Mini Dates: A Simple Way to Stay in Love

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My husband and I don’t go on dates much, so we plan mini dates instead. We take advantage of any second we get to touch, talk, and enjoy each other without children at our feet. Recently, my sister-in-law was visiting one day and she was holding on to both of her bouncy nephews. My husband and I actually had free hands at the same time.

We instinctively reached out, grabbed each other’s hand, and squeezed: mini date.

The second they interlocked, I was transported to a quiet place where it was just me and my husband. Holding his hand was an instant reminder that we are still in love and we have a solid foundation I can stand on. Don’t get me wrong, we love being with our boys; becoming parents has greatly deepened our love as husband and wife.

But we need to remember there’s still an “us” outside of “them.”

That sigh of relief I breathed after holding his hand was a perfect mini date. It’s fun to find those here and there. Real date nights add up: babysitter, driving, dinner, movies…and all the wine. For the sake of our budget and our marriage, we have to get creative with these special times together.

This necessity creates a beautiful awareness of how we interact with our partners through all of a day’s activities. If we take the time to be present, we can find many chances to escape on a mini-date night:

  • Sharing a cup of coffee while grocery shopping. Sharing keeps you coming back for more!
  • Folding laundry together on a Friday night is suddenly filled with wine and laughter.
  • Tackling each other, not just the kids, during those epic tag games.
  • Tuning out the shrieks and letting the morning goodbye kiss linger for just a moment longer.

There are plenty of chances to stay in love daily–taking a breath together and roughing it through the tantrums, blow-outs, and heartbreaks of parenting.

Date blog pic

Date nights are expensive, but they can be just a hand-hold away. Don’t let life’s demands take this away from your marriage. Our family life benefits greatly from a healthy, happy marital life. Keep these little glimpses of romance, it’s all we have left.

When was the last time you had a mini date with your spouse? What are other ways do you find date night in the small things?

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