25 sweet ways to say 'I love you'

"Every time we kiss, we do it three times, which stands for 'I love you.' When my husband pulls out of the driveway in the morning, I stand at the door while he sets off the emergency light on his truck, also three times for 'I love you.'" — Peggy C.

"My husband irons my clothes for me. He'll either ask me what I need ironed or he'll surprise me and press my skirts and blouses without even asking. It's so nice and thoughtful because ironing is my least favorite chore!" — Michelle L.


"Every now and then I leave a card saying how much I love and appreciate him under his pillow for him to find before he goes to sleep." — Cim C.


"My husband makes banana pancakes for me every Sunday morning. This includes getting up before me, working in the kitchen while I'm still asleep, and cleaning up all the dishes. The pancakes are warming in the oven when I finally roll out of bed." — Melissa M.


"We have a code. We blow kisses at each other. That is our way of saying, 'I love you.' He will blow kisses at me as he goes upstairs or from another room." — Lori B.


"When we're at a party and someone else is talking too much, my husband and I will discreetly push our knees together and glance over at each other for a second. For 20 years, it's let us know that we're both feeling the exact same way." — Jade W.


"My husband puts toothpaste on my toothbrush and leaves it lying on the sink for me every night before bed. He is the sweetest husband ever!" — Lisa W.


"Veronica leaves text messages on my phone letting me know she's thinking of me. They're usually something short and sweet, like 'xo.' It's not necessarily what she writes that makes it special; it's that she found time in her crazy day to let me know that I'm on her mind." — Scott H.


"My husband gets up at 5:30 a.m., but he pulls his dresser drawers open the night before so the noise of them opening and closing won't disturb me. Now, that's love!" — Connie M.


"We leave notes and hand-drawn pictures for each other on the whiteboard in the kitchen before we leave for work." — Mandi R.


"I place special little love notes, cartoons, jokes, or small articles — sometimes racy ones — in her underwear drawer. She never knows what to expect next. She gets a big kick out of them and knows it is my way of saying I love her." — Joe C.


"In the wintertime, I start my husband's car in the morning so it will be toasty warm for him on his way to work." — Autumn G.


"Every morning before I get up, he leaves two folded towels in the bathroom for me for when I take a shower — one big towel for my body and a smaller towel for my head." — Amy E.


"My wife has made a game out of telling me she loves me whenever the mood strikes her. We'll be in the supermarket and out of the blue, Alex will stop and turn to me and say, 'I love you in the frozen foods section.' Or we can be at the movies and she'll say, 'I love you in the 21st row of the theater five minutes before the previews start.' Telling me she loves me in such unexpected ways shows me just how much I really mean to her." — Frederik T


"My husband and I send each other short e-mails to say what we are thinking about at that very moment. Once, he wrote me, 'The new Brad Paisley song makes me think of you.' Now every time I hear it on the radio, I'm reminded how much my husband loves me." — Michelle M.


"If we're in a place where we can't talk, we squeeze each others hand three times to say, 'I love you.'" — Lindsey A.


"My husband will usually run me a hot candlelit bubble bath and lock the kids out of our bedroom so they can't go banging on our bathroom door. He'll also have a nice dinner waiting for me when I get out." — Angela F.


"My husband is an amazing cook, but he specializes in meaty, old-country meals. I am vegan. When he cooks, he is careful to use separate, special utensils — not an easy feat when preparing two separate meals. It sounds like nothing, but it's nice knowing he respects my choices." — Erica R.


"For each of my four pregnancies, I had awful morning sickness, and the only food I was able to hold down were these yummy peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches my husband made. Every morning, I would wake up and find a plate with my sandwich and a glass of milk." — Marie P.


"When I was working out of the country for a long period of time, Renee would fax letters to me, which would be slipped under the door of my hotel room overnight. I'd wake up the next morning and happily find her heartfelt messages waiting for me." — Gary B.


"We say 'magnificently,' meaning 'I love you magnificently' in large crowds, and when we're talking on the cell phone in a crowd of people." — Glynis B.


"Before my husband leaves for work, he sets the table for my breakfast. He lays out a bowl for cereal, a cup for orange juice, strawberries, a napkin, and a spoon. For a big, manly, union guy, this is a really major step!" — Patricia A.


"My wife, Leigh Anne, sometimes has to travel for work, and when she gets home, I give her a small gift for every day she has been gone. I'll set them on the kitchen table and wait for her to notice them — things like her favorite perfume, fresh flowers, or a cool piece of handmade jewelry. I love to spoil her!" — John M.


"Every night before bed, my husband and I tell each other something we're grateful for that the other person did that day. For example, 'I'm grateful for the nice dinner you made,' or 'I'm grateful you gave the kids a bath.' It's taught us to look for the positive attributes in each other. It's also nice to be recognized for doing the laundry or cutting the grass!" — Beth R.