My Hubby and I are High School sweethearts. 17 years and 2 beautiful kiddos later it’s tough to make each other a priority. At this point in our relationship, we are still more in love than ever, but date nights are far and fewer between than we’d like. Here are 5 simple things Hubby & I do on the regular to ensure we give a little attention to our relationship every day.
Hug: We are all stressed. Stress can stem from work, parenting, finance, family, or our marriage. There is never a shortage of things to stress about once you become an adult. Hugs have been scientifically proven to help lower stress and build stronger connections. When you kiss your spouse goodbye, give a good hug too! And make it the first thing you do when you are reunited. Hug like you mean it!
Love notes: With emails, texting and instant messaging, there is no shortage of ways to tell your special someone just how special they are. Let them know you are thinking about them! Getting a little old fashioned is nice too. I note in their wallet/purse/work bag. My favorite love note is now on the fridge, but it was written on a random day, on a piece of scratch paper for no other reason than a reminder.
Date nights in: Date night is great! Especially when it’s on the couch!!! As parents, a date night out requires planning and coordinating child care, it makes me exhausted just thinking about it. With our particular work and social schedules we never know what night we will have time and energy till usually the night of or before. Instead we try to make one night a week a night for us. We order our fave takeout, cozy up in our pj’s, and watch a movie or binge on a TV show. And if I fall asleep, I’m not snoring in the theater – cause that’s embarrassing!
Family time: Our date nights are great for quality time with the two of us. Spending time as a family is equally important to keeping our relationship strong. I love watching him be a daddy. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside when I see the love my children have for him. I fall in love with him all over again. We love to make waffles on a Sunday morning, or go hang out at the beach. As long as we are all together because we want to be, I consider it quality time.
Time Alone: I know this sounds counter productive to some of the other tips, but it’s true. We both need our own time and space to do the things we enjoy in peace. I love to take an hour on the weekend to go get my hair blow dried, or a massage. He likes to go meet his buddies for a drink, or play a video game in the den. Before we can connect with each other in a healthy way, we have to be healthy individually. So take 5 and read that magazine – it’s for the survival of your marriage.
