romance – d1894e3047.nxcli.net

Do you have to do anything special for your wife or girlfriend for Valentine’s Day to make her love you more? Probably not, but why is the kind of Valentine’s Day that 95% of Americans do for their girl good enough for you?
I’m not writing to average men.
I’m writing to Godly men that are trying to be better than they were last year.
I know some people reject the commercialism of Valentine’s Day. So don’t call it Valentine’s Day—and don’t settle for one day. Think of it as your girl’s week. This is her week to be treated special.
Extra Special.
I’m going to give you some ideas that will potentially lead you deep into her heart. I think it was Rose on Titanic that said that a women’s heart is a vast ocean. Well, these thoughts are going to cause you to move deeper into the ocean of her heart. You just might discover what you’ve never seen in her before.
This week begins on Monday and ends on Saturday. Of course it would be great to continue this after that, but let’s focus on this week for now.
I know some guys will spend more time in a few weeks thinking through their NCAA tournament bracket than they do on romanticizing their wife.
Let’s not be those guys.
So, let’s get into the Valentine Week Ideas.
I have broken each day into 4 segments:
Text to send: You will send her a text sometime during the day while you are away from each other. Some days might have 2 texts to send.
Project: This will take the most time, so decide to turn off the TV this week. Instead, get to work on making this truly the best Valentine week ever. Put your heart into it.
Blessing to share: Your bride/girlfriend is the deep ocean that we discussed above. She might be dealing with a lot of negativity, poisonous self-defeat, a difficult work life, etc. so this will be a time for you to pour fresh water into her soul.
Gentlemen Habit: You may already do these habits. If you don’t, then start forming these habits this week to honor her.
If you do even 30% of this, it will bless your lady in a special way. Remember: She is the flower in your life and you are the dirt. We can nurture her life by pursuing her in a creative manner.
Monday
Text 1: I’ve made it my ambition this week to make this “insert your girl’s name” week. Get ready for an incredible week.
Text 2: I’m so fortunate to have you as my best friend.
Project: Order Monopoly now so you will get it by Wednesday. Yes, you may already own it, but you need a new one for this and it will be the best $12.99 you ever spend. Here is what you need to do:
Properties: Rename all the properties. Label them with all the different places you and your wife have lived or places you have you vacationed. For example, I changed Boardwalk to Mackinac Island where my wife and I honeymooned. Simply write the different places on paper and then cut them and tape them over top of the property spaces on the board. When you play the game (later this week), each time one of you lands on the property, share a special memory from going to that place.
Chance Cards: You also need to rename some of the chance cards and instead name them Passion cards. Write down your ideas on small pieces of paper and tape them to the side of the “passion” cards. It could be questions you ask each other, attributes you like in the person, etc.
Community Chest: Rename these cards Love Chest. These cards can mirror things on the cards already. Just be creative with what you write so that the game continues to be eventful and fun.
This project will take around 2 hours to create if you hustle but will be a great experience to share with your sweetheart. Don’t hesitate, order it right now.
Blessing to Share: Do this before she goes to bed. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord cause His face to shine upon and be gracious to you.
Gentlemen Habit: Open the car door for her every time you are out with her. When you leave the house, leave the restaurant, pick up the kids from practice, etc. If a doormen at a hotel can do it for your wife, then we can for our wives too.
Tuesday
Text: I feel like every day with you is Thanksgiving because of how thankful I am for who you are.
Project: Today’s project is couch time. Sit on the couch together and catch up on what is going on with her. You turn off your cell phone, turn off the TV, and gaze into her eyes. This can also be done at a coffee shop, etc. If you need some inspiration, these questions here could be of help (I will add a link here).
Blessing to Share: This is a good day to write her a poem. Take 15 minutes out of your lunch time to write this out. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t done this in years. This week isn’t about you anyway, so write from the heart and she will see that in your words.
Gentlemen Habit: Use manners frequently today. Say thank-you, excuse me, & let her sit down at the table first—pull her chair out for her. You don’t have to be at a fancy restaurant to go the extra mile.
Wednesday
Text: I am so glad our kids have you as their role model for what a women should be. I’m so blessed to have you in my life.
Project: If you have kids, tell her that you want her to go shopping, go to the coffee shop, etc. while you watch the kids. Tell her to take 2 or 3 hours and enjoy herself. If you don’t have kids, tell her to do the same thing, and you stay back and clean, clean, clean.
Blessing to Share: If you have kids, put a chair in the middle of the room and have all of the kids and you say at least 3 things why you are thankful for her. If you have no kids, you can do the same thing.
Gentlemen Habit: Take her car to the gas station and fill it up for her. Leave a note on her steering wheel that says, “I know you can fill up the tank yourself, but thank you for allowing me to do little things like this for you.”
Thursday
Text: I’m staring at your picture in my office and so thankful for your eyes of love looking back at me.
Project: Tonight is the night to work on your “Romanticopoly” game. Look at Monday’s explanation for details.
Blessing to Share: This would be a good night to declare your love on fb for your girl. If you don’t have Facebook, go to your myspace.com and write a post about herJ
Gentlemen Habit: Be on time. Start making it a habit to be on time so that you show you respect her time.
Friday
Text: Tomorrow is going to be a great day. Great food, Great Experience, & a Great date with you.
Project: You need to continue working on your “Romanticopoly.” If you feel comfortable in the kitchen, you can also make her favorite entrée from her favorite restaurant in your kitchen. Go to www.copykat.com for the recipe.
Blessing to Share: Send an email to her parents describing what a wonderful woman they raised and how you are focusing on loving her more than ever.
Gentlemen Habit: Make the bed today. Put away your toothbrush, toothpaste, and clean up your hairs from shaving. Put down the toilet seat more consistently.
Saturday
Text: Today is just a normal day. Another normal day of being with you. I love normal!
Project: Decide what time you are going to eat and what time you are going to play Romanticopoly. I would suggest you plan on playing the game for at least an hour, maybe 2. Yes, you can play the game to win, but the heart of this game is to reminisce about all of the memories you have as you land on the renamed properties and to enjoy the creative “passion” and “love chest” cards you created.
Blessing to Share: Prepare a top 10 list of the reasons you love her. Share these during your meal.
Gentlemen Habit: Look in her eyes when she is talking and make sure you are competent in the skill of active listening.
As with all ideas, tweak, scrap, change, and modify for your situation.
What One Can Do, Another Man Can Do!
Who’s in for creating a great week for our beauties?

