My husband and I recently watched Shrek 3. At the end of the movie, Shrek has three little ogres:
Shrek and Fiona have their hands full, and at the end of a hard day, they are finally alone. Shrek looks at Fiona and says (somewhat suggesitvely), "Well, what shall we do now?", and then the screen cuts to the Shrek and Fiona passed out in bed, fully clothed on top of the covers, completely exhausted. My husband and I cracked up laughing. Why? Because it seemed all too familiar.
Having a child certainly changes a marriage. Even without kids, after a while a relationship can become comfortable and less exciting. If you haven't seen this (super cheesy, but great) remake of Taylor Swift's "Love Story" by comedienne Anita Renfroe, it describes how "real life" things happen even in the middle of our fairy tales, and that romance is ever-evolving.
I think that physical affection is an important part of a strong marriage, and we don't give it the importance it deserves. We had a friend who mentioned the 15 second challenge, and we've decided to adopt it at our house. The challenge is simple:
Kiss for at least 15 consecutive seconds every day.
Sound easy? It made me realize that my husband and I still kiss- but they seem to be just little "pecks" in coming and going. And that 15 seconds is a pretty long time, but it is worth it to keep the magic alive, right? No matter how long a couple is together, or how many kids and/or stressors they have in life- I think this is a great way to set aside a small amount of time just devoted to a sincere expression of affection.
What about you? How do you keep the romance even in the midst of life's crazyness?
