Raising a half a dozen children has made me a little more practical and a little less romantic at times. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, I do my fair share of cringing. I think I’m still traumatized from my childhood days. It seemed so odd that somehow Valentine’s Day romanticized children’s relationships. I remember desperately trying to find cards to give out that didn’t have cheesy expressions like “Be Mine” on them, and thinking that Cupid was a creepy naked dude with a bow and arrow.
Fast forward to present day, and I find most Valentine-related things still fairly cringe-worthy. When the Daddy-o at our house comes home with flowers, I immediately envision how they will look in five days, as I dread washing out what will become a grungy vase. As for diamonds, I’ll also take a pass. I stopped wearing diamonds when I discovered picking Play-Doh out of the diamond claws was more trouble than it’s worth. And when you’ve changed as many diapers as I have, Play-Doh getting caught in your rings is really the least of your concerns.
So, what gets this sensible mama revved up on Valentine’s Day? Here are a few simple ideas for the practical mama in your life:
Tote it! You’ll be amazed at how much this classic tote can hold. Usually when I go to a pool party, I throw all my kids towels, goggles, and bathing suits in a laundry basket and off I go. I put an end to that when I got this personalized beauty. And Thirty One has so many styles and colours. Now I’m much more stylin’ than I was when I was carrying my laundry basket around.
The Brag Bag. With six little beauties, I love the opportunity to show them off on my Heritage Makers purse. Bags are definitely a theme for busy moms, because we have a lot of stuff to carry around. This practical and durable bag holds all my important mom stuff and looks great too!
Label It! Moms lose stuff, too. We bring dishes to other people’s houses and Tupperware likes to make a job of disappearing on us. Put an end to that with Mabel’s Labels. Plus, use it for all your tech gear—you won’t find my laptop, smart phone, or any of my other gadgets unlabeled!
Funky stuff. Okay, I might not wear diamonds, but a beautiful necklace with my kids’ names engraved from Posh Mommy? Absolutely.
Take a break. Really, tired moms just want to sit down and put their feet up once in a while. When these rare occasions happen, I love to chill with some of my favourite Steeped Tea. The cinnamon heart-flavoured tea is perfect for this occasion.
There is plenty of time for romance later. For now, get the busy, active and practical moms something that they’ll actually use and love.
Need Valentine's Day gift ideas for the other special people in your life? Check out: "Hot Valentine Gifts for Your Type-A Mate," "Gifts For Him This Valentine's Day," and "Valentine's Day Gift For Children."
Whether you embrace the romance of or refuse to partake in forced declarations of love, our Valentine’s Day page is filled with articles, crafts, activities, and food to fit your mood.
There is no question about it—exhausted and sleep-deprived mamas can do some crazy things. I’ve bumped into things, dropped objects, forgotten important messages, and missed appointments. We’ve all been there and done that.
I clearly reached a new level of tired the other day. At 6:00am, I shot up out of my bed in a panic. I had just woken from a terrible dream that my eldest son had come into my room and told me he vomited on his bed. In my dream, I didn’t console him or see if he was okay. I also didn’t go to his room and change his sheets. In this nightmare, I told him to throw a towel on his vomit and get himself back into bed. What kind of freakish nightmare mother tells their kid to lie in their own puke-filled sick bed?
RELATED: Stop Wearing Sleep Deprivation As A Badge Of Honour
I am unnaturally sympathetic to anyone where vomiting is involved, because puking is my worst nightmare. When I was a kid, I would have to take a day off school if one of my siblings was sick, because I felt so sorry for them that I was unable to function. My extreme hate of puking explains why I was so horrified by my dream-state alter ego.
Since I woke up so disturbed, I thought I’d check on my kid, just to put my mind at rest.
I crept through the hallway and opened his bedroom door. He was lying in his bed listening to music on his iPod and his bedroom lights were all on. I asked him what the heck he was doing awake, to which he replied:
“I did what you told me to—I put a towel on my puke and went back to bed”.
And there it was right beside him . . . a towel.
My face must have undeniably displayed my feelings of complete horror and shame, because my son just hugged me and laughed at me.
Has sleep deprivation done anything crazy to you? Any experiences you can’t remember? Did you do something so foolish out of exhaustion that you’ll never live it down?
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