J and I joke all the time about experiencing deja vu.
We love our lives.
But sometimes it seems like we're just repeating the same day over and over.
Wake up. Get self ready.
Drink coffee. Read Bible.
Get kids up. Get kids ready.
Feed kids.
Take kids to day care.
Go to work. Teach.
Pick kids up from day care.
Come home.
Make supper. Eat supper.
Clean up.
Baths. Pajamas.
Play. Stories.
Prayers. Bed.
Repeat again tomorrow.
Don't get me wrong. We know that routine is good for our kids and we like coming home to the same house, same girls, same kitchen table.
However, in our quest to provide a stable, predictable pattern for our children, we often lament the absence of spontaneity that we used to enjoy.
So, I've been trying to think outside the box and bring a little spice...pizazz...to the everyday stuff.
I got real wild and crazy and declared a picnic on the living room floor for Valentine's Day.
As I was preparing the meal, I got all nostaligic thinking about the heart-shaped homemade pizzas my mom used to make on Valentine's Day. And how my brother and I secretly wished that we could just get Dominos instead.
But now I realize how important that was.
How my mom was probably dog-tired after teaching all day, but shaped those crusts into hearts because there was a memory to be made. I would not remember Dominos. But I remember the heart--shaped homemade goodness. And I want my girls to have those same memories. Of growing up in a home where people value you enough to do a little extra.
Which is why I decided last minute to make some quick and easy napkin holders, put a candle in the middle and top it off with wine glasses.
A quick trip to the grocery store landed us some sparkling grape juice and all the fixin's for a romantic Valentine's Day supper on the living room floor.
These guests got a special invitation to join us...
These guests got a special invitation to join us...
J grilled the hamburgers.
Peach and I made these yummy desserts.
We had presents and chocolate and wine (sort-of)...the perfect recipe for Valentine's Day if you ask me.
It was special because it was out of the ordinary.
Sure, J and I could have spent money on a babysitter and a restaurant, but who needs that when you've got two bundles of love and an old quilt calling your name?
Not me.
There will be plenty of time for dinner for two once these little petunias are grown and gone.
Today we broke out of our ordinary mold and did something special.
And, yes, we let her drink sparkling grape juice from a wine glass.
Because we've decided that if needed, carpet can be cleaned.
Wine glasses can be replaced.
Quilts can be washed.
But opportunities to do something memorable...
...well, if you don't snatch them up, you just never know how long you might have to wait for them to come around again.
It was a glorious picnic.
Just different enough to be memorable.
While still maintaining the after-supper bath and story-time routines.
One of those things she'll treasure not because it cost a lot of money, but because it was intentional and spontaneous all at the same time.
J gets creativity points for thinking up our after-supper activity.
Peach is really into the book Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss.
We've read it dozens of times, but each time she scans the pages carefully to find each "wacky" thing.
In her Highlights High Five magazine, there are silly pictures that she enjoys searching through as well, laughing at each out-of-place item.
So, J took the special level one notch higher and staged eight "wacky" things around the house. She ate it up! Running from room to room and labeling each silly thing with a Valentine heart to prove that she found it.
The first was a dining room chair in Tulip's crib.
Followed by a mitten on the TV...
...boot on the deck door...
...and Tom and Jerry in the refrigerator!
Today was out of the ordinary.
Special.
And while it took a little extra effort, I'm excited for the next opportunity to spice things up around here.
Happy Valentine's Day.
