I need romantic ideas!

[zoidberg]

I need to do something really sweet for my wife:

But:

It can't involve buying her anything!

 

Please help me brainstorm!

[Kislette]

The most romantic thing my husband ever did for me cost almost nothing. On one of our anniversaries he stayed home from work without telling me. That wasn't easy for him because we worked at the same place - he had a coworker cover for him when I tried to call him at his building. When I got home he had cleaned the whole apartment and he made dinner for me. So, the only thing it cost was whatever he spent on the food.

[Lizzie60]

Kislette idea is great... a nice dinner with candles and soft music.

 

Or you can set up the bedroom with candles and fresh flowers, put fresh clean linens on the bed, spray the sheets with a nice scent... get a bottle of wine... and give her a real nice massage (at least one hour) and make love to HER... slowly... lots and lots of foreplay... expect nothing for you... tell her it's all about her...only her.

 

You know what she likes sexually, so go for it... and after an amazing 'session' give her a love letter that you wrote from your heart... she will cherish this evening for a looonng time.... trust me.

 

The only thing you'll buy is the wine and flowers (you can even get wild flowers... I love those and they cost nothing).

 

Let us know how the evening went!.. LOL

[katiebour]

Pack a picnic lunch, a blankey, and a book if she likes to read. Go find a nice outdoorsy place, have a picnic- put a note in the bottom that says in big red letters with hearts and cute little smiley faces "I Love You!" Write her a little poem in the note- make it really cheesy and funny. Homemade stuff is awesome. After you finish the food, say nonchalantly, "I thought I put more in there- can you check the bag, honey?" Then she looks and finds the note. Read aloud to her (if she likes books) or if not, relax. After the picnic, do something you both like for which you already have equipment (fishing, a game of badminton/basketball, etc)

 

The most romantic thing you can do for a woman is to put lots of effort into pleasing her. If you have a bunch of little mini-activities planned, all of them designed to please and delight her, with little surprises mixed in (Write with washable marker "I have the best wife in the world!" with hearts on the volleyball, for example.)

 

What does she like? Take her to the museum, the zoo, cuddle a lot, lots of verbal cuddling ("You are the best woman in the world!" "You make me so happy!" Serenading, etc.)

 

I've gotten a bit goofy here, but I'm a goofy girl and that's what I would like

[dropdeadlegs]

Write her a love letter. Not a note, but a letter. I assume paper and pen are things you have in your home and don't count as costing anything.

 

I write them all the time, but have rarely received a true love letter.

[Curmudgeon]

SHMILY - By Laura Jeanne Allen

 

My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game from the time they had met each other.

 

The goal of their game was to write the word shmily" in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving "shmily" around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged "shmily" with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal.

 

They smeared it in the dew on the windows overlooking the patio where my grandma always fed us warm, homemade pudding with blue food coloring. "Shmily" was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath.

 

At one point, my grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper to leave "shmily" on the very last sheet. There was no end to the places "shmily" would pop up.

Little notes with "shmily" scribbled hurriedly were found on dashboards and car seats, or taped to steering wheels.

 

The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows. "Shmily" was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace.

 

This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents' house as the furniture. It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents' game.

 

Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love-one that is pure and enduring. However, I never doubted my grandparents' relationship. They had love down pat. It was more than their flirtatious little games; it was a way of life.

 

Their relationship was based on a devotion and passionate affection, which not everyone is lucky enough to experience.

 

Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other's sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble.

 

My grandma whispered to me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome and old he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew "how to pick 'em."

Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune, and each other. But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents' life: my grandmother had breast cancer.

 

The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with here every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside.

 

Now the cancer was again attacking her body. With the help of a cane and my grandfather's steady hand, they went to church every morning. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore.

 

For a while, Grandpa would go to church alone, praying to God to watch over his wife. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.

 

"Shmily." It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother's funeral bouquet.

 

As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, my aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time.

 

Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother's casket and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came, a deep and throaty lullaby. Shaking with my own sorrow, I will never forget that moment. For I knew that, although I couldn't begin to fathom the depth of their love, I had been privileged to witness its unmatched beauty.

 

S-H-M-I-L-Y: See How Much I Love You.

[quankanne]

ah, curm, you made me cry!

 

but, the story had a lot of good points:

• leave little reminders of your love, even if it is just a little word or phrase between the two of you. My husband makes "kissy" mouths with his hand and uses them to blow kisses at me throughout the day.

 

• sometimes, if I've found a particularly funny passage in the book I'm reading (and I read a lot), I'll share them with him. Honestly? I hate the sound of my own voice, so to do this takes a bit of courage, but I'm glad I shared a little bit of my world with him.

 

• he'll usually ask, "Have I told you today that I love you?" Which I find incredibly sweet ....

