Jessica Alba dedicates Friday and Saturday nights to husband and girlfriends

Jessica Alba keeps the spark in her marriage alive by hiring a babysitter every weekend to give the couple some alone time.

The Sin City star shares three children with her producer husband Cash Warren, and she credits the weekly breaks from their hectic family life with helping her maintain a healthy relationship with her man, as well as her closest gal pals.

In a new Health magazine interview with cookbook author and TV personality Ayesha Curry, Jessica reveals she keeps her friendships nurtured by allowing herself to "have a babysitter on Friday and Saturday nights" to care for daughters Honor, 10, and Haven, seven, and son Hayes, one.

"I didn't do this until after I had Haven," she explains. "After that, I always had a babysitter on those nights. Whether it's going out with Cash or hanging with my girlfriends, it frees me up to do something."

And the actress makes sure she and Cash have a proper rest by keeping the hired help overnight.

"The key is to also have someone the next morning," Jessica shares. "If you're doing more than just dinner, maybe drinks or a concert or something, you don't want to be waking up too early for the kids, because then what's the point?"

She and Cash will celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary in May (19), and keeping their romance intact is the main thing Jessica is most proud of in her personal life.

"(I'm most proud of the fact that) my husband and I like each other still," she smiles. "I'm not good with conflict. I didn't know how to express myself, and I feel like I've evolved into this person who can communicate so you can address stuff before it gets out of control. We're best friends, and we respect each other."

The couple met on the set of Fantastic Four in 2004 and wed four years later.