Valentine's Day Doesn't Have To Suck, What I Know For Sure & #iPPP

I know there are Valentine's Day haters.  Commercialism, aaack!  I get it you don't want to sell out or have expectations or get let down.  I mean, that's kind of how I feel most of the Christmas season.  But I am not a Valentine's Day hater, I kind of dig it.  

When I was 6 I had a re-occurring nightmare about a walking heart coming after me.  Needless to say, arriving to JT's class party the other day was a bit traumatizing.

A holiday about love? I mean, that's pretty great.  A holiday where we celebrate all things shaped like hearts=more greatness.  Throw in candy and I don't know what you haters have a problem with.  

Valentine's Day doesn't have to be about romance and fancy-schmancy date nights.  Valentine's Day can simply be a day we celebrate and honor love, all kinds.  

I love the moms that put together creative and cute holiday classroom parties.  I am not that mom, but I am so glad that those moms exist.  I love them for all the work and creativity it takes to put these parties together.  

I love Dollar Store doilies hearts, and stickers and glue and markers, that help us make Valentine's Day a little more Valentine-y.  I love that Wade enjoys crafting and painting with me.

  

I love my family.  It's not fancy-schmancy and I didn't buy anybody any gifts, it's simple, I love them.  And I love having a silly little holiday to make them feel special with extra appreciation, doily hearts, going to their classroom parties and making heart-shaped brownies for them. 

Lucy drew this picture of the family.  I was so moved when I saw she wrote "trust" on my shirt.  She's amazing.

Don't over-complicate, over-anticipate, over-commercialize...simply love the love.   Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate and honor all kinds of love, I know that for sure. 

Here's what else I know for sure (this week):

• Olympics + Dancing to Beyonce= the best.  I am loving all the dancing going on by the Olympic athletes over in Sochi.  So much joy! I love it so much.  Did you see luge star Kate Hansen's warm up to Beyonce? It's just so good.  Click here to read about it and watch her moves.

• I want to be a snowboarder when I grow up.  I am enjoying the hell out of watching them compete and cheer each other on and just be so cool.  I love their brave half-pipe jumps and YOLO flips.  I love the way they seem to respect and enjoy each others' success.

I am trying to rock the snowboarder look.  Here's a shot I took the other night for the #365FeministSelfie project on Instagram.

• This is beautiful.  I cried the first time I watched this.

• Tim and I celebrate all things romance on the 15th of February.  Find out why in my latest vlog and then subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want.  I'm getting back in the vlogging game and plan on posting a vlog a week. Yay!

• JT and the dog are still best friends.  JT even gave her a Valentine's card. 

• Captain & Tennille can suck it. Every Valentine's Day season, I think of my favorite love songs.  And usually I play Captain & Tennille's Love Will Keep Us Together because I USED to love that song.  But their impending divorce has ruined it for me.  So here's the next best song that ALWAYS pops into my head when I think of love songs (and reminds me of staying up late on Saturday nights wishing I was Vicki the Captain's daughter or dreaming of being Julie when I grew up).  Yeah, it's The Love Boat theme song.  Watch it and sing it all day. You're welcome.  Happy Valentine's Day!

What do you know for sure (this week)?  C'mon, we're friends, share what you know. 

Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page or on Twitter.

Please come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

I'm linking up today with my friends Greta from  Gfunkified.com and Robin from FarewellStranger.com for the #iPPP link up.  They host a link up where they encourage people to share "your funny, your yummy, your heartfelt, your favorite photos of the week" from our phones.