Are you up for 28 Days of Love?

Love is an extraordinary investment. 

And those we love are an unparalleled commodity.

Some say love shouldn’t be work and you shouldn’t have to do too much to show another you love them. Work is the wrong word. Love should be nurtured. Not continually and not every moment – rather enough to reinforce the bond and the intimacy. And to send this person out into the world every day knowing without a doubt that…

THEY make YOUR world go round.

Turn February into a month of LOVE:

February 1:

It’s the month that celebrates love so start bringing the classics into your house the very first day. Candy is a perfect place to start. Go to the drugstore and buy some Red Cinnamon Hearts and while you’re there buy one of those ceramic heart dishes to place them in. Place them front and center on your kitchen counter or table.

February 2:

Continue reminding your SO (significant other) and/or family how much you love them by bringing another classic in on day two. Buy red flowers of any kind either a lot or a little. One bunch in your kitchen or perhaps several throughout the house. No need to spend a fortune. A single flower in a bud vase on your sweetie’s home desk or next to your children’s bed is a perfect loving touch.

February 3:

A third favorite would, of course, be some balloons. No matter the age, a significant other and/or child will get a smile with a helium-infused ‘I love you.’ Let the whole world know of your love by tying to your mailbox and/or bring it inside and tie to a kitchen chair or family room table.

February 4:

Make sure your home is seeing ‘RED!’ What does that mean? Find inventive ways to bring a little more color into your life. Make meals with as many red ingredients as possible (Beets, Apples, Strawberries, Red Pasta, etc.) Pull that red sweater out of the closet. Hang some red streamers in the house. Wear red lipstick. You get the idea.

SPREAD THE RED!

February 5:

Buy the quintessential Valentine’s Day holiday classic…Conversation Hearts and leave this candy all over the house in unexpected places for your loved ones to discover.

February 6:

Determine your ‘love mantra.’ Google quotes about love to find the special one which expresses your great love for your SO and/or children.’ Or write your own. Make a large computer graphic of it and frame it. Put a master ‘love mantra’ in a common family space and tape copies to bathroom mirrors or put in frame and place on bedside tables.

Google love quotes to find the special one which expresses your great love for your SO and/or children.’ Or write your own. Make a large computer graphic of it and frame it. Put a master ‘love mantra’ in a common family space and tape copies to bathroom mirrors or put in frame and place on bedside tables.

February 7:

Make a LOVE playlist. Play it in the house, in the car or while driving your children to school or practice. Put one in your sweetie’s car or download on their phone. An original LOVE serenade for you and your SO and/or family.

February 8:

Light a candle. Set the mood for dinner whether it is just you and your SO or your entire family. Include some hearts either a box of chocolates or simple construction paper cutouts or confetti. Turn off the lights tonight. Set a mood of love and reflection.

Set a mood of love and reflection.

February 9:

Remember mail???? It’s so old-fashioned and it screams love. There is nothing like opening a mailbox to a surprise card that tells you someone is thinking of you and loves you. It’s also uber romantic when sealed with kisses. And kids love a decorated envelope so go to town and make it festive.

How much fun will it be for kids to get an unexpected card in the mail from their own mom or dad?

Spread this mail carrier love and send to everyone in your family including parents, children, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and in-laws.

February 10:

No texting today. Call the ones you love all day long so they can hear your voice it’s a far more intimate expression of love. So remember every time you start to text, pick up the phone instead. This will be a hard habit to break so you may need a few post-it note reminders or some other habit breaking cue.

Call the ones you love all day long so they can hear your voice it’s a far more intimate expression of love. Remember every time you start to text, pick up the phone instead. This will be a hard habit to break so you may need a few post-it note reminders or some other habit breaking cue.

February 11:

Watch a romantic movie with your SO or watch a romantic comedy with the entire family. Grab some popcorn and sprinkle it with some ‘red’ (maybe paprika or a smidgeon of cayenne) and red candy is a must! Think Twizzlers, Hot Tamales, and Swedish Fish.

February 12:

Find the ‘couple’ and/or ‘family’ picture which expresses the most love. Frame one copy and make duplicates for either your spouse’s office and/or your children’s rooms or wallets. If you have a special saying or catchphrase – “Love you more” or “To the moon and back” superimpose it on the picture making it a far more intimate reflection of just your SO and/or family.

February 13:

Buy some red and pink Hershey’s kisses. You don’t want to leave these all around the house for fear of your dogs getting into them so put them in lunches or in a small container in the car. Keep some in your purse or briefcase to share at just the right moment.

Smack the SMOOCHES everywhere!

February 14:

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! Enjoy a love-filled joyous day with whatever special gifts, places or experiences you have planned.

February 15:

Indulge in a little ‘Love Homework.’ Every day you go out into the world and see things which remind you of the ones you love. It could be a candy they love to eat, a song they sing to, a certain type of animal, an instrument they play, etc. Make a list of all the things which remind you of your SO and/or your children and present it to them.

