This year's Valentine's Day shirt was based on our new favorite character from
this movie.
I've probably mentioned that I make the kids t-shirts every year. Others have been more classically romantic. . .
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| This one, made with an old-lace napkin. (Me, choked up over that little Ben face? Don't be silly!) |
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| Or this, made by painting over a doily (see link below). |
And every year I feed them yogurt with a heart of raspberries arranged on it.
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| So Birdy was just little then. Who even cares? [sob] |
And I make the table super-fancy. Or as super-fancy as one can get without remembering if there is an iron, and where it might be.
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| The bad photo quality might make this look depressingly like your grandma's tenement-era apartment. |
And I make some sort of a treat.
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| I have no feelings about this face whatsoever. [sob] |
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| Nothing says "I love you" like root vegetables! |
Valentine's Day is my number-one favorite holiday of the year! It is possibly the only holiday that never, ever results in me tantruming around the house referring to such things as "the fucking turkey" (as in "Maybe next year
you can stick your hand inside the fucking turkey.") or "the fucking teacher gifts" or "the fucking snowflake garland that I have now sewn my sleeve into" or "the fucking oven mitt that is on fire, you asshole." In fact, it could be that I have never once cursed with respect to Valentine's Day! Although, having said that, I admit that it's unlikely to be true.
If you need a quick last minute idea, I've got loads scattered around the internet! Try one of these:
- For truly quick and lovely doily-print t-shirts, click here.
- For PBJ thumbprint heart cookies, click here.
- For our romantic musings on paint colors, click here. (warning: not a useful idea!)
- For my fancy doily-patterned cake, click here.
- For little kids, a Valentine lacing card here.
- For a romantic heart-beet salad, click here.
- And for the oldy-but-goody of Birdy's preschool cards, click here. (warning: not a useful idea!)
Happy Valentine's Day, my sweethearts.
xo
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That movie is, bar none, the best thing I have ever seen on youtube. And I've seen A LOT of awesome cat videos, baby videos, etc. But Poop Flies is the new gold standard.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE and laughed at your photo captions. one of my boys just came across a video camera and tapes that his older brother had used some years back, mostly to run around the house as a spy catching his siblings in their daily naughties. It was a big AWWWWWW-fest over those little faces and voices. Even had this quote to replay: "No, I have to PEEEEE." will littlest sister ever live it down?
ReplyDeleteCrying laughing: "Maybe next year you can stick your hand inside the fucking turkey." And I'm a vegetarian!
ReplyDeleteI haven't even clicked on the link to the post about Birdy's amazing preschool Valentines with your wonderful commentary, and I'm already laughing in anticipation. I'm going to save it to read as a reward later when I finish grading a batch of papers.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, I LOVE YOU! Seriously. The fucking turkey had me on the floor laughing. Valentine's Day is my favorite too. I have known for years you were a kindred spirit. Happy Day!
ReplyDeleteI made painted doily jeans after I saw them in Seventeen magazine! And wore them to high school! And got compliments on them! What nice friends I had.
ReplyDeleteI, too, love Valentine's day with kids.
Huh. I do not love Valentines day. In fact, I hate it. I hate that my children spend a bunch of time writing out valentines that will immediately be shorn of their "treat/eraser/pencil/tattoo/sticker" and put in the trash. (I know they will, because this is what you do with Valentines in today's disposable age) and I hate the waste, and frankly, I hate the candy- another candy holiday - dear heavens the sugary onslaught of junk (and it's not even GOOD candy most of the time #chalkheartofblech). I hate the effort to make Valentine boxes that are never satisfactory resemblances to the "big idea". ALSO - I am EXTREMELY resentful that our school still celebrates Valentines Day but cast aside Halloween (my personal favorite) as "no longer meeting the diversity objectives of our school community". What the what?! HOWEVER: my husband is making steak for dinner, and my children will give me extra hugs and loves, and maybe we'll watch the Charlie Brown valentine special on Netflix.....so maybe I need to just find a way to make Valentines a holiday that I enjoy.....I'll let you know how it goes......
ReplyDeleteOh dear elsiroomom-
DeleteI am so sorry for all of that. I don't know you, but think you need a hug. How could they give up Halloween (obviously pagan) and still keep Valentines (obviously Hallmark)
But how can V Day be your favorite holiday? Haven't you ever, you know... hurt your own feelings, as you like to say, over blighted expectations that you may have harbored re: gifts or gestures from your current boyfriend/lover/spouse?
ReplyDeleteI myself am of course above such things, but just wondering if you silly sentimental types ever experienced this. :)
I love Valentine's Day, too. I think I liked it EVEN BETTER when I wasn't married, so I could do a lot of READING INTO everything!
ReplyDeleteI did have one year of swearing on Valentine's Day: I tried to make heart-shaped pancakes. Oh my dear. Now I do Hershey Kisses and so forth. I like the yogurt-and-raspberries idea; I think I could manage that without swearing.
OMG, totally remember Birdy's preschool valentine cards.... :)
ReplyDeleteCrying and laughing here too!! You crack me up.
ReplyDeleteUnbored was the non-candy treat for our kids this vday. Thanks Catherine for the suggestion. Our daughter is already planning an ambush for her brother. :)
I'm glad I'm not the only sweet, sentimental, loving mom who screams the F-word an unreasonable number of times on high holy days.
ReplyDeleteValentine's day here was a whole lot of grumping by my tween who thought we had totally forgotten the holiday (the thing was supposed to be a SURPRISE my sweet, darling angel) and I had to take her privately into another room to tell her we were doing something after all... before I screamed at her to stop being a moody witch and ruined the whole thing before it started.
ReplyDeleteAnd dear husband handed out bags of peanut MnMs to me and the kids directly from the plastic drug store bag that he picked up on the way home from work. Nothing says "I love you" more than that, right? But I didn't strangle him. Instead I ordered my own gourmet cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries and chose to focus on his wonderful strengths - holidays and romance are not his forte, obviously.
And well, the Hallmark idea is no more real than the airbrushed supermodel's plastic face and photoshopped thighs. Chuck those expectations and life looks pretty sweet, you know? Because it WAS a good day in the end, with the surprise with the kids and the cuddling on the couch planning our "sweet 16" anniversary honeymoon for next year with my guy.
Happy V'day, y'all.
I almost hate to disrupt the appropriately numbered fourteen replies preceding mine, but: Ben! Tell Ben the video is awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Hilariously conceived and perfectly executed.
ReplyDeleteOne of the only things that eases my own sobs at the thought my little ones getting bigger (so fast!) is the hope that they'll grow up to be as funny and creative and cool as yours. I can only pray that claymation videos of poop (or some such) will be in my future too!
Thanks for sharing, as always... Kelda
Just wanted to let you know I made a Valentine Soup inspired by you--steamed beets and potatoes pureed with a bit of salt and topped by a pat of butter cut into a heart. It was delicious, though no one I know believes me. You'd like it though! :)
ReplyDeleteValentine's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays and being reminded that it is thankfully free of fucking turkeys has cemented it in the number one spot. Thanks, Catherine! p.s. love the photojournal of your sweet cherubs!
ReplyDeletejust viewed the"Poop Flies" video. Nice! I recently almost checked out "The Unbored Book". It actually came home in my book bag with all of my other library books, but after a few months of enjoyment I realized that I hadn't returned it. Then I noticed that I didn't receive any delinquency messages. Hmmm. Whoopsy Daisy! I must have walked right through the checkout machine. Perhaps some day I will own it. Until then, I've properly returned it for others to enjoy. I am such a moral person. smugly.
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