Here are some ideas:
* If you think you have no one who can watch your kids overnight, try doing a swap with local friends. We are blessed to have Grandparents living nearby who are always happy to take our kids for a sleepover - BUT, that being said, we have also swapped kids with friends before too. One weekend we took our friend's kids for a sleepover at our house -- a couple weeks later they took ours. Both couples got to enjoy an overnight without any kids. Win-win for everyone because the kids are also thrilled to have sleepovers with their friends!
* If possible, make it special with a night out to dinner and maybe even a night at a hotel ... it's SO much easier to relax and enjoy yourselves when you're not in your own home {seeing laundry that needs to be done, dishes that need to be washed, etc.}. We even went to a hotel just a MILE from our house! The funny thing is that it felt like we were very far away from home and not right down the road!
* However, if money is a problem, you CAN create a fun and special night at home! Make a special dinner together {or order take out if that's easier and less stress!}, set a nice table with candles, turn off the phone and any other distractions and just ENJOY your time together!
* Take the time to think about how to make the night special for the other person. My husband has become so good at this! A couple months ago I mentioned it would be neat to have Christmas lights in our bedroom ... so one night we came home and he had set up lights in the bedroom, bought me some flowers and a new bracelet {just because}. Not trying to bash him AT ALL, but he wasn't always this good! Over the years he has become very attentive to the things I like and does lots of special little things to make me feel important, special and loved. I admit I'm not always so thoughtful ... but I do try to think of things he likes so he feels important too.
For us, we have found that the years keep going faster and because our girls are getting bigger our life just gets busier and busier. We are always busy with sports, activities, work, school, church, etc ... and it's honestly SO hard to set aside special time as a couple. It's also hard when we're often so exhausted each week! But having some of these overnight dates to look forward to has become such a time of refreshment for our marriage! We try to do this about once every month or every other month. In order to invest in your marriage you have to MAKE IT HAPPEN! No more excuses people ... don't wait till your kids are grown up ... do it NOW!!
