Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is corny to say, but I love love! Even when I was single, I would love to celebrate with my girlfriends by getting dressed up in red and going out to a fancy dinner. If you are in a Galentine’s Day phase of life, EMBRACE it! I am married to the love of my life and those Valentine’s Days may have been more fun than the ones I have now ;) Life is a journey! My advice is to embrace where you’re at and make the most out of whatever phase of life you are in. When I was single, I also used to love bringing in heart-shaped donuts for my coworkers or baking cookies for my friends. I am a firm believer that giving is the greatest gift you can receive. Adding some joy to someone’s day always makes me happy, and Valentine’s day offers so many fun ways to do that.

Now that I’m a mom, I love to make Valentine’s Day a special occasion for my kids. Our tradition is to bake heart-shaped cookies for our friends and neighbors. My almost 5-year-old loves to bake with me, and even though it gets a little messy and crazy, we always make the best memories. She loves to dress up in her baker outfit and get to work! My little one is wanting to get in on the action too these days, so once we start decorating the cookies she loves to get involved as well.

I like to make the day of Valentine’s Day all about the kids (my husband and I sneak out for a date night the weekend before or after). We always order a heart-shaped pizza for dinner and we get them their own little boxes of chocolates for dessert (and eat cookies of course!). My husband also gets the girls a little bouquet of flowers (he does this for their birthdays as well, God help their future boyfriends!) I love an excuse to be festive and decorate, so we have a “Happy Valentine’s Day” banner that we hang up, and I get some festive balloons, light some candles and make it a special night! My girls love to have “family movie nights” so we end the night after their bubble bath all cuddled up on the couch watching a movie. These are the nights I know I will remember when I’m old and grey.

I always get my husband a sweet card for Valentine’s Day because even though people say it’s a Hallmark holiday, I think it’s important to take the time to tell the people you love how much they mean to you. We don’t do big “gifts” but we just try to do little things to make each other feel special and loved. I usually will make him his favorite dinner (steak and mashed potatoes) and he will get me a nice bottle of wine. Although now that we have a babysitter that the kids love, we skip that part these days and just go out to a fancy dinner kid-free and have some much-needed alone time together!

I love Valentine’s Day because it is such a fun time to make the people you love feel special. I think the happiest moments in life come from bringing a little sparkle to someone’s day and seeing them light up. I try to make this a part of my life not just on holidays, but whenever I have the chance. As a mom, I really hope to instill in my girls that it’s so much better to give than receive. I honestly feel like that is the secret to a happy life. I hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day, spread the love!