Ok Boys, it's that time of year again, and time to get busy. You can say "I Love You" all year long, but this is the day when it really sticks. Here are some ideas to get you going in the right direction.

As always, planning is the key to any event being pulled off smoothly. Take a little time, and decide what sort of evening/day/weekend you have planned for her. Ask yourself what kind of things do you want to do? Do you want it to be fun? Romantic? Silly? Sentimental? All these things add up in their pretty little heads, so pick one theme and stick to it.

Make sure you consider what she likes. No point in planning an outdoor picnic with a girl who hates ants. Do it inside instead! Maybe even by the fire...toss all the furniture aside, lay out a blanket on he floor...make some gourmet treats, put them in a basket, nice bottle of wine...you get the idea.

Now that you have the plan, and the gears are turning, you need to consider setting the mood. Is it going to be a silly fun Valentines? How about balloons all over the house? Going to be romantic? Head to the store and load up on candles. Shooting for the 'pamper her until she is about as tense as a bowl of jelly' angle? Make sure you have cleaned (yes YOU) the bathroom-soon-to-be-spa, and made the bed with nice clean sheets for the massage. Getting the idea? Good.

Now spring it on her. There are many ways to do this. You can go with the old tried and true standby like the trail of roses, or you can tip her off by making sure the kids are at grandma's so she doesn't get tackled when she gets home from work as she walks in the door. Send her flowers and instead of the goofy little mini cards they give you at the florist, attach an appointment for the new "spa" that just opened up. Get creative here, set the mood before the event even begins. Imagine her face at work when she gets a nice bouquet, then imagine her face when the card reads "Reminder! You have a six pm appointment" and include your home address. She will go nuts all day long trying to figure it out. DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE. The only way to keep a secret from most women is to not go anywhere near them. Mine is exceptionally good at figuring out surprises and/or getting me to give up the truth.

Some other pointers. There are certain things you will need to have handy for your evening. These sorts of things really ramp up the mood for you.

• Candles. Nothing is more romantic than candle light.
• Oils. She works hard gentlemen, let her know that you get it.
• Finger foods. Feeding each other is very romantic.
• Flowers. Tried and trusted.
• Romantic Music. You can even burn her her own cd(s) of music that makes you think of her
• Romantic Moves (I know they suck, too bad for you, she likes them)
• Breakfast in bed tray (she'll think Valentines is over after that...little does she know that when she gets home...lol)
• Wine glasses. Make sure you've got them. Nothing like a $40 bottle of wine in plastic twelve ounce cups to really set the mood.
• Doing the spa thing? Most big craft stores have inexpensive (and simple) kits to make heart shaped soaps and custom lotions and things

Decorate the house. Go all out to let her know you love her.

• Leave a trail of tiny paper hearts instead of roses. Write love notes on them.
• Put those white christmas lights to work as "stars"
• Find old photos of you two kissing and print them out and plaster them everywhere
• Put rose petals on the bed
• Cut out as many hearts as you can and cover the walls with them
• Red candles
• Have romantic appetizers set out. See below.
• A perfect dual purpose idea. Use prepackaged candies as decoration.

And here are some theme ideas to get you started.

• Take a vacation at home. Turn the house into the vacation spot you both have been dreaming of. Serve appropriate foods, have the music, watch a foreign film from there, talk in the local accent for fun, print pictures out of the local area, and of course, if you can swing it, this is the perfect opportunity to give her the tickets to the real thing.
• The spa. Put on a suit or rent a tux and wait on her hand and foot, while she bathes in the hot oil scented bubble bath and munches on finger foods you bring her on a platter. Give her that massage you've been promising. Set the mood for relaxation, let her watch a chick flick while you act as her waiter for the evening, you get the idea
• Have a movie night. You can rearrange the living room or bedroom to be more like a theatre and most grocery stores sell 'King sized' candy and popcorn that pops right in a big movie bucket. Watch chick flicks all night, and maybe make out a bit and hope the usher doesn't catch you
• Room by room. Feeling industrious? Decorate each room in the house, and use each room as a different step for dinner. relax in the bath with hors d' oeuvres, have salads in the office, dinner in the living room, and dessert on the patio under the stars. Pick a room for the gifts too. Give her her card in the kitchen, her presents in another room.
• Have a gourmet day. Either prepare some very swanky very gourmet foods for her, and serve them to her, or do the gourmet cooking together in the kitchen. Have fun with it. Video tape your own romantic cooking special!

Get ready yourself. Even if you are going to stay home for the holiday, get physically prepared. She sees you every day in your ratty old boxers, all unshaven, with you hair sticking up. She doesn't want to see that on Valentines. Being a slob is NOT romantic. Remember, if you are clean and shaved, she'll want to touch you and be close.

• Go get a haircut.
• Get a shave. Do it at home if you have to, but do it.
• Dress appropriately. Shorts and a 't' are only appropriate if you are doing a beach theme. Over dress. Shirt and tie at the very least. I for one hate wearing a monkey suit, so if you wear one, she'll notice the effort. and reward you.
• Take a shower. Remember that cologne she bought you? She did it because she like the way it smells. Put it on. Don't bathe in it, just enough so she can smell it when she's close. That way, she'll stay close.

Some simple ideas for romantic foods

• Use a cookie cutter to cut heart shaped sandwiches
• Got Champagne? Use a real champagne bucket. It's a great touch.
• Read the back of a package of chocolate chips, there are directions for making them into a dipping sauce. Nuff said.
• Cut the ingredients up to make a salad, but cut them larger than normal and put the dressing in a bowl for dipping. Feed her.

The most important thing in all of this however is the effort. Don't worry if you are not a world class chef, don't sweat it if you are not crafty, Nobody cares if you can't buy a bottle of Dom. Do your best. The one thing she'll remember the longest is how much work you put into this day, and how hard you tried to impress her, and how much it means to her that you were willing to go through all that trouble. Shoot, I'm pretty sure just picking your dirty laundry up on Valentine's day would make most women at least smile, Imagine what a real effort will get you. Enjoy.