Guys, Valentine’s Day is fraught with marketing trying to convince you that we want this crap: flowers, cheap trinkets, (gag)-grams. I’ve already told you to get her out for a solo getaway, but in case you aren’t ready for an overnight, I wanted to post some ideas before you start to panic and your fingers do the flying to 800-dumbstuff.com.
Things Moms Actually Want for Valentine’s Day:
- Time Alone. #1 on the list. Don’t believe me? Drop in on any Mom based Twitter Chat and see what happens when time gets mentioned. Like moths to a flame.
- Gift cards for a favorite activity she can do alone. Maybe a Amazon Gift Card for her Kindle Collection? You should have some idea what she likes by now!
- A Babysitter. See Above. You have to book the appointment for the solo time and yourself to care for the kids (or the sitter). Any other gift that requires an appointment is useless if you don’t secure an appointment and childcare! I have spa gift cards from 2010. Nuff said.
If you’re not ready to dump Ol’ Reliable:
- If you INSIST on Flowers, what about a plant? At least that won’t die! And PLEASE use ebates or another shopping portal so you get something back.
- If you resort to chocolate. It had BETTER be of the highest quality.
Ladies, what are your Valentine’s pet peeves? Please share in the comments and maybe we can do some good today.
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Amen, Sister! I know it’s cliche, but I prefer flowers randomly, for no reason (and purchased for $5 or less from the produce store down the street). I don’t like contrived bs stuff pre-wrapped in red from the drugstore, and PLEASE no candy right as I am about to start Bodyshred!
Time is a precious gift….although you won’t earn any miles/points for giving it, you might earn other kinds of points:)
Thanks. I wish more would say it out loud!
Ha! So TRUE. Agree 100% with all of this. So much so, that I prep my husband about a month before (because he forgets!!!). So he know NOT to get me a crap box of Godiva (no, it’s not Swiss, it’s owned by Hershey; if you’re getting me good chocolate go with Sprungli. Now we’re talking…), NO bouquets of flowers (if he wants to get me flowers, a single flower does it. It’s more poetic.). So this year, we’re finally doing dinner (sushi, lots of good options here in L.A.) and a movie (haven’t seen a movie in a movie theater in over a year!). And, yes, we’re getting babysitting thanks to the wise people at daycare who decided to do a Parent’s Night Out event this Friday. Who-hoo! So, basically, I agree with everything you said. 🙂
Good for you for getting out! I’m afraid we’re pretty bad at it.
Being well past the Mommy years, and into the Grandma ones–so sweet!–my priorities are a little different. But really, TIME is the biggest gift of all.
We took a week in MX last month, our first warm vacation in winter since 2002, when we went with a college student and two highschoolers. Just being able to walk down a street, holding hands without mittens in the middle of January was special.
I must be an outlier, though, because I love to get flowers. TLofML has learned over the years that I want either specially picked ones (he loves to find unusual flowers) or delivered, or both. I got the appetite for delivered ones when I worked in a cubicle farm where getting flowers on big occasions was the highlight of not only the recipient’s, but her coworkers’ day.
Even though I have a homebased business, he’ll still do that, sometimes, and I, for my part, send a plant with a carnation in it to his workplace.
I’m fine with Godiva, too, because he picks out the truffles himself, and gets the flavors that he knows I like. Usually, only four or six; not enough to lead to destruction of my healthy eating, but enough to be an indulgence.
Women, here’s my advice from the advanced age of 64: tell him what you like. Be appreciative as HELL when he gets it right. Nothing is better than the smile on your guy’s face when you tell him how overjoyed you are with his gift.
Also. If, as has happened, as well, he grabs a wilted bouquet from the drugstore, and you drive around trying to find a place that isn’t McDonalds that has a table for two, remind him that you make a big deal about special occasions for him, and that it hurts you when he doesn’t reciprocate. Not to make him feel ashamed, but to remind him that loving acts are, and need to be, a two way street.
Love. This.
In the end, we had Valentines dinner in the sports bar section of an Outback steakhouse in Cancun. I spent the entire time on the phone. To Orbitz. Which is a good thing because it meant we didn’t have to sleep in the car!
Still better than a pajama-gram.