our valentines traditions

olive juneFebruary 14, 2023

happy heart day

my whole life, i have loved love. i think maybe it comes from all of the weddings i went to as a young girl. so many older cousins and aunts and loved ones and i feel like my love for a romantic lifestyle and for a good, slow ballad might have originated from these joyous days.

as a mother, this day is even more special. i adore creating little family traditions; doing simple things to make them all feel loved.

all of the pink cotton candy trees (dogwoods) around charlotte, which always seem to bloom around this day, makes it feel even more festive; tiny signs of spring. and i love them- the perfect color of soft pink.

so many stories and breakthroughs and dreams moving through my heart lately
but the one story i’ll remember most this week is the way our daughter giggled while watching a balloon drift throughout our family room and her burying her face deep in my neck.

here are some of our favorite ways to celebrate valentine’s day |

+ i make the boys breakfast in bed. a coffee cup with milk in it (it has two geese with bows around their necks and they think it’s so funny!)
+ affirmation hearts (one thing they love/a characteristic on a heart for days 1-14 in february) the paper with their name on it is hanging next to their bed and they look forward to it daily.
+ a momma/sons date (this year we went to taco bell!)
+ a few small gifts (usually secondhand)
+ we take polaroids throughout the day
+ cut some blooms from our cameilla trees in our yard for a table bouquet
+ my husband and i order spicy ethnic takeout/sushi and get a pack of beer from a local brewery and have a cozy date night in
+ the boys always get my reese’s hearts and pick out a lipstick (parks had this idea when he was 4 and it’s continued…) and my husband wrote, “we love you, mama” on the bathroom mirror with lipstick (just like my dad used to do for my mom)
+ i make a spotify playlist and we have a family dance party
+ all the tapered candles burning (especially pale pink ones)
+ my friends and i went to a rose garden for live music, wine flights, pizza, candles, and small bites last week and had the best time
+ small bouquets for their teachers with a painted heart attached with twine
+ i grew up in a small village in the midwest and seeing all of the pop-up tents with flowers and balloons and gifts while driving over the past few days has made my heart so warm. i also went to the grocery store this morning to get a cake for dinner and a heart balloon for the kids and seeing all the people buying things for loved ones was just the best. i highly recommend going to the market on the morning of valentine’s day…
+ trader joe’s has the most adorable cards and they are usually .99 cents

also, this is the sweetest