Dating your Spouse for Free

I would like to point everyone to a great marriage resource from Enter Under my Roof. During the month of July they are having an event called "Hot Summer Nights." They will be posting one article every day of the month that focuses on real marriages, passion, love, and faith. You can keep up with these articles by liking their Facebook page, following them on Twitter, following their Pinterest board or subscribing to the blog by e-mail. They are also hosting a date night idea link up party, and that's where this post comes in!

I've never really talked about my family's current situation on this blog before. Perhaps I've just been too embarrassed, nervous, even a little bit ashamed. Back in October my husband lost his job and we were forced to move in with my in-laws until we get back on our feet. He found work again very quickly as a teacher's aid and I was working as a teacher's aid as well, but in our school district teacher's aids are only allowed to work a maximum of  29 1/2 hours a week, so we don't get benefits. It is of course now summer, and teacher's aid's do not get paid during school breaks. I have a degree in education so I am working hard on finding a full time teaching position to support my family. The pressure is on since my husband is also experiencing some health issues that may prevent him from accepting any job offers. Thankfully he is young enough to still be on his parent's insurance so we are taking care of him as best we can.

Needless to say things can get stressful. It can be difficult to spend intimate, quality time with your spouse when you're sharing the house with your in-laws, your room with your three year old, and funds are low. However, especially since times like these can put a lot of strain on a marriage, it is very important to find that time. I'm not going to say we've been doing great at this lately, but that is one of the reasons Enter Under My Roof's project is so exciting to me. I think its going help give us some inspiration to strengthen our marriage even in this difficult time. For example, it has inspired me to make this list of ways to date your spouse for little or no money!

1. Explore a local nature center - shout out to my aunt and uncle who have made it their summer goal to visit as many different nature centers in their state at they can!

2. Have a picnic at a park, even if its just peanut butter sandwiches.

3. Check out any free events your city might be hosting, like concerts in the park.

4. Go to the library and pick out a book to read to each other before bedtime. -Does your local library have an adult summer reading program? Ours does and they give out coupons to local businesses as prizes - bonus!

5. Go camping in your backyard, or a free or cheap campground.

6. Borrow someone's canoe or inner tubes and find a river.

7. Go to the beach.

8. Play board games together, or an active video game like Just Dance.

9. Go out for dessert instead of dinner, or cook something together at home.

10. Go to a weekday mass or adoration without the kids.

So thank you Enter Under My Roof for the reminder and resources to strengthen our marriage! Even in a time like this we have so much to be thankful for. With wonderful family and friends around us we know that we will always have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes on our backs, and so much more. Our stressful situation will not tear us apart. By turning towards God and each other we will come through it a stronger and better couple.