To keep the romance alive and foster intimacy in your marriage, you’ll want to know several ways to express your feelings to your spouse. There will undoubtedly be times when you’ll want to spend a significant amount of time and energy on a project that shows your love for your spouse in a big way, like planning a surprise birthday dinner that includes family and friends or a new deck. that you spend several weekends building.

But it is also important that you know a series of small gestures that you can do to transmit feelings of love frequently. Small expressions of love and appreciation add up over time and can help ensure that your relationship maintains its special sparkle and shine.

Here are fifteen ways to say “I love you” that you can easily implement even during a busy work week:

1. Blow a kiss to your spouse as you walk across the room. Smile and let your eyes sparkle mischievously. You could remain silent, or you could say something like “Catch!” or “This is for you!”

2. Surprise your spouse by kissing the back of their neck while sitting in a low-back chair that allows easy access to their neck, like a dining room chair or computer chair. (For an extra reaction, you can lick his neck one or two strokes with your tongue after kissing him)

3. Give her (or him) a brief neck and shoulder massage.

4. Leave a sweet message on her voice mail.

5. Send a short but sweet email. (Don’t send your spouse a sexually explicit email at work. Save them for your personal email account.)

6. Write a one-sentence note that describes a specific trait or quality you love about your spouse, such as “I love your beautiful blue eyes that remind me of the sea.” Or you could write, “I love your amazing shoulder muscles that make you look so strong and sexy.” Put this note in your spouse’s purse, lunch or briefcase, or on the pillow of your bed.

7. Give your spouse a long, wet kiss, accompanied by a full-body hug. (Many relationship gurus advocate that couples do this at least once a day.)

8. Hug your spouse and scratch their back at the same time. If you’re lucky, your spouse will also scratch your back while you scratch hers.

9. Compliment your spouse. Be specific, like “You look great in that new sweater. I love how that color looks on you!”

10. Tell your spouse one time something specific that you appreciate him (or her) doing. For example, you could say, “I really appreciate how hard you work to earn extra income,” or “You’re a great dad, always so patient with the kids!”

11. When you’re at the grocery store, buy something special for your spouse: a favorite candy bar, a choice fruit, a small plant, a long-stemmed rose, a special cheese, a festive balloon, etc. . When you get home, say “I bought something special just for you because you are so special.” Or wait until later and leave the item with an ‘I love you’ note for her (or him) to find.

12. Find some small act or task you can do for your spouse to make life easier for them. For example, without asking, Lee often empties the trash can in my office for me when he sees that it is full. Or he might offer to make a phone call to save you time on a busy day. These types of gestures say “I love you and I want to show you that I care.”

13. The next time you have to buy a birthday card for someone, also buy five or six cards that your spouse would like. They can be romantic cards, thinking of you cards or funny cards. Once or twice a week, mail one to your spouse to come to the office or home, or leave a card in the driver’s seat of the car or somewhere else for him (or her) to find.

14. When buying “take home” food containers at a restaurant, then secretly take your spouse’s container out of the fridge and decorate it. She can draw two joined hearts with her names on the hearts and write “I love you” on her (or his) box.

15. Find poems or song lyrics that you can give your spouse to communicate your loving feelings. Take a look at the great selection of love song lyrics at http://www.theromantic.com/lovesongs/main.htm. Just print out a few of your favorites (use special paper to make it extra special) and save them, ready to take out and give to your spouse with a note that says, “This says how I feel about you.”