Author Archives: Crystal Brothers

About Crystal Brothers

Crystal Brothers is a child of God, wife to a forest ranger, and homeschooling mama to 2 rambunctious little boys. She is so thankful for God's grace and that His mercies are new every morning. She blogs at ServingJoyfully.com, where it is her goal to encourage and equip women to serve God and their families with a joyful spirit.

Date Night

Do You Really Need a Date Night?

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I recently attended a marriage conference. A woman with grown children talked about how important it is to have a date night, and I nodded my head in agreement.

But then she went on. “It needs to be something good. You need to get out of the house, and going to Walmart together doesn’t count.”

When someone mentioned date night at home, she emphatically shook her head. 

I could feel the spirit of defeat in the room. 

So, I just want to say, You do not need a “date night.” At least, not in the traditional sense.

Having a date night isn’t about an expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, that’s fun sometimes. But for some of us, it just isn’t possible.  We have no money and/or no babysitter.

If you’re in that season of life where a traditional weekly date night just isn’t possible, take heart! It’s not about the date, it’s about the time spent together.

You don’t need a fancy restaurant. You do need quality time together with your spouse. Here are a few ways that my husband and I connect.

Read the Bible Together. Each night after our boys are tucked in bed, my husband and I read a chapter from our Bible and pray together.  Spending time in the word is an excellent way to connect with God and each other, and it also gives us a perfect opportunity to talk about what God is doing in our lives, what He is showing us and where He is leading us.

Talk. This is so simple, yet so important. Make time to spend with your husband, just talking–about something other than disciplining the children and paying bills! In my book, Intentional Marriage, I include a list of 101 conversation questions that you can use to have some fun conversations with your spouse.

Watch a favorite TV show or movie together. Pop some popcorn and snuggle up on the couch. If you’re watching a tv show, mute the commercials and spend that time chatting.

Go to bed at the same time. This has always been important to me. Sometimes, the busyness of the day makes it hard to find time to spend together.  Going to bed at the same time is an excellent way to be sure that you have time to connect as a couple.

Do chores together. Now, this might seem like the opposite of spending quality time together, and it can be. Chores can be a drudgery. And if I go into it focusing on that, I might just have a bad attitude. But if I go into it purposing that I’m going to enjoy spending time with my husband, no matter what we’re doing, my entire outlook changes.

In addition to these daily things, there are plenty of “dates” you can have with your husband right at home and on a low budget. Check out the date night section right here at Happy Wives Club.

I also have a free printable with over 50 date night idea cards. Most of these ideas are free and many can be done at home!  

Intentional Marriage Date Cards

What is your favorite way to connect with your husband?

Date Night

At Home Date Night On a Budget

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When my husband and I were newly married, we received some wonderful advice from a great Christian couple.

They told us that they’d been having a weekly date night for 20+ years of marriage. As newlyweds, we decided to be intentional about a weekly date night.

After we became parents, my mom was more than happy to babysit for a couple of hours each Friday night so we could continue the tradition. 

So, for our first 7+ years of marriage, we have had a date night every single week!

Then, we moved away from my hometown. We’re now 2 hours from one set of grandparents, nearly 6 from the other. No more easy babysitter!  Couple that with a tight budget, and we knew we needed to get creative!

This is why I invented the no-prep, at-home, low-cost date – that I affectionately call the “Dessert Date”.  Thinking it was a great idea, I wanted to share it with you!

Everything for this date can be done within about 5-10 minutes. 

I thought it would be fun to make this a surprise for my hubby. So, I waited until the boys were in bed and hubby was in the shower, and then got to work.

The first thing I did was to lay out some nice clothes for him on the bed, with a handwritten note saying, “Put these on, and meet me in the kitchen.” Next, I put on some nice clothes myself and dusted on some make up.

I found the champagne glasses from our wedding, along with a couple of napkins, and a copy of the invitation from that day. If you don’t have glasses from your wedding, substitute what you do have.

You could also use a nice quote about love or marriage printed out, instead of your invitation. We don’t drink alchohol, so I bought some sparkling grape juice to go in the glasses.

I prepared my super quick, super yummy strawberry cream desserts.

Finally, I found the mix of love songs that played during our wedding reception. 

Honestly, because of the effort put into it,  this felt much more like a “real” date, than some of our out-to-eat, followed by a stop at Walmart “dates.” 

We had a lovely time staring into each others eyes like newlyweds.

The entire prep for this date happened during the short time that my hubby was in the shower, making it a very low-stress date. It was also very inexpensive – around $5 or so. And between the fancy plated desserts, the champagne glasses, candle light, and all of our wedding reminders, it was very romantic.

We both remember it fondly as one of our favorite dates ever — going out included.

If you’re needing some alone time with your husband, but don’t have the resources or babysitter for a night out, I would encourage you to get creative!  

You can make great memories right where you are.

What’s your favorite date night?