Maintaining the “Magic” in Marriage

As i've promised here's another romantic tips for married couples. This is written by By Jim Burns of HomeWord.

Keep saying “I love you.” These three little words are very powerful! Few people, if any, tire of hearing that they are loved. When you say “I love you” do your best to be giving your spouse your full attention. Make sure you mean it when you say it!!

Provide genuine, meaningful affirmations regularly. “Gee, your hair smells terrific” may be appropriate, but affirmations like “You do so much to keep our family working. I can never thank you enough for all you do” are more powerful and meaningful for making your spouse feel special. Affirmations come in all shapes and sizes: from verbal affirmations given in-person, to voicemail or e-mail messages to notes and cards.

Create and maintain a regular, non-negotiable date night – just for you and your spouse. (By the way, this means time away from the kids – and other friends.) Relationships need one-on-one nourishment to stay healthy. A regular date night can provide the quality and quantity of time needed to keep your relationship with your spouse strong.

Take a vacation together. Same idea as the regular date night noted above. A vacation with your spouse will provide you with more time to focus on one another and will give you opportunities to rekindle the romance in your life!

Give your spouse veto-power over your schedule. This empowers your spouse and sends a message that they are special. It acknowledges the fact that your spouse is a partner with you in life – not just another person making demands on your time.

Work together to learn more about marriage. Go to marriage retreats or conferences. Read books on marriage together and discuss what you’ve read. You are never too old – or have been married too long – to work on improving your marriage.

Buy your spouse flowers or gifts. Gifts don’t have to be extravagant, but should be simple reminders of how special your spouse is to you. Keep these gifts personal, rather than practical!

Surprise your spouse. For example, kidnap your spouse from work and do something you know they would enjoy. (Be sure to check with your spouse’s boss – if they have one!) Give gifts or flowers at totally unexpected times.

If you travel, try to communicate with your spouse everyday while you are away. Phone calls are best, followed by voicemails and e-mails. If you want to keep your spouse feeling special, don’t make comments like “This is the best time I’ve ever had in my life” even if it is. “I really miss you” works much better!

Marriage, dating and romance articles

I’m supposed to read  titan auto insurance review when my blog’s live traffic feed caught my attention. I noticed that my blog post about creative dating ideas for married couples attracts visitors. Well, that inspires me to post more articles about love and marriage. I hope I can have more time searching for the best articles about  marriage, dating and romance so I could share them here. Anyway, just watch out for it. =)

Re-energize your marriage

Tired of Marriage? Start Dating by Dr. Alan Stafford

When the romance has trickled out of your marriage and each day seems to blend in to the next, try these easy ways to re-energize your marriage and your love life.

Start by thinking back to your dating days. If dating was fun, but marriage has become routine-start dating again. Of course, I mean start dating your spouse. Think of him as your lifetime date. Do all the fun things you did when you were deciding whether to marry him. What did you do for fun? Did you play sports, go out to dinner, or go shopping? Make dating your spouse a priority. Fit these activities back into your schedule.

Plan a date night for once a week. If you don't have any kids, your schedules are probably pretty full. Schedule date night in advance, the same as you would for any other social or professional meeting. If you do have children, hire a babysitter to come over on the same night every week. This will save you from having to find a babysitter every time you want to go out. And, it will strengthen your commitment to date night. For example, plan to have the sitter come over every Thursday, but tell her not to call before arriving. This puts the burden on you to cancel and removes one of your excuses for not keeping the date. By planning ahead, very little effort is involved in the preparation of date night. This makes it much more likely you will get out of the house and keep the promise you made to each other.

When you go out for your date, do something that renews your bond. Watching a movie or going to a concert may be fun, but they don't give you the opportunity to talk to one another. If you decide to see a movie, follow it up with dessert or coffee. There's value in just sitting alone together, face to face, and talking.

Your date night should be all about you and your partner so don't invite friends or family. And definitely leave the kids at home! Allow yourselves enough time to make a night of it. If you schedule only an hour or two out of the house, you will be limited to doing the same thing every date night. Opening up the evening allows you to try new things and decreases the stress of having a curfew.

Since you'll be dating about three or four times a month, make sure to try new things. Go out to dinner at a new restaurant, go out for coffee, play a board game, go dancing, go for a picnic, go for a bike ride or a swim. The possibilities are limited only by your imaginations. If you get stuck for ideas, try this: each person sets the agenda for alternate date nights. For example, your husband plans the next date night. He makes all the decisions about what, where, when. But, he doesn't tell you. You get to wonder all week what the date will be. And then on date night, let him be your Master of Ceremonies. You don't get to complain or criticize-just go with the flow. The following week, it's your turn. This keeps some surprise and excitement in the dates because even weekly date nights can get routine.

What you do on date nights is not important. What is important is that you are together. Bonding, reconnecting, sharing. And reliving for just a few hours each week, those happy times when you were single but wanted to spend the rest of your life with this person. Well now it is the rest of your life. Keep the romance alive; keep the fun alive. Make your marriage a lifelong date.

Creative Dating Ideas for Married Couples

Time to share some tips for married couples. Here are 12 Creative Dating Ideas for Married Couples:

• Go for a walk
• Work on a jigsaw puzzle
• Play a board game
• Play “hide and seek”
• Cook together
• Have an overnight campout in your yard
• Participate in community service or mission
• Get some exercise
• Find some quiet space and listen to music
• Learn a new hobby together
• Fly kites
• Write poems and read to each other

Thanks to Jim Burns of CBN.com for these tips.