Valentine's Day

by Julie Hunt

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Most guys could just care less. To them, it’s just a red hearted Hallmark holiday filled with high priced flowers, tasteless candy hearts and a whole lot of pressure to perform. But we want to feel cherished and enjoy this single day set aside for doting, affection, romance and gifts!

Try a new approach. Let your man off the hook this year and give him a "Get Out Of Valentine’s Day Free Card." Tell him he can forget the roses, chocolates and stuffed teddy bears. Show him that you want to make his life easy and you’d like to start a February tradition to share from the heart… not the head, the wallet or the mall! Don’t Leave Him Hanging. Don’t think that if you have to tell him what to do that his actions won’t be genuine. Help him out! Give him ideas. Share with him all the things he does that make you smile. Talk about the times you felt most loved, the tiny things he does at home that remind you how much you love him and encourage him to do them all more often. Be a Mirror. We tend to reflect back what see from others. Ask him to visualize how excited he is to see and greet you with love when he comes through the door.

Note It. Tell him how special it would be to get a surprise love note. Tell him to stick one on the inside of your wallet to surprise you. Hang a calendar in the bathroom where he can daily or weekly love notes. Leave a dry erase pen in the bathroom and ask him to put a note on the mirror. Send me a note at julie@shesite.com for a list of "Love Thoughts" so he can get started and doesn’t have to come up with his own.

Dream Date. Tell him to take you on a dream date that won’t cost a dime. The only topic of conversation is to talk about hopes and dreams. Ask him to listen while you talk freely about what you love… What you want to do before you leave the planet… What you’d like to learn… Where you’d like to travel… What you dream of.

Affirm Actions with Words. Often times we don’t know the little things that men to do show their love. Ask him to tell you. When he goes out of his way to do little things tell him to reinforce it by saying, "I’d be happy to… because I want to honor you."; "I knew you’d feel special coming home to…"; "I wanted to show you how much I loved by…"

Bon Appetite. Tell him he doesn’t have to cook but restaurant delivery would be fabulous! Or have him check out one of the online gourmet delivery options. You can have a 5 course gourmet mean dropped on your doorstep. Make suggestions to dim the lights, play Sinatra and tell him no one will have to do the clean up!

Sleep Tight Wishes and Bedtime Kisses. Tell him how well you sleep when he seals the very last moment of your day with love. Tell him you love his soft kisses. You appreciate when he gets you water or Kleenex. You feel special when he kisses your forehead, pulls the covers up to your chin and says "I love you." Ask for a kiss on the shoulder first thing in the morning too.

Help him love, honor and cherish you this Valentine’s Day. If he’s a little shy in the area of expressing feeling, emotions or caring sentiments just tell him you’ll call the whole Valentine’s Day holiday off if he substitutes these tips and a Valentine’s Day card.

Julie Hunt is pure delight and motivation. She’s a free flowing source of hope, energy and inspiration who tells it like it is giving straight forward and simple tips and advice so you can live happier days and obliterate the monotony of life at www.shesite.com.

Her bottom line message is this:  "Your days are numbered so fill them with more joy, smiles, fun and simple happy essentials. Now, get out there and embrace the vibrant life that awaits you!"

Dude Version:

Forget the mass marketed, red hearted Valentine Day pressure that starts heating up about now. Steer clear of high priced flowers, tasteless candy hearts and stuffed bears. Follow these tips to make the woman you love feel cherished. Tell her Valentine's Day means more than romance and gifts. It means she'll be the focus of your caring attention, dutiful doting and loving affection.

Steps

1. Concentration is the Name of the Game. Guys, you have an amazing ability to focus and solve problems! Focus on how special she is to you. Instead of stressing about the perfect Valentine’s gift, think about all the fun, silly, spunky, sexy, serious and loving things that she does for you. Chances are she’s doing exactly what she wants you to do in return. Think about who she is. What makes her smile? What she is truly passionate about? What small little things could you do at home every day that would make her feel more loved?

2. Under Promise and Over Deliver. Make promises early and make them often…just keep them. No emergency is more important than her love. Show your love and respect for her by honoring your time together and your commitments. Leave work early and call her on the way home and tell her you just couldn’t wait to see her. Ask her if she’d like you to pick up something special before you get there.

3. Be a Mirror. We reflect the world around us… the good, the bad and the ugly. Be mindful of her moods. When she approaches you with love and joy, mirror it back to her and she’ll feel especially loved and close to you.

4. Note It. Love notes are a sure way to inspire a loving connection everyday of the year. They don’t all have to be sappy poems. Buy a calendar, keep it in the bathroom and write a reason a day that you appreciate and admire her. Follow her to the store or the dry cleaners and leave a note on her car in the parking lot. Drop them in her purse or write them on the bathroom mirror with a dry erase pen for her to wake up to.

5. Dream Date. Take her on a dream date that won’t cost you a dime. Tell her the only topic of conversation is to hear about her dreams. What she loves. What she wants to do before she leaves the planet. What she’d like to learn. Where she’d like to travel. Who she most admires.

Let her talk freely without stopping then write a few down later and help her create her dreams.

7. Use Actions and Words. Show her how much you love her by going out of your way to do little things and then reinforce it by telling her. "I’d be happy to _____ because I want to show you how much I appreciate you" or… "I knew you’d feel special coming home to _____" or… "I wanted to show you how much I love by _____"

8. Hugs for Health. 4 hugs for survival. 8 hugs for maintenance. 12 hugs for growth. Each and everyday.

9. Bon Appetite. Cook her favorite food. Pick up restaurant delivery on the way home or have one of the online gourmet delivery options deliver a 5 course meal to your doorstep. Dim the lights. Play Sinatra or another one of her favorites and tidy the kitchen up too!

10. Sleep Tight Wishes and Bedtime Kisses. Make the very last moment of her day special by kissing her softly, accommodating a simple request like water or Kleenex, pull the covers up to her chin, touch her forehead and tell her you love her. Give her a kiss on shoulder first thing in the morning too.

Tips

If you're feeling a little shy expressing your feelings, emotions or caring sentiments just remember your loving caring ways are freeing you up from the obligatory Valentine's Day retail trap.

Get a list of Valentine's Day heartfelt expressions at www.shesite.com. Your creative loving juices will flow and she'll hear how much you care.

Warnings -- Don't be a complete knuckle head... buy her a Valentine's Day card.