Red Color Day

This was my 18th Valentine's Day with my husband.  On our first,  I was only 18 years old.  As we collapsed into bed one night this week I promised that one of these years  decades we would do something romantic.  This year "romantic" seemed a laughable idea in the face of hockey, laundry and you know those six kids.   Instead we both agreed that we would consider the holiday a success if we managed to pull off our traditional Valentine's Day for the kids.

Our tradition started the second year we were dating when I sent my long suffering fiance to work with a sandwhich with pink tinted mayo. 

And Pink Supper was born.  This is also known as the day I go through an entire bottle of red food coloring.

This year Shel made Pink Waffles for Breakfast, and after sandwiching church, lunch, nap and 2 hockey games, I threw together our Pink Supper.

I promise next year (ah the babies will then be 1.5 and 2.5) the year after next I will be back to our former glory.

Valentine's History at our House: Pink Supper

Valentine's Day is not necessarily a day for romance at our house. I suppose at one point or another it was, but I have no distinctive Romantic Valentine's Day Memories to share, so maybe not? As you might know, my much loved but slightly clueless husband tends to not think about these sorts of things. Ok, so he doesn't have so much as a spontaniously romantic bone in his body, but I can't really gripe this year because I got my Valentine's Day card on Thursday (three days EARLY!) and flowers too - that's DEFINITELY a first.

As an aside, I suppose the fear of public flogging on the blog if the Birthday of 2009 Debacle repeated might have had an influence on him. It might be the fact that guys he works with now read here? So - to be clear in particular to Paul S, Shel would like you to know he did buy me flowers and give me a card. And I thank you.

I must take part blame for the lack of romantic vision on Valentine's Day because I have firmly and forever turned it into a Children's Holiday in our home. First, its the kids that get the gifts, cards and special meal. In fact, I put more work into our Valentine's Day Dinner than I usually do for Christmas Dinner. Why? Well because EVERYTHING must be pink at Valentine's Day Dinner.

This started back when Shel and I were dating (that would be the dark ages for those that wonder!) and I made him his lunch for work. His heart shaped sandwhich had pink mayonaise and I filled his lunch kit with read and pink heart shaped confetti and stuck cherub and heart stickers all over his lunch pail. It should be noted here that Shel worked in a mill, with a bunch of "manly-men". Enough said. It's at this point in the story that I will point out he still married me.

So pink lunch, tacky confetti and stickers for my somewhat unappreciating husband morphed into pink supper, tacky confetti and stickers for my boys. Its a silly celebration in our house now, but one anticipated by those large and small. Pink mashed potatoes. Pink cheese sauce. Ham. Pink Milk. Pink Juice. Pink Jello. Pink. Pink. Pink. Pink Supper.

Now certain someones may claim that Pink Supper has made them sick from a toxic load of Red Food Coloring, but I beg to differ. The fact they puked for days afterwards was CLEARLY a flu bug. In the mean time I will searching out some carb free red food recipes for our Pink Supper of 2009 taking place on Sunday.

Why Sunday? Well Saturday we are at the rink. Surprise. Keep my boys in your thoughts, some BIG playoff games this weekend for them and in their words, they are "stoked". Hockey, hockey, hockey.