 

• my best friend told me once that he thought it would be pretty neat to collect rose petals in an envelope and include a love note with them, then give them to a girl. He figured that it was much more romantic than the traditional bouquet of flowers each and every time. Don't know if he's done that with his wife yet, but I think it's a sweet thought

 

• probably the most romantic thing about my husband? He's pretty cool about holding hands in public, as well as kissing. PDA has never been at the top of my list of things I find attractive, but it's very sweet knowing your guy is that sure of his love for you to do those kinds of things

[Yamaha]

Great advice from everyone. Romance doesn't require a gift but let her know in actions that you think the world of her. Making love is 90% outside of the bedroom so if you understand that you already posses all you need to be romantic.

[Curmudgeon]

• he'll usually ask, "Have I told you today that I love you?" Which I find incredibly sweet ....

 

...will often ask, "have I told you today how much I love you."

 

It is sweet. We still hold hands while walking and I'm not at all "afraid" to kiss her in public when we part company.

 

We also SHMILY one another!

[Trialbyfire]

Every woman sees romance in a different way. The only advice I can provide is not to do something that you don't feel natural doing. If you do, it will come off as being fake and defeat what you're trying to accomplish. Also, anything you do for her, do it only for her. Too many men and women do things for others only if they get pleasure from it too or do something for themselves disguised as an unselfish act.

[Lynna]

Pout her a bubble bath. Set candles all around the bathroom. You pour the bath, you undress her, you help her in the tub. Let her soak for awhile and relax, put on some nice soft music and you can read her some poetry (check out a book from the library, or better yet find some online, add clipart to it, and print it for her in a little booklet dedicated just to her. Add a poem of your own at the beginning or the end. Make a nice cover for it and everything. Next, when she is ready to get out, you wash her first - that can lead to all kinds of fun but it is really romantic. Next give her a massage as has been recommended. Hopefully that will lead to more fun.

 

Another idea, look up star charts online, then one night take a drive OUT of the city to somewhere where you can see the stars. Bring a couple of pillows and blankets. Use the chart so you can tell her which ones are which. Then find stars and draw your own constellation and name it after her! You can even draw it in right on your chart. Figure out when the next meteor shower is going to be and go then, that is really romantic and again can lead to plenty of fun if you are in a private place.

[quankanne]

Let her soak for awhile and relax

 

oh! Foot rubs are a reeeaaaallllyyyy romantic thing to share with your loved one; pedicures are even better. Because it takes a lot of love to want to touch someone's stinky feet ... :laugh:

[jmargel]

Write a love letter. I do it for my wife every now and then. I will post a letter I made for her, maybe you can use some of it. I have some others as well if you want me to post them..

 

--------------------------

 

My Dearest Wife,

 

Should I draw you the picture of my heart it would be what I hope you would still love though it contained nothing new. The early possession you obtained there and the power you have obtained over it, leaves not the smallest space unoccupied.

 

I look back to the days of our friendship as to the days of love and innocense with an indescrible pleasure. Since then my love has heightened for you which is now a sustainted, true and deep love. My love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with a bond that only God could break if he were to be so foolish. I have an utmost gratification to God that our lives have intertwined with each other for I know there is a reason, a destiny that we are now with each other.

 

Forgive me for my faults and for the frustration that I have caused. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been. I love you for not only who you are but who I am when I am with you. How I wish I could take our life together and make it one huge fairy tale, however I know there will be tribulating times before us. For that I can only offer you my love, my support and my heart. That with patience we will overcome bad times and relish in the good. My love for you is strong and unwitherable.

 

I recognize you in all the beauty that surrounds me in form, in color, in perfume and harmonious sound: all of these mean you to me. I love you, I love you my Brandy. I can not reiterate it too often; I can never express my love and admoration as much as I feel it. I and my heart put ourselves in your hands and the vows that we promised each other. As my wife you are more wonderful and lovely in my eyes than you ever were before; and my pride, joy and gratitude that you should love me with all of your heart are beyond all expressions, except in some great poem which I am not talented enough to write.

 

I cannot behold you without emotion; my heart will always answer to your voice. Your hurt has become my hurt, your dreams have become my dream of wanting you to reach them. There is nothing more than I want for you to experience and fulfill everything you desire in life. My marriage to you is not meant for you to feel a hinderence but as a platform for us to achieve much greater things with each other. Don't ever think of the things you can't give me, you've trusted me with the dearest heart of all and it's so much more than anybody else in all the world has ever had. Nothing has the power to part me from you; our love is based upon virtue and will last as long as our lives. There is nothing I will not brave for your sake and your love.

 

I close this letter with a kiss and with the understanding that there could not be a love letter written great enough to express how much I love and cherish you. My heart is full of many things to say to you, however no words can comprehend the utmost devotion I have for you and what you mean to me.

 

Love,

 

Jeff