Some Valentines, some odds and ends, and a cat

I love Valentine's Day, and in the same breath, Valentine's Day makes me crazy ( a self-imposed crazy, though, in all honesty).Still, Garrett and I had fun making his monster valentine container this year. I thought it was the coolest thing ever until I was at his class party and saw the Lego Ninjago container that could have been on display in the Valentine Container Museum (if there were such a thing) because it was so cool. Still, we liked our monster, even if he did end up missing a few teeth after eating so many valentines.

There are two main reasons why I make myself crazy on Valentine's Day:

1. The children and I always MAKE our own valentines instead of just buying packaged ones at the store. In my (somewhat delusional) mind, it's going to be this fun, wonderful bonding activity  but what it actually turns out to be is added stress and cost when I should have just learned to be happy with a box of Powerangers for $3.98. Although I do have to admit that Garrett's Star Wars valentines were pretty awesome this year.  I liked Cassidy's as well:

2. The second reason I make myself crazy on Valentine's is that I feel like I have to think of this most wonderful, meaningful gift for Rich (and him for me) that sums up our loving, eternal relationship and will be meaningful and romantic and perfect. Really? How do you sum up a relationship in a gift? How do you express your extreme gratitude and love for a person who has seen you through thick and thin and still continues to love and support you even though your mind is delusional, your expectations about life completely unrealistic, and although well-meaning, you're just a little bit weird? 

That being said, on Valentine morning I found a pink gift bag filled with treats I love and a simple card that said all the right words and eased my self-doubt and made me feel beautiful and loved and it was the perfect gift. I, in turn, gave Rich a solar-powered cell phone charger. It screams romance, does it not? He loved it.

This is a valentine tradition at our house (and by tradition I mean I found it on Pinterest last year and managed to do it this year as well so that makes it a tradition). I have a pill box for each of the kids and Rich and for each day of the week leading up to Val Day I put a small treat inside with a slip of paper saying what I love about them. I hope the papers actually get read.

Garrett made this ceramic frame in art at school. My favorite part is the self portrait. I love art projects. I remember when I was in art in 6th grade and I sculpted this small statue of a women and it was the most horrific thing ever sculpted in the history of sculpting and I was so embarrassed by how horrible it looked. My mom kept it on a shelf for years, even when I begged her to throw it away. She loved it and thought it was wonderful. At least Garrett's truly is wonderful. I wonder which shelf I will keep it on for years?

The next topic I want to cover is parenting. Ahh, parenting!! The most challenging and wonderful and challenging thing I've ever done and ever will do. And it's challenging. I think about it all the time, how to improve and well, mostly how to improve. I watch others and try to copy those in my circle whom I admire so much. I read articles and books and search the internet. I pray and study. And still, dear children, you baffle me, even as I love you so much it hurts. If I could write a letter to my children and have them really understand me, this is what I would say:

Dear Children---I love you. Stop fighting against me so much. Stop fighting against each other. I want so much to teach you to be kind and honest, to love others and yourself, to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and a million other things that will help you to be successful and happy. Please listen to me. I've got your back. I'm on your side. This is not my first rodeo. Just trust me. Screen time is great and all, but there are other things that can be more fulfilling. I know your friends are smart and all, but what they think really doesn't matter as much as you think it does.  Your siblings could be your best ally if you would just show them a little tiny kindness every once in a while. Even though we are not rich or cool or important or live in a big house, our family is cool in its own way, and I wish you could see and feel that.As your parents we would do anything and everything  to help you in any way you needed, no matter what you do or where you go in life.

Help around the house when asked. Be kind to your siblings. Give your mom a hug and say thank you. See your Dad as the hard working, great guy he is, and know that both  your Dad and I are also learning and growing and trying and are bound to make mistakes. Center your life around the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and everything else will fall into place. Oh, and keep your room clean, and it wouldn't hurt to brush your teeth a little better, either.

Love, Mom

Do you have a Sam? Everyone needs a Sam, but I'm not sharing. I love him too much.

And for the final picture in this crazy rambling blog post, our cat, Tyler. I put the kitchen chairs on top of the kitchen table to mop the kitchen floor, and he made himself quite at home.