Happy Valentine’s Day! Or Happy Friday! I have to say that while I’m not one of those v-day haters, this isn’t my favorite holiday. If ever there was day that shows the destructive power of expectations, then this is it. BUT – there are ways to make it fun! Check out my ideas and I’m hoping you’ll fill in #10 for me by telling me what sweet, funny, kind thing you are doing for someone today! (Or even not doing!)
10 Sneaky Nice Things To Do For Your Valentine
1. Put a small plastic toy in their cereal box. Remember how much you loved those things when you were a kid? Sure you could have bought it for 25 cents at the store and saved the mess but how fun was the surprise of watching a mini stamp set with dried-out ink plop into your pink milk?
Spock pointing a gun at me is definitely the first thing I want to see in the morning. But don’t worry, you get a free badge.
2. Dip something in chocolate. Convention tells us that to be truly romantic you need to dip strawberries in chocolate – because romance is tasteless out-of-season fruit. Think outside the box and try dipping other stuff, like celery. Celery is a delightful cold-weather veggie. Worried about taste? Chocolate makes everything better! Other cold-weather staples to consider: Broccoli, spinach (think of the anti-oxidant double whammy!) and bratwurst. Be sure to leave whatever it is on their pillow.
Better yet, make it a guessing game! Which one is the knob from the dishwasher?? (Love this box from Blue Kale Road.)
3. Make their bed. Is it your bed too? Leave your side unmade to show you’re only thinking of their comfort today.
4. No spoilers! Promise not to watch the Olympics without them OR look up the results online and tell them who won/lost.
I just wanted an excuse to post this pic. A) Because that hot pink catsuit is the best Olympic skating costume ever and B) I think he’s twirling his mustache. I hope they win all the golds. Even those in Curling.
5. Make an honest coupon book. My kids love doing this one for me. Which is super sweet, except that they always write stuff they’ll never actually do. (“I’ll clean the whole house!” “I won’t fight with my brother for a three days!” and “I’ll make you a gourmet dinner” all translate to: “I’m going to be a fiction writer when I grow up!” Which, of course, I’d be the proudest mama ever on the front-row of their book signings.) So write things you actually have the time and energy to do. Example: “I’ll put away the clean cups, plates and silverware from the dishwasher – I don’t know where the other ‘weird’ stuff goes.” “I’ll clean and change the oil in your car… by taking it to a professional.” “I’ll give you a foot rub on your right foot before I fall asleep. The next night I’ll do your left.”
6. Buy two boxes of chocolates. That way you can give your Love one and honestly promise not to eat any of theirs because you have your own!
Or this will do.
7. Give/make them a squatty potty. Nothing says “I love you” like “I care deeply about your bowels and want you to never experience the prickling joy of hemorrhoids.” Pretty sure there’s a Hallmark card for this and everything. Seriously, just stick it by the toilet, draw feet on it and they’ll figure it out! Bonus points for putting a copy of their fave magazine in there too. (Seriously though, I love that thing so much that my husband and I ditched the laundry basket and got us the real deal!)
First, those are chocolate bars so stop freaking out. Second, this is an actual still from the infomercial. Third, this only makes me love them more.
8. Warm socks. Seriously, with the winter we’re all having this is the sexiest item of clothing ever.
8. Write him or her a note, telling them five things you love about them or share what your remember about the first time you met them or your favorite memory with them that makes you laugh. No seriously, you should do this one.
Here’s my #1 for my hubby… (Seriously though parenting advice #1: If you can’t laugh at your kids then why did you have them??)
P.S. Or you could still enter my Target $1000 gift card giveaway! That would buy some pretty sweet lingerie (footie pajamas that look like sock monkeys totally count, right?)
Got a favorite Valentine’s day item to add to my list?
This is always a special day for me regardless of whether or not I personally have a Valentine this time or not.
First: It’s my Mom and Dad’s Anniversary! How cool is that? (And my Dad never forgets because of all the Valentine’s displays that go up in all the stores so long beforehand.) So I always also Valentines’ Day as an essential ingredient to facilitate my existence.
Second: I am a sappy romantic. PROBABLY the sappiest romantic you will ever meet.
Even with no romance for myself on the plate, I just get swept up in the romance of it all.
I celebrate the romance of others.
It makes me giddy. Truly.
I happily anticipate romance for myself again…and my mind and my heart fill with the wonders of that.
(And when I conquer my wussiness/terror of dating it will be a banner day)
In times past I have sang and played guitar as I know MANY romantic songs/show tunes/Elvis movie music (even obscure ones).
