10th Anniversary - What to do special? - YouLookFab Forum

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10th Anniversary - What to do special?

Thistle

Veteran

I want to do something special with or for DH for our 10th anniversary. Way back when we first got married, we wanted to return to our honeymoon location of Maui. But with a 2 year old, that simply is not practical nor would be it be a lot of fun.

I am just stumped though. We have no one who would take her overnight, so we are limited to day stuff. I can get a daytime babysitter or do something during the week while she is at daycare.

He doesn't want anything special. I struggled with a special 40th gift.

Would love to know what other special things people have done.

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24 replies

Latest reply was from minimalist

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Actually, a trip to Hawaii is not a bad idea. Friends here go there with small kids all the time. I wonder if that would work for you too?

Tina

Veteran

That is a tough one and I can relate. We live in a very isolated area so we have to drive for hours just to get to any entertainment or shopping.
One thing you could do if DD is at daycare is to do something at home. It would take some work and creativity (I am challenged in this area). Another thought is to take a day trip and just get out for a drive and a nice meal together.

MsMary

Veteran

Do you have any local attractions with lovely gardens? Like the Biltmore Estate or the Huntington LIbrary or anything like that? For several years Mr. K and I celebrated our anniversaries by choosing a local museum with gardens, staying overnight nearby (not an option for you, I know), and having a lovely lunch or dinner after a (self-guided, leisurely) tour of the grounds.

JAileen

Veteran

How about instead of a special dinner, a special lunch at a restaurant you've been wanting to try? At popular places, sometimes lunch reservations are easier to get than dinner reservations.

Sara L.

Veteran

Hmm, I like going places or doing something special instead of gifts for anniversaries. We went on a week long cruise for our 10th anniversary. My parents watched the kids for the week. I really wasn't excited about leaving them for a whole week but my mom said the best thing I could do for my kids was have a strong marriage and we should have some time alone.

Last year we spent the day at a local spa for for our anniversary. We just sat in the hot tubs, read, drank some wine and had a nice meal. We didn't actually partake in any of the spa services like massages. It was really nice and relaxing. Maybe something like that would work during the day while DH is in daycare?

I agree with Angie too, that beaches are great for small children. We go to Mexico almost every summer with our kids. They can play in the sand for hours while I read a book nearby.

Thistle

Veteran

I guess I was just thinking the 13 hour one way plane rise would be awful with a 2 year old. And, we would be outside of her routine, which makes her "special".

So many of the family venues are really designed for older kids. She isn't big enough yet for McDonald's playland (heaven knows we've tried this winter!).

Still, she loved the beach when we went there this summer.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

It was hard for us to travel when our son was young, probably more because we had a dog with severe separation anxiety. We used to take a day off from work on our anniversary when our son was in daycare and go horseback riding or hiking followed by a nice lunch.

MsMary

Veteran

One word re: air travel with a toddler: Benadryl.

Diana

Veteran

High tea?
Wine or beer tasting?
Take a fun class together that you would both enjoy?

Sara L.

Veteran

Does your DD watch TV? My kids get completely zoned out when they watch TV so I normally limit how much they're allowed to watch. However, when traveling, that zoning out quality is a blessing. We have a portable DVD player and let them watch all the TV they want. We drive 12 hours to Mexico and they do fine.

Sylvie

Veteran

Is there a closer special beach area that you could visit (not Hawaii). If you're 13 hours away, it sounds like you might be on the east coast, so Florida or all those random islands whose names I forget might be an option.

Thistle

Veteran

We are actually in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin. Our anniversary is the end of March, so it will be still be a frozen icy tundra here No spring until late May.

Florida would be a lot closer. I think that is a 2-3 hour flight.

minimalist

Veteran

I get that your DH doesn't want to do anything special (that's my role!), but would he be up for planning a celebration bc it makes you happy? If I were in his shoes, I'd get a babysitter (at sitter's place) and plan a low-key day at home, maybe pick up groceries for a favorite casual meal or order in, watch movies you like. It's not Hawai'i or Florida, but it's also not the stress I associate with Big Occasions.

(Unfortunately, I'm no help with concrete local suggestions. Everything I know about Wisconsin, I learned from coming across Penelope Trunk's blog when I was looking for information relevant to a friend newly diagnosed with Asperger's. I don't buy that Ms Trunk has Asperger's, at least not as her primary challenge, but I could. not. stop. reading.)

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

When I was still married, for our tenth, we went to Medieval Times. We had never been, and we loved every minute of it.

I don't really know what is in your area, but if you can get a sitter, few close-to-home things beat dinner and a live show for a memorable evening

DonnaF

Veteran

Since you are living with a two year old. . . .How about a leisurely lunch with uninterrupted adult conversation followed by a fun afternoon *nap* together? I figure that doesn't happen all that often with you two!

