Sweetheart

Three bunches of flowers, a jar of kosher dills and a bag of peppered beef strips. The hub sure does know the way to a lady's heart. The morning went swimmingly, though I have a blaring sugar headache from all the sweet stuff I mooched off the bub.

Actual quote from the bub this morning upon seeing his Valentine surprise... "Oh, thank you mom for making such a beautiful party."

(Insert awwwwwws here and watch as all those weeks of bottled animosity toward the bub lift off and evaporate into peals of giggles and hugs.)

You know, I try and fight the marketing urge of pointless, money-sucking holidays like this one, but it's hard when you are walking in the footsteps of two crafty grandmothers (and when you're a girl who happens to LOVE flowers, pickles and beef jerky).

Growing up, my mom was queen of the holiday, and I didn't wake up one Valentine's Day morning when there wasn't a full spread on the dining room table complete with cakes, candy and presents. (Save the Valentine's Day when my dad walked out on my mom the night before, so we woke up to the cake still in the box on the kitchen counter, my mom heaving her guts out in the guestroom and our dad AWOL.... Still as an in-joke, my mom and sisters all call Valentine's Day the "anniversary of our real family"... but I won't go any deeper into that because it starts to sound pathetic.)

Anyway, I put the dog on for the bub, and I feel pretty good about it. He was so excited when he came into the room and saw the candles lit and the stuffed peacock and the cupcakes. He colored on all his Valentine's cards for his school friends last week, and he's been talking about today ever since. Totally psyched and jacked and into it.... Kids and holidays are AWESOME.

We spent the morning gorging on sugar and attempting to translate the Corazones Dulces I bought him. And tonight all three of us are driving to Universal City (ack) to hit a Thai place we've been hearing about for years. We would have had a more formal mommy/daddy date, but seeing as the bub's sitter is also the hub's dad's girlfriend... her night was taken. I suppose if we ever wanna go out on a romantic holiday again, it would behoove us to find a pimply-faced preteen with no social life to speak of. Then at least the bub could flirt with her and she'd get some action.

Speaking of, I am hoping the bub will be one of those guys... those guys who flirt will all women no matter what they look like or how old they are. I find those types of guys to be hugely endearing and attractive, and would love nothing more than to have a son who spreads the love to all the ladies (figuratively speaking of course.)