Date night

I have found how beneficial a date with my husband can be.  

We are trying to establish a weekly date night.  Tuesday evening usually finds us sitting at a dinner table, chatting at a coffee shop, or holding hands for a nice, long evening walk... without our son attached at the hip.  We are blessed to have family nearby who loves taking an evening to care and play with their grandson.  Oftentimes we are just gone for two hours but two hours of baby-free time can be just what a marriage needs.   You need the time to step away and talk, romance, and just be reminded of why you fell in love with each other in the first place.  Andrew and I have also learned that it is very important to be intentional on these "dates" and not just expect the conversation to fall in your lap.  It is perfect time to talk about your marriage, those conversations you have been avoiding or just do not have the time to talk about.  It is also a great time to just have fun, laugh, be silly, and flirt with each other! (That is a lot of fun to do!) I would encourage any married couple to "date" each other even if they do not have kids. It is a great habit to form.  Setting aside time for each other and saying "you are special to me" and "This is our time".  Any couple can get caught up in the busyness of life and forget to take time to truly converse and spend time with the person closest to them.  As odd as that may sound  it is true, you can actually get too used to your spouse and start treating them like a roommate rather than the best friend and lover that they are.  I know Andrew so well that sometimes it can be hard to keep trying to get to know him better but there is always more to know.  I need to be reminded of this and date night is one way that we try to accomplish that. Keep learning about each other, keep wanting to know more about each other.

This blog: http://simplemom.net/the-power-behind-date-nights/  has a great article about date nights.  It also gives some good suggestions if you do not have family close by and do not have the money to pay for a babysitter. There are always other couples around in the same boat as you.  Suggest starting a swap night. You watch their kids when they go out and they watch yours so then you can go out.  If you do not have the money for dinner go to a coffee shop, split a latte, and take games to play! If it is nice out pack a picnic for the park, or go on a walk.  Have someone watch the kids at their home and have a romantic candlelit dinner from home.   There are so many options and you don't have to spend money.  If you can only get out once a month that is great as well.  I know every home is different and some circumstances cannot have a date night happening all that often.  But, just make time to have "those" conversations an take the time to let your spouse know that they are important to you. It will make a world of difference in your marriage.