Walking Backwards

Today has been painted in the colors purple, pink, and red. Not for me, of course, but for Nicholas. I no longer think that Valentine's Day is the one holiday of all holidays that is for adults. When you have kids, there is no holiday just for adults. They have Christmas and Easter and Forth of July and all of the other holidays that I can't think of right now. I would count Thanksgiving as an adult holiday because what kid wants to sit at the dinner table for three hours, but the plethora of construction paper turkeys and pilgrim hats that adorned my walls smashed that false assumption of mine. So Valentine's, what I assumed was the last holdout, has fallen, too. Today, I went to a preschool Valentine's party.

Normally I would be pissed about having to go to a party that I had been invited to the day before, where I am expected to bring something (kid's valentine cards), that is on the opposite side of town, and is being held when I normally put baby H down for his nap. However, I'm a bigger person than that and Nicholas therapist told us that we need to start getting him more involved with his peers. Really though, why would I be bitter *grumble, grumble*!?

The first hurtle we ran into was shopping for valentine cards the day before the holiday. After Nicholas got out of school on Monday, we shopped at four (FOUR!) stores and, because Nicholas isn't a fan of Bratz dolls, we went away empty handed. I had book club that night. I have a silent auction I am supposed to be doing work for. I have my first test in geology this week. I want an early bedtime for godsake! I did not have time to make cards that night. Really, what choice did I have; I bought stickers. Stickers on red, pink, and purple construction paper make great valentines. Especially when you are filling them out in the car across the street from the party. I think I may just end up in parenting hell because of this.

The party itself was funny. These children are either three or just barely four and it is so late in the afternoon that all bets are off, yet the mother throwing the party had a very involved schedule that these children were to follow. And if you went astray, look out. At one point she told her own (three year-old daughter) something along the lines of 'if you're not happy with that you can just leave' when her daughter wanted to keep decorating her valentine bag. Not to knock her though, she did have several age-appropriate activities and had the party at her house and provided the snacks. I just wanted to pat her on the shoulder and say, 'it's okay that it doesn't work out exactly as planned; they'll have fun anyway'. Poor woman.

So today Nicholas ate cake and sugar and strawberry yogurt and had strawberry juice. We got a bag full of cards to Nicholas for his bulletin board (and one for me, too) and did some sweatshop style crafts of our own *imagine me standing over two little ones demanding that they apply those stickers faster*. Nicholas helped me make strawberry cupcakes for his daddy and him to have after dinner while I was at school. We played with our friends and I got home early from school. A good day all in all.


Oh, and Joe had his vasectomy consultation today. Look for upcoming outpatient appointment within the next month.