Years ago, my husband and I celebrated Valentine’s Day each time February 14 rolled around. We’d plan a date night, which was usually dinner and a movie in those days. We’d exchange cards that we had actually been able to thoughtfully write in. I don’t recall ever doing anything fancy, but we definitely acknowledged the day and used it as an excuse to go out on a date.
Fast forward to today: We have two kids and ZERO time for a nice dinner out. Cards are like, $10 a pop, and every year we say that we can just skip the cards. We make each other promise there will be no exchanging of gifts…not even flowers or chocolate. We do say “Happy Valentine’s Day!” at some point during the day, but that’s about it for us as a couple.
But in Harlyn’s world, Valentine’s Day is a big deal. She’s got her classroom party with Valentines to give her friends. They’ll eat treats, and I’m sure I’ll see pics of a bunch of cute little girls dressed in red and pink. She picked Minnie Mouse Valentines this year (because they came with pencils to give out!). She has a red dress with heart necklaces that she can’t wait for her teachers and friends to see.
Brandon and I will give Harlyn and Maverick a little Valentine’s Day gift, because they obviously need MORE toys. We’ll also give them a little chocolate, because they take after their mom and LOVE it. We’ll make sure that today feels at least a little special for them, but that’s about where the excitement ends for us.
If I were a more Pinterest-perfect mama, I’m betting I would do some fun V Day themed crafts. Maybe we could bake some cute heart shaped treats like the moms on Insta. Butttt…that stuff won’t happen in my house. Not this year; maybe not ever. Every time I see all the cute snack spreads and adorable activities, I just think how cool it must be to WANT to do that type of thing. It’s not me, but I really wish it was.
For now, I’ll have to rely on the school parties for Harlyn to get her V Day fill, and just be glad that Mav is too little to understand that his mom doesn’t shine on Valentine’s Day. Truth be told, we never even got out the few decorations and kids’ books we DO have. By the time I even THOUGHT about that cute little wreath we have, it was too late to be worth the trouble of digging out the bin from storage. Maybe when we have a garage or a basement to keep our decorations in, I’ll feel more inspired. Maybe that will make me WANT to do the cute Pinworthy activities. I mean, I doubt it, but I can dream, right???
Full disclosure: this year, I’m realllly losing brownie points on V Day. Because as you’re reading this, I’ve already landed in Michigan to spend a long weekend with my mom and sister. This morning we gave the kids their little presents and then it was airport time for this mommy. The good news is that they don’t really mind that I’m missing the day because it wasn’t going to be some huge even around here anyway.
Maybe we’ll get re-inspired to celebrate this day of love once the kids are older and we can bring a little romance back to the day. Maybe I”m only anti-V Day because I can’t go out on a date on a random Thursday night. For now, we’ll let our kids be our valentines, and take them out for a family dinner a few days late on the weekend.
Am I lame for not being into Valentine’s Day? Probably. But I can’t be the only one who just doesn’t get into it, right???
Tell me, what do you think about V Day? Is it a big date night for you? A day all about the kids and crafts and cute heart treats?? Or are you more like me…forgetting to get out the 2 decorations you have?
