almost 3 hours away by plane. Some days, the distance is a relief; we all have a blast when we're together and then have a comfortable space between us so no one feels pressured or overwhelmed or like they need to justify their parenting choices. It allows us to all be on our best behavior when we see each other which makes our relationships more stress-free.

But other days? I am jealous of the moms I know who can drop their toddlers off at grandma's house for the weekend and have some one-on-one time with their husbands, who can make a quick call if a doctor's appointment gets changed and have a free babysitter there in half an hour. I'm also a little bit melancholy when I think about how other grandparents get to see their grandchildren so much more often -- time can really feel like it is rushing by sometimes.

So weekends like this past one feel special.

            

My mom could only stay for a few days, and my dad couldn't make it at all this time, but it was lovely to have an extra pair of hands for dishwashing, baby bouncing, swing pushing, and cookie making. It's also lovely to see my relationship with my mom change and deepen now that we can share this bond of parenting together, which makes it bittersweet when she has to drive back home.

Whether or not you have kids, how do you feel about living close to -- or far away from -- your family?

p.s. my becoming our parents series, where five amazing women shared their feelings about their upbringing!

the best date ever.

Happy day of chocolates and flowers and sappy songs, everybody!

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Remember that How I Met Your Mother episode where Barney plans the "super date" for J. Lo? Since I'll be spending my Valentine's Day evening at home with some Netflix, if I'm lucky, I've been fantasizing about my own super date from a million years ago!

My junior year of college, The (Future) Professor was studying in London and I found a super-cheap flight so I could spend a long weekend with him, which just happened to arrive on February 14th. I flew to Heathrow around 10 in the morning and desperately wanted to go right to sleep. Instead, we spent the day fighting my jetlag by doing a whirlwind tour of London -- eating street-vendor jacket potatoes on the steps of the National Gallery

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watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

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having a charming dinner at a cute little French restaurant near the study center where he lived

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seeing the skyline from the London Eye

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and taking in a London Sinfonietta concert at the Royal Festival Hall.

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I may or may not have fallen sound asleep during the concert, but it was the most romantic Valentine's Day ever -- holding hands with the amazing guy I hadn't seen in almost two months while walking all around the city I had always dreamed of visiting. And for a 21-year-old college kid to have come up with such a perfect date-day itinerary -- especially such an absent-minded professor kind of a guy! -- made my heart sing. I've been to London again since that trip ten years ago this week, and I can't wait to go back someday, but it will never be as magical as when I spent that delirious, sleep-deprived first day there with the man I ended up marrying.

How about you -- what's the best date you've ever been on? I'd love to hear details!