The longer you are with your spouse, the easier it is to become set in a routine and lose out on that quality time you once had. Regular dates decrease and people rarely spend time getting to know their spouse better. If you have too many obligations, start penciling in some time with your spouse into your planner. Make it a priority to go out on dates with your spouse. If you make time for them in your planner, it will be easier to stick to your dates. It is easier to go out when you have it in writing. Always follow through with your dates and try new things instead of just dinner or a movie.

Once you have a date night set in stone, talk to your spouse about things they want to do. A date can be something simple like a hike and a picnic or something extravagant like a night out on the town. Whatever it is you decide to do, make sure it is something you and your spouse both enjoy. Here are some tips to follow on how to spend time with your spouse:

Make a romantic dinner for your spouse and have a night in. Turn off the television and other distractions and completely focus on your spouse. If you have children, arrange for them to spend the night with their grandparents, cousins, or friends. If you want to watch a movie, rent one or order one from pay-per-view. You can even go out to a movie that you and your spouse have both been wanting to see. Turn your romantic evening into a fun night for both of you. Perhaps you can go all out with a candlelight dinner or a picnic in the living room. No matter what, go wherever your mood takes you. Intimacy is an important part of marriage and it helps a couple reconnect emotionally.

Going out to dinner is much easier without children. If you have kids, arrange for a babysitter to come so you and your spouse can go out together. If you haven't scheduled a date night, surprise your spouse with one. Make reservations at your favorite restaurant and pick up your spouse and head there for a nice dinner together. Just spending an hour with your spouse without distractions can help you both focus on your marriage and what really matters in a relationship. If you can't arrange for a dinner date; how about a lunch date? Take an extra hour on your lunch break and go to a nice lunch together. This will give you time to re-connect with your spouse and the two of you will be able to talk without distractions. The nice thing about lunch dates is that the restaurants aren't nearly as crowded so it's much easier to hear your spouse when they are talking.

Going to a movie is another fun way to spend some time with your spouse. A movie doesn't leave a lot of room for conversation, but after the movie you can talk about it with your spouse. Movies also help couples share a good laugh together and just enjoy being with their spouse. Even going to a movie during the middle of the week can help you escape the daily pressures of life and enjoy spending time together with your spouse.

Some couples enjoy shopping together. Go out on a Saturday afternoon and hit up the flea market or yard sales. This can be a fun activity together as you may find something that you simply must have. Saturdays are also great days to go to festivals and carnivals. If it's a nice warm, sunny day go for a walk to your local park and have a picnic.

A fun way to spend time with your spouse is to pull out your wedding video and watch it together. It will bring back fun memories and remind you both of the love you share for one another. If you have pictures of your wedding and honeymoon, pull them out and reminisce about those fond memories. Bring back the honeymoon phase by planning a romantic getaway. The two of you can spend time together enjoying relaxing massages or curling up by a warm fire. Do things that will make you both happy and avoid the distractions that you normally encounter with your daily life.

If you are a religious couple, spend time at church together. Make sure to spend time reading together and praying together. Thank the Lord for your meals and the money you have earned. Try to set aside time to pray together each day. If you have children, find a time to talk to them about your religion and teach them how to pray. Everyone in the family can take turns praying each night as a family. Another great way to spend time with your spouse is to print off religious materials and study them together. Take turns reading devotionals to one another and discuss them together. It doesn't matter what religion you are a part of, just make time to be true to your beliefs and make sure your spouse is included.

Give your spouse a massage or a foot rub at the end of a hard day of work. This will help you re-connect with your spouse and you can spend some time talking to your spouse. Take turns massaging one another to help release tension and stress from your body.

Leave simple reminders of your love throughout the house. Place post-it notes on your spouses purse or wallet. Leave a note in their car. Unexpected love notes can help you re-connect with your spouse. Make plans for that evening and leave a note for your spouse letting them know they are invited to a fun-filled evening with you.

One of the easiest ways to spend time with your spouse is to talk to them. When you have a few minutes, call your spouse and have a quick conversation on the phone. At the end of your day, make some time to talk to your spouse and share things that happened to you. If you don't feel like you have anything exciting going on, play question and answer games with your spouse. Make up fun questions to ask your spouse and really spend time getting to know them again. Think back to the days when you were dating and all the questions you used to ask. Ask your spouse some of those questions again. When you were dating, you probably spent a lot of time sharing things that happened to you throughout the day. Make sure you keep this mentality when you are talking to your spouse and truly listen to what they are saying.

Browse the newspaper and talk about local and national stories that are happening. It is easy to find things to talk about with your spouse. If you have trouble opening up to your spouse, consider talking to a marriage counselor. They can teach you simple tools that will help you communicate with your spouse effectively.

Every marriage needs to have some time to have fun. If you like to play sports, go outside and toss the football around. Go water skiing or snow skiing with your spouse. Doing physical activities can increase your endorphins and will make you happier in your relationship. Go running together or go to the gym and work out together. Working out together encourages health in your marriage and you can be each others coach and advisor.

Plan an evening to go to a comedy club. You need to laugh in your marriage and laugh with each other. You married this person because you enjoy being with them and they probably have found a way to make you laugh. Comedy clubs can help you relax, eat some food, and just enjoy being with each other.

Try new activities with your spouse. Make plans to do things you have never done before like golfing or indoor sky diving. Whatever it is you plan to do, be sure that it is something you both want to try. Having fun with new activities can help you reconnect with your spouse and find out new things you have in common. A simple way to add some competiveness to your marriage is to participate in fantasy football together. You can both create your own teams and play against each other to see who wins.

There are thousands of activities you can do with your spouse that will keep the marriage alive. The most important thing you can do is to put your spouse first and spend time getting to know them better.