Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Measuring Up

It's Valentine's Day. Another holiday, another day for Mothers around the world to use social media to compare themselves to other mothers.  I logged into Facebook this morning and was bombarded with greetings of "Happy Valentine's Day" as I expected as well as threads and photos of all different ways friends have chosen to celebrate their love for loved ones.  The fancy breakfasts, and gifts and decorations and general overkill that could make a slacker mom like me want to drive off a cliff.

We don't overdo Valentine's Day in my house. I get the kid's a bit of candy and a small gift. This year it's a special book they each wanted and a box of airheads for each. It's not Christmas for chrissake. I try and let them know I love them all year long so overloading them with red stuff on one day isn't going to change that. The man and I don't even exchange cards anymore. It's a waste to us. Sometimes one of us may surprise the other with a card or something dumb.. but it's rare, and it usually pisses the other off.

So when I see all the hoopla out there I wonder if I am robbing my children of something they need.  Will they be crying to a therapist in a few years that the reason they started those fires is because Mom never made them pink heart shaped pancakes? Am I supposed to add mores duties to my already exhaustive workload ?  I'm thinking that's a no. They haven't complained about not getting these things. As a matter of fact, if I put pink pancakes in front of them they may refuse to eat them. Because they are different. That would be my luck. I get up at 5am, make the damn pancakes and they refuse to eat them. Then I flip the hell out and there goes the happy -Happy Valentine's Day. Screw that.. they can eat Mini Bites Muffins or some cereal and we can continue our regular day. We'll all be much happier and I'll continue to get my much needed sleep.

I'm headed over to school this afternoon to help out in the boys class for the 1st time in 3 years. yeah .. I know.. I told you I'm a slacker mom.  It's a surprise.  I'm excited and I hope he will be too. Tonight we'll have red sauce in our baked ziti (that I didn't even make.. cause I'm a slacker.. my Sister in law had an extra tray)  and they'll get their books and candy. And we'll have our Valentine's Day the same way we do most years, together. Because that's what counts right ?

1 comment:

Michele Bridgeman said...

Well, I had this fantastic post typed out and google decided that it wasn't worthy of print. Translation - I couldn't remember my password!!! UGH

Anyway, what I was sayin' was:

There were no pink pancakes here either. Technically I have more time to do these sort of things since I only work 3 days per week, have a 15 minute commute and only have 1 (maybe 2) child. You can feel the love 364 other days out of the year (365 this year, actually) and stress out the other 1??? I don't think so!!!!

I also did Evan's school party - only because I had to call off work to go to an emergent GYN appt, or I would have had to send 3 boxes of Capri Suns, party favors and the word search packet that I created for the class, AND plates and napkins with Evan on the bus to school from Kindercare. Good times. So, thankfully I went and got to spend time with my Monkey and 21 of his closest friends.

Evan got a card, two heart-shaped cookies from Wegman's and a shaker of Rivets from Philly Pretzel Company. Mike got a bag of pretzels and a card. We did have a pretty decent dinner - mostly courtesy of Wegman's pre-prepped foods: NY Strip (the grill died 10 minutes or so into cooking and had to be finished (and rubberized) in the oven), shrimp cocktail (for me), oven roasted potatoes (that Mike looked at in the oven and said to himself, "They look like they're burning." and shut the door and let them cook for another 10 minutes), pre-cooked harvest blend veggies and string beans and a loaf of mini-Italian bread. And we had to shove that all in and head out to TKD at 630.

All in all, not a bad day...but extra stress that I did not need!!!