All You Need is Love...

I love, love Valentine's Day...  Yes, it is a manufactured holiday I know, but I love how excited kids get on this day.  I loved Valentine's Day growing up.  Special sweet treats from Mom, trading silly, cheap cards with classmates, having the much anticipated party fueled with Capri-Suns and kid-crack, getting out of doing boring school work, and the ever-so-popular construction of the VDay box the week before February 14th...

I remember one year when I was in intermediate school there was a contest for the most creative Valentine's Day Box!  I was super stoked...  So Mom and I slaved over the box and I was ecstatic to lug it up to school to be judged!  I knew I had this one in the bag...  

This was a WINNER...

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was a good, ol stick of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum.  Made out of cardboard, green butcher paper and foil.  It was perfection.  (Wish I had a picture of it!)  And yes, the directions for the contest said that the box must be "KID MADE"....  And who are we kidding, Sharon did the whole darn thing.  I am sure I didn't even touch the box.  Except for when I boldly strutted through the doors of West Central Intermediate School, carrying the winning box.  It looked as though an adult constructed the clever piece of gum, but who would even notice?

Well, someone definitely noticed.  I am pretty sure mine got disqualified and/or it didn't even PLACE!  Talk about mega tears flowing and one heart-broken 10 year old.  I am sure that some junky, crappy cereal box with every word misspelled on the front won...  

Lesson learned....  When all else fails, follow the directions.

Maybe I say this because I will not be at school on Valentine's Day this year...  Kids go crazy for this holiday.  Kid crack is what I call Valentine candy.  It's like nothing you have ever seen...

 I love this pic of my desk last year...  My body is thanking me that I am NOT there this year.

 Since I will not be in attendance this Valentine's, I made gift sacks complete with sugar and a picture of Ledger with a hand written note on the back from L to each of my students!  I am sure they will get a kick out of those...

 I love when you bring the most adorable outfit home, wash it and then notice IT'S MISSPELLED!  Sigh...  Thanks Target:(

I love this little Valentine and hashtag...

("Really Mom...  This is so dumb.")

I love this 5 hour birthday gift. The.best.Saturday.ever...

I love taking a nap with this 8 lb., sweltering blanket on top of me...

I love the way my husband swaddles.  Hey - whatever works...

 I love being able to drop by and see Daddy whenever we want!

I love when we have visitors.  Brad's Aunt Carla was driving through LA headed to North Carolina!  Ledger loved his Auntie Carla...

I love when he naps for over two hours in his carseat in the car (you must look close).  I was NOT about to move the child.  Like I said, whatever works for mommy's sanity!

Most importantly, I love being a mommy (even through all the tears (mine) and sleepless nights:)

And I love the fact that it is not even 11:00 am, and I have been peed on twice, pooped on once, and changed someone's clothes three times already today.  Awesome....

Happy Valentine's Day Friends!

Love,

~H