Guest Author - Previous BellaOnline Editor

Being romantic ANY TIME YOU WANT, is one of the greatest benefits of being child free, especially on Valentine’s Day!

You don’t have to worry about getting a babysitter to go out. Or putting the kids to bed before you can enjoy each other’s company. Or being interrupted in the middle of something...enjoyable...

You’ve got all day to focus on each other. And nothing is better for a marriage than that!

Valentine’s Day is on a Monday this year (2005). But you can still stay in bed a little bit longer on Sunday instead. Spend the entire weekend together, and enjoy each other’s company even more.

You don’t have to eat at a fancy restaurant or buy each other expensive gifts to celebrate. In fact, some of the most fun you can have with your spouse costs nothing at all! Take a bath together. Give each other a massage. Write love letters.

Or do something that doesn’t cost that much. Go to a museum. Rent a movie. Get take out.

Put some thought into what you want to do, and it will definitely mean more. For example, make a valentine instead of buying one. One year when we didn’t have much money, I cut out over one hundred pink paper hearts and wrote a word or phrase on each one that meant something to our relationship. I folded them all in half and put them in a glass jar. My husband can open up his jar and relive all of those memories any time he wants!

Whatever you decide to do this year, be sure to lavish each other with attention. Those of us without kids have so much more time and energy to nurture our marriages.

I got engaged five years ago on February 14, so this year the day is even more special to me. I plan on enjoying myself – and I hope you will too!