Dannii and Kris keep the romance alive by setting aside time to spend together. Photo: Dannii Minogue
Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to remind the special person in your life how much you value them, but you don't have to confine your appreciation to one day of hearts and flowers a year. Romance is for life – not just for Valentine's Day!
'Keeping the romance alive' is such a well-used phrase that it's fast becoming a love cliché, but there is a lot to be said for taking the effort to make your partner feel good – every month of the year.
I don't claim to be an expert but here are a couple of things Kris and I do to keep our love train on the tracks.
First up: Date Night! Before Ethan came along we'd have nights out together at the spur of the moment without even thinking about it but, like all new parents, once we had a baby to factor into the entertainment equation, enjoying a casual night out became a logistical challenge.
So, Kris and I instigated date night and we make a real point of setting aside time for each other. We plan where we're going to go and make a booking. Ethan's grandparents baby sit and we go and do something, just us.
We go to movies and restaurants mostly – nothing particularly original – so I'd be very interested to read other people's date night suggestions that push the boundaries beyond dinner and a film. I'm always looking for ways to treat Kris...
Which brings me to my second tip: Doing nice things for each other. It's so important, especially if you spend a lot of time apart for work. Our work regularly takes us away from each other, but when we are together Kris and I try to make sure we do nice things for each other.
If one of us is home and the other is working there will always be a meal waiting. The other day I came home and Kris had hung all the pictures I wanted hung in our new home.
For Tabs' recent trip to Australia, her husband Gav wrote her special little notes for particular days of her trip and hid them in her suitcase. It made her smile every time she found one.
It's particularly special when Kris does something for me that isn't necessarily something he likes but that he knows I love. Kris is more of a shower than a bath person but he knows I love taking a long luxurious soak in the tub so he'll run a bath and it will be there waiting for me when I get home. It just means so much to me that he's been thinking of me and has done that for me.
It's all about listening to each other and thinking of gestures that will strike the perfect (love) note with your significant other. It's emotional gift-giving!!!