my funny valentine's

A little over a week ago was Valentine's Day...
A day of hell and frustration and extreme parenting challenges and tests of patience  LOVE.
Right?
I got my husband some of my favorite roses...orange-y pink ones. I actually designed our wedding flowers with those in mind. Maybe it is because my mom was a florist for awhile, but I am very into the meaning behind the flowers you choose. Orange roses signify passion in love. Some people do not find this important in love....but I am not some people.
Call it unrealistic, but I believe that you CAN have it all in love. You can have passion, friendship, fun, and lifestyle compatibility all with one person. I know this with certainty. At least, I am capable of it, and I would never want to settle for less.
I also put oriental lilies in his bouquet, too. Mostly because I like them :-) Oriental lilies stand for innocence and beauty. Passion, innocence, and beauty, sounds pretty good right?
(In case anyone is curious, Jeff got me red roses. He's very traditional)

We also celebrated with wine (just a little for me), chocolate covered strawberries, and a night of passion hahaha. It was pretty fun. and then I woke up to THIS:

 

Ok, so blogger turned it sideways, but you might be able to tell that there you have a bunch of rose petals, mixed with lucky charms, onions, garlic, and yogurt. In the far corner of the picture you can make out a stirring utensil.

When I asked my darling little one why she destroyed my flowers, her answer was simple:

"I was making a recipe."

Huh.

I then spent 2 hours picking lucky charms out of the carpet since I didn't want to clog up the vacuum too badly. While I was cleaning up this mess, I contemplated the meaning behind this recipe.

Garlic + onions = Spicy, when combined with red and orange roses means a spicy, hot love affair. Lucky charms? Wellll...some might say I have been lucky. Charmed, maybe. It's not that I don't realize that, when I step back and look at it from the outside...but it gets foggier, more difficult to see, when you're in the middle of it. When you're cleaning up messes and wiping snot and changing diapers and soothing shrieking kids and refereeing fights between children and trying to make time for romance with the husband and working a demanding job and driving kids to daycare and preschool and about a million other things that all are oh so important. However, V Day is a day for me to remember that my relationship with my kids must not always come first. I am more than a mom, I am also a wife, a friend, and a confidant. My kids need my love and support, but they do not always need to feel like they are placed above everyone else. I think one important thing you can do for your children is to teach them that they are not the center of the universe, and other people need mom's love and attention too.

And I think that it is most important to take time out to care for your own wants, needs, and desires. I think kids will be ok....so long as their parents are happy. We can mess up over and over, but if we love our kids, and ourselves, and don't sacrifice our own happiness, everyone will be ok.