Valentine’s Day is Monday, and – if you are like me – it’s time to start thinking panic about what to give your sweeties! When I asked Little Man what we give our friends on Valentine’s Day, he said we give them "words." I know he means cards, but his answer got me thinking (I know, I know. What *doesn’t* get me thinking, right?!)
Words are a really cool gift. All that other Valentiney hooplah is supposed to "say" I love you. So this year I am taking a stand: no flowers, candy or edible underwear for Leading Mama. I'm gonna get wordy instead.
If you a) can’t afford flowers, b) can’t take the risk that you’d eat a 3-lb. box of chocolates before next Monday in a stress- or hormone-induced minute-to-win-it kind of binge, and c) can’t fathom wearing edibles, even if it is for a good cause, get your word on instead.
Just in time for your Valentine gift-giving frenzy, I offer you four fun ways with words:
1. Make a wordle. Type a list of all the things you love about your sweetie. (Note: If you want phrases to stay intact, you-have-to-hyphenate-them-like-this) Turn your words into art at www.wordle.com and customize colors and font to your sweetie’s style. It’s easier than poetry and more thoughtful than a store-bought card. Oooh, and it’s free! Here’s one I made for my little man.
2. Take digital pics of letter-shaped objects and arrange them into a word or phrase for your sweetie. (Pst, you can cheat by using actual letter-shaped toys from the playroom if you're making this for the kiddos!) Not so crafty? Order letter photo art online and print a preview to give your sweetie until the real deal arrives in the mail.
3. Create custom mad-lib love poems online at links2love. Here’s one I created for Leading Man. If we weren’t already married, this probably wouldn’t woo him. But I laughed so hard when I read it that my cheeks hurt. A tears-to-your-eyes belly laugh does a marriage good. Even if they turn out to be tears of cheese dip. Dang, I love mad libs.
Leading Man,
Your skin glows like the apple, blossoms sexy as the lily in the purest hope of spring.
My heart follows your piano voice and leaps like a dog at the whisper of your name.
The evening floats in on a great hawk wing.
I am comforted by your socks that I carry into the twilight and hold next to my eyes.
I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of cheese dip.
As my chest falls from my shirt, it reminds me of your pillow.
In the quiet, I listen for the last laughter of the day.
My heated hand leaps to my pants. I wait in the moonlight for your secret TV so that we may chase as one, hand to hand, in search of the magnificent and mystical chocolate of love.
4. Make your own fortune cookies with customized messages inside. Write your favorite movie quotes, most romantic things you did this year, affectionate love names like pookie bear or sugar lips, or some naughty sexy phrases on strips of pink paper with ballpoint pen (printer ink can smudge!). Bake up a batch of treats using this easy fortune cookie recipe. If you want to go all out, dip half of each fortune cookie in melted chocolate and sprinkle with valentiney jimmies. Sweet!

However you say I love you, don't forget to say it out loud. In words. Nothing you can buy or do takes the place of heartfelt words of affection and appreciation. Leaders know that.