SquawkRadio

Not only have we decided to each share our all-time favorite snippet of romantic advice, we’re also hosting a very special VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST!  The lucky winner will win a complete set of autographed Squawker books.  We thought you might like to play too so we’ll be choosing the BEST PIECE OF ROMANTIC ADVICE from the Comments of this blog but you ALSO have to be a Squawk Radio Member to win.  So if you haven’t signed up to join the Squawk Family, now is the time!

TERESA says, ”Never forget that little actions can have big benefits.” When my husband works, I make his lunch for him the night before and always tuck a little “love note” inside the bag.  He sends me one-line e-mails every day that simply say, “I love you the most,” to which I reply, “You can’t because I love YOU the most.” (Stop gagging, Xtina!) Neither one of us ever leaves the house without getting or giving a goodbye kiss.  Nor would we ever dream of going to sleep without a goodnight kiss.  On summer Sunday mornings when I’m in the bathroom getting ready for church, he makes me a strawberry smoothie and brings it to me.  And yes, when he talks about sports, I pretend to be interested.  When either one of us comes home, the other one always tries to stop what they’re doing to greet them at the door.  It’s so easy to become lazy and apathetic in a long-term relationship but it really doesn’t take that much effort to remember why you chose each other in the first place.  So when it comes to keeping romance alive, DO sweat the small stuff! 

ELOISA has a piece of advice that’s a great deal less romantic than Terri’s—but I swear it’s just as important.  I’ve watched my friends, over the years, develop crushes on men who don’t seem to be responding with the proper level of fervor.  It happens.  My advice?  DON’T CALL HIM! I mean it.  Yes, as women of the 21st century we have every right to express ourselves freely and aggressively as do men; if you want to call someone and suggest a quick, mutually satisfying burst of sexual desire, definitely go for it.  But if you think you might have found a man you’d like to keep around, then do NOT call him.  I think it’s some ancient hunting instinct—but men really seem to need to think they’re chasing a woman.  That she’s not all that interested in them.  And from what I’ve seen, while men boast about women calling/texting/IMing them—they really relish the idea that they’re beating off opponents with a stick, or persuading a reluctant future bride that he’s worth her time.

LIZ Says Keep a United Front

The best piece of romantic advice I ever received was to make sure my husband and I always come across as a unit in times of turmoil. Whether it’s dealing with your family or your in-laws--or even your own kids--always be make sure everyone knows the two of you are TOGETHER. And be sure to refer to each other as “my husband” or “my wife” to stress that unity. Even if the two of you might not see eye-to-eye on whatever’s going on, settle your differences privately so that no one sees a crack where they might divide you.

Sort of like how when Paul and Chani marry in the novel DUNE, they do so back-to-back, to emphasize how couples should always look out for each other and have each other’s backs. How incredibly romantic is that? (Okay, I’ve never read the book, but my husband told me about it, and I’ve always had extreme writer envy for not thinking of it myself.) When two people marry, they become one unit. Yeah, we still have our distinctive personalities and differences and all that. But you need to be on each others’ sides. Get there however you can. And don’t let anyone get between you.

CONNIE says, “It’s Always Best When It’s Unplanned.”
Whatever “it” is. Magic can happen between the most unexpected people. Don’t ignore chemistry and don’t depend on external appearances. I’m lucky. I happen to be married to a Veritable God (and if that doesn’t get me to Paris this fall, nothing will!) but I’ve dated men who weren’t in the least bit good-looking. You know what? As my attachment grew --Note, Beloved Husband Mine, that I say “attachment,” because I have loved but One and that is You (Paris. Paris. Paris)--- the guys I dated got more and more handsome, until I thought they were crazy good-looking. And they were generally excellent kissers. At least I think they they were. I don’t remember. Having been kissed by you, Prince of My Dreams, I have forgotten all those who went before. Not that there were all that many. Again, I can’t remember. They are pale shadows from a murky past while you, Vibrant Lord of My Hearth (shuddup, squawkers) burn brightly, savagely, eternally in my heart!!!! (Paris. Paris. Paris.)

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Strike when the iron is hot! No one expects the Spanish Inquistion.... (double points for anyone coming up with the reference)

Christina Offers the Proof You’ve Been Looking For
Before I was published, I sold books for an independent bookseller. As a service for customers who had moved, Carol, my boss, would pick out romances, pack them up and send them off, and the customer would send her a check. It saved the customer having to find a bookstore in a new town and made money for Carol’s bookstore.  One day I walked into the store to find Carol laughing. She was holding a column by Dr. Joyce Brothers which quoted a study in Psychology Today. The study said that in married couples, if the wife read romances, the couple had sex seventy-four percent more often than couples in which the wife didn’t read romances. Carol had received the column from the husband of one of our long-distance customers. He’d also sent a fifty-dollar check for books and a note saying KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Show that stat to your significant other and watch him squeal his tires all the way to the bookstore to get you a gift card. And have a nice Valentine’s Day.
.
LISA says, “Don’t forget a man’s most vital organ.”
You may think it’s an anatomical impossibility for a man’s heart to be reached through his stomach, but let me assure you, fixing his favorite meal will appeal to his heart, brain and all significant places of physical interest. I don’t think you have to be a great cook. A long-ago female friend, who always got all the great men, told me her big secret : they appreciate the effort. Which is why there’s no such thing as a bad blow job, a bad back massage or a bad red velvet cake. Your willingness to give it a shot is all that counts. My husband assures me that he appreciates my scintillating conversation and my attempts at seduction . . . but let me put a plate of homemade pot roast in front of him, and his eyes glaze over in rabid appreciation. It’s a primal response, in my opinion. They bring home a woolly mammoth, we put it in a Dutch oven with garlic and a can of crushed tomatoes, and there’s a hot time in the old cave tonight.

Turn on the oven. Make him a meatloaf. Maybe some cupcakes.  See what happens.

And if by chance any men are reading this, let me assure you the reverse is also true. There is NOTHING sexier than a man wearing oven mitts.

So how about YOU guys?  What’s YOUR favorite piece of Romantic Advice?  We’ll be picking our contest winner from the best tip we get late today.  But don’t forget that you also have to be a Squawk Radio Member to win so make sure and sign up if you haven’t!  The winner will receive a complete set of autographed Squawker books.  We wish you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day and hope you can curl up with your sweetie tonight or even better--a great romance!