What I Love

On account of today is Valentine's Day, I've been thinking about the things I love and I thought it would be appropriate to document those things on this sappy day of the year.

1. Heart Shaped Pizza - Who doesn't love pizza already, but then you go and put it into a heart and you truly do have a heart attack on a plate. This has become a Valentine's Day tradition in our house.

2. Free Printables on the Internet - This is the first year that I haven't created my own Valentine's for the girls to share with their friends, and it's okay. I found these awesome printables at The Celebration Shoppe and they were super easy to personalize. I just bought some generic Pop Rocks at the Dollar Store and Bam! Valentines in 30 minutes.

3. Retro Toys - I found these Wooly Willy Iron-Shavings-For-Hair-On-the-Bald-Dude thingies at the Dollar Store. Who remembers these things? You drag the shavings around with the magnet wand to arrange attractive hairstyles on the Willy who can't afford Rogaine.

The girls loved these things and they sat on the couch mesmerized by the creepy, clumpy hair.

4. Eyelash Serum - Speaking of Rogaine, did you know that people have been using it to grow long beautiful eyelashes for years? Of course nobody calls it Rogaine. It's marketed under fancy eyelashy names like Li Lash. I was noticing a lot of Bambi lashed girls at school and wondering what the heck is in the water around here for them to be growing eyelashes like that? No lie. These eyelashes are so long that I don't even know how these girls keep their eyes open, they might as well be hoods of cars, they are that long. Well, I asked The Magician about it at my last hair appointment and she gave me the 4-1-1. Underneath my rock it's so dark and cozy, I had no idea. Anyway, I had to get some of this stuff just to try it out. You know, in a back room, at home, science experiment kind of way.

So I did, and let me tell you, it works. I'm really lazy when it comes to the hair and make up, so I'm not real consistent with the application of the serum, but still I can see a visible difference in my lashes. And let me tell you, that's really saying something because I'm getting up there in my 40s and I wear the granny glasses now for my close up vision. What I'm saying is, I can't normally even see my eyelashes, but now, they're all OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE LARGER THAN THEY APPEAR kind of long. No lie.

5. Chocolate - I don't think this needs an explanation.

6. Books - This is my current read, inspired by Peanut Head. Meaning he told me to read it so I'm giving it a try. I'm almost 100 pages into it and I can say this. It's weird. It's weird, but it's also kinda neat. Parts of it require a lot of concentration to read, not unlike the Bible, because the language is not your every day easy reading, conversational prose. In fact, oxymoron seems to be a recurring theme in word pairings in Mr. Adams' writing. That, and I get the distinct impression that he's making fun of mathematicians and scientists.

Anyway, my original point was supposed to be that books are my escape and my reward to myself. I look forward to crawling into bed at night and ending my day with some relaxing reading while raking my cold feet over Peanut Head's warm legs.

7. Tax People - As in someone else to do my taxes. For years I did our taxes myself and many of our family members' taxes, and I've had it with taxes. When I went back to work, paying someone to do our taxes became one of my many indulgences. In fact, I'm supposed to be getting my tax papers together right now, because I have a tax appointment tomorrow, but as you can see, procrastination is still my BFF.

8. iPad Insurance - As in I wish I had it when I truly needed it. Sad, ironic story. You can laugh while I cry. I've had my iPad for going on two years now. It's the iPad 2 and it's a miracle I have never dropped it. No, really. A miracle. I'm the biggest klutz on the planet. I'm so klutzy that I trip over flat surfaces, my own feet, and up stairs. I walk into walls. I walk into doors. I run into people and bounce off of them. I'm a train wreck, but I've managed to keep my iPad safe for going on two years.

Ahem. Remember when the girls and I bought Peanut Head his iPad 3 for Father's Day? Well, he and I were walking into Barnes & Noble to enjoy an evening in the B&N Cafe, sipping hot drinks and eating decadent desserts whilst surfing the Internet without our offspring nearby, when tragedy struck.

Let me drag it out for you.

"Honey, let's go to the restroom before we settle into the cafe," I say to Peanut Head.

"Okay," is his reply. I know, he's so chatty.

"What are you going to do with your iPad while you're in the bathroom?" I inquire.

"I'm going to set it on the counter," he replies while holding back the eye roll that I know is quivering behind his girly lashed lids (and he doesn't even use the Rogaine stuff. It's not right).

Immediately visions of a battalion of bathroom germs jumping atop Peanut Head's iPad cloud my vision. I know I don't have any Clorox wipes with me and I panic.

"Here, let me put it in my purse," I pushy command-cajole him.

So I reach for his iPad and as I'm slow-motion putting it into my purse, it slips out of my hands and 6-Million-Dollar-Man-Slow-Motion plunges to the pavement, and lands right on its corner.

Gasp. I couldn't even look at it. We just rushed into the store with the quickly retrieved, one whole paycheck electronic device. We get into the store and . . . 

Yep. I suck.

If I'm going to break an iPad, why can't it be mine? My iPad that is two years old and due to be upgraded to an iPad 4, except that now I can't afford it because I'm so stooooooopid and have to go and break a perfectly brand new iPad that doesn't even need replacing.

Karma is a bad word.

9. Peanut Head - Even though I broke his iPad he didn't yell at me and he still loves me.  He has a new iPad now, and this time we bought insurance. I've never before bought insurance on any type of electronic device, but I've learned my lesson and I know now that it is worth every penny. 

10. My Babies - They're noisy and they're messy, and sometimes they make me feel like my head is going to explode, but I love them more than chocolate and I thank my lucky stars for them each and every day.

My life isn't perfect, my house isn't clean, I have an inch thick layer of chicken poop on my back porch, and I have a lot of things I need to work on, but I have amazing people in my life that I am so thankful for. My family loves me even when I am grouchy and tired. The kids I teach make me laugh every day. I am surrounded by awesome people everywhere I turn, and I wonder, do they really know how much I love and appreciate them? I tell them, but do they really know?

Do you ever sit back and watch the people in your life, amazed by all that they are and all that they do, and just feel warm with love, and wonder, and appreciation, and awe?