After being married for nearly 4 years you realize that there are many seasons you go through as a married couple. Times of busyness, times of stress, times of joy, times of sorrow and so much more. However, there comes a time when the mundane things of life begin to take over.

You go about your business and your spouse goes about theirs. Whether it’s work, school, ministry or kids, sometimes life takes over and your priorities get all mixed up. The flame that once sparked romantic nights and long walks, has dimmed to a mere flicker, if anything at all.

You now see that person you said “to love and to hold” as just someone who helps pay rent or keep the house clean. Sure you would never say that, but maybe you’ve just learned how to be really good roommates.

My husband and I found ourselves in that place a little while back. We managed our household really well. We didn’t fight, but we didn’t talk either. We distracted ourselves with very important things. And not before long, we had just became really good roommates.
We came to a point when we realized we didn’t just want to survive, we wanted our marriage to thrive. So here is what we did to reignite the flame of love and romance.
Here are 4 ways to get your marriage from roommates to romance!

1. Communicate about the things that matter:

Sometimes our “How was your day?” and “It was good,” become our only form of communication in passing. We decided that everyday we would ask each other one meaningful question and we had to spend at least 15 minutes of undistracted time answering it. That meant, no kids, no cell phone, no tv, just undivided attention. The question doesn’t always have to be deep, but more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Here’s a few to help you get started:

– “What can I do to make you feel appreciated?”

– “How did you see God in me today (or week)?”

– “What’s your ideal date night?”

2. Resolve to give 100%:

Too many times when we get in these ruts it’s hard to just jump back into it fully. You’ve built defenses or coping mechanisms to avoid deep intimacy or disappointment. But in order for you to get your marriage to thrive, both spouses must resolve to give 100%.

This means if there is any hurt from the lack of love, you can’t use that as an excuse to not work on your marriage. Both of you must agree to start with a clean slate and begin to rebuild your marriage. If 100% of your focus isn’t on your marriage, guaranteed its on something else. Find what your distractions are and move the priority back to your marriage.

3. Date night is a priority:

It’s easy to let this one slip, especially if you have children. Sometimes getting the kids a sitter and getting out the door just seems like too much work. But it’s so important to be connecting and spending quality time with your spouse on a regular basis. Even if it’s once every two weeks. Make this time as romantic as possible (*wink*wink* husbands, women want to be wooed). DO NOT skip out on this! If you don’t have the finances come up with creative inexpensive dates, it’s totally possible.

4.Have sex regularly:

Yep I said it! Connecting physically deepens your level of intimacy and connections in all levels. If you haven’t had time to connect physically that will put a strain on your marriage. This means if you live busy lives you might have to schedule it. And stick to that schedule whether you feel like it or not. The more you make it a priority the more you begin to look forward to that special time with your spouse.

I didn’t add pray together just because I am assuming you are already doing that, but if you’re not that needs to be added to the list too. These steps are obviously not all you can do, but they are a good start to getting your marriage from roommates to romance. Because marriage is suppose to be fun and exciting! Let’s show the world how it’s done!