Glass slippers are on sale at Macy's!

It is that time of year again - Valentine's Day, when those in romantic relationships, both budding and established, celebrate their affection for one another. Single people everywhere smile at their happiness, but often with clenched teeth..thinking... where the heck are my flowers? Where is my Mr. Right or Ms. Right or if you believe in fairy tales from The Mouse- Prince Charming? I am a true romantic at heart. I believe in love and romance and very much want to add someone special to my life. I am actually a bit sad that I am not in love and that someone is not in love with me on this February 14th.

I saw Princess and the Frog recently with Avery and it was quite enjoyable as it was set in New Orleans and the music was amazing. Of course, there were princesses(hence the title)and a Prince and all of the usual stuff. In an interesting twist though, the main female character is the hard working, driven one in this tale and the Prince is a bit of a slacker playboy. Spoiler alert here - the end of course was classic Disney, happily ever after and all of that. Got me thinking about the glass slipper theory and the reality of dating and finding love.

Lets take glass slippers for a moment..really? Glass?? Taking it literally - ouch! Glass slippers would be hard, uncomfortable and breakable. No offense guys, but it had to be designed by a man. You sure could not run in them (look what happened to poor Cindy when she ran for the pumpkin coach.) You couldn't kick up your heels - if one of those suckers flew off, it could hurt someone or worse yet shatter into a million pieces. Ever step on a sliver of broken glass- it hurts..imagine a whole shoe. Lets not forget the Prince is going from house to house meeting tons of women while you sit at home waiting for him to show up and pick you.

Not quite reality..And really lets look at it from the guy's perspective for a minute. What a huge level of pressure- not only do you ask a woman out, usually pay, hopefully successfully woo her - but you have to be a Prince also; rescue her and solve all of her problems. Whew.. Lets hope we women don't still harbour that fantasy and realize that we need to rescue ourselves so we have something to give back to the man in our life.

Men seem to have figured out a few things about dating that perhaps we women should copy. I don't expect a Disney movie about dating like a man anytime soon but I have been embracing these ideas lately and having fun! If you read "He's Just Not That Into You"-some of this may sound familiar.

1. Date to find love, don't wait to find love... Get out and date, have FUN, meet people, date outside of your usual "type" and get outside the comfort zone. The Prince is not showing up at the door with a glass slipper. Unless the UPS man is really hot, single and asks you out..it is time to get out of the house.

2. Every single man you meet is not necessarily "the one." If he is, time will tell and you will realize it by how you click and how he treats you. How often do we get fixated after one date, immediately give our heart away...thinking...this is it..waiting for the phone to ring. Go out with someone else, get out with your girlfriends instead of waiting by the phone. And we HATE this one- if he doesn't call or ask you out again quickly..he is just not that into you. And yes, he may very well be interested in someone else. No analysis or moping needed. If he is not making an effort then it is OK to move on so you are open to meeting the next guy who might just be terrific.

3. Keep your girls night out, keep your friends close. How often do we get wrapped up in a new love interest and lose that closeness with our girlfriends. Keep those ties strong..they help us stay true to ourselves.

4. Embrace who you are..uniqueness gorgeousness as well as flaws and make no excuses for it. I don't know many men who skip a night out because of how their jeans fit. In return, accept men for who and what they are when you meet them. We are not going change, reform or modify who they are to meet our Prince Charming model.

Last but not least- rescue yourself! If you really want a pair of glass slippers- buy yourself a pair...they are probably on sale at Macys!