Top Ten Tips To A Terrific Valentine?s Day - For Men in Relationships

Okay guys, so this is a great opportunity to get back in the good books, or if you are already there, to get some extra points. Women love to be courted, wooed, treated like princesses. And most of them like this to occur on Valentine's Day (as well as other days, but that's a Tip List for another time!). Beware, unless you have been told to ignore Valentine's Day (and only if you have in the past and it has worked), do NOT, under any circumstances, neglect to celebrate this occasion of love and romance. Her friends will all be asking her the next day what you did, and if she has to tell them "nothing", it cannot be good for you! Read these tips for some help:

1. Don't forget about Valentine's Day! There are lots of reminders everywhere. Notice the hearts and advertisements.

2. Leave her a note or card before you leave for work and tell her that you will be thinking about her.

3. Don't wait until the last minute to make your arrangements - she will know and will feel like your relationship is not important enough. How can she tell? Flowers from 7-Eleven are not the same as flowers from a florist, and coming home an hour later than usual from work will not warm any hearts. If you are having dinner at the local chain restaurant, she will know that you didn't make reservations early enough.

4. If you are planning to take her out and if you have children, offer to arrange for child care for the evening. Arrive home early from work.

5. Do tell her what you loved about her when you first started dating, and tell her what you love about her today.

6. Do compliment her (sincerely) on something you find attractive about her (personality, appearance, or both).

7. If you are planning on celebrating at home and you have children, offer to bring dinner home for them and put them to bed while she has a bubble bath with candles (which you will prepare for her). Rose petals in or around the tub is a nice touch!

8. If you are thinking of bringing home flowers, think about sending them to her instead (whether she is at home or at the office)- it costs a few extra dollars to get them delivered, but women love to receive gifts by delivery.

9. If you are interested in getting some extra love (read: action), plan to put extra effort into preparing yourself for it. For example, have a shower and maybe an extra shave, brush your teeth - act as though it is a first date.

10. Finally, take the time to prepare her for the action. Listen to her about her day while maintaining eye contact, spend time kissing her and letting her know how you feel about her. Take your time, both before and during. Add some candlelight and romantic music (pick her favourite).

Try to incorporate as many of these tips as you can into this special day, and keep them handy for other times of the year as well. Your woman loves you and it is important to let her know, in ways that mean something to her, that she is special to you!

Dr. Gayla Swihart DeHart, from Vancouver, Canada, is a Professional Coach with a Ph.D. in Psychology. She helps busy professionals manage stress, improve goal-setting and follow-through, and increase life and work satisfaction. More information on Dr. DeHart and her services can be found at http://www.AchieveExcellence.ca

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

President-elect Barack Obama speaks about the economy, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.



Vice President Dick Cheney pauses during an interview with the Associated Press at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009 in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)AP - Vice President Dick Cheney says that his boss, President George W. Bush, has no need to apologize to the American people for not doing more to head off the financial calamity, saying no one saw the crisis coming.



Palestinian demonstrators use sling-shots to hurl stones at Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against Israel's military operation in Gaza, in the West Bank village of Bilin, near Ramallah,Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. Israel resumed its Gaza offensive Wednesday after a three-hour lull to allow delivery of humanitarian aid, bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt. Despite the heavy fighting, strides appeared to be being made on the diplomatic front with the U.S. throwing its weight behind a deal being brokered by France and Egypt. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)AP - The U.N. suspended food deliveries to Gaza and the Red Cross accused Israel of blocking medical assistance after forces fired on aid workers, killing two, as the threat of a wider conflict emerged with Lebanon.



Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich gestures as he announces former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris as his choice to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois December 30, 2008. (Frank Polich/Reuters)AP - An Illinois House committee has unanimously recommended that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich) be impeached for abuse of power.



President-elect Barack Obama makes remarks on the nations economy, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)AP - President-elect Barack Obama implored Congress on Thursday to "act boldly and act now" to fix an economy growing perilously weaker. Leading lawmakers set an informal goal of mid-February for enacting tax cuts and government spending that could cost as much as $1 trillion.



In this Jan. 5, 2009 file photo, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff leaves U.S. District Court in Manhattan after a bail hearing in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)AP - The many Bernard Madoff investors who withdrew money from their accounts over the years are now wrestling with an ethical and legal quandary.



Directors of the BART transit agency listen to public comments on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. Speakers criticized the agency for its handling of a New Year’s Days incident involving a BART police officer who shot and killed unarmed 22-year-old Oscar Grant. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)AP - In grainy cell-phone videos played over and over on the Internet, police officers force an unarmed black man to the ground and hold him face-down on a crowded train platform. Suddenly one of the officers draws his gun and fatally shoots the man in the back — then looks up.



