Hi, all. I’m working on this project with the Ruth Institute and welcome input from readers here as well. Please take a look!
The above title is one of the Ruth Institute’s newest projects–and we need your help to make it happen!
Tell us how YOU keep your marriage fresh and exciting. Give us one or two sentences describing an action you do, or would like to do, to keep the love alive and going strong. For example:
- Hide love notes in your spouse’s purse, briefcase, wallet, or pocket.
- Draw a heart with both your initials on the fogged up mirror while your spouse is showering.
- Kiss each other at stop lights.
- Rewatch your wedding video or look at your wedding album.
- Play footsie under the table.
- Bring home a special treat that your spouse loves but rarely gets to have.
- Buy a romantic card and hide it under your spouse’s pillow.
- Leave a note next to your spouse’s alarm clock so the first thing he/she sees in the morning is “Good morning. I love you.”
We need 365! (Well, 366 for leap years.) Please tell us your first name, last initial, and where you’re from, so we can include that information with your tip or tips! How fun!
Comment below or email parentingisfunny@gmail.com with as many ideas as you have. We look forward to reading them, and to including them in this great new tool for making marriage better than ever! Email me now, and tell your friends, too!
Motherhood and Martial Arts 
We are on a swim team together. Participating in a sport with your spouse gives you lots to talk about. Also we have swimming getaways when we travel to out-of-town meets.
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Oh, neat, Teresa! I would not have thought of something like that (being a total non-athlete!) Thank you.
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When our eight children were still at home, my husband and I designated Friday nights as “kids night out” (that was for the teenagers) and Saturday night as “parents night out”. We did this faithfully until all were either old enough to watch themselves or they went off to college. Date night once a week shows the children that the relationship between mom and dad is important and gives them a healthy outlook on marriage.
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Listen: when your spouse mentions something that they would like or need, make a mental note without mentioning it. Just repeat it to yourself many times (without looking up or acknowledging it) until you can write it down when they are not looking. This makes for great presents come Christmas, birthday, or whenever.
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Kiss “Good morning” and kiss “Good night”, if we are unable to kiss (for who knows why) we make a “kiss sound” to each other, it’s like our own “I love you.”
Give each other nicknames. I’ve been “Wifey” for almost 11 years and he’s “Hubby.”
We always end our phone or text conversations with “Luv you.”
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That’s very sweet, Beth. Thank you! Please let me know what city you’re in (or closest to), so I can give you credit in the book! 🙂
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Wooster Ohio
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Does this mean I get a free copy too? Yay 🙂
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Yes, but it will be a while! Thank you!
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Karyl D. from Montgomery Village, MD: Well the obvious tip I could share is to write a blog of 365 things you love about marriage as a tribute to your spouse and marriage! That’s what I’m doing. It’s called I Love This Husband & Wife Stuff: 365 Things I love about marriage. Check it out at http://ilovethishusbandandwifestuff.com
Other tips: Wait at the door when you hear his car in the driveway; watch a movie he wants to watch; bring him a glass of water even if he didn’t ask for one; send him sweet emails; and bring him a little sweet.
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Thank you, Karyl!
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Keep a white board on your fridge. Write each other love notes to surprise each other any time of day.
My husband writes me a note when he leaves for work (often before I’m up and awake with the children) and I always look forward to seeing what he wrote me once we’re all up and getting breakfast. Sometimes if he hasn’t written a note in awhile or forgot, I give him a nudge by writing something like “I am crazy about my wife because _______ ” and he fills in the blank for sure! It’s so much fun! There are sweet and romantic notes and also times we just make each other laugh so hard.
– Lisa W. Baltimore, MD
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Super sweet! Thank you, Lisa. Please invite your friends to share as well. It will be a while until we get to 365!
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That’s a very valuable topic! I wrote a post on this exact thing a few weeks back. It’s got my top 10 ways to keep marriage fresh. Here’s the link: http://feistyredhair.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/10-ways-to-keep-marriage-fresh-and-fabulous/
Hope that helps!
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Thanks, Feisty. I remember reading that post of yours and liking it. Thanks for permission to use them! I’ll be sure to get your name with them.
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Always compliment or appreciate your spouse. Trust me he/she will enjoy hearing that what he/she does everyday for you and the family, is not done in vain and they are not taken for granted. I love to see my husband smile and give me a hug and kiss. It truly keeps our sparks alive.
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Thank you, Sonya! Words of wisdom!
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Play “tag.” On a single sheet of paper write something you love about your spouse, then hide it. When they find it they do the same and hide it for you to find until the whole sheet of paper is full of the reasons you live each other.
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That is super cute! I love it! Thank you. Please email me your hometown, first name and last initial at parentingisfunny@gmail.com, so I can include it with your tip!
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On weekdays my husband leaves the house before me and on cold icy mornings, he’ll scrape the ice off my car windows and occasionally he’ll scrape a heart shape on the front windscreen. Sarah S, Derby UK.
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That’s super cute! Thank you for sharing!
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I’m really enjoying the thoughtful, super sweet things people are doing for their spouses. It warms my heart. I hope this calendar is a great support for marriages everywhere. Thanks to all who are contributing. Please ask your friends for their thoughts as well! The more the merrier! Reaching 365 won’t be easy!
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