Couple Time

How to Carve Out Couple Time and Run Your Business
by Ellen Parlapiano and Pat Cobe, The Mompreneurs

Juggling work and family: 7 coping strategies
Ever feel like you're so busy juggling kids and business that your relationship with your significant other falls to the bottom of your to-do list? Here's how to keep romance alive through the thick and thin of a home business.

Schedule Special Rituals. Set aside a certain time of the day devoted to just the two of you. To keep the time sacred, mark it on your calendar, just as you would a client meeting or a pediatrician's appointment. Perhaps you and your mate can share breakfast in bed before the kids wake up. Or maybe you can plan a candlelight dinner after the children are tucked in for the night. (Call a gourmet take-out service if you're too tired to cook!) To keep business worries from intruding on your time, close your office door and let your answering system grab the calls. Use the time not only to catch up on daily events, but to reconnect emotionally and physically. To keep the conversation from being too utilitarian, put a limit on how much you talk about family and work, then try to spend the rest of the time focusing on how you feel about each other.

Write Love Letters. Take a second out of your crazed business day to let your significant other know you're thinking about them. A romantic email or fax will brighten anyone's busy day. Or tuck a card in their briefcase that tells them how much you miss them.

Shake up Your Lunchtime Routine. Stuck lunching at your desk? If your partner works nearby, ask them to join you! Set up a small card table or snack table in your office and order in some take-out. Or try spreading out a blanket and picnic on the floor! It's a refreshing change of pace!

Turn Downtime into Dates! When you can't squeeze in a full-service date (you know, dinner, movie, the works ...) make the best of the time you do have. For example, if the two of you are heading off to a parent-teacher conference, leave a few minutes early and take a detour for a quick cup of coffee.

Put Passion into the Mundane. Turn everyday tasks into a shared experience. Cooking or exercising together, for example, can be very soothing and sensual. Even something as mindless as folding laundry together, gives you a chance to catch up with each other. Once you start devoting ordinary moments to each other, every day will like Valentine's Day.