Lips like sugar (from eating so many treats)

Happy valentines day

If you don't celebrate it then happy Thursday between pancake day and half term. Nice that the sun is out again today isn't it ? Well don't let me keep you I'm sure you have better things to do than read about lovey dovey nonsense.

If you do then I hope you're feeling suitably full of chocolate and are surrounded by cards and flowers from a legion of admirers as well as a helium balloon that popped out of a big box and a large teddy holding a red heart and "I wuv you" on it's belly. Ok maybe not the last one as even I'm feeling a bit queasy at the thought of that.

There is a scene in the Sex and the city movie where Carrie and Miranda go out for dinner on Valentine's Day and they are in a restaurant surrounded by balloons and couples in love. It's the nightmare vision of overblown 'romance' that haunts the single and terrifies the coupled who just want to get some dinner.

Thanks to our kindly neighbour offering to babysit we are going out this evening for dinner - just us two. I didn't want my boy to feel left out so we had a family breakfast before Hubbie left for work complete with heart shaped sparklers in the pancakes which our son loved. He even got a card from a secret admirer (although a clue was in the paw print at the bottom). He actually has so many admirers thanks to his flirtatious ways and cheeky smile that I think it's no bad thing to get him used to the idea of being a romantic.

To give him a head start here are some of my favourite valentine surprises:

• A dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts delivered to my desk at work - Cliff the security guard brought them up to me with some ceremony so I tipped him a doughnut for his trouble 

• A trail of paper hearts from the front door leading to the bubble bath surrounded by candles - we didn't live together at this time so it was a bit presumptuous, but still sweet.

• Hubbie (before we were married) taking the day off to prepare a romantic meal for me - we had a bottle of rose water and most of the bag of dessicated coconut in the kitchen cupboard for months afterwards. 

• Hiding a card in Hubbie's bag for him to find when he is at work - today he found it at lunchtime :o) 

• Baking a dozen red velvet heart shaped cupcakes with chocolate topping for my boys - I'm not sure they will last the day :o) 

We go in for being lovey dovey in a big way in our house - it's cheesy, but fun. 

Whatever you do today I hope that it's filled with love.