Keep the love alive after Valentine’s with a romantic picnic

Many couples see Valentine’s Day as the one day in the year where they need to be romantic with each other. However, it’s easy to add romantic gestures in to any day of the year and your relationship is more likely to benefit as a result.

It’s important to be spontaneous every now and then – it keeps your relationship feeling fresh and new, it lets your partner know how much you care and it adds some excitement to your weekly routine.

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Romantic gestures don’t have to be huge to mean something – doing nice things for your partner will always make them feel special. Cooking their favourite meal, taking them to their favourite place or just taking time out to talk to them will mean the world, especially if you’re usually both very busy.

Being in a long-term relationship can mean that occasionally you forget to appreciate each other and may fall into a rut. Making the effort to do something different will help you remember why you first fell in love and give you back that feeling of enthusiasm for your relationship.

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If you’ve got a spare weekend or holiday booked, make sure you spend some quality time together. It can be easy to use holiday time to catch up on sleep or, if you’re away, racing around tourist destinations but if you make time to just enjoy each other’s company, you won’t regret it.

There’s nothing more romantic than making the effort to spend time together.

Picnics are definitely romantic occasions – they show that you’ve gone to a lot of effort to create a special occasion without being too time-consuming or expensive. If the weather is fine, you could take your partner to a favourite park or coastline to enjoy the scenery while you eat.

If it’s cold and wet, making a space to eat inside can be just as nice. There will be a sense of occasion whether you are indoors or outdoors.

The great thing about picnics is that you can have whatever you like – your menu can be as varied as Forman & Field hampers. There’s something classically romantic about sharing picnic food together – you’re able to get closer than you would at a restaurant and you don’t have to worry about preparing a meal at home. You can just relax and enjoy the time together.

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Your romantic picnic menu could include any number of items: salads, meats, cheeses (or carefully chosen cheese hampers), chocolates...

Whatever you think would make the occasion special for you both. If you are having a picnic indoors, you have more of a choice when it comes to food but in general picnics should be kept simple to be most effective.

Taking the time to plan a romantic picnic can really put the spark back in your relationship and make your partner feel loved. The best part is it doesn’t take much to organise – just choose some great food, some decent wine and enjoy the company of the person you like the most!

Resource box

How to plan a romantic picnic

Advice from eHow.

Relate

Relationship advice and counselling.

Valentine’s Day

Information about Valentine’s Day.

Single fathers, start the new year by finding love!

Summary  

Having kids doesn’t make dating more difficult – although it can sometimes feel like that. Once you’re ready to take the plunge and get back in the game, this article suggests how you can go about finding your soul mate. Boost your confidence and your biceps with a few sessions in the gym then save time by dating online. Not all new year’s resolutions are made to be broken. Make 2013 the year you find love with this handy guide for single dads.    

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With Christmas over and the kids back at school, now’s the time to think about your love life. After all, what’s the point in working off that festive belly if no one’s around to admire it? Dating for single dads doesn’t have to be difficult. On dating websites, like www.eharmony.co.uk, there are plenty of ladies waiting to make your acquaintance. Here’s how you can find love in 2013.
    

Making sure you’re ready  

Dating can be a nerve-racking business so it’s important you’re ready. Before swapping numbers with singletons, get advice from your guy friends. Let your mates know you’re on the look out for love and get a few pointers.

Boost your self-confidence with a few trips to the gym. Save time by going on your lunch break and mixing strength with cardiovascular exercises. This will help you lose that tummy and give you a well-toned chest. In a few weeks you’ll be a man of steel and ready to woo that lucky lady.

Telling the kids    

Dating as a single dad isn’t difficult but you have other people’s feelings to consider. Your children, especially if they’re young, may have trouble understanding why Daddy is spending time with a stranger. While this shouldn’t put you off dating, it’s important to be honest. Make your kids aware you’re seeing someone. However, avoid introducing them until you’re sure the relationship has a future.   

   

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Get online  

Working and looking after your children leaves little time for socialising, let alone dates. Make finding love easier by searching online. Dating websites find matches for you based on everything from interests to values. Not only does being a member increase your chances of success, you avoid no-hope dates – great if you’re a time-strapped Dad.
The internet is also a great place for first-date inspiration and to chat with guys in a similar position to you. Join in and become part of the community by visiting eHarmony UK’s Twitter Page.