Every day you go out into the world and see things which remind you of the ones you love. It could be a candy they love to eat, a song they sing to, a certain type of animal, an instrument they play, etc. Make a list of all the things which remind you of your SO and/or your children and present it to them.

February 16:

Have a family “Love Quiz” dinner.

What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite movie? What’s your favorite food? Who’s your favorite singer?

Then have each other guess for each person. This is a great intimacy booster. It is a chance to share things you don’t always tell one another or that change frequently.

You can type these questions up on one sheet and distribute so each person can fill out all at once and then let the guessing begin or you can just ask them verbally. The bonus to having the paper is later you can reference them to remind you of your loved one’s newest snack craze, favorite beverage, etc. for shopping trips.

February 17:

How would you describe the one’s you love? Take a moment and write just a sentence or two:

“You are kind and caring and generous. You inspire me to think of others.”

Drop these somewhere unexpected in your home. Maybe tuck it inside a book your spouse is reading or stick it in their wallet. Stick it to your child’s computer or under their pillow. And include other people you love (mom, dad, siblings, etc.) by sending it to them in the mail.

February 18:

Say ‘I love you’ as many ways as possible. Send a text, send an e-mail, leave a note, write it on the car, on a mirror, pack it in a lunch, say it out loud, and hug. Find other clever ways as well.

February 19:

Buy one simple inexpensive candy or treat the one(s) you love adores. Either set the breakfast or dinner table using these as place cards so each person knows exactly where they sit.

February 20:

Jot down your ‘Love Memories’ for one another. There may have been a time your SO of children said something so loving or did something so loving it sticks out in your mind. Write it down for each of them and leave it on their bed so they can read it just before being tucked in for the night.

February 21:

Surprise your SO or children by loving ‘outside’ of your normal routine.

Call them first thing in the morning or spontaneously show up to take them to lunch. Stop by their school to pick them up. Have warm cookies ready when they walk through the door or a glass of wine and slippers. Whatever would be considered a spontaneous and unexpected gesture of love.

February 22:

Today during a meal, tell each other what the other one does that makes you feel especially loved. You may want to tell your SO you feel incredibly loved when they call you out of the blue from work. You may tell your children it’s when they say “I love you’ for no reason. Perhaps it’s when your SO still opens the car door for you or when your children draw you a picture.

What does the one you love DO that screams love to you personally?

February 23:

Of course, food is one of the greatest ways you can show your love for another person. Make a special meal where both you and your SO or your entire family joins in. This doesn’t just mean the cooking part. Go to the store together, make the food together, eat together and do the dishes together. Soup to nuts the entire experience.

February 24:

Time to show your furry friends some love.

Take your dog for an extra walk. Give your kitty some catnip. If you want to get your children involved have each of them pick something special they can do to show their love. One child might feed your pets, another spend twenty minutes throwing a stick, etc.

February 25:

Take the day to talk about those you love that your SO and/or children never got a chance to know. At meal time tell them how they would have loved your mother and how she would have loved them if she had still been here when they were born. Tell them what she loved to do, maybe cooking, singing, sewing, laughing. Tell them what you loved most about her.

February 26:

Love is the foundation of two people and/or of a family yet it’s hardly ever talked about. Tell one another what your idea of love is. What is your Love Language? Is it spending time together? Is it telling one another? Is it buying presents? Or is it one of the other 5 Love Languages by author Gary Chapman?

Or is it listening? Or is it patience? Is it kindness? What is it to you? And then, take it a step further and expand on it. If it’s spending time together, is there a special place such as walking on the beach? Explain in detail so you, your SO and/or children all know what love looks like to one another.

How do you personally describe love?

February 27:

Love makes our world go round.

Discuss with one another what else makes your world go round. Start with your values and foundation. God and your faith and then for you personally. For instance, God, family, love and golf make my world go round. God, family, love and music make my world go round. Add your passions. You can have fun with this with your children because it makes them brainstorm about the passions they love while rooting them in the love and faith which sustains them.

February 28:

Bring on the social media LOVE FEST! Let the world know you love your SO and/or children. Dare your SO and/or children to do the same. And not just the standard ‘I love you.’ Personalize it. I love my SO because…I love my children because…I love my family because…It doesn’t have to be sappy it can be funny. Just as long as it is an intimate declaration.

Love is the ultimate present extraordinaire.

There will be people in this life who say they love you and those who will make you feel loved.

The ones who make you feel loved are a gift.

(Photo courtesy of Pexels)

Follow me on Facebook @Colleen Orme National Columnist
on Twitter @colleenorme
on Pinterest @colleensheehyorme
E-mail: Colleen.Sheehy.Orme@gmail.com
www.colleensheehyorme.com