At Home Dates

"It's been said having a baby is like throwing a hand grenade into a marriage."
-Babyproofing Your Marriage 

I read that quote a few weeks ago and haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Sad! But there's some truth to it. A baby presents a hundred new issues to disagree on, not to mention they require much of the time once reserved for your spouse. It was a strange day when instead of seeing my husband as just that, I viewed him as a potential babysitter, and my ticket to free time. Yikes!

But we don't live near family, and wouldn't be able to afford dinner and a movie if we had to pay a babysitter, so what's a couple to do? We've tried trading babysitting with a few families from our church, but even that's tricky to arrange at times. Hence the beginning of At Home Dates. They're very basic. Make a fun dinner, rent a movie, indulge in sweets (Tillamook ice cream...mmm). Just your average couple stuff, but I make a point of calling them dates. Because that way I'm not allowed to retreat to a different room and click away the Friday night hours on Pinterest.

About a month ago I found some strawberries on sale and decided to make freezer jam. My husband asked, "Will you have time for that?" and I thought, "When Em's in bed." So I decided to make the project a Jam Date. I texted my husband the plan while he was at work, so he could mentally prepare himself for an evening of homemaking. We turned on music and pulverized strawberries and just spent time together. Last week I attempted homemade pizza for the first time (not a screaming success...) and rented Larry Crowne (good show). All relationships require upkeep to stay healthy, and this is one simple way to ensure your marriage doesn't get demoted to the back burner.