Things that are better then flowers......

I want to start this out by saying that my husband is fabulous. He is really great at taking care of me and the kids. I don't want people to think that the topic of this post is a passive/aggressive way of complaining about him. He will do dishes, throw the kids in the tub, gets the diaper bag ready for church, take Lauren for bike rides and do the bedtime routine. All the things that help me get a break when I need it. He works really hard. He works in finance and drives to the city every day. He is on a daily call by 4:00 a.m. and doesn't get home until 6:00 or 7:00 pm. Because he works so early, bedtime is at 8:00' ish. When you only have one free hour at home and you spend it giving your wife a break, that is love. This has nothing to do with him.

Oh Valentines Day, you crazy holiday. We all know that it is a holiday that was made up by the greeting card industry. Who cares? I will always take an excuse to share the love (don't forget to vote....hint, hint). One of my dearest friends was lucky enough to have the last name of Valentine. How cool is that? When people would hear her name and say "Valentine?" she would answer "yes, like the holiday/saint/massacre" depending on her mood. Having a name like Valentine could create a little pressure for the significant other though. You CANNOT drop the ball when that is your wife's maiden name!! So far, he hasn't. Whew.

Speaking of dropping the ball (or not dropping the ball actually), the traditional Valentines gift is usually flowers (or those weird stuffed animal things that are holding hearts, does anyone older then 13 want one of those?), we all know that. In fact, I saw flowers for sale at Walmart yesterday. I know that we all appreciate flowers whenever we can get them, right? No argument there. I just thought it would be fun to make a list of all the things that would be better then (or I should say, as good as) flowers OR things that someone has done (Valentine's Day or not) that are the equivalent of "flowers for no reason".

Send me your list.....I will add them to this as I get them. Happy Valentines Day! (the person who contributed them is in brackets).


-- Some one to put away all the laundry.

-- The dollar equivalent of flowers at Baja Fresh.

--New jeans (and if they can shave off about 20 lbs, all the better).

--Someone to clean out all the Cherrio's and goo that is in the back seat of my car.

-- Those pesky last boxes to be finally unpacked and taken away.

-- Cheese. Any cheese.

--A sunny day at the beach.

-- A really good book and a bathtub........all the Dora bath toy's already removed.

--I big bowl of peanut satay

-- A pile of people magazines, and maybe a Vanity Fair and US Weekly thrown in.

-- A Costco churro. Or seven.

-- A Law and Order marathon

-- Peanuts and M&M's mixed together.

--a pre-packed diaper bag that has everything that I need

--a good soccer game, whether I'm playing or someone else is, it doesn't matter. It just has to be a good game (Kate)

--when my husband makes the bed in the morning...it just makes my day (~J~)

--Someone detailing the baby's high chair (Oh, Judy)

--Someone detailing my carSomeone organizing the storage room (with pretty labels and bins) (Oh, Judy)

--Someone writing me original poetry and/or music (Oh, Judy)

--Someone sending me out the door with a wad of cash to spend on something frivilous (Oh, Judy)

--Someone scraping the cottage cheese off the ceiling in my family room (Oh Judy)

--Two hours at a day spa. (More Caffine Please)

--Two hours asleep in my bed. At 2:00 in the afternoon. (More Caffine Please)

--A Diet Pepsi, bag of Twizzlers and the newspaper. (More Caffine Please)

--9:00 p.m. dinner reservations at Ichiban with my girlfriends. (More Caffine Please)

--A no-spending limit session at Target to buy a bunch of crap I don't need. (More Caffine Please)

--clean the toilet (Wendy Sue)

--decide what's for dinner (Wendy Sue)

--bring me pudding pops (Wendy Sue)

--I second Judy's wad of cash. (Wendy Sue)

--a bouquet of Reeses peanut butter cups (Wendy Sue)

--Giving me a gift certificate and making me spend it on MYSELF!! (Wendy Sue)

--accidentally getting your neighbors Elle magazine, and reading it before you give it back!

--My sister (aka..the live in slave) taking my girl out to dinner once a week for "girl time"

--A new book every time my husband comes home from a business trip. You know, the chic lit kind that they sell in airports.

--A new bathroom floor (mom)

--brushing the kids teeth every night

--taking the kiddo's to the dentist and appointments when they need shots because I just can't stand it

-- cleaning out the laundry room while I was away so I could move my quilting mess down there (Compulsive Writer)

--bringing me home leftover lettuce wraps from PF Changs (Compulsive Writer)

--brought my 5th grader a rose in the middle of class on Valentines Day (Compulsive Writer)

-a trip to Italy in the late summerwith just me and the hubby (Dandelion Mama)

--someone painting the baby's room anything but pink (Dandelion Mama)

--a pedicure, oh heaven...(Dandelion Mama)

--someone I trust unexpectedly taking my kids for the day, leaving me all ALONE... oh, joy! (Dandelion Mama)

--still, even though Im past thirty, the smell of a box of 64 new crayons. Happy....(Dandelion Mama)

--A box of cheese trumps a box of chocolate ANY day; why don't they make Godiva-like heart shaped boxes of specialty cheese?? (Dandelion Mama)

--the smell of night jasmine in Northern California; if you are there, go outside at night and take a deep breath, and know that I cry sometimes because I miss it so much. (Dandelion Mama)

..............more coming all the time...............