AviaMariah

Veteran

We went to Mexico with DD when she was 10 months old. It was different for sure but we still really enjoyed it. It was really good for us to be able to bond as a family without the normal day to day hassles going on. Someplace with a shorter plane ride sounds like a great idea!

Anonymous

I would look for something with not too much of a time-zone change, or at least that is what gets my kids. We do fine on the plane but the time-zone change really can mess with their sleep patterns.

We took Grandma and Grandpa with us to Maui a few years ago when the kids where 1.5yo and 3.5yo. My parents don't live near us so they were happy to just hang with the kids. This gave DH and I lots of time on our own that it actually felt like a vacation. The kids loved it and still talk about it.

Do you have someone you could go with that wouldn't mind watching the little one here and there? Another family to swap babysitting duties? We do mini-vacations over long weekends with friends who have similar aged kids. We make sure each couple gets some date time.

Congrats on your 10 year anniversary!

Echo

Veteran

FL can be great that time of year, and direct flights aren't too bad, even for little ones. We've been to Disney with really small children, and it was still lots of fun because there are plenty of tame rides for small children and shows to see.Universal Islands of Adventure is a much better park than Disney, IMO, but is probably better suited to older children.

If you want to stay closer to home and do a day trip or just something in town, there's always Afternoon Tea at the Pfister Hotel. MAM has a lot of events, and you could look up to see what's happening in March. DH and I enjoy going to different winemakers in the state for tastings. We collect glasses from the different places we visit (although we are closer to the Dells area).

Come to think of it, if it isn't too long a drive, a weekend in a waterpark in the Dells could be fun, too. Places like Chula have a 4D theater with short movies kids love, zero depth play areas and small slides for kids as well as huge waterparks, and there are all sorts of things to do there. Tommy Bartlett is fantastic for kids to be able to see and do hands-on things, and they're open all winter. There's lots of fine dining (Field's, Sarento's, Ember's) and casual dining, too.

Here's some events in Milwaukee, though, if the Dells is too far to travel:
http://www.visitmilwaukee.org/events

Eliza

Veteran

Thistle- 10 years is a lot to celebrate. It seems like you can either choose a family destination, perhaps with some travel or some couple time more locally. When my kids were little, I had a couple of friends who, for special occasions or a date night, would swap child care. None of us had family nearby and it really helped to have that confidence. It may not be practical at this point, but might be worthwhile to consider going forward.

Whatever you you choose, a bit of fun and something that's all about the wonderful Mr T will go a long way. A photo collage, a nod to a hobby of his, a favorite meal, a "we haven't been able to do this in ages" idea, anything he would consider pampering (even hiring someone to do a task on his list) could be the right thing for a guy who wants nothing.

Have fun deciding. There are great suggestions here.

Classically Casual

Veteran

How about an overnight in a nice hotel? One that has room service from a good restaurant. Bring everything you need for everyone to settle in for a good time, and enjoy the luxury touches and no chores for a few hours. Create your own paradise...

Anonymous

On our 10th anniversary we had a 2 yr. old and 5 month old and had just moved half way across the country. Rather than go anywhere, DH insisted that we shop for the engagement diamond he could not afford 10 years before. That was exciting and made the anniversary special.

Thistle

Veteran

So, I talked to DH about all of your lovely suggestions. He thinks a big trip with DD would be stressful and not the happy memories we would both like. he might be right, for "though she be small, she be fierce!"

He is pondering whether he wants to do a family thing (The Dells is a great idea! I just didn't think they had anything for such little kids). Or if he wants to do an us day. We could take DD to daycare and get one of our moms to take her for a night. We talked about doing a couple massage at the spa thing, and then maybe lunch or dinner somewhere nice.

Not quite the two weeks in Hawaii we had wanted, but then, we had thought our family would be at a different point at the 10 year mark! Can't plan everything

ManidipaM

Veteran

Sounds like you are on your way!

I hear you on expecting to be at a different point of the family trajectory. Our 10th caught us unprepared last month. The original plan of a vacation or even a staycation got shelved. But the nice lunch and dining in on nostalgic meals did the trick. We later laughed and declared it perfect... after all, we had also managed to be unprepared enough to cancel the honeymoon colleagues were gifting us.

I was going to suggest trying to recreate some memory or element of your Maui honeymoon before I saw your update. The food. Something you did together. Something you wore.

Congratulations, by the way!

minimalist

Veteran

Plenty of special days are family-oriented; this is about you two as the foundation of your family, right? That's just me, romance-disabled as I am.

(Last night, bf mentioned that he'd like to do something for Valentine's this year; it's never come up before. IIRC, last year I had dinner with his mother, bc I was in her country for work. Anyway, I was taken aback that this holiday was even a thing for him, so my response was ...not romantic. So don't listen to me. )