I Heart Valentine's?

Valentine's Day in our household has always been a second-tier holiday. I think we put more effort into celebrating St. Patrick's Day than we do in Love Day. (In fact, I know we do. For St. Patrick's Day, we make Guinness stew, dress in green, attend parades, put green food colouring in the mashed potatoes and milk, wear shamrocks--the whole kit 'n kaboodle. What can I say--I'm Irish, love stew, love green and kinda hope to meet a leprechaun one day.)

For me, there is no real prejudice against Valentine's Day. I'm all for telling those around you that you love them or reminding them why they are so special to you, but I'm not really into the whole 'spend money because it shows you care' thing. I don't like the idea of Hubby paying ridiculous sums of money for flowers just because a date on the calendar says he should.

I much prefer getting an unexpected bouquet ''simply because'' or cause ''I saw 'em and thought you'd like 'em.'' That, to me, is true romance. And, the fact that he sometimes gets me green flowers (never roses or carnations, as he knows I'm not fans of them) on St. Patrick's Day shows that he pays attention! ;)

That said, beyond an exchange of actual valentines (cards, I mean--and yes, I have kept every one over the years. I cherish those little things, as you well know!), we don't do anything too special on that day. We don't get all dolled up to go out to candlelit, champagne-and-lobster restaurants or spend boatloads on hotels and couples massages and babysitters for the night. We don't exchange satin-covered candy boxes or shower each other with jewelry or expensive gifts. And we don't--although perhaps we should 'cause this could be fun!--hire troubadours to serenade one another with Shakespearean sonnets.

And it's not to say that we don't deserve or wouldn't appreciate the massages and the night away from the kids--and I'm sure parents everywhere would agree that we could all use more romantic time together--but it's just not our style. Instead, we usually spend the night with a nice, quiet dinner at home, followed by a movie and a bowl of popcorn.

However, when Brooke came into the world, we started the tradition of giving her little treats on Valentine's Day morning. (I'm certain most parents do--I know my mom and dad always did. We'd find new hair elastics and candy jujubes beside our pillows and little packages of conversation or cinnamon hearts beside our cereal bowls. That kinda thing.) I think that's a natural transition for any parent.

We also started decorating the house a little bit. Nothing major--just a few strings of red heart beads and a heart-shaped wall-hanging. As Brooke's interest in arts grew, we started making more and more craft projects--homemade valentines, little mailboxes, paper chains, etc. (Now, Brooke wants to make a project every day...some days have me scouring the Web in search of more preschool-aged craft ideas because I am just tapped. But, that's a post for another day.)

Besides the cards and little treats (which, this year, take the shape of chocolates, bubble bath, a Valentine's Day wood-bead necklace kit and a dollar-store baton for Brooke and heart-printed rubber duckies for Avie), I am trying to come up with something special for the girls to celebrate the holiday.

Hubby is the pancake king. Whenever the Grants are staying over, he likes to whip up a batch of his homemade pancakes, which have evolved over the years into different shapes with whorls of food colouring swirled in for the fun effect. The kids love it.

So, this year, I think we'll make up a batch of pink and red heart-shaped pancakes, which we can doll up with whipped cream and strawberries. (After all, strawberries have a natural 'heart' shape, right?) Since Valentine's Day falls on a Monday--which is often a hellishly chaotic morning--I think we'll make the pancakes the night before, so that all we have to do is heat them up and present them to Brooke and Avie the next morning. B will get such a kick out of it!

I also think we'll have a little Heart Hunt. Just a little game to play. I'll cut out a dozen or so paper hearts and hide them around the house. Maybe after dinner (so Daddy can partake), I'll hand B her little mailbox and send her on her scavenger hunt. Maybe minicupcakes for the game-winning prize?

And, if Sunday turns out to be a great day and the kids are up for it, maybe we'll go for a Valentine's Day skate at the arena or maybe even the Rideau Canal.

I'm always looking for new ideas. So, tell me how are you celebrating Valentine's with the ones you love? Do you make homemade valentines for classmates or family members? Do you decorate heart-shaped cookies with the kids? Do you treat your special someone to breakfast in bed? Or leave love-notes taped to the bathroom mirror or tucked into lunchboxes? Do you take a limo out to go dancing or order in take-out and enjoy a bottle of merlot at home?

Well, anyway you slice it, here's to hoping you have a love-filled weekend!