{"id":525,"date":"2014-05-21T09:06:55","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T14:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/?p=525"},"modified":"2017-09-13T17:06:41","modified_gmt":"2017-09-13T22:06:41","slug":"dating-your-husband-the-hows-whys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/2014\/05\/21\/dating-your-husband-the-hows-whys\/","title":{"rendered":"Dating Your Husband: The Hows & Whys"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dating<\/a><\/p>\n

It seems fitting, during\u00a0this week of the year<\/a>, that I have\u00a0an article up<\/a>\u00a0at Darling Magazine entitled “Mom’s The Word: Dating Your Husband.” As a woman who became a wife and a mother during the month of May, seven years apart, writing this article reminded me afresh of the reasons why Michael and I are so committed to continuing to date. You can read it\u00a0here<\/a>, but\u00a0I’m including the basics below:<\/p>\n

The Whys<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Time is a valuable gift.<\/b>
\nMaking time to date one another in a season of life that is very busy (and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon) is a priceless gift we can give our spouse. Time is a precious commodity to both of us, and when we willingly spend that time with one another, we are saying\u00a0you are worth my time<\/i>. And because our lives are made up of just that\u2014time\u2014we are saying, in essence,\u00a0you are worth my life<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Dating Your Husband: The Hows & Whys <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

We invest in what we value.<\/b>
\nIf you\u2019re like me and you\u2019re not rolling in money, the components of getting a date with your spouse can seem too costly sometimes\u2014paying for a date\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0a sitter can really add up. Yet, we invest in what we value; that doesn\u2019t mean we have to spend loads of money to date, but we do have to invest in cultivating our relationship as a couple.<\/p>\n

When we short-change our spouse, we short-change the family.<\/strong>
\nAs a mom, I want Ella to have everything she needs (and more). \u00a0But more than many other things, children want to know that their parents are in love and that they enjoy one another; this brings peace and stability to a home. Having a consistent date night doesn\u2019t guarantee a healthy marriage, but it does offer intentional space to grow together as a couple.<\/p>\n

The Hows<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Intentional connection.<\/b>
\nDate night won\u2019t add much to a relationship if there is no real connection. While watching a TV show together can be fun, it\u2019s also important to create space to talk and continue to get to know one another. We\u2019ve even\u00a0purchased books<\/a>\u00a0to help jumpstart these conversations\u2014and we keep learning about each other in the process.<\/p>\n

Keep it simple.<\/b>
\nSometimes, the thought of planning a date night\u2014on top of everything else\u2014can seem like a burden rather than a blessing. So, most of the time, we keep it simple: dinner at one of our regular spots, coffee at our favorite cafe. It\u2019s not the place and the surroundings that matter\u2014it\u2019s the time you get with one another. If you’re stuck in a routine and you need to break out of it, look at the options at your local library or community college–many offer one-night classes where you can learn a new skill, such as a cooking class or an art class.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, go fancy.<\/strong>
\nThe caveat to keeping things simple is that there are times when a fancy night out or adventurous date is exactly what you both need. New experiences together are fun and bonding, so put on your heels, compliment his tie, and make a reservation at your favorite restaurant or go see a show together in the city! Or, if you’re more of the adventurous type, go to your local climbing wall and spend an hour with an instructor, learning how to climb. Take a salsa dancing class or a country-line dancing class. The options are endless!<\/p>\n

Either way, make it happen.<\/b>
\nRegardless of what you do, actually having a date together is the key. If Michael and I only had a date night on the weeks it was convenient, we would never get one. But we are committed to investing in our marriage in this way, and so we make it work, even if it\u2019s a shared dessert at home after Ella goes to sleep or a walk at the park with her in a stroller while we talk.<\/p>\n

How about you? Do you and your spouse have regular dates? What do they look like?<\/p>\n

Related post: The Power of Mini Marriage Retreats<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Still<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n

\"Why<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It seems fitting, during\u00a0this week of the year, that I have\u00a0an article up\u00a0at Darling Magazine entitled “Mom’s The Word: Dating Your Husband.” As a woman who became a wife and a mother during the month of May, seven years apart, writing this article reminded me afresh of the reasons why Michael and I are so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,6],"tags":[195,190,191,45,196,193,194,192],"class_list":["post-525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-post","category-marriage","tag-date-night","tag-dating","tag-husband","tag-marriage-2","tag-nonnegotiable-date-night","tag-practical-dating-tips","tag-practical-tips","tag-wife","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/darling.dating-husband.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=525"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2460,"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525\/revisions\/2460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}