For most couples, it’s easy to fall into a sort of rut when the weather begins to turn colder. You’re busy doing things for your kids and events for your workplace; plus, with the cooler weather, it’s much easier to stay cooped up indoors.

Don’t let the change in weather bring your relationship down. Keeping your romance alive sometimes means breaking out of the mundane. It’s about finding interesting things that you can do together.

Here are a few ideas to help keep your romance alive this fall:

Attend a pumpkin patch together. If you and your spouse aren’t connecting romantically, try to introduce some fun into the relationship. Doing something like choosing the perfect pumpkin, getting lost in the maze, or picking apples are all fun activities for adults at a pumpkin patch or orchard.

Other activities you might enjoy: attend a sporting event (hockey, football, volleyball) together, go bowling, walk around an antique mall or art museum, go out to dinner at a new restaurant, play a board game—remember, the point here is to do something new together.

Get a hotel room. You don’t have to spend a week in the Bahamas or even a weekend in Las Vegas. You can stay in your own city or a few towns over. The key is to spend time in a new space with your partner. Find a hotel with a pool, a spa, or a Jacuzzi. Splurge on breakfast in bed. Most of all, enjoy this time that you have together. “Intimacy is not negotiable in a healthy, long-term partnership,” says psychotherapist Jeffrey Sumber.

Have a coffee date together once a week. According to the American Psychological Association, communication is a key piece of healthy relationships. Healthy couples make time to check in with one another on a regular basis. By scheduling a coffee date once a week, you and your partner will be able to escape your house and focus on each other. During this time together, it’s important to talk about more than just parenting and maintaining the household. Spend time discussing more personal subjects so that the two of you can stay connected.

It’s important to create special moments in your relationship. These special moments don’t have to cost a lot of money; they don’t need to be planned out in meticulous detail. What’s important is that you are making time for your partner.

Do you have any date night tips? Let us know in our comments section. If you’d like to set up a time to meet up with Reka, you can contact her by phone at 402-881-8125, by email at reka@omaha-counseling.com, or via Twitter or Facebook.

photo credit: Afternoon via photopin (license)