Have you ever heard your man say how difficult women are to read? Chances are, we have all heard a man say this once in our lives. It's true, women are complicated creatures, but in my life, I've noticed that men are not as easy to figure out as they think they are. After some time and quite a bit of research, I've come to a few conclusions.

"My man doesn't seem to respond to the sweet heart-shaped notes I leave for him"

You wonder why? Hello!! He's a MAN! Men do not care about silly little notes in the shape of hearts or music notes or anything else like that. Don't expect him to humor you by running up to you and acting as if you've bought him a shiny new set of golf clubs, much less, keep the notes. Ladies, we're no longer in high school. Let's be mature for a moment. Men do not require little love notes planted strategically along the home. They could care less. A sexy email or text message is a better way to express your love if you must write to him. Even wonderful heart felt words written in a card (on special occasions) are acceptable. Leave the scissors and construction paper in the drawer for the kiddos. Save your strength for more adult behavior.

"I don't think my husband really is happy to see me when he gets home at night"

Before you melt down, think. If he were not happy to see you, would he have come home at all? Most men have very serious issues about responsibility. They thrive on being there for their families and want nothing more than to take care of you. This causes them to work very hard, often harder than they need to in order to achieve greatness. It's an ego thing. He's tired at the end of the day and needs a moment to relax and get over the events of his day. He needs to have a certain amount of time to just zone out and forget about the traffic and the phone and all of the craziness he's encountered. This is natural. The best thing you can do for him is to let him be. He loves you. Trust in that.

"I'm home all day and I need to talk about the bank account. He's stressed and gets angry with me for bringing it up"

I completely understand. Stay at home mothers are usually stuck looking at the four walls with little to no adult contact all day. We feed off of the phone call from our man that he's on his way home. We know he's going to be here in less than 20 minutes and cannot wait to jump on him. Same situation as the above paragraph. Stop, think, and react accordingly. He's stressed out. When you are tired, do you want to hear about something bad happening if it can wait until an hour later? Of course not. Men do not want us to verbally vomit the entire day's events to them as soon as they walk in. It makes them want to turn around and run back to work. Give them 30 minutes at least to come in and sit back in their favorite chair. Give him the remote and just get over it. If the bank account is overdrawn, is telling him right now going to put the money back in there? No. Chill out. Take the initiative and call some bill collectors and try to arrange an agreement for a later payment. Most of them will do this for you. They still want the money, so if getting it means waiting a few extra days, chances are, they will make an allowance as long as it isn't an ongoing monthly practice. Do your part to show your man that you can handle things without him having to hold your hand through it.

"I bought some sexy lingerie and my fiancee didn't respond to it as I thought he would. Is he no longer attracted to me?"

Don't worry. In this category, men are pretty simple. Less is more, meaning, you do not have to go out and spend a fortune on lace and silk to turn him on. I've asked so many men about this because I was confused for years about what men really wanted from women as far as bedroom attire. Message forums, friends of mine, friends of my husband's, and just guys in general have all answered the same. They love a tee shirt and panties. There is something so sexy about the simplicity of a tee shirt or one of their button up shirts and a nice pair of panties (or no panties). It drives a man wild. Next time you have the inclination to go out to an expensive lingerie store, go ahead, but just head right over to the panties and buy all the sexy pairs you can find and replace the teddy with another pair of sexy undies and a lacy push-up bra for those cute tanks you like to wear out to dinner.

"I planned to cook a special dinner tonight but he offered to cook instead. Does he not like how I cook this meal?"

Maybe, but I'm guessing he just enjoys cooking and has the time to do it tonight. Men do notice what we do in the house. They may not always comment on the house looking and smelling great, but they see it. This could be his way of saying thank you for all you do. Sit back and enjoy it. If you have a large kitchen, pour a glass of wine, get him a beer, and sit in the kitchen at the bar and talk while he prepares things. Offer to help. Romance can begin in the kitchen. Food is very sexy. I find that one of the sexiest things about my husband is his ability to cook anything and how he always offers me a sample for my approval. Don't allow yourself to be haunted by thoughts that your cooking isn't good enough. Just enjoy the night off and watch him sweat over the stove tonight.

"We don't have sex as much as we used to. Are we drifting apart?"

Only you know that for sure. If you are fighting and as a result, not having sex, yeah, you might need a counselor. But if the two of you are getting along great and feel connected and still do not seem to be sexually active as often, it's probably just stress. Sex is wonderful and I love it, but there are nights I just want to be held and go to sleep. Honestly, if I had sex every night, it wouldn't seem as special to me. It would end up becoming routine. No one wants that. I prefer to have it about 3 times a week. If the number is different, that's okay. Mood and energy levels have everything to do with the frequency. We have children and after kids, we are not as energetic. So we rest a few nights and make up for it with sensational sex another night. I quote Jeff Foxworthy here because this just says it all, "When you have kids and you have the choice between sleep and sex, you take sleep and just hope you have a dream about sex!" Absolutely true. Scheduling a night is a common piece of advice, but I find that even when I've tried that, it's not necessarily the best way. The very night you pick to be romantic could the the most stressful day at work. It should be spontaneous. Sporting events, meetings, interviews, and even meals can be scheduled. Romance is always something that should be on your mind. Choosing a date to be romantic is just not sexy. If you have the energy, great. If not, hold each other before falling asleep. Being in my man's arms is the most wonderful place I can imagine.

Hopefully this clears up some frequently asked questions regarding men and how they feel. We can change how we deal with them if we just use our heads. Men are not the pigs so many people have made them out to be (okay some of them are). Most of them just want to be our companion and to be loved and appreciated just as we do. If you take some time and listen to him, you'll see that he can be so much easier to deal with.

Enjoy your guys!