Love is in the air (plus the February dinner calendar)

As a kid, I used to wander the Valentine's aisle at Hallmark, coveting the velveteen hearts, hoping as only a child could that my mom would buy me the box of chocolate that was half my size.  I would run my fingers over the ribbon roses that adorned those heart shaped boxes, coo over the kittens that gazed at me with Puss-n-Boots eyes, and imagine who I would give each precious box to if I only could afford to buy each and every chocolate-filled box.

As a teenager, I had a love/hate relationship with Valentine's Day.  I'm sure most teenagers do.  Would I get a fundraiser carnation delivered to me with a note from a loving friend?  Would I ever have a real boyfriend?  I was envious of those girls in love - the ones that would get walked to classes, who would certainly have a date that weekend - the ones whose boyfriends gave them roses (!) at school.

As a newlywed, I liked Valentine's Day.  I liked the excuse to be extra romantic and girly.

As a mom, I've gone back to that tolerate/hate relationship with Valentine's Day.  It's hard to get a sitter.  Every good restaurant is packed.  Meal prices are inflated.  Flower prices are ridiculously inflated, and I still want them anyway, yet hate to part with the money (even though my husband purchases them).  Valentine's Day means that since my sweet husband stops to pick up flowers, his homecoming gets delayed by anywhere from 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.  And while that might seem whiny, 1/2 hour extra at the end of the day feels like 1/2 day extra. 

Plus, having been married for 20+ years, I don't need a special day to declare my love for my husband. We end almost every phone conversation with, "I love you."  We have date nights one-two times each month.  We have 21 years of relationship to honor our love.  We also have a shared bank account, which neither of us wants to blow for one holiday, especially shortly after Christmas.

My friend, Amy, inspired me to start a new Valentine's Day tradition.  Reading here about her love for this day, I found myself with a renewed desire to not just tolerate, but CELEBRATE this particular holiday... with my husband AND our children.

To that end, I am now the owner of 6 beautiful glittery melamine heart shaped plates (with matching glasses), and I'm actually looking forward to surprising my kids with their Valentine's treats.  In years past, we've given each child a small $1 box of 3-4 assorted chocolates and called it good.  This year, we're starting a new tradition.

Fancy dinner by candlelight with children.
Small boxes of chocolate.
Valentine's bingo.
And most importantly, love letters written to each child.

Inspired by this blog post, Michael and I will begin writing love letters to my children.  We'll share funny moments with them, tell them about their accomplishments, personalities, funny moments, and poignant moments.  We'll focus on what we love most about them...which will hopefully get us through moments like this and this:

A mother's love knows no boundaries...and many baths.

And, tonight (and for the rest of the nights in February), mademoiselle for your dining pleasure here is ze February dinner menu:

As always, feel free to message me for recipes.  Wishing you much love and joy.

Until next time...