Getting a babysitter for five children is not only a challenge sometimes but quite spendy.  However, making time to do stuff together besides dishes and bedtime and yard work is super important.  We’ve already lived out one season paying the price for not making our marriage a priority and let me just say for the record it wasn’t wonderful.

Intentionally carving out face time for the mom and dad are critical to maintaining or growing a healthy marriage and family.  One very wise older mother once told me:

One of the very best gifts you can give your children is parents who love each other well.

I’ve never forgotten what she said.  But I have sure chosen not to love well more than once and I certainly haven’t always made the time to cultivate it either.

Ever a work in progress though I left this in our bathroom knowing my husband would see it when he got home from work last week:

I asked him later before I’d gone back to our room if he’d written me back.  He didn’t know a reply was needed so he went and jotted me a very nice ‘yes’ to my invite.

Simple, cheap, fun and sweet.  It doesn’t have to take much!

Best part?  Our oldest asking me the next day when she woke up – “Did you have fun on your date with daddy in the family room last night?”