Be My Own Valentine

Today is Valentine’s Day… yippee. I sound very enthusiastic… but to honest, it’s friggin over-rated. There is no point in going out for dinner tonight because service will be lousy. What’s the alternative?

Does your idea of a romantic evening involve a roomful of toys and screaming kids? Absolutely not. Likely it involves only you, your husband and a bottle of wine, right? If you were smart, you probably booked the sitter months in advance.

So what’s on the agenda for tonight? After watching the gorgeous Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network, not only do you want to look like her, but you’d love to cook like her. So now you’re inspired to make a gourmet meal look effortless. But watching her cook made you hungry so you opted to sit on the couch and watch her make a delicious “spaghITTI” dish while devouring a pan of brownies.

Why do WE have to romance our men anyway? Don’t we do enough already? After reading a Valentine’s Day article, I decided to ditch the “Recipe for Romance” standard and have a little fun with the usual “how to” tips. Enjoy!

Tip #1: Make a Romantic Dinner
Do you want to surprise your significant other by springing a romantic dinner? Forget the cooking! There is no need to slave in the kitchen to cook a delicious dinner for your husband – you do this all the time anyway. Order in. I’m not talking about pizza or wings, but a full three-course meal from a catering company. Plate it yourself and he won’t even have to know you didn’t cook.

Tip #2: Set the Mood
Candles, romantic music, yada yada yada. Bust out the Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog and some gin and juice and let’s partyyyyy.

Tip #3: Dress for the Occassion
Yeah, I’m gonna dress up in stilettos and irritating panty hose so I can trot around my kitchen? Nah, my blue jeans with a cozy sweater is sexy enough.

Tip #4: Think Outside the Box
A stuffy dinner with fine china with candles and crystal glasses in the dining room sounds divine… buuuuut no, not today. I only have the energy for some left-over paper plates from the kids’ birthday parties and we can eat on the floor in front of the television. Less clean-up and we don’t have to bother gazing into each others eyes, we can just watch the game.

Tip #5: Aphrodisiacs
Mmm, oysters… yummy. Not for this picky eater! Just pass the chocolate please.

Tip #6: After Dinner
Play a fun game of Twister. Hmm, now that could be interesting. A movie? “Titanic” or “A Love Story” might be the obvious choice but let’s ditch those traditional heart-wrenching flicks for some raunchy material like “Californication” on Showcase or better yet, some late-night soft-core porn on The Movie Network!

~ Maria xoxo