not my finest moment

I grew up in a very...how shall I say?...safe house.  Despite having five kids in a ten year span, we didn't break any bones, never jumped from any windows, rarely got cavities, didn't roughhouse really all that often, and most definitely, certainly never broke any windows.

(my husband likes to call us minivan people.  the brat.)

That's why, when I saw my first window broken today, I was absolutely shocked.  I never imagined that a window pane was really so thin, so fragile...so, well, breakable.

You know what's even more shocking?

I broke it.

Me.

Myself.

and I.

with my hand, no less.

It had been a rough day.  In frustration I banned my two eldest to the great outdoors.  My five year old drama king insisted that it was too muddy and cold to play.  I told him he had a coat on and would survive a half hour in the backyard and locked the door 'cause I'm mean like that.  After which, he proceeded to ring the back doorbell incessantly for 3 minutes straight (which, as any mother knows, is actually a really long time).  Losing interest, he then decided to entertain himself poking his younger sister with a stick.  So...I knocked on the window to let him know his misdeeds were not going unnoticed.  He ignored me.  I hit the window a little harder.  He looked at me and then continued to ignored me.

Then, unfortunately, I hit the pane a lot harder.

ok, ok...one might say I banged on the window.

and it broke.

I stared at him, he stared at me, and we both stared at the window.

It was not my finest moment.

please tell me I'm not the only one who has done something this stupid.

oops.

This morning, I sneezed and peed my pants.

(not tons, but still...)

Pretty sure I'm officially Very Pregnant.

Valentine's Day

Q: What do you do for your man for Valentines day?? I need some serious suggestions.

A: First, I must confess I've always loved Valentine's Day. Even when I was single, I loved the possibility of a secret admirer and I loved both giving and receiving cards. Have I ever mentioned how I'm a HUGE card-girl? It's right up there with flowers in my book, in fact, it often trumps flowers. Then I found that special someone and we got married and suddenly Valentine's Day lost it's charm for me. My husband never made a huge deal out of Valentine's Day, often forgetting about it completely and I felt like I was "selling-out" to the card companies by celebrating Valentine's Day. Besides, I wanted the good gifts on our special day - our anniversary. We are coming up on our 5th year anniversary and I suddenly realized, I love Valentine's Day and my husband better get me a card or make me dinner or something! So, I informed him of this, how Valentine's Day is important to me (really, every holiday is important to me) and how I wanted to celebrate love. He smiled (he thinks it's cute how I get excited about even the smallest of holidays) and I found that once again I'm excited about Valentine's Day.

With that confession off my chest, here are my ideas:

First, I like to keep it small and personal. A little reminder to my husband how much I appreciate and love him. I save the big stuff for birthdays and anniversaries.

1. A card. A well-picked out card can set the mood, express your desires and thoughts, and can be kept as a constant reminder. Whether it be funny, sexy, or out-right sappy, in my mind you can do now wrong with a card (homemade or bought).
2. Dinner - Make his favorite meal or better yet, order-in. Put the kids down a wee-bit early, pick up food from your favorite restaurant, light some candles, turn down the lights and enjoy a quiet dinner together.
3. A letter - I know a couple who writes letters to each other every Valentine's Day. Cute, sincere, and you can start a little journal out of the letters for future posterity.
4. Sporting event - does your spouse like basketball? hockey? A babysitter, a couple of tickets and you're out on a hot date doing something he loves. A little pinched for money? No problem, put the kids down, pull up two chairs in front of the TV, pop some popcorn, make some hot dogs and pretend you're at the game.
5. Fondue night - chocolate, strawberries, marshmallows, candle light - need I say more?
6. Lipstick on the mirror - leave him a note in bright red lipstick for him to read first thing in the morning.
7. Get a babysitter and go out for dessert.
8. Reenact your first Valentine's Day together.
9. Think of what your husband likes to do - play video games, watch sports, play board games, eat food, and then do it with him. Just as long you're doing it together.
10. Last, but not least - buy some sexy lingerie and let him "unwrap" you... after all, we all know what our husbands really want... ;)

My tips: keep it simple, try to make it as personal as possible, do something he loves, and throw your own style into the mix.

Let's hear it. What fun things are you planning for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day?