When I was a teenager and single, I used to kind of dread Valentine's Day. It was supposed to be such a big deal and when single, it just seemed to serve as a reminder of that fact. Once I got into a relationship, it seemed to be a bit of a letdown, too. We'd go out for a romantic dinner and have a nice time but it just never seemed to live up to its press.
And then, came children. I have truly discovered the fun that Valentine's Day can be. This year, it has been wonderful, dreaming up surprises and putting them into action. I think this is a day that Pk will really remember.
It all began last night. I spent some time making Jelly Jiggler hearts but I made them following the "broken glass" jello idea. Mine didn't turn out quite as nicely as I would have like since I melted them too much to get them out of the pan (our sink didn't want to fit the pan that needed to be bathed in water to loosen the jello) but overall, they didn't turn out too badly. The kids will like them. I was so excited to find the idea on a blog since I was having trouble coming up with a great idea to take for the kids at the home daycare Pk attends.
The other big task last night was stringing hearts for Pk's doorway. Fortunately, she is a very deep sleeper and daddy had a good supply of 3M hooks. We had it all ready to go and when she was in a deep sleep, up they went. I was worried but the cat wasn't as tempted as I thought she would be. Pk loved them when she got up this morning. She said they were her vines (and had plans to swing on them!)
Daddy was kind and bought a little stuffed puppy for each of them. Baby Bean was more interested in the bag and the tissue than the puppy but at least daddy can know that he got his money's worth. Pk's puppy was pink so she was thrilled.
Breakfast this morning was pancakes that I made heart shaped with a cookie cutter. They were also a big hit! I wasn't quite sure how they would go over because I make mine with whole wheat flour and while Pk doesn't usually mind, with pancakes that she gets to have at McDonald's once in a while, I wasn't sure how well she would like them. The hearts worked like a charm.
These two cards were made for me by Daddy with input from Pk. That meant a lot to me, as he is generally not very crafty. He did say that getting Pk to compose a message when she had just gotten her ponies (I gather they did this after the scavenger hunt the other day) was a challenge and she was much more interested in talking about what she loved about her ponies than what she loves about her mommy. Daddy also had a hard time finding pics of me with the kids, he said. I guess my sensitivity about post-baby weight is making me avoid the camera. Time to do something about that, I guess.
I'll treasure these cards forever and the memories that go along with them. I am a very lucky woman.
We got together cards for classmates and cookies for teachers, but didn't have grand plans for kids or each other. I picked up a Starbucks card with hearts on it for Misterpie, since that is an indulgence he loves, and had picked up things at conferecnes the last two weeks for kids, but not specifically with Valentine's Day in mind. He threw together a pair of chocolate bars and cards and picked me up from work with the kids, but overall, the day was too long to do stuff, and I didn't think I was going to see them before bed, so I wasn't worried about it. We had a nice weekend together, which was the best part.
ReplyDeleteOf course, i gave The Bun his little gift - a stuffed llama from the Llama Llama books, which I thought he'd love, since he loves the books - and he pronounced it scary and handed it back to me.
I'll put a few chocolate kisses in Pumpkinpie's backpack for bonus snack treat tomorrow, too.
the past couple of months have gotten away from me so much, I thought I was being amazing handling 62 child valentines and 7 teacher ones! But you? You are being supermom, as usual.
It's so hard when you are working - normally, it goes by without much notice. With it being Monday, that makes it even harder. Sorry about the llama but I can relate - Pk announced that the jello was "disgusting" (although her sitter said that the other kids loved it).
ReplyDeleteYou spoil everyone so much, I don't think that V day would need to be a big deal.
62 Valentines? That would have taken a while!