Dating your Spouce

The most people that I hear complaining about Valentine’s Day being commercial are married couples. Okay, maybe it

is more married men who complain, but that is just my personal opinion. Maybe there is a just a hint of guilt in there because of a few forgotten anniversaries, birthdays or other special days. Or maybe it is the constant pressure of making the day special. But I must also admit that six years into married life I have noticed that married couples with children are less inclined to plan something for Valentine’s Day. Most baby sitters are also either planning on their own Valentine’s Day special evening or you have not yet found one that you feel comfortable with, so you end up spending every Valentine’s Day evening at home and then start blaming Valentine’s day. A few years ago my husband and I came up with a flexible plan with my daughter’s best friend’s parents. They too really craved some alone time to recharge their romantic batteries so to speak. We decided that as long as we had planned for the Valentine’s Day celebration one day either side of the actual day would not make a difference. So we came up with a plan of each having a turn at having sleepovers with the children. On one evening we would have my daughter’s friend over and the other evening my daughter would go to their place. We usually give gifts to my daughter as well, so that she also feels the “love” and we encourage her by letting her know that moms and dad also need grown up mommy and daddy time. Alternatively you could make the whole day a Valentine’s Day celebration. You could wake your spouse up with a special breakfast in bed on a tray or try one of our Valentine’s Day Cookie mugs with their favourite biscuit inside it. Plan a special lunch on Valentine’s Day before school comes out for just the two of you. You could ask your boss if you could skip your lunch break the next day and take a longer one of Valentine’s Day, instead of having a Valentine’s Day dinner. After your kids have gone to bed, plan a bedroom picnic, with soft music, candles and a range of finger foods that you feed to each other. Picnic baskets are great Valentine’s Day gifts. If you are handing out pamper hampers, then run a bubble bath for two. We did this once and set up a DVD on the computer for my daughter in her room. She was so excited and would give a knock on the door every now and then to ask if we could still hear the music. When we got out there were posit notes on our bedroom door with hugs and kisses drawn all over them. If your children are trained from early to realize that parents in love are happy parents and that means a happy home, they will welcome your attempts to romancing your spouse and will be supportive, but remember to make them feel special as well and show that you appreciate their support. If you are looking for Valentine Day Gifts contact Belle Regalo www.belleregalo.co.za or info@belleregalo.co.za