AP - It is perhaps the most intriguing unsolved mystery from the gaudy gangland career of John Gotti: Whatever happened to the neighbor who accidentally ran over and killed the mobster's 12-year-old son — and then vanished?

AP - Police in upstate New York say a man has been sprinkling roofing nails on the driveways of people he didn't like to cause flat tires for two years. Stony Point police Lt. Peter Quinn said Michael Delisio was arrested Tuesday after an officer staking out one victim's home saw nails being thrown from Delisio's car.

In this April 27, 2008 file photo, Atlanta Braves' John Smoltz delivers a pitch in the second inning against the New York Mets in their baseball game at Shea Stadium in New York. Smoltz has reached a preliminary agreement on a contract with the Boston Red Sox, a stunning end to his long career with the Atlanta Braves. The deal was expected to be finalized later Thursday Jan. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)AP - After more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, John Smoltz is ready to finish his stellar career wearing a different uniform. In a stunning end to one of baseball's longest runs, Smoltz reached a preliminary agreement Thursday on a $5.5 million, one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox after failing to work out a deal to return for his 22nd season with the Braves.



Egyptian citizens look at rising smoke during Israeli strikes at the Gaza Strip, in the Egyptian border city of Rafah January 7, 2009. (Asmaa Waguih/Reuters)Reuters - Recovery teams ventured into battlegrounds of the Gaza Strip on Thursday to gather bodies from the rubble, and Hamas officials said the Palestinian toll in Israel's 13 day-old offensive rose to 765 dead.



President-elect Barack Obama at a news conference in Chicago, December 7, 2008. (Jeff Haynes/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama warned on Thursday that the U.S. economy could stay mired in recession for years without bold action and he urged lawmakers to work day and night to pass a massive stimulus plan.



People taking the Long Island Foreclosure Tour arrive at a foreclosed home for sale in New Hyde Park, New York in this May 17, 2008 file photo. Citigroup could soon agree to principles that would let troubled borrowers save their homes through bankruptcy, sources familiar with the talks said on Thursday, while industry groups are easing their opposition to the plan. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc has agreed to support a rewrite of bankruptcy law being proposed in the U.S. Congress to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, lawmakers said on Thursday.



Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (L) delivers remarks after being announced as the new Democratic National Committee chairman by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama in Washington, January 8, 2009. (Jim Young/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama named Tim Kaine as head of the Democratic Party on Thursday, rewarding an early supporter with a high-profile political post even as he continues to serve as Virginia governor.



A customer shops at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rogers, Arkansas, June 5, 2008. (Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other top U.S. retailers delivered disappointing December same-store sales and profit warnings on Thursday, sparking fresh recession concerns that hit stock and currency markets.



Bernard Madoff is escorted from Federal Court in New York January 5, 2009. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff had signed checks totaling more than $173 million in his office desk ready to be sent out before his arrest, U.S. prosecutors said in court papers on Thursday asking a judge to jail him.



A man works near a pressure gauge at a district heating plant in Skopje January 8, 2009. (Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters)Reuters - Europe on Friday looked for a swift restoration of gas supplies, after striking a deal with Moscow on monitoring gas shipments via Ukraine that have been halted by a rancorous pricing dispute with Kiev.



Reuters - The U.S. nuclear deterrent that kept a tense peace during the Cold War is in danger of losing credibility among allied nations that look to the United States for security, a Pentagon panel said on Thursday.

A wounded Palestinian is carried into Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital. The main UN Palestinian relief agency halted work in Gaza on Thursday after a driver was killed and the death toll from Israel's war on Hamas rose to more than 760 after dozens of bodies were found in the rubble.(AFP/Yassr Saymeh)AFP - A UN relief agency halted work in Gaza and protested to Israel on Thursday after an aid worker was killed, while the war death toll rose past 760 after dozens of bodies were found in rubble during a pause in bombing.



A man carries firewood in the suburbs of Sofia, Bulgaria. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on the terms for the deployment of gas monitors in Ukraine, paving the way for an end to a Europe-wide energy crisis, the EU presidency said.(AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)AFP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on the terms for the deployment of gas monitors in Ukraine, paving the way for an end to a Europe-wide energy crisis, the EU presidency said.




Birthday Gift Guide

A birthday gift is the opportunity to show your loved one precisely... Read More

Advantages of Online Greeting Cards Over Paper Cards - Part I

After some recent reports it seems that 90% of all people buy... Read More

Holiday Tips For Stepfamilies

Holiday Tips For Stepfamilies: Let Go Of The "Brady Bunch" Fantasy!When my... Read More

Celebrating Fathers

On Father's Day, we celebrate the guys in our lives. Not just... Read More

A Mothers Day Prayer! Mamma Whispered Softly!

Patty Lovelace Country MusicVerse #1 Through the back window of a 59... Read More

Holiday Dieting: A Sweet Way To Cheat!

