Just a little over a month ago, stories, advice, tips, and ideas from how to sweep our lovers off their feet to the specifics of planning romantic gestures both grand and simple were coming at us left and right. Every blog, magazine, and talk show host had something to say about how to spend Valentine’s Day. Yet the very next morning, our workloads, routines, multi-tasking, cleaning the house in our sweats, and everything else that makes up our every day lives was back in effect and the topic of romance was no longer on everyone’s collective minds. Love isn’t in the air solely during the month of February. Romance is something every relationship needs frequent doses of all year long.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the stresses and tasks that we all have to get accomplished, and it’s easy to think that there isn’t enough time in the day or the finances in the budget to put together a truly romantic experience for you and your partner. However, there are ways to inject romance into your relationship every single day, because honestly, it’s the little things that make a relationship mutually fulfilling and long-lasting.

So, here are some things that my partner and I do and have done to keep romance alive and well, and our love strong in the six and a half years we have been together:

• We take care of each other. No one responsibility lies solely on the shoulders of just one of us; instead, we tackle daily life from the perspective of a mutual partnership. Finances, (most) housework, grocery shopping, and errands are a joint effort, with two exceptions: I do the laundry because I am incredibly particular about the way it is done, and my partner does the majority of the cooking because he is better at it.
• We say ‘thank you’ and express appreciation for each other.
• We laugh–a lot. Goofy faces, absurd voices (I have several), suddenly turning a walk into a little dance, and giving our cats personalities and voices that we make up on the spot are just a few of the things we do to get silly.
• We rough house like we’re kids. Now, this doesn’t happen often, particularly because if we spent that much time landing way too hard on our bed we would probably break it, but when we get into those silly moods and start tickling each other and wrestling, I think about it for days and it always brings a huge grin to my face.
• Never underestimate the power of a sweet note. The first time my partner put the toilet paper roll on the holder the right way (the right way being with the paper coming out over the roll and not under), he wrote on the paper (an accomplishment in itself) that he made sure to put it on the holder that way because he knew that is the way I like it. The man made toilet paper romantic!
• We hold hands; while watching television, while out shopping, or taking a walk together.

Above all, I think we really value and make the most of our time together. We both work full-time from home, which tends to give people the idea that we’re attached at the hip 24/7, which isn’t the case. We have separate work spaces. My partner, a professional musician and guitar instructor, works out of the basement apartment of our home that you have to go outside and down the steps of our back porch to get to, while I work predominantly at our kitchen table. We’re both admitted workaholics, so it’s fairly typical for us to spend most of our days apart. The time that we really dedicate solely to one another is dinnertime. As soon as the dinner process begins, technology is put away and we can talk and focus on each other while, most of the time, my partner cooks and I help with preparation and just enough so I can say that I contributed.

Of course, just like anyone else, sometimes we’re really lazy and want the perks of being able to hang out and share a meal without doing a whole lot of work or having to drive to the next city or two over to go out to a restaurant. For times like these, we have been known to reach for a frozen solution.

Recently, we were able to try Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizzas, a line of frozen pizzas that are so unlike the average frozen pizzas I’ve grown accustomed to.

We were sent two different flavors of Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizzas–Mozzarella and Spinaci. I really loved the Mozzarella flavor; it was cheesy, there was a generous portion of delicious, sweet tomatoes and herbs, and the crust was thin and crispy. What was really surprising, especially since we’re talking about frozen food here, was that the herbs and tomatoes tasted like they were really quality ingredients. They weren’t just good, but really really good. My partner and I were in awe, repeatedly commenting on how much better these pizzas are than what we were expecting. I immediately knew why Dr. Oetker’s Ristorante is Italy’s #1 frozen pizza brand.

The Spinaci flavor was, of course, topped with spinach. I haven’t eaten a lot of spinach in my life and when I have, it was usually mixed into a pasta sauce of some sort and I barely noticed it was there. On this pizza, the spinach takes center stage. It is the star of the pizza, and I found out that I am not a fan of spinach. I kept commenting on the “oils” I tasted, which my partner kept assuring me was the taste of spinach. After eating half of my piece, I was really wishing I had another Mozzarella pizza. My partner really liked the spinach, though, so at least it didn’t go to waste.

Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizzas are really easy to make, perfect for lunch or dinner when you really don’t feel like making an effort but still want a tasty meal. Just take the pizza out of the cardboard box, unwrap it, place it directly on the middle rack of your oven, and wait 10-12 minutes.

The only complaint I have about these pizzas is that they are very small. I would love to see a larger version come out that could feed more than two people. My partner and I split the pizzas we made and after we finished the first one, my partner was ready for more pizza, so I would say that one of these pizzas could feed two people, or just one very hungry man.

Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza is available now in the following states for $4.99-$5.99: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Rhode Island, Baltimore, Maryland and New Hampshire.

Giveaway

One lucky Woman Tribune reader will have the chance to try out Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza and receive a prize pack, which includes a coupon for 1 free Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza, branded pizza cutter, branded freezer bag, and a Crate & Barrel Pizza Slice & Serve Board.

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I received Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza for review as part of a blog campaign with One2One Network. Additional incentives were provided to me, and opinions are my own.