The concept of dinner and a movie has changed a lot for me and my husband since we've had kids. Holding hands, spider rolls and Spielberg have morphed into wiping faces, chicken nuggets and "Chicken Little." But even when we're not spending the evening with our kids, our coveted date nights have also evolved.

In that free spirited era before the existence of tiny toes, my husband and I used to love going to the movies. In Manhattan, we were spoiled by the scores of movie choices, playing at any hour of the day. You could see a blockbuster in the afternoon and an art house film at night. Sometimes we'd treat ourselves to a double feature Sunday without any guilt about a to-do list or the cost of a sitter.  We casually ate a large tub of popcorn and candy, knowing we could spend an hour and a half at the gym the next day to work it off.  If we didn't like the movie, we were disappointed, but knew there was always next week.

Now with a slew of squirts at home, our date nights are less impetuous. We often have to pay up to $15 an hour for an experienced babysitter who can actually put our three boys (ages 4, 6 and 9) to bed successfully.

If we get a sitter, we usually choose to have dinner with friends, since we don't get to see people as often as we'd like. Dinner AND a movie almost seems greedy.  With movie times around here limited to 7 or 9:30 p.m., you either have to motivate by 5:30 p.m. (unlikely for us) or get home after midnight.

After a long day with the family, the idea of being out that late is not always appealing to middle aged geezers like us. If we do go for the late show, there is always the strong possibility that being in that quiet dark theater will put me right to sleep. Plus, with dinner, that's five pricey hours of babysitting. And if you haven't had a quality, uninterrupted conversation with friends—or even your spouse—in a while, you tend to linger at the table or a bar rather than see a film. 

But I miss movies, so every few months it's show time again and next Saturday's the night. I usually get worked up about choosing the right flick. We go so infrequently that when we do, I want to make sure it's the best option.  There are so many possibilities right now. "Up in The Air" has Clooney and Oscar buzz but I hear it's depressing.  "Avatar" is a crowd pleaser but I prefer substance to action so will I be let down? It's hard when you have to put all your Raisinets in one basket. 

Dinner has changed too now that our choices and budget are more limited.  Instead of sushi in Soho or a Cuban steakhouse on the Upper West Side, we usually have a burger at the Pub or pasta or chicken at one of the many Italian/American/Eclectic restaurants in the area. Our focus is off the food and the scene and more on each other as my husband and I try to savor our time alone.

There are some great benefits to the new date night. We love that there are so many restaurants with BYOB policies. Not only does it significantly cut the bill, but we like shopping for our own wine. We never have to fight those crazy opening weekend lines that snake around city blocks. We don't have to build in that extra half hour to push through a line and jockey for a decent spot. By the time we get to a movie, the theaters are often half empty so we have our choice of seats.

Before we know it, the kids will be old enough to go to movies by themselves and we'll be pining for the days when they were small and still wanted to be with us.  We try to appreciate our precious time with them, even if it means sitting on the couch watching "Cars" for the twentieth time.