Not Throwing a Picture-Perfect Pinterest Party This Year? Join the Club!
This year Blake and I decided we wanted to have a little Valentine’s bash with our family. It is no secret that I am not the most confident with hosting in my house. In fact I am a nervous wreck. So nervous I have literally ruined recipes that should not be ruined. Or cooked like 2 lbs of pasta macaroni salad when like 1 pound was probably too much.
I got on Pinterest for some inspiration. And I instantly wanted to call it off.
Have you SEEN Pinterest lately? No?! Girl, type in “Valentine’s Party Ideas”. Some of those parties are more fancy than my wedding reception! Ha!
So I am just going to do this one simple, on my own, without the guilt of a picture perfect pinterest party. (Try saying that five times fast 🙂
I decided to do a waffle bar with a pancake mix! I am using super simple decorations and hand-cut hearts this year. And honestly, I am excited this time! I think it will be perfectly simple for our super busy lives right now.
I love complicating things and making elaborate decorations. But sometimes I forget about being practical. Thanks to my husband’s ever-present budgeting app (can’t get rid of it! lol) and my tornado of a toddler, putting up some balloons and kid-friendly decorations that I won’t cry if they’re ruined is probably best suited for me right now 🙂
I got the Dash Mini Waffle Maker and it is so cute! I’m excited because I can use it for alot of things. Anniversary breakfasts, Valentine’s. If you have a daughter I bet this waffle maker would be fun with a cousin sleepover, birthday parties. Gosh, little girls and hearts! I love it.
You can find it on sale on Amazon. Dash Heart Waffle Maker. Yesterday they were $9.99, so just watch the price 🙂
They have tons of options too, so you don’t have to have a heart! With almost 220k reviews I feel good about paying under $10 to make my Valentine party full of hearts!
Then, of course, I will have the whip cream, strawberries, and just about everything loaded with sugar. We will exchange simple Valentine’s (well, the kids will!) and we will play tic-tac-toe with candy and maybe make up a kid-friendly bingo game.
I think going into this realizing how simple it is has helped me step back and remember a few important things.
I am so good at biting off more than I can chew. And not feeling that “can I pull it off” is new to me. Maybe I should get used to this.
So mama, whatever you do to celebrate those you love, Give yourself a little grace. Honestly I don’t remember any fancy dinners for Valentine’s growing up. If my mom did fancy dinners I honestly don’t remember. I remember these handmade Valentine holders my own Momma sewed filled with TONS of handmade Valentine’s from my younger siblings. I remember handwritten notes from my Mom and Dad and I am sure I still have some of them. So don’t overwhelm yourself. There is a time and a season.
I look forward to the day my kids will be exchanging Valentine’s too.
If you’re looking for a few simple ideas, hear are a few. Let me reiterate SIMPLE.
- Place hearts on your child’s door. Write sweet things you love about them. If you have more than one child, you could do two different colors of hearts, a different color marker, etc.
- A waffle breakfast for dinner! That’s what I’m doing. Simple and who doesn’t think of waffles or crepes for Valentine’s with a little powdered sugar?
- Tell your children of a “Valentine’s exchange” for everyone in the family. Find envelopes or decorate paper bags (just like at school) and then throughout the weekend they can make Valentine’s and “Deliver” them. It was a favorite for me growing up!
- Make sugar cookies together. Cut them in a heart and overdo it with the frosting and sprinkles. This could be a really fun tradition, kind of like making cookies for Santa. But making cookies for someone you could show love to, and take them a plate of cookies.
- Go around the dinner table and have each family member say one thing they “love” about the person on their right. This simple one could bring alot more love than a frilly Valentine’s party.
- Make a “fancy” dinner and pull out the glass plates. Write an invitation on the door and tell your kids to “dress up”. This might be a really fun tradition in place of the romantic candle-lit dinner at a five star restaurant with your love. A bit cheaper. With alot more work…. Enlist in helpers! 🙂
I think the important thing to remember is like I say a million times, “There’s a time and a season for everything.” So, be honest with yourself. (It kinda hurts to be this brutally honest to myself.) But it will be worth it!
I hope you have a lovely Valentine’s and that you are able to both show love and receive & feel loved from the ones closest to you!
XOXO,
Kelsie Ann
