Valentine's and a little christmas card rant!

Well Valentine's day this year is drawing to an end....

I remember past February 14th's (before children) where we would make a big deal about the day...cards and gifts to each other (nothing ever extravagant but thoughtful nonetheless) and always a romantic meal out if not on the day itself, then on the nearest weekend night to it.  There was usually a new dress for this occasion or sexy underwear, but i'll spare you the details!

Then somewhere along the line, all this changed...money was an issue..i remember us making the "no gifts" rule..just cards and a meal out, then when Avie came along, it became a takeaway or special home cooked meal (normally cooked by Bryn!)  I also remember when we got to the stage where Avie was making our cards to each other!

And then since last year (or even the year before?) we made this pact not to do cards. 
I don't really agree with cards anyway, unless they are handmade and some thought has gone into them. 
I love the thought behind cards for telling someone you are thinking of them or marking a special date or achievement but i hate just sending them for the sake of it. 
Christmas cards bug me...unless they include a "catch up" paragraph that someone has spent time in writing or a 'round robin' christmas letter or even a photo of their children.  What really annoys me is the countless cards that just have

To....
Happy Christmas
From...

or those that don't even write your name...hmph!  What a waste of money!

(Sorry, rant over)  

We also stopped the takeaways and decided to always do a special meal in the evening..it would involve a lovely main course, a huge calorie laden pudding and wine.

That is until this year...yes this year we are on a diet (hmph!) and taking it really seriously, so not letting ourselves fall off the wagon midweek...so we are waiting till the weekend to have our 'special' meal.

So apart from saying "Happy Valentines Day" to each other this morning (*ahem* when prompted by Avie *ahem* oops!) today we have not celebrated valentines at all.  It feels a bit sad to be honest.  I agree with all those who say that we don't need a day where we need to feel that we should show our love for each other...we can do it all year round...BUT...I kind of miss celebrating it!

So, next year I'm making a new rule...that we celebrate this day of declaring our love for each other, but we will include the girls and let them do fun valentines related baking and crafting in the days leading up to the day!  Heck I may even been a whizz on my new sewing machine (which hasn't come out of the box yet since christmas) and whip up a heart garland too!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY