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Why You Need to Make Date Night a Priority in Your Marriage

From the day you met each other until the day you got married, date night and quality one-on-one time together was most likely a priority for both of you. Those date nights helped your relationship grow and develop and led up to the day that you started your life together as husband and wife! 

A Letter to Those Who Are Still Waiting for the Love of Their Life

To my single friends, It might seem silly to write you a letter here. This website is dedicated to helping married couples make their marriage a priority after all. But I know you're here too! Some of you have sent emails or messages on social media. You tell me that you're not married yet, and some of you are not even close. But when that day comes, you want to be ready to have the greatest marriage possible! And that's why you're here

Fruited Chicken and Rice Skillet

This was always one of my favorite meals growing up. It's a fruity twist on the classic Chicken Stir-Fry that everyone loves so much, has a lot of flavor and is really delicious. I'm not sure why, but I'd never made it for Joe, so I threw it on our meal plan last week and he really liked it! It's probably not a super low carb meal for me with the rice, orange juice and fruit, but I ate mostly chicken and green peppers with just a little bit of rice and fruit so I could still enjoy the meal.

How Having a Set Bedtime Could Benefit Your Marriage

First question, do you and your spouse go to bed at the same time? Second question, do you have a set bedtime? And last question, would you like to know how you can use bedtime to connect with your spouse and strengthen your marriage? Research has shown that 75% of couples are not going to bed at the same time. Maybe you're one of those couples, but why should you care? Having a shared bedtime routine can actually have a lot of benefits to your marriage.

Simple Ways to Make Your Marriage a Priority Every Day

When I start talking about making your marriage a priority, people's minds generally jump to the big things. Date nights, overnight getaways and big romantic gestures are all great. But making your marriage a priority is about the small things you do daily, more than those grand gestures. So what are those small things that make the biggest difference? This post includes lots of simple ways to make your spouse a priority! There are so many more things you can do, but I hoped these ideas would get you started.

15 Gifts Your Wife Wants for Mother’s Day

This year, to take a little bit of the pressure off my husband for mother’s day, I decided to put together a list of things that I would enjoy being given for Mother's Day. Husbands, if you're struggling with ideas for what to give your wife, show her this post and ask what her thoughts are. Wives, if your husband is like mine and thinks too big, stressing himself out, share this list with him and maybe even give him an order of preference. The items below are in no particular order for myself, but I'd enjoy receiving any of them, so my husband should be safe!

9 Creative and Meaningful Wedding Gift Ideas

Wedding season is coming up and that means bridal showers and bachelorette parties are coming up too! I don’t have quite as many of those to attend now that most of my friends are married, but I still have one or two that I go to each year. When I was in the thick of attending a lot each year, I was always searching for ways to make my gifts for the occasion more meaningful. I always purchase something from the gift registry, because I know how appreciated it is, but I also like to add my own touch.

Dear Newlyweds – Marriage Advice for Newlyweds

Congratulations on your recent marriage! I sincerely wish you all the best! As you begin your new life together, there are a few things that I thought you should know. I'm sure you received A LOT of marriage advice on your wedding day. And I'm sure by now you've realized that some of that advice is really helpful and some is not actually realistic. As I've been thinking about our marriage journey so far, I've come up with a few words of wisdom of my own.

Four Financial Discussions to Have with Your Partner Before You’re Married

I came up with a few money topics that I think made a big difference for us as we transitioned from being single and independent to getting married and becoming a team. There is obviously a lot more to be discussed before the big day. But these are a few of the things that I think cause the most stress or contention in your relationship if you aren't on the same page from day one of your marriage, and even earlier if possible! Talk about your money before your wedding day, you won't regret it.

The Secret to Success with The 5 Love Languages

Knowing how to speak your spouse's love language can help you make a conscious effort to show them that you care. However, there's one important thing about speaking your spouse's love language that I think people tend to forget. This one thing is the secret to success with The 5 Love Languages.

Dating Your Spouse When You Can’t Leave the House

If you are like us, trying to avoid COVID-19 and canceling any plans that would take you to public places, you might think that date night is out of the question. I'm prepared with a lot of fun at home date night ideas! This is what I've been training for, and I'm excited to have fun at home together while we can't go out!

Viewing Debt as ‘Ours’ vs. ‘Mine’ and ‘Yours’ in Marriage

I hear about so many couples combining their finances when they get married but keeping their debts separate. If you share the same goals for what you want to spend your money on and what you are saving up to do in the future, but you are divided on getting rid of the payments that are keeping you from reaching those goals faster, it will divide the two of you as a couple as well.

Why You Should Combine Your Finances with Your Spouse’s

After my husband and I got married, one of the first things on our to do list was to combine our bank accounts. This was something that we knew we would do, without even having to talk about it. I know a lot of couples combine finances in marriage. And others choose to keep them separate.

Why I Love the Lingerie Shopping Experience that Mentionables Provides

A few years ago, I heard about Mentionables and after perusing their website, I decided that I would make my first purchase as a 30th birthday gift to myself. I ordered that gift, and based on the number of Mentionables pieces in my closet now, I made an average of one purchase per month for the entire year following.

Why You Should Continue to Purchase Lingerie in Every Stage of Marriage

If you think that owning lingerie is pointless (it’s only on for a few seconds after all, right?) or not something that you should buy until you’ve reached a certain weight loss goal or stop having kids, think again. No matter what your excuse is, I will tell you that you should buy lingerie that fits you and that you love in your current stage of life.

Seven Things we Pack for Every Overnight Date

I tend to be an over packer, making sure that we have whatever we might need for every situation we might encounter. By sticking to the basics, I’ve been able to pack light and stick to our goal. Obviously, if we were to get away for more than a few days, we’d need to get more suitcases and pack more, but this list works well for us in our current stage of life and for the getaways that we take on a regular basis.

What We Look for in our Romantic Overnight Date Accommodations

We’ve gone on a lot of romantic overnight getaways over the years and we always return to Anniversary Inn. I tell everyone that it’s our favorite and that they should stay there at least once because I know that once they’ve stayed there for a night, they’ll love it as much as we do. There are other romantic getaway locations we like but none of them hit everything on our checklist the way that Anniversary Inn does. Their mission is to provide couples with the perfect place to make their relationship a priority and rekindle the romance and we think that they’ve achieved that and continue to raise the bar with everything they do.

Why Overnight Dates are a Priority in Our Marriage

24-48 hour dates are a priority for us and they will always be. Even after the kids have moved out and we’re retired and spend almost every day together. There’s just something about an overnight date that’s different than the dates we go on every weekend. And they’re different from vacations we might take together as well.

How to Save Money on a Romantic Getaway

A couple of years ago, we were able to stay in one of the nicest rooms at our favorite B&B for less than $130, saving about 50% off the regular price. I was really proud of the way we were able to save money! And about the things I’ve learned over the years that help make our getaways more affordable. I wanted those tips to be shared in a way that they could apply to a romantic getaway anywhere.

A Mini Date Idea with the Best Date Night Dessert

The time in between our kids’ bedtime and our bedtime provides the perfect opportunity for some mini dates. We get to spend quiet time together and if we're intentional about it, we can connect just as much at home as we do when we escape for a date night out on the town. These mini dates are some of my favorites and they can make any day feel a little extra special.

30 Ways to Increase the Intimacy in Your Marriage

Yesterday, I shared a secret to increasing intimacy in your marriage. Intimacy as in the close like, know and trust in your spouse. Because intimacy is so much more than the physical that everyone thinks about when they hear the word.

Six Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day When You Have Young Kids

It doesn't sound romantic, but it can be fun to celebrate Valentine's day with kids. And they go to bed at some point, so you'll still have time to celebrate together afterward. I hope that this post will inspire you, if you have young kids, to expand your celebration to include time for your family as well as just the two of you each year!

Romantic Playlist for All of Your Date Nights

I have the ultimate romantic playlist to accompany your next date night or every day moment that you’re hoping to make a little extra special. You could turn the playlist on after the kids have gone to bed and let it be the soundtrack for your evening’s activities. Turn it on and dance under the stars in the backyard or in your kitchen. Take it with you on your next date night out or while you make dinner together and play games for your date night at home. You can create a romantic atmosphere for whatever you choose to do together with this playlist.