#dateyourspouse: I mean, if you like being married, and stuff

Hands up if you’re married and you love your spouse but if someone had to ask you to describe your marriage using one word, you would say: “Ehhh”. Firstly, eh is not a word, but we’ll talk about that later, Sarah. Secondly, you are not alone, my friend!

I’m a big girl, so I don’t mind telling you guys that up until a few weeks ago, my marriage was a bit on the shaky side. And it’s not even because we were fighting the whole time. No sir, it was more a case of us living past each other and not really connecting because, dude, life is crazy when you have four kids! But hey, I’m not out here trying to blame the cray on the kideos. We’re both super busy… so busy that we had lost the art of keeping that fire burning, if you know what I mean.

Anyways, after an especially disconnected week of us barely speaking and, honestly, not even touching each other, I knew that something needed to be done. And this is how the #dateyourspouse campaign was birthed.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Luchae, why must you start a whole friggen campaign, all because you want to rekindle that marital fire with your husband?! Geez, calm down woman!” (Okay that last part was me talking to myself.)

Well, firstly, have you seen the abundance of marriage related posts that I’ve got going on here?! It’s one of my favorite topics for some reason. Hubstopher seems to think it’s because I enjoy talking about him.

Secondly, I thought to start a whole campaign around the idea because I love sharing resolutions and new routines on the blog. Honestly guys, it’s a great way to stay accountable because I have all of you to keep me in check, because I’m kinda not good with sticking to new things.

But, lastly, and more importantly, I realized (after chatting to a few wives who felt exactly the same way I did) that this ‘stranger in my house’ phenomenon is pretty common around us married folk. We’re so good at putting our marriage on the back burner for, well, insert any other area of your life here. The #dateyourspouse campaign is basically a way to encourage all you other hot mamas/papas to, yep you guessed it, date your spouse – with intention!

It’s more than just a going for a quick bite. Nope. It’s about committing to a regular date night (monthly? bi-weekly?) and actually putting effort into making sure that you connect with your spouse on more than just a “but when you fed the dog, did you use the big scoop or the small scoop?” level.

The #dateyourspouse campaign will obviously include giveaways, because I enjoy having my Oprah moment every now and then. I will also be reaching out to experts in the field, and regular peeps like you and I, who will share tips with us. And I’ll be doing reviews of the cool date night venues and experiences that are available. I mean, if you’re anything like me, you never leave your house. The #dateyourspouse review section will serve as a “what’s hot” guide complete with pics, ratings and even the cost (because mama’s got to budget).

I want to encourage you to join me on this journey, friends. Book that babysitter and set aside that one night of the month for you and your spouse. I promise, you will reap the rewards… in more ways than one.