I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about marriage.

I focus on motherhood a lot on the blog. Mostly because it is what eats up the majority of my day. As a stay-at-home mom, I am constantly surrounded by my children, feeding them, holding them, talking to them, changing their diapers, etc. At this point in life, with a baby and a toddler, my life literally revolves around them and their needs.

And that’s ok.

But I also have a wonderful man in my life. My husband. Kyle. My best friend. My lover. My rock. And sometimes he doesn’t get enough of my time or my energy or my patience or my anything. He gets my leftovers.

And that’s not fair to him.

So I thought I’d share with you a few ways that I’m trying to make Kyle a priority in my life. Because after the kids are gone, you’ll only have each other, and what will happen if you’ve spent the last 18+ years building relationships with your kids, but not nurturing your own? What happens if you turn around and realize you don’t know the person you’re married to anymore. I don’t want that to happen. I’m sure none of us do! So we need to continually make our spouse a priority so that doesn’t happen.

Now, to be honest, I’m a pretty terrible wife sometimes. This season of life we’re in, with babies and toddlers, can be hard. These tips I’m going to share about making a marriage are not things that I do all the time. But I know they’re important. And I’m hoping that I will be able to continually make them a priority and into a habit. Because Kyle deserves that and so much more.

1 | Greet him with a smile and a kiss when he returns home from work.

This is something I think is so important, but something I forget to do regularly. But think about it, when you come home from somewhere, aren’t you excited to see your spouse (and family)? What would happen if you walk in the door and the person you’ve been excited to see doesn’t acknowledge that you’re home, or immediately starts yelling at you. I can tell you my mood would turn around real quick. Our spouses need to know they’re appreciated and loved, and that you’re excited to see them! So take 5 seconds and show them that.

2 | Send him a text during the day to let him know you’re thinking about him.

Kyle’s my best friend, and I love sending him random pictures and updates throughout the day. Usually they’re of or about the kids, but sometimes I find an article I think he’ll like or give him an update on someone we know. I enjoy getting random texts from him, so I assume he likes it, too. (I guess I should ask him before I publish this post, ha.)

3 | Plan a date night with just the two of you at least once a month.

This doesn’t have to be big. You can even do this at home after your littles are put to bed. The goal is to just be with each other – no phones, no kids, no other distractions. Talk about your dreams and goals, eat some yummy dessert together, watch a movie, etc. Just take some time to reconnect.

Now, of course, these are not the end all be all of how to make a marriage work. There are plenty of others things I could have talked about that are so important – like communicating with each other, making goals together, supporting each other, and so much more. But these 3 things are just small, simple things that you can do with out much thought or effort, that will make all the difference in your marriage.

So go on, give them a try! And see if your marriage improves.