Valentine's Day + Ash Wednesday = ?

Examples of what K Bear's valentines did NOT look like

So let's do Valentine's Day first. This is something I'm really NOT good at. I have no idea why, but I'm fairly certain it has something to do with the fact that I really don't care about Valentine's Day. BK and I have always kind of had the attitude that we don't need to have one day to show our love to each other. I would much rather celebrate birthdays and our anniversary.

Now that K Bear and H Berry are in the picture, I would rather make the day about them- show them lots of extra love. But I didn't really get there this year. I have visions of making these fun baskets or something for them to open up when they get up, have heart-shaped pancakes, then they go to school in their matching (or at least coordinating) Valentine's outfits. 

Not so much. K Bear wore her Valentine's shirt that Nani got her last year (she doesn't grow very fast) and H Berry wore something for picture day, which also happened to be today. H Berry's class didn't do anything for Valentine's, but K Bear's did. I was successful in sending valentines with K Bear, but didn't go above and beyond like some of the moms in H Berry's class, and send something anyway. Tonight I didn't even get BK a card until after kids were in bed and family had gone to their own houses, and I had to run to the store for a couple of other things. 

This all brings me to Ash Wednesday and Lent.

Why does all this bring me to Lent and Ash Wednesday? Because this year we were encouraged to give up/pick up something. So here it is- I'm giving up questioning what I'm not good at. And I say that not to dismiss personal improvement or professional development, but more to accept the fact that sometimes I feel like I don't do a lot of things that a mom and wife "should" do. And that's okay.

My problem is- with these things I feel like I should be doing- I really don't care about them. Right now there are other ways I prefer to spend my time. Cooking for example- I pretty much find it impossible to cook a meal every night when I come home. When I get home, I want to play with K Bear and H Berry. I don't want to be stuck in the kitchen for an hour while I tell them to "just wait a minute" while I attempt to put something together. So I don't. And I've decided I shouldn't feel bad about that all the time. Our life works for us, and that's all that really matters.

So when we don't have the picture perfect everything? Yeah, I'm just not that concerned. We make things happen that matter to us. And I guarantee you that K Bear and H Berry won't look back on Valentine's Day 2018, when they were almost four and 1.5, and talk about how mom and dad didn't do anything for them. We'll figure it out as we go along. I need to remember and appreciate the things that I am good at and do well.

And in case any of you reading this have kids in K Bear's class, her valentine was the one with no name on it, because I didn't think to take them out of the bag and put her name on anything. Hopefully I'll remember that for next year...