by Frank Shetland

Created on: February 12, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

My husband, who is from Argentina, had no concept of what Valentine's day was on our first V-Day together. And actually, having written an editorial for my college newspaper about how stupid I think the day is, I was okay with this. Ok, so I wrote the article when I was single, and I did get him some chocolate and treated him to a night of his choice, but we have since talked and decided that we prefer to make every day a day to express our love. Why in the world would you wait until February 14th to make your significant other feel special?

Because it's easy to fall into a groove and not express these feelings, I thought I would share a few ways we make sure to honor this commitment.

5. One call a day.
I work in an office, which affords me phone access, but in his line of work, he isn't even allowed to answer his cell phone. So, if we aren't going to see each other at lunch, we make sure to talk then, when he's off the clock, just to see how our days are going.

4. Never go to bed angry.
This is a classic, but it really makes a difference. Not allowing a fight to span overnight really puts it in perspective. Also, women usually pay for that one, as men generally are able to sleep through almost anything.

3. Me time.
He needs time to talk to his family in Argentina; I need time to read or zone out. We give each other time.

2. Do things together.
We share common friends, so this is very easy for us. But if you don't have that luxury, other things we've found to do together are: caring for an elderly couple's dogs, go hiking, go kayaking, walk around downtown, and go to the club.

1. Mimos.
Mimos doesn't translate exactly from Spanish, but it is like cuddle time. Since he's Latin, this is not something I had to teach him, but ladies, if your man doesn't like to cuddle, ask him to do nothing but cuddle with you for at least 5 minutes. If he won't do it, allow the TV. After a stressful day, when we're tired, to show appreciation, while watching TV, and on many other opportunities, my husband and I linger in long hugs. I was NOT a cuddler before meeting him, but now we jokingly refer to my mimos-quota that we need to fill each day. The physical closeness brings you closer.

And you? I know I had some pretty common ideas-what are some things other couples do to stay close on an every day basis?

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