I do declare that every day should be Valentine's Day.
And not for the reasons you are probably thinking about.
Oh sure, we should treasure every second of every day with our loved ones. But let's face it. Sometimes those loved ones drive us completely insane. Especially, oh let's say, for like the last five years trying to get their uncooperative (but cute) little behinds out the door in the morning so I can roll into work before noon.
Just sayin'.
So as I was perusing Target for something I actually needed - and yet managed to bring home a whole bunch of other stuff I didn't really need - I stopped and stared at all of these moms picking out Valentine's Day gifts for their kids.
And then it hit me.
I only have a few years of truly magical holidays with my kids. Pearl in particular is completely absorbed by every single holiday and celebration. She counts down the days until the next holiday and asks me what we get to do for it. She was so dang excited about Valentine's Day this year. How could I not do something to make it magical for her before she decides it's stupid or that mom and dad are behind the surprises. {Pearl if you're reading this, remember "if you don't believe you don't receive!"}
I may be a really crappy mom most of the time, and heaven knows I don't have an award winning Pinterest crafty bone in my body {see this post of a Valentine's party... a-freaking dorable! but who seriously does that?}, but I just couldn't pass up the feeling that I needed to make this magical. Which is a big deal in our house. My parents never made a big deal over the "little" holidays like Valentine's Day. And in the 13 years that Jeff and I have been together {dating + marriage}, we've never once celebrated this love day. Ick. Jeff will tell you it's because Valentine's Day is NOT a real holiday unless we get the day off from work. And, flowers are way cheaper after so we celebrate Presidents' Day. It's our fun little tradition that no one else does.
Anyway back to the kids.
When Jeff saw me setting up a little surprise for the kids, he refrained from telling me I had just wasted my money on something stupid and instead suggested I make them hold out until they'd gotten ready in the morning.
That man is a genius.
Bribery at it's finest. A little motivation to get ready without whining and in a timely fashion would be the best Valentine's Day present I can think of. So I left them a note taped to the oven so Pearl would see it the minute she walked out of her bedroom.
Roses are red, violets are blue.
There's a special Valentine's Day surprise waiting for you!
But first, you have to get dressed, comb hair, eat breakfast, brush teeth, make beds. And no whining!
It worked beautifully. I'm pretty sure the last time I got to work {without high blood pressure and ready to kill someone} with two kids by 8 a.m. was, well, before I had kids!
The pipsqueaks were thrilled with their little gifts. I found these adorable tin mailboxes at Target and put some fruit roll-ups and cute Band-aids in them. And I couldn't resist these little Valentine's wiener dogs. Pearl and Cole love them! Blu thinks they should be her chew toys... I guess next year I'll have to add her to the list.
Of course the fun was only beginning. Pearl was super excited for a day-long celebration at school, complete with Valentine's Day box making, card exchange, games, and treats.
Sadly, the fun came to an abrupt end when I got an email from the
daycare director stating he'd just found out there had been a confirmed
case of the mumps in the kindergarten class in January. Which meant that
every kid who hadn't gotten their second MMWR shot had to be sent home
on quarantine immediately until the incubation period was over. Well,
seeing as how most kids don't get their second dose of MMWR until they
are between 4 and 6 years of age, I knew Fern was on the "not clear"
list and we'd be going home. The problem with this was I had a ton of
work to do so both kids came to my office so I could try and get some things wrapped up before being sent home for a few days to wait out the mumps. {Get your kids vaccinated. They are safe. They save lives. There are very few valid reasons to exempt your kids. That is all.}
Let's just say the morning bribery had run it's course by the time they made it to my office. For at least the boy anyway. Even with a chocolate cupcake covered in a thick layer of purple frosting {see his cute face?}, treats, smelly markers, and some very patient coworkers, I ran out of there thinking it's a good thing they are so dang cute because I'm about ready to give them to the gypsies!