And evening of dancing has been involved, exotic restaurants, I have read poetry, written poetry, written songs, cooked meals (all three for the day) done the housework, drawn a bath, given foot massages, read to my valentine from her favorite novel, gone to romantic movies, had dinner in unique and interesting places (a place in the rafters for lighting during a play), gone to ballets, gone to symphonies and recited monologues from plays and decked us both out in full costume. I have drawn pictures.
And chocolates and flowers.
But I cannot tell what I will do with my next Valentine…because I need to know her and gear everything toward HER, specifically.
And getting to KNOW her will be the most romantic thing for me.
It will be exciting to hear everything she thinks.
<3
Aww! Thanks!
(I was thinking earlier of how cool a Valentine’s date in Disneyland would be! All day – all evening! A meal at the Blue Bayou! But again, I will have to check with her. *grins*)
Love these!
My son has the day off from school (my daughter’s class is going to the bouncy castle, how cool is THAT?!?!?!), and he’s sitting in his room, singing.
That’s pretty much the best Valentine ever. 🙂
*grins* I can truly understand that sentiment!
And a very Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
(And everyone else reading this blog today…including the one who wrote it! Happy Valentine’s Day Charlotte!)
OK, thank you for the squatty potty picture explanation, as I almost lost my breakfast until you cleared that up.
Great list, and love the reminder that it’s the little, real-life things that are meaningful to let someone you know you care. Not the commercially-driven “mandatory” gestures.
And Happy Valentines Day to Darwin, good luck finding the woman of your dreams!
Thank-you so VERY much! !
Of course the first step is for me not to run screaming from a potential relationship.
I was once attacked by a pack of wolves.
All. Night. Long.
The thought of dating often makes me nostalgic for the night.
But I am making progress. A lady said “hi” to me the other day.
I said “hi” back.
*grins*
And of course Happy Valentines Day to you also!
This post made me laugh – out loud. Thanks for this!
I love putting a card in a place where I know she will find it, but it will be a surprise. By the bathroom mirror, in her luggage, etc.
This year my wife asked to go to lunch with our son – who is now at college about 400 miles away. We are packing the car and heading out there this evening. A small price to pay for a Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hee hee, candy as poo! (and of course you’d poo more if all poo was uniform in size like a milky way bar–or are those snickers. See, at first I thought “twix” but they’re too fat to be twix. . .aaaaand, I spent way too much time analyzing poo candy bars).
I made a craft for my sister for v-day. It was a fabric card from her cats. I might have featured cat butts. Ok, it did feature cat butts (complete with wee heart shaped buttons for the bung holes because cats are all about showing you their holes) and puns. I love puns. So does she. And butts. Butts are funny.
I love #8. You have inspired me to give a card to one of my close friends and make her a list of why I love her. Thanks Charlotte!
#3. Totally #3. Lol.
Well for the pet lovers out there, you can’t go wrong with a pet related gift! My husband has done several things for me over the years for Vday, Bdays, Christmas that cost zero money, just a little time. He likes to frame pics of our cats for me. Sometimes he makes a slideshow on the computer of cute pics of our cats, and then sometimes he makes a compilation video of them and we watch it. LOVE when he does that!
“Good for one instance of me fixing your computer without being condescending”. BAHAHAHAHA *deep breath* HAHAHAHA!
That’s the only gift my husband should give me!
I’ve been going Japanese-style for Valentine’s day for the last couple years. That is, I’ve made chocolate for my husband ( and by “made” I mean melted chocolate chips into adorable molds so it looks like I made chocolate). It’s incredibly fun for me and looks impressive and thoughtful to my husband. I honestly think I eat more of it (ok, way more) than he does, but it’s the thought that counts, right?
Our v-day tradition is to pick two nights, and one night I make dinner for him, and the other day, he makes one for me. Tonight, I’m making ravioli, garlic bread, and salad, and tomorrow, he’s grilling steaks, lobster, boiling crap, potatoes, and asparagus. Should be a great weekend, and we don’t have to deal with crowds, reservations, and spend a whole lot of money (I mean, buying the groceries isn’t super cheap, but it’s less than half the price for one nice dinner)!
“boiling crap”. Tee-hee!
Hehe oops! I meant boiling crab. Boiling crap wouldn’t be all that romantic now would it? 🙂
I give each of my daughters a small gift at breakfast (this year it was a new book they’d been wanting). For my husband I learned from a friend how to play cribbage, which he loves! I haven ‘t beaten him yet but maybe that’s also part of his gift???
Your posts, and your blog, just make every day so much better! I love these ideas. Valentine’s Day has always been so special to me, and my boyfriend doesn’t feel the same way. Lucky for me, he understands my love for it and celebrates with me – but just refuses to do it ON Valentine’s day. This means that the days around Valentine’s day have just become equally special.
I love your list!! (Also I gave him a book of coupons last year that I never do..)