I am writing this post SUPER fast.  This blog is not abandoned as some may think.   I have several “drafts”, just waiting for PICTURES to come from SOMEWHERE.  As in, need to be captured, or ARE captured and sitting on my backup hard drive SOMEWHERE.  But about 5 minutes ago, my youngest told me they were going “golfing”.  I know this is not true, as it is sundown, February, and flipping freezing out.  They are going for their last minute run with Daddy, which I would NEVER complain about.  My husband’s last minute runs to spoil mommy are surely serving my future daughter in law well, as my boys will hopefully be good husbands like their Daddy.

So here are my tips for a victorious Valentine’s Day.  Although there is lots of candy focus on Valentine’s, I hardly have the same feelings I do about Halloween.  LOVE is THE BEST THING there is on this EARTH.  Any holiday celebrating LOVE is cool with me.

So my day started the same way my mom started my Valentine’s as a kid.  Heart shaped pancakes.  Mine were 4 ingredients.

1.  6 Eggs
2. 3 Bananas
3.  A little coconut flour to thicken
4. chocolate chips

I blended that in the VItamix and cooked on LOW HEAT.

I made the kiddos heart sandwiches for lunch.  Gave them a bag full of fun little toys and necessities, and off to school they went…with pink hair.  It was crazy hair day at school and of course, little brother had to copy big brother.

I ran errands, did the normal household/work stuff, and decorated a fun table for dinner.  Dinner is always sushi on Valentines.  My husband and I do not do dinner out for Valentines, ever.  Amateur’s night. Even before kids it was sushi and a movie.

 

I then went to school and made SMOOTHIES which almost all the kids gobbled up.  “Milkshakes”.  Healthy. 4 ingredients-

1. Organic Fruit
2. Organic Yogurt (I didn’t send this in another mom did and it was organic which made me super happy!)
3. Milk
4. Honey

Of course I snuck in KITE almond milk yogurt for my guy to make his, because we all know I am nutz and avoid dairy like the plague.  I am OBSESSED and probably going to need a second job if my family and I continue to inhale this KITE yogurt.  It is ridiculously good but slightly on the pricey side.

When we got home, my kids took most of the candy they got and put it in a bag for one of our favorite neighbors who loves candy.  My oldest son read some ingredients and was SHOCKED to find there isn’t a single thing he knew in “Fun DIP”…as in ALL CHEMICALS.  There wasn’t even sugar in there!  They didn’t even think about keeping ALL the candy, but IMMEDIATELY asked to attack our organic candy stash (oxymoron, I know)…so they will still have that sugar hangover for sure tomorrow and the next few days to come.  My reasoning here is they are kids, they are going to eat candy, but let them know there is GOOD candy…without HFCS, chemicals, and CRAP.  They eat the CRAP too, it is inevitable, but having the good candy around at least cuts it back some.  I raid Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods for most of the candy. My kids favorites are…

The CUTEST Valentine I saw this year was one of my son’s bffs.  Can we all take a moment at the sweetness of this?!?!?

I used to do all cutesy stuff, but ever since my mom has started sending my boys BIG PACKS of Valentine’s Day business galore, they use them instead.  Business is code for four letter word that starts with sh and ends with t.  Not to mention she knows my boys well and gets pretty cool business, so we stick with it.

So now, I need to stop writing, because my hooligans are about to walk in with dinner.

 

Last thing…my pink genius cocktail for my KIDS tonight.  3 ingredients.

1.  1 teaspoon of immune boosting ELDERBERRY SYRUP
2. La Croix
3. Berries

I made this because it was PINK, but you can’t tell in the glass!

My cocktail is probably not going to be so healthy.

And THAT is how I feel victorious on Valentine’s Day.  Victorious over the crappy candy part anyway…

To recap-

1. Fill kids with good food, to minimize the Valentine’s Day business cravings.
2. Offer alternatives to the junk, and teach them the difference.
3. Make use of fun shapes for healthy food, fun paper plates, etc. to limit the need for colored artificial food for fun.  Food doesn’t have to be red to celebrate.

UPDATE:

Kids came in with these little wonderful terrariums.  Daddy with an lovely orchid and our sushi.

We sat down with those big old glasses (which I am shocked made it through dinner), and my little one leaned over with his HAIR SPRAYED PINK HAIR from crazy hair day to drink it.  Well notice all those candles, which I just BUSTED out for the first dinner ever with kids….his hair was singed on the ends.  As in, almost caught fire.  Which was hysterical because he wasn’t hurt, BUT could have been a total DISASTER.  So please, learn from my mistake here!     Keep candles in hurricane globes around kids…especially on crazy hair day!