Just over ten years ago I met the love of my life while in High School and we have been madly in love ever since. Three kids later, a move across the country and many adventures in between, people are always asking us how we keep the spark alive. I have to admit that despite having a five month old, two other children, and a job that keeps my husband very busy… we still have a very healthy and happy relationship. That’s not to say we haven’t had hard times, but we simply know how to show one another how much we love each other even when our lives get hectic. We often get too comfortable with our daily routines and forget about those little things that we once did for each other. I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to create a new year’s resolution for couples, something we could work on together in 2015. Life is busy, there is no question about that, so I came up with an easy, practical and fun DIY New Year’s jars for couples.

The first thing I needed for my craft were two mason jars and some decorative fabric to tie around the top, give it a little personality! I then filled the bottom of the jars with salt, I have seen this used with a lot of Christmas crafts and really like how it looks. Next you will need some sort of small envelopes, I found mine at a local craft store. I then cut up some paper and wrote five different tasks to complete throughout the week. I have been doing a lot of research on couples and what experts say are the best ways to stay connected. All five of the tasks I came up with derived from that research and I will get a little bit more into why each one is beneficial to your relationship. They are also very simple, easy and doable tasks that are not going to be time consuming, but effective ways of letting your significant other know you care about them.

• Card #1: stop everything you’re doing and send your loved one a text: My husband and I have chosen to take one card a day from our “his and hers” jars throughout the work week. Today I just so happened to pull out the “text me” card which simply asks for me to text my husband letting him know I am thinking of him. This is such a simple little way to show the love of your life that you are thinking of them, that you appreciate them, that you love them! We text each other a lot throughout the day discussing errands and to do lists, but never just saying “hey there, I love you!” So use that reminder and surprise your significant other with a text expressing your love, rather than reminding them to grab some diapers for the baby on the way home from work, hehe!
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• Card #2: Watch a show or movie together, then discuss it: I read about a study recently in which couples would watch a show or movie together each night, and then talk about it. The couples that talked after watching that movie/show together had a much smaller divorce rate. Why? Because they are doing something that they enjoy together while learning so much about one another. You are expressing opinions, debating, and sharing your passion on a subject. As a mother that stays home and cares for my three children for a living, I often feel like when my husband comes home, all that I have to talk about is the kids. So say we take a half hour to watch a documentary about the solar system (something my husband has a bit of an obsession about) and then we take some time after to talk about the show. I am showing him that I have interest in his hobby and it allows him to show me what he knows and loves about the subject.

• Card #3: Cook or prepare a snack together in the kitchen: This will be especially beneficial if you are your significant other are looking to get healthier in the new year. My husband and I do this quite often and it’s something I always look forward to each evening. Once I get the kids settled down and off to bed, I join him in the kitchen and we will prepare a late night snack together while talking about our day. This doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, preparing a plate of cheese and crackers would suffice. It’s not about what you are creating, but more about spending that uninterrupted time together in the kitchen while bonding and reconnecting.
• Card #4: Compliment me, let me know something you love about me: This may seem a bit obvious and upon reading this you probably assume it’s something you already do. But just think very hard for a moment, what was the last compliment you gave your husband? Can you recall? Sadly as I am typing this I can’t seem to remember the last time I just looked at my husband and told him something I loved about him. While we love and respect each other, I really want to focus more effort on letting him know specifically what I love about him. This is certainly a way to build self esteem and remind ourselves why we love each other so much, even if we assume it’s obvious.
• Card #5: Surprise me with a cup of coffee or a special treat: This is another simple gesture to show your significant other that you are thinking of them. I know for me personally that getting the kids piled into the car and bringing a fresh coffee to my husband isn’t an easy task, but he very much appreciates the effort that went into it. I also know that he doesn’t always have the time in his busy day to get one himself, so it makes me feel good knowing I was able to brightening his day with the gift of caffeine.

There are so many other ideas you could use for these cards; give a hug/kiss, have a date night, rent a movie, start a hobby, talk uninterrupted for thirty minutes, cook a healthy meal, etc. The whole point of creating this DIY New year’s Resolution jar for Couples is to stay connected throughout the week. If you are doing these special little things throughout the week and expressing love, you are much more likely to spend that special time together at the end of the night, even if you are exhausted beyond measure.

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I am truly looking forward to starting the new year off right and reigniting the flame in our relationship. My New Year’s resolution is to spend more time focusing on the positive characteristics in my husband and letting him know.

I hope you enjoyed learning about my New Years Resolutions, I’d love to hear about yours! Leave a comment sharing something you are working to improve with your partner this year.