If your diet is making you a humbug this season, there's some... Read More

15 Ways to Create Some Extra Holiday Money

Originally this was going to be a list for my two teenagers... Read More

Dear Santa: Christmas Sucks!

Christmas time is finally here, and most people during this holiday are... Read More

Christmas and New Year Celebrations: How Significant?

I remember vividly as if it were yesterday when I was only... Read More

St Valentines Day, Festival of the Matchmakers

There are as many as eight possible Valentines Day origins and the... Read More

Tis The Season

I was listening to one of my favorite radio talk programs today.... Read More

Samanthas Bay Leaf Ritual for the New Year

HI would like to share with you a ritual I do every... Read More

The Christmas Dress

From the time I was a very little girl, I had always... Read More

Tips For Less Holiday Stress

Holiday Stress? Some Tips For Having LessWe all dream of having wonderful... Read More

Top 20 New Years Quotations

"Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the... Read More

Taking Back Christmas

John Grisham wrote a book called SKIPPING CHRISTMAS. Amazon.com reports: "John Grisham... Read More

Fathers Day Gift Ideas for Dad!

Father's Day...Father's Day only one month away! Father's Day is Sunday, June... Read More

Holiday Survival Guide

The Holiday season has officially begun and Christmas is almost here. This... Read More

Important Chinese Festivals

Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year (January/February)It is usually in the winter of... Read More

Perfect Presents for Mom

Every year we search our brains for a unique, exciting gift for... Read More

How to Put Some Sizzle in Your Summer Parties: 5 Ways to be a Gracious Host and a Great Guest

Now that the hot weather is finally here, we are looking forward... Read More

Hoo Hoo ? Owls and Superstitions, Thats Who

Superstitions surrounding owls have a long and ancient history. These nocturnal creatures... Read More

Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees

Putting up and decorating your Christmas tree is a holiday tradition which... Read More

No Paws from Santa Claus

The Holidays are coming and children have thought long and hard about... Read More

Texas Exotic Hunting

Texas Exotic Hunting is a popular sport in this state. Hog hunting... Read More

Reduce Waste This Christmas

- Christmas is responsible for more waste and consumption than any other... Read More

Honoring our Fathers

This weekend as we celebrate Father's Day, take an opportunity to express... Read More

Mothers Day Shopping Ideas

Do you know a Mom who needs to be thanked for the... Read More

Losing Weight During The Holiday Season--Can It Be Done?

Thirteen years ago I became quite intrigued with the idea of LOSING... Read More

Planning a Gift Closet

Creating a gift closet is a wonderful way to plan ahead for... Read More

Aran... Where the Sweaters Come From

Aran Sweaters. The Aran sweater takes its name from the islands from... Read More

Fireplace Decorating Tips for Easter: Give Your Rooms Natural Focal Point an Easter Look

Sure you decorate your fireplace and mantel for the winter holidays, but... Read More

Preparing For the Holidays: Ho Ho Ho... or Bah Humbug!

Some of my clients dread the holiday season because it often represents... Read More

7 Tips on Giving Chocolates to Your Valentine

Every year millions of people exchange chocolates on February 14th for Valentine's... Read More

Easter Traditions: Seven Ways To Add Meaning To Your Family Celebration

Family traditions connect us to past and future generations. They provide meaning... Read More

Holiday Candy Canes Are Festive and Fun

Candy canes are everyone's favorite holiday treat. Just think about how versatile... Read More

SALOME and HERODIAS, A Curious Mothers Day Story, Part 2 of 2 Parts

First, a disclaimer:This article requires information about John the Baptist, whose life... Read More

Kids Birthdays - How to Throw an Unforgettable Kids Birthday Party

Kids take their birthdays very seriously, and are extremely disappointed if their... Read More

A Mothers Keepsake

A mother's bracelet is a personalized bracelet that celebrates the most important... Read More

Gift Wrapping Ideas

If you're tired of your gifts looking like everyone else's, put some... Read More

Experience Mothers Day In A Whole New Way

Mother's Day is the day when sons, daughters and husbands buy gifts... Read More

Decorate for Christmas

It's your home/your apartment and you want to make it a special... Read More

Where Have All The Wise Men Gone? Jesus Is Not Acceptable For Christmas!

It's CHRISTmas!Where are the wise men?WOW - The wise men are MISSING!... Read More

Making Mother?s Day Special

How many times have you heard a friend say about someone who's... Read More

Creating Your Own Holiday Traditions

I love this time of year -- decorations on the houses, a... Read More

Rubber Stamping and Scrapbooking will Bring the Family Together During The Holidays

No matter what celebration you and your family will rejoice in this... Read More

Contact Lenses for Halloween

It is never too soon to begin planning the perfect Halloween costume,... Read More