Romantic Date Ideas: 5 Big Mistakes That Could Put You in the Valentine's Day Penalty Box

By Tracey E. Bennett

If you want romance, connection and closeness on this most romantic of days, listen up! Valentine's Day is the most important date day of the year. And that's not just Hallmark speaking. Your sweetie believes it, too. You want to score points and stay out of the penalty box. So play hard and fair, and stay away from the 5 big mistakes. They include 1) not planning until the last minute, 2) choosing a gift that sends the wrong message, 3) buying the wrong clothing size, and 4) blowing the chance for true intimacy.

Ready? Here we go:

1. Forgetting this special date day altogether.


Have you been living in a barrel? Are you oblivious to all the hearts and red posters in store windows? Ohhh, forgetting this romantic day is gonna cost you. But that's another topic.

2. Not planning until the last minute.


You can get restaurant reservations, but only at Taco Bell. The flower shop has been picked over. Valentine's cards look shoddy and bent. Take heart. All is not lost because you're cooking, buying artificial flower arrangements, and making cards. Then you have to pretend that you planned it all along. (I lied about the fake flowers. Don't buy those unless she loves 'em and you don't mind living with them.)

3. Choosing a gift that sends the wrong message.


Giving her Tigress perfume and Victoria's Secret lingerie sends a message that you want her to be sexy or sexier. Or worse, that she's not sexy, period. If she's a soap-and-socks kind of gal, you're off base. But new socks and jammies in her favorite color might be a cherished Valentine's Day gift idea, showing that you're paying attention to her uniqueness.

On the other hand, if she likes perfume, there are inexpensive "message" brands that could make your point--for example, Goddess and Sensational. Perfume counters often have tester bottles. Buy the fragrance you like, spritz a piece of paper with the tester, and wrap them up together. If she sniffs the paper and doesn't like it, she doesn't have to open the package, and it's returnable. Then go shopping together for another scent. You've made your point, and she can get what she likes and educate you, too.

4. Buying clothing that's too big.

If you want to break up, get her a tarp from Omar the Tent Maker. If you're unsure about her size, go small. If you can afford it, buy 2 or 3 sizes of the same item. Gift wrap the smallest size, and stash the others in the closet.

5. Having ordinary conversation on an extraordinary day

A special day deserves special conversation starters. Make this romantic date all about getting to know her better than you already think you do. I promise you, no matter how long you've been together, there's unexplored territory. You can find hundreds of conversation questions in my e-book Do You Squeeze the Toothpaste in the Middle? Playful Questions for Dates & Mates. Here is a good conversation starter you can play with:

    * Modesty aside, what are you good at? It could be anything--from changing

      light bulbs in high places to making margaritas from scratch to tying knots.

      Name at least 3 things you’re good at. And then I'll tell you 3 more. 

Keep going, taking turns back and forth. Here's a hint: think about what she's good at in advance so you have a bucketful of praise to share. When she runs out of ideas, keep adding to the list. This free Valentine's Day gift idea could be the highlight of her date with you!

About the Author

And now I'd like to invite you to download more good conversation questions. Get "15 Fun, Free, and Original Ice Breakers & Conversation Questions for Parties, Dates, and Hanging Out With Friends."   Tracey is the author of the ebook "Do You Squeeze the Toothpaste in the Middle: Playful Questions for Dates and Mates ."

Inspirational Love Quotes You Cannot Miss

by Sky Kim

Love is the hardest habit to break. So, we have to love. There is no escape.
Here are top 10 inspirational love quotes you must skip if you don't want to Love.

" Love is the hardest habit to break, and the most difficult to satisfy."

~ Drew Barrymore

" Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything."

~ Katharine Hepburn

" There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche "

When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, you think it's only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That's relativity."

~ Albert Einstein "

In love, the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two."

 ~ Erich Fromm

" Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls."

~ Khalil Gibran

" Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."

~ Robert A. Heinlein

" Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

~ Laozi

" In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities."

~ Janos Arany

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars."

~ Henry Van Dyke

"Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable."

~ Bruce Lee

"I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it."

~ Audrey Hepburn

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."

~ Judy Garland

"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved -- loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."

~ Victor Hugo

"Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life."

~ Leo Buscaglia

About the Author

View more Love quotes. Find, Read, and Share Your Favorite Quotes from http://quotedepot.net

Does Love Help You Live Longer - The Real Answer

By Relationship Counselor

Does love help you live longer? What a great question! Statistics show that happily married couples live as much as five years longer than their single counterparts (with the effect being somewhat more pronounced in married men). Because it is so subjective, it is impossible to accurately measure love with statistics. However, with a cursory glance of the data, it seems reasonably safe to assume that love, does, in some way, lead people to spend a few more years among the living.

Everybody agrees that being loved is a wonderful feeling. Knowing that somebody cares for us is hard to explain in words, but it sure feels good! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you smiled a little bit just now thinking about the people that love you. And though true love towards someone doesn't require that they love you back, I bet you just so happen to return love to those who love you most.

Loving others means you are unselfish when dealing with them. Caring for someone else's happiness and well-being takes your focus off of you and puts other people first. This can be a marvelous way to reduce stress that would otherwise steal years from our lives.

