Sunday, February 17, 2013

Day of love


 Valentines Day!  Another 'holiday' with pressure!  Two of the kids did valentines for their friends as is the norm and we added chocolate hearts for fun.  I am nothing if not fun....

For the school kids who themselves and their classmates would just as easy eat the valentines I sent actual edibles.  In the beginning of my parenting journey I always home baked the treats I sent in and I brought treats in every hint of a holiday.  I would bake them the night before and then spend the next day driving to every corner of the city to deliver them (it would be too easy for the kids schools to be in close proximity to either home or each other).  Then I started getting lazy and maybe had a little bit more money in my pocket and thought Safeway made way better looking treats then I did and they were all ready packaged for travel.  Brilliant I thought and for years that is what I did.

Then along came allergies.....not mine...not my kids.....other people's.  Not only do other people's allergies spoil their own fun but those around them.  It soon became you were either not allowed to send treats in or they were sent home wrapped, squished to eventually be tossed in the garbage whether the kid was allergic or not.  For a couple of years now then I have only brought things in on occasion.  Now the six year old has started her big kid school life and Donovan is in a school that doesn't have the same fear of anaphylaxis I have restarted my treat sending.  I have upped my game a bit though and tried to channel my inner Martha Stewart (who trust me though not dead in life has been murdered time after time again within me and my pathetic attempts at creativity) and individually wrapped the treats with cellophane and ribbon (that is until I misjudged how much cellophane I would need and had to resort to cling wrap....  Don't judge me it looked sort of ok...  Whatever!)

I since have learned now that Valentines Day is over, the giving of store bought, theme oriented valentines has been trumped by make your own friggin Valentines with the kid's picture on it!  I thought I was doing well with adding the heart shaped chocolate!  Yes I know I am years behind that people have been doing that for years but I resisted.  Generally not a follower well at least in things that are going to take more effort from me so I held out.  Well folks by this age I have proven that I have stamina....  Bring on Valentines Day next year!  I'm on Pinterest.  I can follow directions (really easy ones anyways).  There might just be some kick a@# Valentines coming home in your kid's bags next year AND beautifully, properly wrapped with the right amount of cellophane treats too that are even completely allergen free (unless your kid is a live in the bubble type allergic then all bets are off).

I will add a disclaimer....at no point am I prejudiced against those of you and your children who have allergies.  I know they can be difficult to manage and life threatening.  I also know that as parents we do not want to see our kids left out of anything and to have their feelings hurt.  I am sure it has to be so much easier when no extra food products especially those that threaten your child's life enter the school.

That being said... Valentines Day 2014, I'm ready for you!  Oh right....day of love....warmth, happiness and fuzziness, yada yada yada




1 comment:

Anne said...

Beautiful kiddos...awesome treats!!!