I have a secret: I love Valentines Day. I have for the last 11 years. The reason I love Valentines day is mostly that I love Love LOVE my Valentine!
I remember being in middle school and the beginning of high school and feeling SO sad when the girls with "boyfriends" got flowers, candy and stuffed animals and I didn't. One year, a guy who was a friend of mine brought in Oreos and we celebrated by attempting to eat the whole pack (um, gross). I was never a very big fan of the "Hallmark holiday" until I was a 15 year old junior in high school and I had a boyfriend of my own. Finally, I got to celebrate too. And we've celebrated together every single year since. He's my forever Valentines.
I'll stop with the mushy, lest you get sick and not make it to the end of the post. Each year on this day, people feel the need to express their opinions about Valentine's Day. Facebook is full of pictures of flowers, candy and cards, along with gripes and complaints about this "fake" holiday. One of the things I've read a lot, from both singles and people in relationships, is the complaint that this is just a stupid, made up, Hallmark holiday that is all about consumerism and materialism. My friends, it DOESN'T have to be.
My day has been amazing. It started with a scrumptious breakfast in bed. The hubs whipped up some delicious scrambled eggs, complete with cheese and yummy veggies. He also toasted a whole grain english muffin, and made scrumptious cinnamon apples. I enjoyed breakfast, we spent a bit of time together, and then we were off - me to a playdate, and him to class.
However, it appears as though, in between classes, he decided to do a little cleaning in the apartment. We didn't quite get all the toys picked up in Eli's room yesterday (or the books he'd pulled down for the 15068th time), but when I came home, the room was spotless, a Valentines Day board book (that Eli had been given last year) sitting in the rocking chair. All the breakfast mess was cleaned up (we had both left it because we had places to be this morning), and the apartment looked great. Yesterday, when talking about what I'd done in the house he asked "so what chores do you have left for the week?" - vacuuming and moping the kitchen were the only two left - and he did both!! So, instead of coming home to a chore list, I fed Eli lunch, had a meal of my own, put him down for a nap, and have been able to relax ever since, enjoying neat and tidy surroundings.
The rest of our day will most likely be pretty casual. We'll enjoy a yummy meal at home (he's making steaks on the grill and I'll bake potatoes and make a salad). We won't get each other cards, but will write in our "letter notebooks" (We made notebooks and we write notes to each other in them for holidays, anniversaries, just because - that way we have all the sweet notes in one place, instead of in a million cards. The messages come 100% from the other person, not Hallmark, and we don't have cost of cards. A good idea, if I do say so myself). We won't give gifts (other than the small thing of chocolate I did buy him), but will enjoy time spent together. It's already been, and I'm sure it will continue to be a great day.
I love Valentines Day because of who I spend it with, and because we go out of our way to make each other feel loved. But not just one day a year. He makes "Saturday breakfast" almost every week with Eli in the carrier or on the floor so that I can have a relaxed morning. I go through the Chic Fil A drive through sometimes and get him a chocolate chip cookie because they are his favorite. He surprises me now and then by doing one of the "chores" that I'm typically responsible for. I pack his lunch daily and sometimes put in a sweet note. We might do a little more on February 14th, but it's not Tiffany's jewelry and an expensive meal. We tend to have low (or no) budget Valentine's Days, and I love them, so much, because of who I get to spend them with.
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