Happy Valentines Day!

 All 60 Valentines done for the kids' class mates.. No you didn't read that wrong I do only have two children in school and yes there are 30 kids a piece in each childs class room

Prezel hug bites!

 



Upon having only one child in school until this year Valetines Day hasn't really had huge impact on my kids, and i usually do what is easiest, buy the candy with the valentine already on it.  However last year was the game changer... Ammon brought home GOBS! and by GOBS I mean GOBS of those stupid dip stick sugar thingys. I must have cleaned up that stupid sugar powder for a least the next week.. Then it hit me.. O wait I only contributed to it! Lame not doing that again.
So I looked up some cute idea's online and low and behold it worked. Now when I say it worked I mean it was a lot more work.  WHEW! However I also decided that this was worth it when I recieved the note home this year that the children would only be writting who it was from and not who it was to because that was much easier for the teacher and prevented anyone from feeling left out either intensionally or un intensionally.  They then proceed to say how all treats needed to be "store bought"
I think most of this is lame.  One I realize that to and from is much harder than the from and much more work on both ends...( although I think more for the parent than the teacher) however that being said what ever happened to teaching our kids good handwritting and helping kids to rememember each others name and so forth? Now, all of this being said Ammon had a really hard time with the treats that we made and kept insisting that it had to be store bought.  I finally asked him three question, Ammon where did we get the prezels? The store.. Ammon where did we get the hershey's hugs?  The store.. Ammon where did we get the M&Ms ? The store... Great glad we cleared that up!
Needless to say all the kids had a blast helping to make these and they did turn out super cute !

Ok end of the day I made Aaron a romantic dinner for  two.  Grilled salmon, asparagus, and mash potatoes. It turned out super yummy! We put the kids to bed and had a late dinner together.. Who says Valentine's day has to be expensive?...
Last tid bit.. All I saw yesterday on Fb was all the stuff moms were doing for their kids and or the stuff that they had gotten for their children everything from shirts to dresses, heart shaped pancakes, the list could go on and on.. Occasionally I would see a post about flowers that had been bought for the wife.  Has the world gone mad with commercialism?? I think so.. By the end of the day my older to children came home from school ( with giant bags full of Candy and other goodies) and asked what had I got them for Valentines Day?  I was a little taken back... Really???  They then proceed to say well so and so's mom got them this or that... And I said ok well we made Valentine's for you and your class mates yesterday.. I think that is more than enough!  I then proceeded to tell them they would be going to bed ontime so that daddy and mommy could have a romantic dinner alone... I hope that in the years to come that I continue to show our children that yes they are very important and in most case their needs come first.. But that mommies and daddies have to also do things to be happy too, and that someday they will do the same on Valentine's day and put their spouse first.. I think we have enough holiday's that revolve around the children.... I love my children dearly and I don't think that because I didn't get them "a Valentine" that makes me a bad mom, or a terrible parent.  I too want my kids to have the best. That does not mean that I have to give them everything. 
Enough said.. Valentine's day was great this year!