14 Days & 14 Ways to Romance Your Valentine

Wouldn’t it be nice to have 365 days of romantic gestures from your spouse?

I know it would be nice, but let’s face it, sometimes it’s hard enough to come up with one thing to do for a birthday or Valentine’s Day. A whole year? Totally not doable.

What can be accomplished is 14 days of romance leading up to the big day. Who’s doing it? You are!

Day 1

V-Day is on a Friday this year, and if you live in a heavily populated area finding a sitter on short notice can be hard, if not impossible. On Feb 1st (tomorrow), schedule a sitter for your kids, then get a card and write a note detailing that you got a sitter for Valentine’s Day, but don’t tell your partner what you’re doing.

Day 2

Come up with a plan for V-Day, if you haven’t already. Here are some ideas, relive your first date or how you proposed. Dinner and a movie, shoot pool and drink at your local watering hole. No matter what you do make it special; even if you’re staying at home. Prepare a meal together. Whatever you come up with surprise your spouse by emailing your plan to him or her, and don’t forget to ask how their day is going.

Day 3

On your way home from work pick up your partner’s favorite dessert.

Day 4

Show up on their job and bring a lunch. Bring them their favorite food, and if you can’t be there for lunch, plan ahead and either have it delivered or make it and pack it up for them the night before.

Day 5

Write a love note or poem. It shouldn’t be that hard to come up with some reasons why you love your spouse. Write them all down and hand them to him or her before work.

Day 6

Get yourself a pad of Post It notes. Write little messages and stick them up all over the house. Even better, hide them in places you’ll know they will be stumbled upon when least expected. It can be as simple as “I Love You”.

Day 7

Prepare for a romantic evening. Draw a bath with lots of bubbles or salts, whatever your preference. Make sure you have lots of candles, chocolate and wine.

Day 8

Stage a love in. Get some romantic movies and snacks, just spend time alone together. If you hate Rom-Coms like I do, have a horror fest. It really doesn’t matter what you watch as long as you are enjoying each other’s company.

Day 9

Everyone likes to give a massage, so give a massage to your partner today. Set the mood with candles and some aromatherapy oil. Lavendar is always nice and relaxing.

Day 10

Prove you know him/her better than anyone else. Give your spouse a day of their favorites. My husband loves Long Islands, so for his birthday one year, I bought all top shelf ingredients and made him the best Long Island ever. If you rspouse loves tequila, buy a bottle of the good stuff and encourage body shots. Just because your college days are behind you doesn’t mean the fun has to be!

Day 11

The gift of a night out alone can be a romantic gesture in and of itself. Call up your spouse’s friends and tell them to take your loved one out for a night on the town on you. Extra points if you can get in touch with friends or family members your partner hasn’t seen in awhile.

Day 12

Get your loved one something they want but would never buy for themselves. My husband never gets anything for himself that isn’t a necessity. Last year for our wedding anniversary I got him an electric guitar and he loved it. It was something he wanted but with five kids, he never would have spent the money on it.

Day 13

Do the unexpected, send flowers for today. Everyone expects to see them on Valentine’s Day but not the day before. Add the note, “You deserve flowers everyday not just tomorrow.”

Day 14

All your planning and romancing has come down to today. Just remember the best thing about V-Day is being present in the moment with the ones you love. Turn off your phones, your tablets, your laptops. Candy Crush can wait til tomorrow. Enjoy the day.

Michelle D. is a graduate of the George Washington University where she studied many things that never prepared her for motherhood. A self-professed movie and TV snob, she also has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things musical. When she’s not chasing twin toddlers, a kindergartener, or catching up on the latest tween drama, she’s blogging. Scattered Wrecks showcases her short stories, social commentary and advice through her series, ‘Diary of a Third Wife’. The series chronicles the trials and triumphs of managing a blended family and dealing with ex-spouses. Michelle lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and her blended family of five. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.