This week has been a veritable craft-a-palooza over here. And since I’m so crafty, I signed up to donate two gift baskets to an upcoming auction and what I thought was going to be relatively easy, has turned into a mad dash from craft store to Target to grocery store to Dollar Tree and back to the craft store. Why is making a Movie Night Gift Basket and an Ice Cream Sundae Gift Basket giving me night sweats? It should not be this difficult. Oh wait. . .I’m Type A. I forgot.
On top of that? Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and the girls are foaming at the mouth in anticipation of stuffing their faces on conversation hearts, lollipops, chocolate kisses and all manner of Cupid themed sugar love snacks. The Valentine paraphenalia has been out in prominent display at most retailers since, December 27th (not joking), so my girls are pretty much at the frayed end of their ropes as they wait for another chance to get crafty and get candy.
Of course, how could I have forgotten? If there’s a mascot for a holiday, my kids know about it and have their job description memorized — you know, so whoever is supposed to show up doesn’t short the girls on their due. I need to work an attitude of gratitude because the greed in their eyes would make Gordon Gekko re-evaluate his life choices.
Every February as the 14th approaches, I help the girls figure out what kind of Valentine they’d like to hand out. At first, it was pretty easy because M was the only one who handed out Valentine’s. C’s two years behind her in age and three years behind her in school, so I had, unknowingly, a bit of a reprieve until she started school. Since I’ve they’ve started handing out little homemade love notes, I’ve been compelled to make each subsequent year a little cuter, a little craftier.
I know, I’m an idiot.
Truly, Valentine’s Day has become the Craft Olympics, sponsored by Pinterest.
We did the photo with the lollipop one year.
photo credit: hgd photography
photo credit: hgd photography
photo credit: hgd photography
photo credit: hgd photography
photo credit: hgd photography
photo credit: hgd photography
Smartie Pants Valentine’s for C.
Valentine Template courtesy of Tip Junkie
Valentine Template courtesy of Five Heart Home
Valentine Template courtesy of Yellow Bliss Road
The girls and I put these crafty creations together two Saturdays ago, which means, it was still January. Yesterday, C couldn’t contain her excitement. She brought her treats in to school even though the class party isn’t until Friday. When I picked her up after school, she still had her treats, saying that her teacher told her she was too early. No big deal; we don’t have anything perishable.
A little while later, my phone started pinging. Texts were coming in from some moms asking me whether or not they could send candy in with the Valentine’s. Color me confused; did I miss something? Evidently, C shared with her pals what was in the bag — “I didn’t tell them everything. I just told them it was candy related.”
Oh, well. . .there you go.
Another text comes in and then another, each one wanting to delve into my commitment to send in candy coated Valentine’s on Friday. I asked C if her teacher said anything about the valentine’s not having candy. Trying to get a straight answer out of a second grader is an exercise in futility.
I vaguely remember a hot pink sheet coming home last Friday that had the class lists on it. Was there a “no candy banner” on there? I can’t recall. I text this question to a few friends who tells me there wasn’t anything on the sheet about it.
You know what? I’m not making new Valentine’s. I don’t have the parenting energy to deal with the inveitable snot-filled, teary fall-out that is sure to come once I tell C that we can hand out candy-grams. This is me going rogue, people! It’s Valentine’s Day and there will be candy!
Are you getting crafty with candy-filled (or candy-free) Valentine’s this year?
Tell me about it in the comments!