When you first met your beloved, you were probably drawn to their personality and the fun times you two had together. Spending enjoyable time together is one of the great things about relationships. Unfortunately, many people forget to keep up these fun activities once they're married. The business of day-to-day living gets in the way and the romance begins to dwindle away from a relationship. In order to keep your bond strong and maintain the spark, it's important to keep dating your spouse even after you're married.

Dating Your Spouse

Even the busiest couples should make an effort to schedule a regular "date night" at least a few times every month. Schedule it in advance and hold to the commitment just like you would any other appointment. Take the effort to attend to your appearance, just like you did back when the two of you were courting; not only will your spouse appreciate it, but getting a little dressed up builds confidence and can be lots of fun.

You don't have to book a fancy dinner or go to the opera, although you certainly can if that's what you're interested in. You could go to a theme park, play a video game or sit in bed and read ghost stories together if you'd prefer. The activity itself doesn't matter as much as what the two of you get out of it.

The real purpose of scheduling dates with your spouse is allowing the two of you to share time and connect with each other on a mental and emotional level outside of your normal day-to-day routine. Taking time to have fun, play, talk and enjoy an adventure together is the most important part.

The Value of Double Dates

Being in a relationship can be isolating sometimes. It might be hard to navigate friendships with your single friends without bringing your spouse along, and people often find themselves wishing they could enjoy more social activities with people who understood married life. Double dates are a great opportunity to do just that, and they can help relieve the awkwardness of dating your spouse if you're not in the habit of going out alone.

Figure out a fun activity that you can enjoy with other married friends. Try something as simple as dinner or a movie together as a group, or maybe you can stay home with a few bottles of wine and a board game. This gives you an opportunity to get to know your spouse and your friends better in a fun, casual atmosphere and all of you can enjoy a break away from kids, bills and responsibilities.

Keeping the spark alive can be difficult, especially after a couple has children, but it shouldn't be impossible. Love and relationships are a creative process that take time and effort to build and maintain. Your spouse should be one of the most important people in your life, and you should always be able to find time in your schedule to enjoy each other's company, relax and have a little fun.

Tara Hanks is a freelance blogger, who write about relationship advice. Happily married to her husband, Tim, Tara is a guru when it comes to finding new and creative double date ideas.