With Valentine’s Day soon arriving, going on a date with your spouse seems a natural thing to do to celebrate the love between the two of you. But have you ever thought about continuing the romance all year? It is not necessary to be "romantic" in the sense of buying flowers or fine dining every evening, but spending time with your spouse is important in keeping a marriage tied and bonded. Going on dates with your spouse can be a fun, relationship building activity and you can learn about things you may have never done or seen on your own and you learn more about your partner. It provides a way for the two of you to relax, talk and discuss things, enjoy time together, and is a great bonding opportunity. From some of the experts out there, there are some dating rules to make your experiences more enjoyable and worthwhile.

-   Agree that your dates will not be at home.

-   Accept that a date is not getting together with your children, family, or attending a party.

-   Don't invite another couple on your date.

-   Schedule when the two of you will have a date. If your calendar is tight, go for once a month with a goal of increasing your dates to twice a month at least.

-   Unless there is a true emergency, keep your promise to have a date, whether it is weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

-   Your date should last at least 2 hours.

-   Choose dates that will be fun for both of you.

-   Share your expectations of the date with one another.

Here are some date ideas that require the two of you to get out of the house and see what exists in your neighborhood, your city, and your community. Do something out of the ordinary, something you would not normally do together.

-   Drive to a nearby location that you don't visit very often.

-   Go out to dinner.

-   Visit a museum.

-   Have a picnic in the park.

-   Go out to lunch.

-   Go to a high school or college theatre production.

-   Discover something new in the city where you live.

-   Go to a movie, but make limits on this one.

-   Walk through a park.

-   Spend an afternoon checking out antique stores.

-   Go dancing.

-   Go bowling.

-   Try your hand at solving a mystery at a mystery dinner theatre.

-   Attend a high school or college football, basketball, or baseball game.

-   Go hiking.

-   Visit a winery.

-   Ride a train.

-   Spend a night at a nice hotel or a bed & breakfast.

-   Ask your spouse what he or she wants to go -- then do it together.

-   Find a place to take a boat ride.

-   Recreate your first date together.

-   Watch a movie at a drive-in.

-   Schedule a breakfast date.

-   Attend a concert.

-   Spend time in a bookstore together.

-   Locate a merry-go-round and ride it together.

-   Go to a comedy club.

-   Visit an ice cream shop.

-   Visit a historical house or lighthouse in your area.

-   Fly a kite together.

-   Go shopping for something the two of you both want.

-   Go to a convention, workshop, or other learning opportunity.