More Valentine's Ideas

I know what you're thinking, for someone who hates the commercialism of Valentine's Day, you sure are spending a lot of time talking about it. Okay, Hallmark you win; you've successfully embedded this holiday for love into my thick skull and I succumb to you. I still stand by my feelings of celebrating on non-Valentine's days too but Hallmark has made it next to impossible to ignore this holiday. That is without feeling like a total meanie. You don't want your loved ones to be left out (this is all part of Hallmark's master plan you know). Since I've been subjected to this peer pressure, I might as well share some ideas with you to show your loved ones how special they are to you. Truth be told, I just like the excuse to buy things and be crafty!

First of all, please don't forget your loved ones who you are not married to or are in a relationship with, i.e. your mother, father, children, grandparents, pets, etc. After all, we all like to be reminded from time to time that we're appreciated and loved.

• Make them a card (actually more personal and thoughtful than buying one).
• Another cost efficient idea is to invite them over for dinner. Again, even if you just have take out or something quick, it's the time they'll spend with you that will matter most to them. If they're not in town, you could look into having a meal sent to them from one of the many Internet food stores. Many of them have frozen meals or entrees that can be shipped almost anywhere. Or how about just some cupcakes or a pie? Again, tons of those on the Internet.
• Have your kids make cookies both for themselves and to share with a local children's hospital or even the neighbor kids.
• Make your pet a homemade dog treat (I don't have a dog but I understand these treats are easy).

Now on to your spouse/boyfriend/significant other. Think about what makes them happy, what makes them relax, what makes them unwind. And think outside of the Hallmark realm!

• How about a couples massage or just a single massage for him/her?
• What about an afternoon alone, without the kids, to do as they wish - whether to stay at home and read (WES) or to go golfing/shopping/etc?
• If you want to do something together, why not cook a romantic dinner for 2 (after all, we all know reservations to any restaurant at this point are out of the question). You could split up the courses between you and then pop a nice bottle of wine as you cook - how romantic is that?!
• You could have a scavenger hunt to find love notes around the house or homemade coupons - use your imagination here!!
• You could pretend this is your first date and recreate that day or come up with new surprises(blindfolds make this even more fun and more of a surprise). The day could include breakfast in bed, a picnic (either inside or out depending on where you live), a walk in the park, going to a play/sporting event/museum, and/or taking a drive in the country. Or you could plan the whole day to never leave the house. The possibilities are endless!

I hope this has provided you some inspiration for the upcoming holiday. Even if you don't like any of my ideas, hopefully you can use them as a stepping stone to come up with your own master plan. If you really want to surprise your loved one, plan your activities for next weekend when they're totally not expecting it - but you better not skip this Saturday entirely or you might be in the dog house by next weekend!!