Valentine’s day – again

Hm. How to start this post? If you’ve read my Nutty Notes blog before I came to WordPress you know that I have issues with:

-stuff
-too much stuff
-too much stuff that one accumulates which needs to be stored and inevitably ends in a landfill
-commercialization
-brand loyalty (to some degree)
-shopping, for the sake of shopping (hobby vs necessity)

Anyway. Valentine’s day is upon us again and now that Benjamin is in the Casa program at his Montessori school, the list of kids in his class is quite a bit longer than last year’s.

I have debated before and will again whether this whole conforming to the school’s activities to participate in these mostly commecialized celebrations is a good thing or a bad thing.

I have come to this conclusion:

Mostly, I feel indifferent.

Why? Because lately, I have more pressing demands on my life than worrying about Valentine’s Day parties at daycares. For one thing, I have a newborn baby. And for another thing, I have unfinished renovations.

The list that was left in Benjamin’s cubby last week, containing the names of all his classmates, is a lot longer than last year’s list. Funny thing is, I’m convinced that Benjamin doesn’t know the names of most of his new friends. I know this because he tells me about how they go for walks on Tuesdays and “have to hold hands so we don’t get lost”, and when I ask him whom he held hands with, he re-enters the classroom and points to the child, rather than saying his or her name.

But no doubt will he want to participate in this card exchange. It’s a party, after all, and kids like parties.

So what do I do? Last year we made the homemade cards. This year, I could do the same. And if I have time this weekend, maybe I will help him.

But time isn’t something I have a lot of these days. The basement needs painting more than cards need making, it’s snowing cats and dogs again, so shoveling is imminent (and Benjamin’s newest favorite activity!), and if someone doesn’t pick up groceries this weekend we will all starve to death.

Perhaps I will have a lookout for some store-bought Valentine’s cards.

Just typing these words makes me feel sad for myself.

PS (Anitz, do you like my header? Will you have a comment about this post and the header, which so obviously clash??)