Prior to having kids, having a romantic getaway with my wife was as easy as making reservations and hopping in the car. But, now that we are both parents, we don’t get out of the house nearly as much as we would prefer. Instead, whenever we are fortunate enough to have some alone time, we have to take advantage of it.
One of the things I’m always afraid of when it comes to our marriage is seeing the spark disappear. This is why I go to great lengths to make sure that doesn’t happen. As part of this, since we don’t get out of the house all that often, my wife and I turned our bedroom into a romantic getaway spot instead.
Before I go further, let me stop and tell you I didn’t install a hot tub or stripper pole in our bedroom. After all, we do have kids and I don’t want to have to explain that to them. But, by making a couple subtle (and affordable) moves, I was able to turn our bedroom into a place where we can escape together and rekindle that spark without having to drive anywhere.
The first thing I did when I started this project was invest in picture frames. I then started digging through our old photos and hanging them up throughout the room. Most of the pictures are of us. Some have the kids. But all of them serve as reminders of what we have done together and, in doing that, help us think about the things we still want to do.
Secondly, I made sure we had a romantic lighting option. I didn’t want to replace our regular lighting completely. But, I do have a shelf with candles (and a box of matches) that can be placed around the room when the mood is right. Or, when I don’t feel like messing with fire or just want to change things up a bit, I have a lava lamp that gives off just the right shade of light.
The last thing I did was invest in a variety of scented sprays. If we want a night away at the beach, I have a spray for that. If we want to feel like we are out in the wilderness, a good pine scented spray works. I also have a couple scented candles that can be used to set the mood both with their scent and light.
Since making these changes, our bedroom isn’t as boring as it once was and is even enjoyable when all we want is some time alone to talk. It still isn’t as good as going on a vacation together. But, it’s a great way to hold us over until we can do that.