Spreading the Love!

Let me preface this post by saying the idea I am sharing below is NOT original.  I totally stole it from a friend's friend's blog post last week and tweaked it to fit my lifestyle, meaning I bought bowls from Hobby Lobby instead of mailboxes from Target.  Now that that is all clear, looky at what I've been up to!

Valentine's Day is not a big deal to me.  It is not nearly as important as Christmas and Easter, or even Mardi Gras, are to me.  That doesn't mean I don't like to participate, though.  For the past couple of years, I've been lazy with my Vday activities: buying the usual cards and candies for my family and making the kids pass out those dumb fold-over cards to their classmates.  Usually, the most thought I'd put into the holiday was making a special themed breakfast and/or dinner and that was it.  My family and I are very affectionate and tell each other how much we love and appreciate each other many times throughout the day, not just on February 14th.  This is why Vday doesn't mean much to me.

This year I wanted to do better.  I wanted to put more effort into the holiday and do something special, not just on the 14th, but every day in February leading up to Valentine's Day.  The idea is simple: write down something you love about your special someone and give it to them every day.  In the original blog post, the writer placed her love notes in the cute red mailboxes that you can find in the dollar bins at Target.  BTW, they are still available; I saw them today!  Unfortunately, my neck of the woods does not have a Target less than 45 miles away, so I bought adorable heart-shaped bowls from my local Hobby Lobby.  What you put the notes in is SO not the issue.  Use what works for you and your family.  The important thing is what you put in your notes.  I wrote 14 things I loved about each of my immediate family members, trying to personalize them as much as possible.  "I love the way your eyes sparkle when you smile" is much sweeter than "Your eyes are pretty", don't you think?

If you were wondering, yes, I did buy an extra bowl just in case someone would like to write a note to me but I did not expect them to.  This was something that I really just wanted to do for my husband and children; something special from me to them, letting them know that I love them for many reasons...not just because I "have" to.

I'm not very crafty but, this type of thing, I can handle!  I picked out a "filly" font to type my notes in, along with my family members' names, and printed them out.  I cannot cut a straight line to save my life, so I used craft scissors to cut a pretty edge around the notes.  Voila'!  Simple but sweet!

They immediately loved the idea and wanted to make some notes for me, as well.  I love sharing my notes with my family but I have really gotten a kick out of what they have written to me.  Some of my favorites so far are:

"I love that you hang out with kids (teach)" from Jack.  So sweet!
"I love how your eyes make me feel reassured" from Mackenzie.  Awwwww!
"You've got great legs!" from Scott.  *giggles*

I love this idea so much, I think I'm going to do it throughout the year!  It has definitely become a new Simpson tradition!

So, what are you waiting for?  There is still time to tell your loved ones how special they are to you, so do it!!