How to Keep Your Marriage Heat Alive: Date Nights or a Staycation is brought to you by our visit to the Jefferson Hotel in Downtown Richmond, VA.

My husband &  I have been married for 18 years this week. Our marriage remains strong even though there are times we feel overwhelmed by work and teenage kids. My husband travels and when he is in town he feels guilty not spending it with the kids.

Even though we share a room, I am greedy and want time alone and more importantly a break from the kids to remind ourselves why we got married in the first place. Even though months could go by without taking a date, the night we find it so important to put them on the calendar in Ink.

More importantly, when we get the chance we take date night to the next level and try to travel alone, even for just one night to keep the heat in our marriage alive.   Thanks to The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia for hosting us for our 18th anniversary and allowing us to share Why Your Marriage Needs Date Nights or a Staycation.

 Date Nights to Keep the Marriage Heat Alive

It is easy to get in a rut and fall into bad habits of spreading ourselves too thin with work and family. For a lot of couples date nights are not even on your radar. Since we started having kids 16 years ago, we realized the importance of getting out without kids. Many couples may not prioritize evenings alone without kids, but here is why we think your marriage needs date nights on your calendar.

Here are some marriage heat stories of why you need to take time to be alone together. 

1. Escape the Everyday Dulldrums Plan an outing doing something that you loved doing before you got married or had kids
2. Reignite Romance and Sustaining intimacy: overstressed and having the kids around is not very romantic. Hold hands at dinner or find a romantic trail to hike.
3. Have fun as a couple:  when is the last time your laughed together? Find a groupon and try something new in your hometown.
4. Focus on each other and not on work or kids (Turn your cell phones on mute and just check for notifications from sitters or kids once in a while)
5. Explore new places or be a tourist in your own town . It’s hard to get away from the kids, but ask family to watch the kids for a night or swap nights with friends. You don’t have to get on a plane or drive very far, consider staying at a nice hotel in your own town.

For our 18th anniversary, we decided to turn our date night into an overnight. We have been fortunate to travel to some great places outside of Richmond together like Turks and Caicos or Ski Trips. This year we decided to take a staycation at stay at the newly renovated Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond.

We were given a Grand Premier King room. This room type represents the largest number of our their newly renovated rooms (approximately 140 rooms out of 181). It felt like a suite in comparison to typical King hotel rooms.

Discounts at the Jefferson Hotel 

Get your own date night for a great price with Grand Re-Opening Celebration at the Jefferson Hotel.

This Jefferson Hotel Discount offer provides a limited-time value for guests to experience the all new Jefferson Hotel for themselves. Rates from just

$250.00 per night are being offered for Grand Premier Rooms from May 26 –September 13, 2017.

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Live in Virginia and save even more at the Jefferson Hotel

Reservations can be made by calling 800-424-8014 or on-line at Jefferson Hotel Website. Taxes are not included in the price. Offer is subject to availability and advance reservations are required.

Virginia residents are invited to enhance their Grand Re-Opening experience with an exclusive discount of 20% off all food and non-alcoholic beverages in TJ’s,

Lemaire and Room Service, purchases in Gator’s Gifts and Blooms at The Jefferson and services in Salon Vivace. This

Virginia Resident Exclusive is valid in conjunction with the Grand Re-Opening Celebration offer only. Discount will not apply to offer rate, in-room services and fees, parking, mini-bar or alcoholic beverages. A valid Virginia driver’s license or state identification card is required upon check-in to qualify.

Speaking of Lemaire: if you have never been to this restaurant it is worth the trip for any special occasion. The staff went above and beyond to make our anniversary a special event. The food was seasonal and delicious and the wine and beverage list is filled with choices you can not go wrong with.

Why Your Marriage Heat Needs Regular Date Nights or a Staycation

No matter if you go out for coffee before the kids start their weekend sporting activities or you get a sitter and play an hour of tennis, date nights are so important for your marriage.

Remember to take time out for each other as too often we forget about nurturing this relationship. No matter if you are just married or going on 30 years, take time out for your spouse as often as you can.

I can honestly say with all the stress of the kids and work demands, if my husband and I did not take time out to spend some time together frequently over the last 18 years,  I am not sure we would be this happy. Also check out the 12 days of Kissmas love notes we created a few years ago.