Valentines Day; some love it and some loath it but one thing is for absolute certainty…

Showing your partner that you love them is NEVER a bad thing to do.

For us, Valentines Day isn’t something extravagant (we show that we love each other all year round blah blah blah) but we still like to take the opportunity to perhaps make, even a little, more effort than we do for the rest of the year.

Now don’t get me wrong with my next statement, there is nothing wrong with buying each other a gift or 2 but, when you’re in full parent mode, sleep deprived, running round as the Dad Taxi and when you’re running your own start-up business, a gift doesn’t really say, ‘I love you’ like it used too.

No, instead the one thing that is in space supply in our relationship is time. Time with each other. And I’m not talking about that 60 minute slot at the end of each day when you’re both wiped out, sat in front of the big screen in the corner of the living room and the little screen attached to the end of your arm. I’m talking about real, quality time.

Time to talk.

Time to laugh.

Time to take an interest in each other.

Time to kiss. (Yeah, I said it).

Time to reminisce.

Time that isn’t interrupted.

Doing this for Valentines Day, really does make showing love lovelier. Whether it’s breakfast in bed together, a movie night playing games on the sofa or a romantic dinner for 2 the one thing that is essential is time. Making time for each other.

This year Jen and I had Valentines day a little earlier and with the help of notonthehighstreet, we created a really fun movie & games night. It sounds daft, but I honestly cannot remember the last time Jen and I played a game together.

Jen is a very good wife and I am a distinctly average husband so I wanted the evening to be special.

I had a big box of goodies arrive to make the evening loads of fun and one to remember. In the box we had:

• A Personalised Couples Stacking Tower by Bespoke & Oak Co.
• A Love token of affections card by Berylune.
• A Chocolate Movie Night Box by Choc on Choc.
• A Personalised Enamel popcorn Bowl by Sophie Victoria Joy
• A Personalised Modern Patchwork Print Throw by Tillie Mint Loves

The best part was that we didn’t have any kids… which meant we watched an entire film in one sitting, ate the chocolates & popcorn ourselves without having to pick it up off the carpet or scrub it out the sofa afterwards, complete a game and have an actual winner and talk!

Sure, we could have just watched a film from Netflix without the bits and pieces from notonthehighstreet, but it definitely wouldn’t have been the same – Valentines Day is about making the effort, or rather, showing the effort without having to spend an arm and a leg.

Having the tower game was so much fun – we laughed and dare I say it, we actually flirted a little like back when. It’s these little things that really do make showing love, lovelier.

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you that carving out time and enhancing it with a little something-something is the way forward. So here’s your checklist:

1. Block out some time – breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning or afternoon.
2. Plan something – food, movie, walk, dinner, games etc.
3. Hop on to notonthehighstreet and find something that will make that time even lovelier. #NOTHSValentines

Do let us know what you have planned or how you get on – we love hearing from readers!