Five Productive Ways to Spend Time With Your Spouse

Read together.

I don't mean each of you sit on the couch with your own book, although that's fun too. I mean pick out a book you both want to read, and take turns reading aloud to each other! Jake and I just finished reading Firefight by Brandon Sanderson, and it was so awesome. I loved sitting cuddled up on the couch next to him, listening to his voice.

Play games.

I found this great list of fun two-person card games a while back, and Jake and I have really enjoyed playing King's Corner! We've also had fun playing Checkers, Pictionary, and other two-person games. It's fun to play stuff from our childhood now that we're "grown-ups" and enjoy them together, since we didn't know each other when we were kids.

Teach each other.

Jake hasn't had a chance to teach me something he knows yet, but he's loved me teaching him how to do crafts or even give him some writing tips. Teaching each other something you love is an awesome way to get to know each other better, and to grow closer!

Design your dream home.

Jake and I have actually found this to be a somewhat challenging activity, since we have fairly different ideas of what makes a home look beautiful or inviting. We've had fun looking on Pinterest and other websites for design ideas like paint colors, fun things for the backyard, and what we want the furniture in our living room to look like.

Share old stories.

The best way to do this, I've found, is to pull out old yearbooks or photos and reminisce together. Yearbooks or photos can help spark our memories to tell a specific story, and it's been so much fun to learn about the crazy stuff Jake did in middle school or tell him about the adventures I had growing up in California. And of course, who doesn't love looking back at dorky school pictures?!