Preparing for your first date    

Got yourself a date? The first thing you need to do is find a reliable babysitter. The last thing you want on the big night is frantically finding a replacement if they let you down. Ask a family member to do you a favour. Your kids won’t mind you going out if it means spending an evening with Gran.   With the kids sorted, now you can decide what to wear. Before the day arrives, pick an outfit and try it on. Smart clothes have a habit of shrinking in the wardrobe so make sure buttons aren’t straining and zips do up. After a shave and a shower you’re ready to meet the girl of your dreams.
 

Resource box

Esquire
Fashion advice for those important first dates

Men’s Fitness
 Workouts to help lose the weight that Christmas put on

BBC Good Food
Romantic recipes to cook if the babysitter cancels

Finding true love in Europe

Being bilingual is a useful skill for work, travel and leisure. It has also been scientifically proven to improve your brain’s function and stave off degenerative illnesses in old age. Still not convinced? Have a read of the following reasons to learn a new language before setting off on your travels – they may even help you meet someone special!

Why learn a new language?

The most significant, yet most obvious, reason to learn a new language is that it’ll be easier to deal with the people you meet on your travels. Although many people across Europe know how to speak English not all of them will, so knowing at least some of your chosen language – whether it’s French, German or Spanish – will help you a lot.

If you ever get lost while abroad, it’s much better if you can explain this to locals in their language as they’ll be more likely to trust you and offer you help. In fact, if you reach a high level of understanding, you’ll be able to live as if you were a local while travelling – enjoying the local shops, restaurants and culture without needing to fall back on English to survive.

You can also share enjoyable experiences with local people, such as laughing at a joke or discussing current events. Local people will almost always be friendlier to you if you speak the same language as them. This will also mean you can make friends more easily and create those all important connections with people on your travels.

Can you really find love through a new language?

It’s a fact! From a recent British survey conducted with 270 dating agencies, it was shown that people who speak or learn a foreign language appear to be more attractive, intelligent and sexy to the opposite sex. This is the same whether you’re at home or abroad, but how amazing would it be to be able to impress someone on your travels with your grasp of their language?

You won’t need to fumble for words when asking for a table in a restaurant, or get tongue-tied at the theatre. Knowing your new language will open many doors for you when it comes to dating and impressing your partner.

As an added bonus, there’s no better way for improving a new language than falling in love. Your partner will be able to help you learn more words and phrases and make the process fun!

Where to learn 

There are many language courses available through organisations such as http://www.esl-languages.com, which will allow you to learn in an environment where you can immerse yourself in local culture. It’s always better to surround yourself with people who speak the language you would like to learn in order to improve quickly.

Learning abroad will also give you a fantastic experience which you will remember for the rest of your life. It makes for an interesting gap year or short break, and your time learning abroad will surely impress any future employer. Whether you’re looking for German courses in Freiburg or French courses in Avignon, you won’t regret making the choice to learn a new language abroad.




Useful links

7 good reasons to learn a foreign language
Why it’s a good idea to learn another language

BBC Languages
Learn simple phrases online

How I learnt a language in 22 hours
Firsthand account from the Guardian

Keeping the New Year romance alive

For some, this New Year celebrations were even better than usual and have given birth to a new romance. Whether you became closer with a friend or met someone during the festive season or the New Year celebrations, the month of January will seem less grey to you. But as normal life resumes with its routine and workload, the challenge is to keep this new romance alive and to turn it into a relationship.

Take the time to know each other

You might have talk about each other's life, tastes and resolutions for the year to come, but this is probably not enough to know if you are right for each other. The excitement that goes with the New Year celebrations will have make everything rosy, and it is now time to get back to reality. Plan to quickly get together to give you a chance to know each other before the routine takes over and you leave the romance die. Of course, the first weeks of the year are always difficult and busy with work, but it is crucial to make time to meet. It will be the opportunity to learn more about each other in a calmer and more normal environment.

Do something together

The best way to make sure that you are compatible and that this new romance is more than a festive fling is to do something different together. Now that you know that you can party together, try going for a walk, or do an activity you both like. The outcome of the relationship will be clearer once you have spend some time together in a context different than the one that brought you together. This year could be a very good one and the first of many to follow!