Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Date Your Mate




I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.
Song of Solomon 6:3

D and I have been married for almost 20 years and if you asked 
both of us what is an essential part of having a healthy marriage, 
we would both say making time to date each other.


We have done this for a majority of the years we have been married. It is a time where we connect as spouses, parents, friends, and lovers. We do a lot of talking and laughing during this time together and I especially love the hand-holding romantic part of these dates.


When the boys were tinies, most of our dates were at home after they had gone to bed. This was mainly due to not having a sitter or the extra money available. We would cuddle on the couch to watch a movie or break out a board game to play together.


Now that the boys are older, we have a bit more freedom in our dates. We have most of them while they are in school and D has a day off. We are also able to have time at night together since our older sons can babysit our youngest.


We have gotten creative in how to manage dates on a budget over the years as well. We save most of the gift cards we receive to use then. There are many things that we have found to do within our budget including going to a place where we can turn in books, movies, and cds for credit which we can use to shop together.


Are you dating your mate? 
What do you enjoy doing together?


27 comments:

  1. I think this is great advice and something my husband and I have talked about many times for when we have kids. We go on dates a lot right now because it's just the two of us. My favorite thing we do right now is take his dad's boat out for a ride around the lake. It's so peaceful and I enjoy seeing God's beautiful creation.

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    1. Megan it is so good that you are talking about connecting once you all do have children. A boat ride sounds wonderful! Do you take pics? Blessings!

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  2. We're in the little ones phase so we try the at home movie dates but somehow they know mommy and daddy are up to something and really draw out their bedtime routines.

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    1. Angie how I remember those days. We ended up adjusting the boys' bedtime so that we were prepared in the event of a meltdown. Once we got into the habit, so did they. Blessings!

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  3. I like going to the bookstore together, or just going out for a dinner that we can enjoy slowly without interruptions. Dating is essential!

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    1. Absolutely essential! And dinners are a great date. Lots of time to chat. Blessings sweet friend!

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  4. 3 months into our marriage we went on our first date. It was weird without the kids! 5 years together and two dates - so far! Thanks for the tip guys!

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    1. Love that you are doing this! It is very strange at first. I remember calling my mom bazillion times the first time we actually went out for our date. It will get easier the more you do it. Promise. Blessings!

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  5. Those are great ideas for budget friendly dates, I know my husband and I need to be more intentional in this area. Thanks for the great ideas!

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    1. You are so welcome friend! Another one is that we go walking together. Great opportunity to talk. Blessings!

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  6. I enjoy soaking up the advice of married women. Thanks for sharing. :) And congrats on being married almost 20 years!

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  7. What a lovely blog you have here! I found you though the blog hop and am now your newest follower! xx

    myprettymummy.com

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    1. Thanks so much Emma! Following you as well and look forward to getting to know you! Blessings!

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  8. I enjoyed visiting your blog for the first time. You gave some great tips on how to spend time with your spouse. My husband and I date, but not as often as we should. But, sometimes we will wait until our children are asleep to watch a movie together. And sometimes, I would get my mother or a great friend of mine to babysit, while we go to a dinner and movie. Thanks for sharing some of the ways you and your husband spend time together. You have given me a few ideas. :)

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    1. Thanks Toia! So glad you are here! So nice to have family nearby to babysit for those dates! What is the last movie you all saw together? Blessings!

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  9. Hi there! I'm a new follower from the blog hop and would love a follow back at www.sugarplumsandlollipops.blogspot.com and also on Pinterest. I follow back all my Pinterest followers :)

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    1. Thanks so much! Blessed to connect with you! Have a wonderful day! Blessings!

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  10. Love this post! We also make time to "date", and have for 18 years! I had to laugh when I read that you saved gift cards - I've done this for years and years! Our kids are now older (all teens), so we're able to go out (which is nice). Still, the "dates" we had when they were just babies (and sometimes woke to interrupt those dates!) were just as wonderful.

    And I hope we'll still be "dating" when all of the kids have "flown" from the nest...and I hope you are too!

    ~Peace,
    LuAnne

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    1. LOVE that LuAnne! We too look on those earlier dates with such fondness. Wonderful memories. Hoping along with you that our special dates continue for many years. Blessings!

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  11. New follower from Blog Hop Social:) Hope you will visit my blog, Living Life Wright @ http://livinglifeback.com and follow back:) Have a wonderful evening.

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    1. Thanks so much Tina! Fantastic to connect with you! Blessings!

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  12. Elizabeth...you are so right. It really doesn't matter how we spend the time together as much as connecting with each other through conversation. Those little things so add up. Showing appreciation and not taking anything for granted is so important. Blessings!

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  13. SO important... Most of our dates are at home. Ok, ALL of them. We haven't gone out since becoming parents. But, we DO make an effort to spend time together. Thanks for linking up with Thrive @ Home!

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    1. Oh Jenni I remember those times but how sweet they are. The most important part of it all is to spend time with each other. Whether at home or out. Blessings!

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  14. This is great advice! It's so easy to get lost in the busy-ness of my day and forget to be intentional about dating. I've been married for 30 years and our favorite 'date' is to grab something from the value menu at Wendy's and sit on a bench looking out over the nearby river. It's our special place to eat,hold hands,laugh,cry and pray. Just thinking about it makes me want to go grab my man and head to the river! Thanks for this post!

    I'm a new follower and would love for you to visit me at Mary @ Woman to Woman at www.marywomantowoman.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much for sharing your special time Mary! Makes me want to join you all at the river with my hubby! Following you as well and am so looking forward to getting to know you more! Blessings!

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