Love Is In The Air...

 

Did Valentine's Day catch you off guard today?

No worries...there's still time to pull it off.   Valentine's Day doesn't have to be about breaking the bank on overpriced flowers, expensive restaurants and rented limousines.  It is a day to celebrate all the special relationships we have in our lives.  Take some time  today and spend some creative energy on some little things that your loved ones will remember for years to come.  We hold love in our hearts rather than our hands, and we see it only when we give it to another.  Simple, heartfelt gestures are the best way to offer the gift of love.

Think presentation...Valentine's day is all about the colors red and pink and hearts and love.  Here is just a small smattering of ideas to get you started:

• Make a home-made card.  As long as you've put in your best effort, I assure you, it will be appreciated.  You don't have to be a poet, there are lots of sites that can provide free poems or just pick a classic.

• Write down 10 things you love about your partner or your child and stick it somewhere they are sure to find it...the bathroom mirror, a coat pocket, the fridge door, their steering wheel, purse or wallet...

• Decorate your home with dollar store finds and lots of red and pink balloons.

• Write an old-fashioned love letter telling them how you feel.   Make sure your words come from your heart.  If this is out of your comfort zone, then the words you do find will mean even more...just go for it.

• Cook a romantic dinner at home.  You don't have to be a master chef or a woman to do this. Stop by the grocery store and buy some pasta, a jar of pasta sauce, some fresh mushrooms, onion, and/or green pepper.  While the pasta is cooking, saute the sliced/chopped vegetables in a little olive oil and garlic and just combine everything together.  Add a loaf of garlic bread and a "salad kit" and you have a complete dinner. 

• Valentine's day is the perfect day for a chocolate fondue.  Cut up fruit (bananas, strawberries, melon...) and store bought pound cake or cookies are great dipped in chocolate.  Use your imagination...anything is better dipped in chocolate...no, I mean it...anything!

• Set the table using a cloth tablecloth and the "good" dishes. Serve your children a pink or red non-alcoholic beverage in a wine glass.  Sprinkle little heart shaped paper cut outs or rose petals around the table and don't forget candles, napkins, a handwritten menu card and their favorite music playing softly in the background.

• Rent or borrow an old romantic film from a friend or the library.  Snuggle up on the sofa and watch it together.  Casablanca is a classic.  Or better yet, watch their favorite movie with them.

• Video yourself using a camera phone or web cam declaring your love and upload it online for free to websites such as You Tube.  then send them a link via email so they can enjoy.
• Hide little notes and candy all around the house and have a valentine's day hunt similar to Easter.
• Make a Family Love Tree.  Cover an empty coffee can with construction paper and let your children decorate it.  Fill the bottom with pebbles, sand or decorative marble and place a small tree branch in the center.  Cut hearts of of construction paper and punch a hole in the top.  After family members take turns writing things that they love about one another on the hearts, string a ribbon through the hole and hang it from the tree.  It is a great reminder of how much everyone in the family is loved.

• If you get in the shower first, write a quick love note in the steamy mirror for them to discover when it's their turn.

• Make a "Cupid's Delight" Cherry Float for dessert...it's just cherry 7-up, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top.  Of course, serve it in the most fanciest glassware that you own.
• Learn to say "I love you" in a dozen or more different languages.

• After dinner, have a family game night.  Pick a classic board game or let your children pick their favorite.
• If you're single, invite all your single friends over and celebrate your friendship.  Plan an evening of chick flicks and cosmopolitans or video games and beer.

• Don't forget all the other relationships in your life...especially those that might be feeling a little lonely because they don't have a special valentine of their own to share the day with...a quick call or visit can mean so much.

And after reading all this, you catch yourself saying that you just don't have the time to do any of this...then maybe that's exactly the point.  Valentine's day is mostly about taking the time to let your loved one's know how much they mean to you, so be sure to make the time.

The whole purpose of work is to be happy at home.  Its by taking advantage of simple occasions like Valentines day that we can strengthen our relationships, create memories, and transform our house into a home.

Happy Valentine's day everyone...be sure to make it a good one!

I'm here for YOU.

~Ciao