Happy Valentine's Day!

Science experiment using iodine as a starch indicator

Prior to having kids Paul and I used to give each other a gift (ex. some years Paul got me a nice piece of jewelry) and go out on a date as our way of celebrating Valentine's Day. Fast forward almost 11 years, and now we are focused on making the holiday special for our kids instead. Earlier in the week they each received a card in the mail from my Dad and Margie. Yesterday they received their gifts from Grandma and Pop Pop - they each received $3, a little box of candy, and a small stuffed animal. I also gave them their gifts last night. I gave Oliver another set of Magformers (since the set he received at Christmas has been such a hit with all three kids), Nadia the game Taboo, and Ian two DVDs (Lilo and Stitch). The homeschool group we are a part of has a big Valentine's Day party every year. For various and sundry reasons we've never participated. Thankfully it worked out for Paul to take them to the party today. I figured Nadia is in 5th grade and hadn't yet experienced a Valentine's Day party. The kids had their first experience with signing their name on a bunch of Valentine's cards. We were told that about 60 kids would be attending the party so it took multiple days for Oliver to write his name on that many cards. Having a short name was an advantage for Ian! Nadia decorated a bag, and the boys each decorated a box to hold the Valentines that they were given. The party lasted 2 hours. The first part they were divided into groups by age and were to discuss a historical biography they had read recently. Then it was time for pizza, bowling, and exchanging Valentines.

I didn't need to leave the house until 9:45 (thanks to my commute to the school district where my student teacher was located being less than ten minutes). I was able to snuggle with Oliver when he climbed in bed with us around 6:45am, make the boys heart shaped pancakes for breakfast, help with homeschooling, and also work on my Bible study before leaving for work. I got home from work about 5:40pm while the kids were at basketball practice. I hadn't cooked anything for dinner today because I knew the kids and Paul would be having pizza at the party. So I stopped at Wendy's on my way home from work for a cup of chili. Paul put a lot of preparation into the kids' history lesson today because the topic was Napoleon - one of his most favorite historical figures.

I have had a cold for two straight months. It has varied in intensity. Sometimes my cough has gone away. My throat has been sore for the vast majority of the time, and my voice has come and gone. Last night it was really pointless for me to go to choir rehearsal as I couldn't actually sing very many notes, but since I had missed the previous week (due to Cinderella) and the rehearsal had been cancelled the week before that because of the weather, I felt like I needed to go even if I couldn't sing. I need many cough drops to teach at the university. It hurts to read to the kids, which is a bummer for me as normally that's one of my favorite things. I'm super thankful for Audible! I'd really like the congestion to clear up and my throat to be back to normal ASAP! The kids and Paul have also come down with it more than once over the past two months. My voice has been affected more than anyone in the family. Hoping and praying we are all healthy in the near future.