Sweetest Valentine Ever

Last year, my essay A Pinterest Perfect Mom, I am Not was included in the humor anthology I Just Want to Pee Alone. The essay was about how the year before I saw this idea on Pinterest about decorating your kids' bedroom doors with hearts filled with sweet saying for Valentine's Day.

I thought it sounded like a fun idea, so late into the night I wrote "You're so good at singing loudly all of Taylor Swift's songs!" and "I love it when you wake-up at 5am! More time to spend together!"

Then even later into the night I taped those hearts all over their doors. And then re-taped them when they fell down, all the time reminding myself that it was going to be worth it - so worth it - when they saw them Valentine's Day morning!

On Valentine's Day morning the children not only did not appreciate my "heart attack," they mocked it. Relentlessly. And then they made fun of all the stupid heart stuff I made them for breakfast.
So last year, when Valentine's Day rolled around, of course I didn't do it again. For breakfast there were no heart shaped potatoes, no eggs in heart shaped bread with a side of heart-shaped strawberries. Sure, there were waffles with red and pink sprinkles - I don't hate happiness, but it wasn't all over the top like the previous year's celebration.

So you can imagine my surprise when the kids asked me "Where are the hearts on our bedroom doors? Where are the heart pancakes?"

"What?" I replied, shocked. "You hated all that! So I didn't do it again... wait, you mean you didn't hate it?'

"No!" The kids screamed, "We loved it!"

Huh. I honestly had no idea.

Then, this year, the greatest thing happened. When I woke-up Valentine's Day morning, the kids had decorated my room with hearts! And Kay even made a scavenger hunt with a different gift waiting for each of us when we reached the end. It was absolutely the best Valentine's Day ever.
Sadly, Dad was away and didn't get to be part of the fun. So Kay made this perfect card for him.

In case you're worried Kay's father is stationed overseas or on an extended archeological dig, he is neither. He is away on a 56 hour business trip, but to Kay, his absence must have seemed much longer.

Next year, I'll have to head back to Pinterest to find something really good for those kids....

Happy Valentine's Day!