Bringing it back old school

Wow...hiatous isn't the word for it.

In light of the upcoming lovefest that is Valentine's Day, I thought I would take a minute and break my word that isn't hiatous.

I am a hapless, hopeless romantic. Two of my most fav movies are When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride. I love long nights of just talking. I love sneaking smooches. I leave my hubby love notes in his lunch box. I draw dirty pictures on the shower door when it's steamy so my hubby can find them and laugh. I feel I need to paint this picture before I lower the blow...

I. HATE. Valentine's Day.

Ok, don't get me wrong, perhaps I've overstated myself. I don't hate the holiday itself, the general principal of an ordinary day set aside to proclaim your love is a wonderful concept. I do adamently hate the commercialism that has engulfed the sweet premice. When ESPN has headlines telling you "how to stay out of the doghouse this Valentine's Day" and then flashing pictures of diamond necklaces and bouquets of flowers that put the Rose Parade to shame, something's wrong.

I despise the principal that states that you have to spend, spend, spend to show how much you love someone. That's the exact thing that I will spend the rest of my life trying to teach my son not to do. Your significant other should know (and so should you) that you are loved every day, not by what you buy them, but by what you show them. A homemade card and cooking their favorite meal; a candlelit dinner after the baby's gone to bed; popping in their favorite movie that you can't stand to watch; doing that thing they like, wearing that thing they like, you know where; these things mean something and *shock* don't cost a thing.

To go a step further, everyday should be Valentine's Day. It's thinking of ways to be thoughtful and to put that someone you love ahead of yourself. You're in a relationship for a reason, (hopefully) not because you have to be, but because you want to be. Let them know that, everyday. Yes, a relationship is work, but it's also FUN. I love spending time with my husband, a luxury we haven't had too much of lately, so when he's home I try to set aside a few hours after the wee one has gone to bed where we can just spend alone time. No talking about work or house stuff, just reconnecting. That's our Valentine's Day, it's every day.

I say we take it back old school. I have such fond memories from grade school making Valentine's cards for all my friends (and the extra special, jumbo one with EXTRA glitter for my crush). I remember delievering the cards to the handmade brown lunch sacks on each of my lucky recipients desks. The chaos as everyone ran from desk to desk delivering their little works of art and high tailing it back to unload their own gems. I remember my mom always having a little box of candy waiting for me when I got home from school. I love that feeling, those memories. I always made sure to make a card for the goofy "outcast" kid who sat in the corner sad because she knew she wasn't going to get any cards because she ate her boogers (Tracy-HA!). I never wanted anyone to feel that way. That's what I want to give to Owen. I want him to know what it's like to make other people happy with just a simple thought.

I propose that this Valentine's Day, instead of fighting awful crowds just to eat cold food and spending a paycheck on a stay-out-of-the-doghouse gift, that we all do something nice for someone that day. Maybe someone we may not otherwise have. Take your mom out to get her hair done, watch that awful movie with your special somebody, make homemade cards with your little ones. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to reclaim this holiday for the future of my child and for everyone. We're going to make brown lunch sack card holders...

On that note, I hope you all (all three of you) have a wonderful day with your spouses and soon-to-be spouses and let them know how much you love them...not just on the 14th, but everyday.