Creative Organizing

Happy Valentine’s Day! After I got my girls off to school this morning, I had another chance to admire the handmade Valentine’s they so proudly gave me. Aren’t they fantastic?

But then I reread what Faith wrote in hers, and I felt a little sad.

Bummer. Even my 8-year-old has observed that I need to relax more. Especially today! I know not everyone enjoys Valentine’s Day, but I get really caught up in the extra special ways to love on the people in my life. I have to admit, though, that this year I almost pushed myself over the edge.

I have been so inundated with wonderful ideas – things my friends are doing, things I’ve seen on Facebook and Pinterest – that I overwhelmed myself. I got really excited over all these ways to express love to my husband and kiddos that I just wanted to do it all. The result? Yes, I accomplished some clever things like helping the girls make these sweet teacher gifts.

I know these will be appreciated, but I am not sure my family appreciated the frantic state I was in while trying to pull all the Valentine stuff together. I am super glad none of you saw me this morning, hurriedly trying to finish up these lunch box surprises while yelling to the kids, “Don’t come in the kitchen, please! Just go get in the van, and I’ll be right out!”

Oh, can you feel the love? Between their actual little valentine gifts and the pink pancakes and the lunchbox surprises, I had packed too much into this morning. (I won’t even tell you the things I scratched off my to-do list at the last minute.)

You know what is sort of crazy? This is just one day, but I love these people year round. I tell them. I hug them. I hopefully show them through my words, actions, and time spent with them. So why do I feel the need to do all this creative expression only on this day? Honestly, aren’t colored pancakes, heart-shaped sandwiches, love notes and sweet surprises an option for any time? I think so, and I think that maybe they are even sweeter when there is no particular reason for them.

Pink-pancakes

My husband and I used to leave little notes to each other all the time, and even just a simple post-it note was such an awesome gesture. I dislike how I’ve let the busy-ness of life stop me from doing that as often. Yes, I do sometimes put notes in the girls’ lunches or surprise them in small ways, but it’s all very spontaneous. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. However, I know that for me, the result is that I don’t do it as often as I would like, and I don’t end up doing anything especially creative.

What if I were to spread out the spirit of Valentine's Day throughout the year? What if I were to get more intentional about my lunchbox notes for the kids or post-its for the hubby? What if I planned these out the same way I plan our meals each week?

I’m not saying no to spontaneity, because I definitely think that's still important. I will still find 30 seconds to jot a note wishing my daughter luck on her test, but that can be in addition to whatever I have planned. Maybe it’s a package of fish crackers with a note that says, “You are o-fish-ally the coolest 6-year-old I know.” Or it’s an owl pencil with a note that says, “I’ll owl-wys love you!” Or it’s a post-it tucked into my husband’s suitcase for him to find on business travel.

Silly. Simple. Sweet. And infinitely easier to do just one of these a week instead of all of them on the same day, right? The bottom line is that I want to incorporate more of these sweet gestures into our everyday lives. I also know myself enough to realize that without finding a way to make this a new habit, I just won’t succeed! I never thought of being sweet as a habit, but I am certainly going to try to make it one. Hopefully in doing so, I will take tremendous pressure off myself for the next Valentine's Day (or any holiday) and - as my daughter suggests - relax!

Happy Valentine’s Day!