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Keeping your marriage new… no matter how long you’ve been married

For me a new idea for a show has the same passion, hope and promise for the future as new love. And with a brand new project in the works (hopefully to be announced shortly), I’m in the giddy, young love phase of the relationship and it’s exhilarating. I’m having amazing dates with the creative team where we talk about the project for hours on end. (Remember when you could talk to your husband for hours and not wonder if the DVR taped Modern Family?) We share great ideas for the script and the music and the animation. (Remember when the ideas your husband had were genius? Now I wonder if maybe after seventeen years of marriage, I’ve actually heard all of his ideas.) When newness turns to tradition, and picking each other up for dates turns into picking the kids up from practice and school; keeping that creative and romantic spark alive is an integral part of any good show, and great marriage. Here are some tips to make sure that we, as a couple, don’t get lost in the shuffle of work and kids:

Don’t underestimate surprises:  We like little surprises in our house. Sometimes Greg, my husband, will stick a note on the mirror of the bathroom for me. Or I will put chocolates under his pillow.

Spend time together: We make a point of getting dressed up and going on a real date about once a month. We get to reconnect and the best part is that we don’t have to ask anyone to use a fork.  

Go out on a limb: One of the funnier moments of trying to keep our relationship varied was when Greg tried to teach me to ski last winter. I was freaking out, chaotically descending down the mountain. At one point he said, “You know, if we were on The Bachelor, you would so not get a rose.” We laughed all the way down the mountain (and no, I never really mastered skiing).

Watch TV together: It bothers me when I think of my mom watching TV upstairs and my dad downstairs. Greg and I try to find shows we both like to watch. It’s as simple as watching Friends reruns and still finding ourselves laughing at the same parts.

Reminisce about all you have done together: Pull out the family videos and photo albums and open a bottle of wine. Why wait until you’re 90 to do a retrospective? No one gives out awards for parenting or for making it through difficult times. Make your own tribute reel and celebrate often.