Inspiration For Moms: Stay In Love Series Day 1: Spending Quality Time Is A Must

I remember when my husband and I were first dating. We would spend every second we could together. Many nights were spent talking on the phone into the wee hours of the morning. Although I did learn later that my husband was sleeping through some of those conversations! Nice. (rolling eyes) See, I told you I need this series!

Anyway, what I am trying to stress here is that we spent tons of quality time together. We were very involved in each others day-to-day activities. And we talked....a lot.

Even after we got married, we enjoyed spending time together. The really BIG change in our quality time happened right after our son was born. That's when I think our "quality time" went out the window!

Many experts will tell you that spending quality time with family members, friends, and significant others is the best way to improve a relationship.

We realized that we had to get some meaningful time together, uninterrupted and by ourselves.

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The solution: date night. Once a month, at least, my husband and I drop our little guy off at the grandparents house for an over-nighter. Yep, you read that right. He stays with them all night and we pick him up the next morning. This allows us to do whatever we want for the next 16-17 hours. That's when I yell, "FREEDOM!" as we drive away! :)

Most of the time we go out to eat for a nice dinner and then go see a movie. I know that sounds kinda cliche. Ok...it is really cliche. But that is actually what we love to do. Before our son came into our lives, we used to love to go out to restaurants to sit and talk for hours. Try doing that with a five-year-old. Ya, not gonna happen. And we used to go to movies all the time. The only thing that has changed there is now we are VERY selective in our movies choices. We even have developed a test they must pass before we will pick them. But that's another story for another time.

This year I did want to spice up our date nights a little, so I gave Chris a special Christmas gift. It was 12 dates already planned out. One for each month. Planned and paid for, so all we have to do is have some fun! I used Groupon and other coupon sites to buy activities or meals to restaurants that we probably would never try on our own. And at a discounted rate, I might add! :) There's a great example of this here at let's go on a date.

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Now, I know what you are thinking...date nights are expensive and I don't have a sitter. Not a problem. I found a great site called Love Actually that has tons of ideas for dates at home that don't cost much. How about Slumber Party For Two, Spa Night, or Fondue For Two. There are also some great ideas for dates if you do want to go out.

The way I see it, time is a gift that nobody can buy. But time is the most important and affectionate gift that you can give your partner and your relationship.

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I challenge you to set up a date night (if you don't already) at least once a month. If you can do more than that, go for it. Or maybe start with one date out and one date home each month. Whatever works for you and your situation. Just get some time together already! :)

How often do you go out on dates? What's your favorite way to spend time with your partner?Please don't be shy when sharing. Your comment could inspire another couple in the date department. :)