{"id":2489,"date":"2013-07-19T17:04:19","date_gmt":"2013-07-19T21:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/?p=2489"},"modified":"2013-07-19T17:04:19","modified_gmt":"2013-07-19T21:04:19","slug":"how-to-make-we-time-a-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/how-to-make-we-time-a-priority\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make “We Time” a Priority"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Gladys Diaz<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Couple<\/a><\/p>\n

Last Sunday, my husband and I celebrated our 13th<\/sup> Wedding Anniversary!\u00a0 To celebrate, he whisked me away for a long weekend at the beach.\u00a0 I have to say that I was like an expectant bride all week long.\u00a0 The idea of having \u00a0four whole days away, just the two of us, was so exciting! I had butterflies in my stomach, could barely concentrate, and kept imagining what four days of no schedules and interruptions would look like!<\/p>\n

Now, don\u2019t get me wrong.\u00a0 I love our boys, I love being a mom, and I love the time we spend together as a family.\u00a0 I also love seeing my husband with the boys, because he\u2019s such a great dad.\u00a0 But, I also want to have time to spend with my husband.\u00a0 I like the idea of being a couple<\/i><\/b>.<\/p>\n

Having those days together, walking on the boardwalk, sitting on the shore and listening to the sound of the waves, sharing a romantic meal, making out and making love whenever we wanted \u2013 it was like we<\/i><\/b> used to be in the beginning, where everything was new and it was like we were the only 2 people in the world!\u00a0 I learned things about my husband that I never knew in our 14 years together.\u00a0 It was exciting to know that there is still so much to discover about one another!<\/p>\n

As mothers, we have a responsibility to our kids, but we\u2019re also women who are wives and lovers.\u00a0 And, while we may not be able to go away with our husbands every weekend, there are ways that we can continue making \u201cwe<\/i><\/b> time\u201d a priority.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Have regular date nights.<\/b> Whether it\u2019s once a week or twice a month, make time to spend time alone together, free of distractions and interruptions.\u00a0 \u00a0Actually designate and schedule the days or nights when you\u2019ll make time to have a date.\u00a0 To make it fun, take turns planning the dates.\u00a0 Some couples even make a game of trying to out-do one another.\u00a0 But, if doing that becomes stressful and not fun, forget about it and read the next tip!\u00a0 The idea is to enjoy the time you\u2019re spending with each other.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Keep it simple.<\/b>\u00a0 If budget is an issue and you can\u2019t afford to get baby sitters and go out often, have a date night in.\u00a0 After putting the kids to bed, make or order in a nice dinner, or share a special desert.\u00a0 Turn off the TV and smart phones, and just be <\/i><\/b>with one another.\u00a0 Play a board game (be creative about how to make it romantic!), build a puzzle together, or do something else that allows you time to talk and connect.\u00a0 And remember to smile and flirt with him!\u00a0 He still likes that!<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Make it about the two of you.<\/b> We all live busy lives, so it may be tempting to start talking about bills, the kids, and household decisions that need to be made when we finally get some uninterrupted time together.\u00a0 However, this is also a great time to really connect<\/i> with one another.\u00a0 Talk about your goals and dreams.\u00a0 Take time to express how grateful you are to have him in your life and give yourself permission to be mushy!<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>Let go of expectations.<\/b>\u00a0 You may have a certain picture in your mind about what a \u201cperfect romantic date\u201d should be.\u00a0 If you husband plans something that\u2019s not as exciting or romantic as you would have liked, don\u2019t allow your unmet expectations to cheat you out of enjoying your time together.\u00a0 Just receive his time and attention and appreciate the time you have together. You can always plan something different when it\u2019s your turn to plan the date.<\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>Stay present.<\/b>\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to let our minds wander off when we\u2019re not focused on being present.\u00a0 If you find your mind wandering off, take a nice deep breath, allow yourself to see, hear, and feel where you are and what is around you, and bring yourself back to the present.\u00a0 Sometimes, I actually tell myself, \u201cWhere am I?\u00a0 I\u2019m in a restaurant.\u00a0 I\u2019m having a great glass of wine. I hear the soft music in the background.\u00a0 I\u2019m sitting across from the man I love!\u201d<\/i> This helps me to bring myself back to where I really want to be!<\/p>\n

6. Get physical.<\/b>\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s holding hands, making out, or making one of those board games interesting by coming up with your own sexy rules (wink, wink), make time physical touch.\u00a0 Hugging, touching, kissing, and making love are an important part of marriage.\u00a0 It\u2019s what makes a romantic relationship different from a friendship. So definitely make physical touch a part of your \u201cwe<\/i><\/b> time\u201d experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If the physical side of your relationship has begun to fizzle or one of you is struggling with making physical intimacy part of the relationship again, keep it fun and light.\u00a0 There are card and board games, coupons, and rolling die that include playful activities that are fun and don\u2019t necessarily involve having intercourse.\u00a0 Focus on other types of touch that may feel more comfortable at first, like hand-holding or a back rub.\u00a0 The important thing is to not have the expectation of having sex seem like an obligation for either one of you.\u00a0 The more you begin to connect, the more likely it is that the other types of intimacy will begin to resurface.<\/p>\n

Being parents is part of our relationship as husband and wife, but, before there were kids, there was a couple that loved and couldn\u2019t wait to spend time with one another.\u00a0 Being intentional about having \u201cwe<\/i><\/b> time\u201d can help us keep the love, laughter, and romance alive in our relationships, which will make us happier parents, too!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Comments?\u00a0 Questions?\u00a0 Let us know below! We love hearing from you!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Gladys Diaz Last Sunday, my husband and I celebrated our 13th Wedding Anniversary!\u00a0 To celebrate, he whisked me away for a long weekend at the beach.\u00a0 I have to say that I was like an expectant bride all week long.\u00a0 The idea of having \u00a0four whole days away, just the two of us, was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9,10,13,16,17,19,22,23,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-communication-2","category-hdi-blog","category-hearts-desire-international","category-intimacy-2","category-love-2","category-marriage","category-parenting-2","category-relationship-advice","category-romance","category-sex"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}