Enjoying Your Spouse On Date Night

By Leigh Ann Napier –

This is an excerpt from Happy Marriage: A Christian Gal’s Guide to a Happy. Life-Long Marriage

This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy your spouse: date night. This is a night you set aside each week to hang out together, just the two of you. Ideally, this would be away from kids and housework, but you can occasionally use those as props, if necessary. Date night is sacred in our house. Even with money being super tight right now, we are making it a priority and reaping the rewards in our relationship. This week we are in the middle of “Date Fest”. This is a week full of date nights when my kiddos are off with the grandparents. We LOVE Date Fest!

I digress. Anyway, date night is good. It reminds you of the reasons you are with this man you now call your husband. With work, stress, chores, and all of the responsibilities you share as a couple, a weekly reminder of what you love about each other is a wonderful break from the rest of your week.

It is extremely, I repeat, extremely important to schedule in date nights. These nights will not just miraculously occur. They take planning and effort, but they are well worth it. Spend time writing down some of the things you used to do when you were dating. If you have forgotten how to play, pick up one of those coupon books which give you tons of ideas of what to do with your adult selves. Ask your friends for suggestions. If you are too worn out to leave the house or if you come up dry while brainstorming, then let your first date be snuggling on the couch for a much-needed nap. Spooning recommended, but not required.

Make it a habit to peruse your town’s newspaper or look online to see what is happening in your area. There may be some free things that would be fun, something on your dream list that you can tackle, or just a restaurant you have both wanted to visit. It does not matter so much what you do on your date night. It is that you do it…together…consistently… and that you take time for each other. It is on date night that you remind yourselves each week of your vision as a couple. You reinforce your anchor and that will help you to brave the waves that come at you during the following week.

Still stumped for ideas for date night? Check out my 7 Dates Resource to get you going. I’ve mapped out 7 week’s worth of fun for couples of any age or stage in your marriage.

Leigh Ann Napier is iBloom’s Happy Marriage Planner on a mission to inspire every couple on the planet to have a happy, life-long marriage. She helps couples create a game plan to love each other for a lifetime, rather than just wing it after the honeymoon, and then cheers them on each step of the way as an author, speaker, and marriage coach. Learn more about her Happy Marriage Mission at http://leighannnapier.com. Leigh Ann lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her husband Mike and their two daughters Halle Kate and Kenley Jane. To read more from her book, Happy Marriage: A Christian Gal’s Guide to a Happy, Life Long Marriage you can download this free sample of the Intro and first chapter.