Ferocious Flirting: Making Marriage Wonderful

If you are not familiar with All Pro Dad you will want to take a look.  It is a very supportive site for fathers and husbands.  They have a daily play of the day email.  Today's was 5 easy romantic ideas: Slip a little love note into her wallet.  Put a $5 Starbucks gift card on the front seat of her car. Plan an evening for watching your wedding video. While you are both out, have a friend deliver a gourmet dinner to your home.   Put a Post-It Note on the mirror with 3 things you love about her. One of the things that will make your sweetie feel loved is evidence that you are thinking of them even when you are not together.  Leaving little things to find (tips 1, 2, 5) , planning a surprise (tip 4) and planning an evening doing what they want to do (tip 3) will all go along way to keeping the romance alive What are some simple things you have done for your sweetie?

From the atricle: Can't Buy Love: Materialism Kills Marriages : "Our study found that materialism was associated with spouses having lower levels of responsiveness and less emotional maturity. Materialism was also linked to less effective communication, higher levels of negative conflict, lower relationship satisfaction, and less marriage stability," said Jason Carroll, a BYU professor of family life in Provo, Utah, and lead author of the study. One great way to improve a marriage is to reduce the amount of "stuff" that you have. I mean the physical stuff. Over the years it is easy to accumulate stuff but stuff costs in multiple ways: There is the cost of buying in the first place There is the cost of storing.  This might include paying for some storage or just taking space. There is the cost of inventory.  Periodically, stuff takes time due to having to organize it. By reducing stuff you can free up money, space and time.

Schedule a date with your spouse.

Here's some advice unearthed from the Old Farmer's 1877 Almanac archives: How to Make Your Husband Happy Never speak slightingly of or to your husband in the presence of other people. Do not neglect neatness of person and surroundings. Speak gently always, and do not allow your voice to become sharp and loud. How to Make Your Wife Happy Treat your wife as politely and kindly as when you were wooing her. Do not speak lightly of her cares and fatigues, but sympathize with her troubles. Share your pleasures and cares, and show that you value her society and advice. "For a happy marriage, never speak loudly to one another unless the house is on fire."

Fires are good for a romantic setting. I think they should make a "campfire" perfume. Did you know that you can control the color of the flames in the fire? Most colors of the spectrum can be made by following the instructions at: How To Color Fire - Fun Fireplace Instructions

Personalized Creations has an abundance of Valentine's Day gift ideas including: Hershey's Treat Jar for $12.99 Game of Love Puzzle for $14.99 (A personalized puzzle) And a bunch of other stuff that can be personalized.

Simple Date Night Prescription "Rather than visiting the same familiar haunts and dining with the same old friends, couples need to tailor their date nights around new and different activities that they both enjoy ... The goal is to find ways to keep injecting novelty into the relationship. The activity can be as simple as trying a new restaurant or something a little more unusual or thrilling -- like taking an art class or going to an amusement park." Source: Tara Parker-Pope. "Reinventing Date Night for Long-Married Couples." NYTimes.com. 2/12/2008

A oft-heard Christmas Carol is the Twelve Days of Christmas in which a "true love" sends a different gift over the course of 12 days. My true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtledoves, And a partridge in a pear tree! I never did get what leaping lords are good for but that is beside the point. For Valentine's Day, take the same concept and make a " count down to Valentine's Day ". Twelve (Feb 3) Lots of things comes in dozens like flowers, doughnuts and eggs. Also, you should be able to find flowers for a reasonable price still. Eleven (Feb 4) Eleven sweet nothings like the candy hearts or Dove Chocolate Promises both of which have messages for the day. Ten ( Feb 5) Ten digits like phone numbers or fingers. Send an "I love you" TXT message or

All Pro Dad: 10 Ways to make Valentine's Day wonderful for your wife Handle Valentine’s Day poorly, men, and the results can be catastrophic—a marriage conflict situation out of nowhere. When we get it right, however—using our thoughtfulness and class—all can be right with the world. So, here are 10 ideas worth their weight—in chocolate! Try two or three, or do everything on the list.