There's an old saying that having kids is the best way to ruin a happy marriage. Of course, raising kids takes a lot of time and energy but the only way our children can wreck our marriage is if the marriage is neglected instead of nurtured. Have a happy marriage with kids in the house and remember why you two got married in the first place.

•Balance Children and Married Life

Before kids, you and your spouse could devote every moment when you weren't on the clock at work to each other. After kids, you always seem to be on the clock. Just when you think you're done for the night, a little person appears from around the corner and will refuse to sleep for the next 2 hours. Even when you have a child-free evening, you're so exhausted by the end of the day that all you want to do is sleep. There's a fine line between balancing kids and marriage vs. letting the kids rule all aspects of your life.More »

•Connect with Your Spouse Every Day

You didn't have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to spend with each other before kids so you don't need non-stop time together to enrich your marriage now. The key is to make the moments you do have together count. That may seem like a daunting task when there are days you feel like quality time with your spouse is saying hi as you two pass each other in the hallway. But there are easy ways to connect with each other every day.More »

•Find Fun Things to Do Together as a Couple

Your schedule for your kids is pretty much planned out. School, carpools, soccer practice, ballet, naps, dinner on the table by 6. Do you sometimes feel like your marriage is stuck in a holding pattern too? While it's perfectly natural for your marriage to fall prey to the routine of your scheduled life, it's also easy to correct. Start looking for everyday activities you can do together such as cooking a meal together for the two of you after the kids go to bed or find new activities for you two like co-blogging or exercising together.More »

•Make a Date with Each Other

There's nothing like a date night to refresh you both after a long week with the kids while also giving you precious time with each other. Plan regular date nights to strengthen your marriage. And your date night doesn't have to be expensive either. There are so many cheap but fun date night ideas. Some are even prefect for a date night in on those evenings when you can't get out of the house.More »

•Bring New Topics to the Table

Good communication is key to a healthy marriage. We often find ourselves talking about the same things over and over and over again, though, and we struggle to bring new topics to the table. Finding new conversation starters takes the smallest amount of effort and gives you the biggest reward: exciting new things to talk about with your spouse.More »

•Stop Fighting in Front of the Kids

There's probably no one in the world besides your kids who you love more than your spouse. There's probably no one else in the world who can make you more mad than your spouse too. Guess what? It's normal. If you're snapping at each other in front of the kids, you're not setting a good example for them. In private, agree to a keyword either one of you can use to put an immediate stop to the fight in front of the kids. It can be "soprano" or "hamster" or any other word. But you both have to agree you two will table the fight for later after the kids aren't around. Most times, you'll find the argument that would've escalated in the heat of the moment wasn't really worth pursuing after you've both had time to cool off.More »