I can’t believe Valentine’s Day is tomorrow! I feel like we just celebrated Christmas. I guess that’s what happens when you have a newborn; time flies in the blink of an eye!
So here it is, the day before Valentine’s Day, and just like every other year, we’ve got zero plans. That’s exactly how I like it.
If you ask me, I think there is way too much pressure on Valentine’s Day. Why should we wait until one day a year tell someone how much we love and appreciate them? Why not do romantic and thoughtful things all of the time?
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In my opinion, Valentine’s Day is almost like New Year's Eve: way too much hype and emphasis are put on one day, and when all is said and done, you are usually left a little disappointed.
I know, know; I sound like a scrooge. But it’s true. I think Feb. 14 has become highly overrated.
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I haven’t always been so cynical. You see, my father passed away in the very early morning hours of Feb. 15, 1998. I guess that since then, it just hasn’t been the blissful day most other people experience. There seems to be a dark cloud over me during the day and I just don’t feel like getting into the ooh-la-la spirit.
And truth be told, I’m not a hardcore romantic. I’m not a lovey-dove kind of girl; I'm not into PDA or any of that other “mushy love stuff.” I’m kind of a like a guy when it comes to this. I don’t prefer to sit on the same side of the booth as my husband, holding hands, staring longingly into his eyes, whispering sweet nothings. It’s just not me. Don’t get me wrong: I love my husband. I just don’t do the “yucky love stuff.”
I do think that having kids will begin to put a fun spin on Valentine’s Day though, and I am certainly looking forward to that. I have found so many fun ideas on Pinterest that I plan to do with little Ava and Jack (decorating their bedroom doors with homemade valentines, hanging balloons from the ceiling, having heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast, etc.). And next year, Ava will be in preschool (at ), which means we can sit and make valentines for her classmates. I absolutely loved doing that when I was little.
So last week when I mentioned to my husband that the ol’ Hallmark holiday was quickly approaching, I asked if there was anything special that he wanted to do.
"Why don’t we make Valentine’s Day about me this year?" Ken asked.
"What do you mean?" I replied, feeling a little insulted.
"Well, it’s always about you," he said. "I always get you something but I never get stuff."
"Um ... okay?" I said. "But before you go patting yourself on the back for a job well done, I’m usually the one that books the reservation for the dinner that we pay for, and I don’t recall any little blue boxes in recent years’ past."
"Well at least I get you flowers," he countered.
"Yeah well, you got me there," I admitted.
He was right. I never get him anything on Valentine’s Day. (Well I did when we were dating but I can’t recall the last time he received a gift from me.) I expect to be pampered and given flowers, yet I do nothing in return? That doesn’t seem fair. Maybe he does have a point. I can’t believe I am admitting he’s right. Someone must have slipped something in my drink.
So now I have to come up with some grandiose plan for him for Valentine’s Day? Great. I’ll get right on that. I hope he considers hot dogs, mac n’ cheese and cheap wine romantic because that is about all I’ve got up my spit-up-covered sleeve. Lucky for me, that tacky little meal is right up his alley.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all you lovebirds out there!
