Month O' Love

I am going to say first off, that I am NO expert on LOVE!

My relationship IS Not perfect.

We are a normal couple.
We fight, we bicker, we annoy each other.
We laugh, we play, we find joy.

Over the last nine years we have found certain things that work well to help strengthen our love, marriage, and friendship!

So this post is based off of Beau and I , and my opinions.
I am not telling you this to put us on a pedistole at all. 
In fact it is just the opposite. I am telling you because I have had nothing but a positive experience with it!

It is also because I feel so strongly that marriage is sooo worth the fight.
So worth investing our time and effort into!
So if you disagree please don't take offense and know again that I am NOT an expert.

Keeping the Love ALIVE

Truthfully this can boil down to lots of  little things but for us mostly

DATE NIGHTS!!!

Date Nights are virtually important for a husband and wife to grow and continue to put each others needs first.
We do need time away from our children to strengthen and connect as a couple.

I hear all the time "But we can't afford a babysitter!"

Sorry people this ANNOYS me.

Isn't every penny invested in your marriage worth it?

You don't have to "GO OUT" to go on a date!

In fact Beau and I only go out 1-2 times a month (if that) and not for very long because paying a babysitter is pricey and let's just face the facts, we don't own a money tree!

But we make it a point to choose a day, once a week, and do something together.

It can be going out, playing a board game, watching a movie, ordering something out for the two of us and eating it at home, building things, laughing, joking, bbqing, going over goals, talking about better ways to parent, just ANYTHING that the two of you can do together!

On the days we choose to stay home, usually a Friday,  we put the kiddos upstairs early.
I have a few movies picked out for them, some treats, and games. Stuff to keep them occupied so that they don't distract us.
I try to make it fun for them. We call Friday nights at our house "Friday Night Late Night".
This is the night that they get to stay up as late as they want. Making it a fun night for them also, helps them to stay upstairs rather than being downstairs with us.
They are so absorbed in having a fun night too!

I was watching Studio 5 awhile ago (thanks you Farah for totally getting me hooked) and they had this mom on there with a dating contract she had come up with. She called it Project 52 : Dating your spouse.
She gives contingencies to her project about dating. And asks us to commit ourselves to dating our spouse faithfully if we are not already.
Although Beau and I , are fairly consistent, we forget sometimes too.
Plus she brought up the fact that each date needed to be different within the month.
What?
That is a challenge.
I am soooo on board!

So I challenge you to also look over the contract and commit to dating your spouse more faithfully.
Make it fun and exciting.
It really doesn't take long to fall in love even more!

I found a talk from the 1991 issue of the Ensign called Date Night at Home and loved it!

I truthfully believe that although we are still imperfect and will still fight and bicker like any other couple, our marriage has been strengthened through dating each other. Through getting dressed up and making our evening special.
Just about the two of us!
Sometimes by ourselves or with other adults.

I would love to hear who wants to take this challenge also .
And I would love to hear positive experience with date night and some of the fun dates you have planned!
Let's get this month of LOVE to continue all year long!