It was January. I was exhausted from work, and I started thinking of all the things I needed to plan and have organized for the next few months coming up. One of those being Valentine’s Day. And I started to feel a little resentful because I feel like the last few years I keep seeing more and more ideas of gifts for kids on Valentine’s Day. As though the expectation was shifting that I now had to be prepared to gift them a Valentine’s basket and needed one more holiday to have to buy for and put together.
That’s silly, isn’t it…the way we’re able to compare ourselves to some other’s standard of parenting and motherhood.
So I talked myself out of the need to buy my kids a full blown basket of gifts that would invariably end up broken or not played with. And instead, I’m going simple.
They’re going to get a special breakfast of pancakes with red sprinkles. Sprinkles make everything festive, and little treat bags of X’s and O’s Gummies from their mommy & daddy.
For Valentine’s for school this year, they are taking individually wrapped goldfish snack bags. I made this design to add to the front of them, and printed them on sticker paper.
And our family tradition has always been to make homemade pizzas for Valentine’s Day dinner. Nathan and I have done that for years pre-kids and it’s all the more fun with the kids! Although I do have to buy an extra bag of cheese because the boys do a lot of “taste testing.”
I hope your Valentine’s day is fun, and you’re reminded how much you’re loved!
That sounds perfect and just what we did each year with our kids! I’d make a special breakfast and a special family dinner and (for the few years they were in a traditional school setting) I pulled together non-candy treats just like you did for their friends. Now I skip the special breakfast and dinner and just buy them each one small box of chocolates.
Love that! Less is more. Just a little something to remind them that they’re loved.
Same, no big basket of gifts here. I got them a cake pop from Starbucks to put in their lunch and they got a new themed shirt. Even for school, we just send the cards, as we aren’t allowed to send food to give out to their classmates. Sprinkles make everything festive!
Starbucks cake pops are always a winner! Special and festive!
I completely feel the same way. Everything is so overrated and blown out of proportion
Phew. Glad I’m not the only one!
I love your pizza idea. We have having heart shaped chicken nuggets and Mac and cheese. Im pretty sure as a kid, my brother and I got a candy bar to split 😂I do buy my kids a few things but it’s usually candy, a book and one thing I know they may want or need. Then, we’ll blink and it’s Easter basket time…so I totally know what you mean!
Chicken nuggets and Mac and cheese may still be one of my husband’s most favorite meals. Yum!