Another quick answer to the question "does love help you live longer" is, "hate sure makes you die sooner". Hating others only increases other negative feelings and stress. Have you ever felt a certain something pumping through your body when you hate someone or something? Your whole physiology changes. Besides, it's wasted energy, because those that are the subject of our hatred either don't care how we feel, or have no idea how we feel.

One more aspect of love and longevity is that love often gives us a reason to keep on living. Men and women throughout the world have survived horrendous situations (man-made and natural) only because they focused on seeing their loved ones once again. If that's not a testament to the life-extending power of love, I don't know what is!

The connection between emotional health and physical health is still not completely understood. However, there are clear links between the two. The human body is, in many ways, greater than the sum of its parts. Another way to look at it is if we are in prime physical shape, but are emotional wrecks, then we are not getting all life has to offer.

Let's be realistic for a moment, shall we? Love may not keep you from getting hit by a bus when crossing the street, but it can make recovering from such an accident more bearable. Even if love can't be proven to help you live longer, I know I would rather have a few short years of loving someone, instead of having several lifetimes without any love at all.

There are two easy ways to use love to increase the quality of life. The first is to show love towards others. That not only includes family and friends, but everyone you deal with in some capacity. The second way can be a bit trickier for some: allow others to love you. Keep the following phrase in mind as you go about your day, and see what a difference it makes. The phrase? "Let love happen".

About the Author

The author is an online researcher specializing in review of online products and services, particularly in the area of relationships and weight training for women

3 Little Known First Date Ideas

By Scott Patterson

Going on a first date with a woman can be a nerve wracking experience.

While you want to impress a girl, you also have to make sure you're not appearing to be too overeager.

The one mistake guys make is to bring a woman to a fancy restaurant and buy expensive gifts. Unfortunately this does nothing to build attraction. Instead it creates too much pressure and makes her feel uncomfortable.

So instead of blowing tons of money on your first date, you should focus on trying to think of first date ideas which are both memorable and fun. What you want to is to think of activities that'll allow you to establish an emotional and physical connection. If you both have a good time, then you can go on a second date that is more *standard*- like going to a restaurant.

In the next few paragraphs, I'll cover three first date ideas you can use which are both fun and exciting.

First date idea #1- Meet for drinks or coffee

While meeting for drinks or coffee is another *standard* date that many people use, it's still pretty effective. When you do this, you're able to meet a woman in a casual manner, without the pressure of facing each other from across a table.

What I like about meeting for drinks or coffee is you're within a distance to establish contact. This means you're able to flirt and emphasize different things during your conversation, which helps to build attraction.

First date idea #2- Play games

Another great place to bring a woman on a date is to a place where you can play games like a pool hall, miniature golf, the boardwalk or a video arcade.

What I love about playing games on a first date is you're able to avoid the pressures that often come with meeting up for the first time. You can have fun while being competitive and behaving in a playful manner.

First date idea #3- Get physical

Okay when I say *get physical*, I'm not talking about sex (yet). Instead I think a great first date idea is to bring her someplace where you're able to engage in an exercise activity.

Whether you're going for a hike, rollerblading or ice skating, engaging in a physical activity can be fun. It's also a good first date idea because taking her to these venues is a great way to gauge if your woman has an adventurous spirit.

All three of these first date ideas are a great way stand out from other guys. They can be fun without feeling the pressures of the *job interview* type dates.

Just remember to work on building attraction and work towards securing future dates. If you do your job right, you can easily set up another date and start working towards building intimacy.

About the Author

Do you know how to build attraction on the first date? If not, take a look at Scott Patterson's free ebook: Seduction Secrets...Revealed! , and learn a step-by-step system that will help you approach and attract beautiful women to date. Click now to grab your free copy

Dating On a Budget - Romantic Date Ideas That Are Fun and Cheap

By Jason C Maxwell

My favorite place to take a date, especially a first date, is the local coffee house. I can usually get out of this entire event for less than ten bucks. The benefits to a place like this are endless. You have a chance to really talk to the person and get to know them. Coffee and tea has a way of bringing out a person's personality. Before you know it she will be telling you embarrassing stories from her childhood. If your conversation is going really well, offer to get the two of you a dessert to share. If she stays and shares it with you, you can be assured she likes you (or she just loves cake).

Do you remember as a kid how much fun it was to play certain board games? It can be fun for adults too. Break out the old monopoly or LIFE game and have fun. Be silly and not too competitive. Let her win if you have to. Remember when you didn't used to be so darn serious all the time, playing a game can bring back the old, fun you. Certain games will let you bring out your creative side and really show your date who you are. If you and your date like to drink, that can also add a fun element to the evening.

Go to the grocery store and by bread, meat, cheese, and sodas. Enjoying the sunshine and the companionship of your date at the park isn't expensive at all. The park is a great place to people watch and a great place to have a first kiss (if you haven't already had one). The park is a fun and inexpensive date that will let you really get to know a girl. If you really want to make it fun, consider taking a board game.

If you have ten one dollar bills you can have a great date. Even a guy on a tight budget can afford that. The objective of a date is to have a good time and to get to know the other person better. You really don't need to spend a lot of money to leave a good impression on a woman. The absolute worse way to get to know a girl is to try to impress her with money. You are way better off just being yourself and doing the things that you can both enjoy that won't break the bank!

About the Author

You cannot get much better than free, I have put together a free video to help you meet and date women. Visit Cheap Date Ideas  and get a free E-course on seduction secrets normally valued at $97.