More than Candy...A Lesson in Love

It was another week of snow that paralyzed our community for 3 days. Three days of no school and closed stores. Big, white fluffy flakes began falling around lunch time on Tuesday, and by 2 o'clock, nearly 5 inches had accumulated. People rushed home from work while others got stuck in the slow that only snow in the South can bring. Our family was prepared with an ample supply of the necessities-milk, bread and wine.

Ice followed the snow and left many without power. Thankfully, our home was spared and we remained warm and toasty. With school being closed and roads being icy, gym time and the class Valentine's Day party was out of the question.

Each day the boys and I started our morning either exercising with the Time Warner Cable On Demand Fitness Channel. We found kids Pilates and Yoga plus a high-impact Cardio Kickboxing dance and Cardio Combat workouts. I also worked off my calories by sledding, push-ups in the snow, walking in the snow and the most intense-- shoveling the driveway which was covered in ice.

Friday was Valentine's Day, and since the time-honored tradition of passing out cards and candy had been postponed, I used this day to teach love rather than getting high on chocolate (that happened too, but on a much smaller scale).

We created snow art. Chalk and snow. The icy covering made a perfect medium for the chalk.

We colored hearts on envelopes and enclosed free Krispy Kreme doughnut coupons and put them in our neighbor's mailboxes.

We surprised Daddy with chocolate covered strawberries.

We talked about Christ's love, and how much He loves us despite our mistakes. It was a good reminder when handing out cards even to the kids that have been mean to us. Teaching them the true meaning of love and watching their faces light up when they understood that Valentine's Day is more than chocolate and cards, but genuinely showing someone you care-- priceless!

We ended the evening with a family date night at one of our favorite restaurants BK (before kids). Lubrano's is a lovely locally-owned Italian restaurant, but space is limited and a crying kid could ruin everyone's evening. However, the kids (5 & 2) are becoming better behaved while dining out, so we gave it a try. Complimentary garlic knots arrived before the meal and coloring sheets for the kids plus wine for mom and dad made for a relaxing dinner and wonderful evening.