Ways to Date your Spouse - On The Cheap!

I attended a parenting seminar by Maribel Dionesio some days ago. The seminar, given by my daughter’s school, was about how to team up with teens on rules and relationship.  Parents of teens, we all know, we need some help here.:) 

In any case, Maribel stressed that one important aspect on being a credible person in the eyes of our teens is to be a good parent in their eyes.  And one attribute which can make us good parents is continuously working on our relationship with our spouse.  

She strongly suggests having a once a week date with your spouse.  But we all know this is easier said than done.  Setting aside a time once a week to go out on a “date” with the husband can be a challenge once the children come.  Couples with small children especially know this to be true.  

This made me reflect on my own relationship with my husband. While we do not regularly go out on “traditional” dates.  We do, however, have our “daily date” which we both treasure.  Small pockets of uninterrupted time together, which was probably born in the early years of our marriage; surely, out of exasperation, after realizing what a major production it is to go out on a date – just the two of us.  We have incorporated this into our routine for the past decade quite conscientiously. We start our days with a breakfast date, and end it with a movie date.  

1. We both treasure our daily breakfast date.   We both consider it as an important way to start our day right.  As soon as the kids are in school, we treat the time together as our breakfast date.  On most days, I make an effort to prepare food that I know he will enjoy eating - and looking at. He is the type who appreciates food presentation, and so even if I don't do it as well as the professionals, I try to style the food before I serve it to him.

Here are some of the breakfast that I have served

He really enjoys it whenever I make the extra effort to style his plate… not that I think I am good at it.  But I know he appreciates the effort very much! Acts of service is one of his love language.
We enjoy starting the day with a quiet time to talk.  Remember, a date is all about spending time and being intimate by sharing thoughts, talking about our dreams, and having fun.

2. We enjoy capping the night by watching recordings our favorite tv shows.  After the kids have been tucked it (yes, even our teenager still asks to be tucked in each and every night), and night prayers have been said, we both look forward to watching an episode or two of our favorite tv series.  Occasionally, a glass of wine, a bottle of beer or a cup of hot choco make an appearance.  

Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer this relaxed style of dating.  Not only do we not worry about parking or getting stuck in traffic, this is also a much more economical way to date.

What about you? How do you date your spouse?

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