Stupid Pinterest Valentine's

I try not to let little things bother me because let's face it, I got 99 problems and Pinterest Valentine's shouldn't be one of them, but somebody needs to speak up.  Do y'all remember back in the olden days when your mom would take you to K-Mart the night before Valentine's to pick out a $1 box of ugly cards to pass out to your friends the next day at school?  Or, where we had to bust out the construction paper and markers and make ugly little folded cards with a sticker on it?  What happened to those glorious days?  When did we decide as parents that every single little holiday party in our kids lives had to become this over the top, ridiculous show of events?  Let me just give you a little insight into how we roll at the Green house when it comes time for a Valentine's party...

About 2 days before the party I run the kids up to Target and they have about 2.5 minutes and about $3 a piece to spend on Valentine's for their friends.  Basically, grab whatever crap is left over and go home and write your name on it.  Done.  Big girls head off to their school parties with their Fun Dip packets, ask me if I'm coming to their parties, to which I reply "Umm...love ya, but ain't nobody got time to watch you eat an ice cream sundae while you ignore me and play with your friends.  Some Momma's gotta work."  Then I go to the boys little MDO school, rush them through the door and throw a bag of unopened suckers at the teacher and ask her to pass those out amongst their friends.  I don't even know the quantity or how many kids are in the class, but surely each child will get a freaking Dum Dum.  I'm feeling pretty good about the fact that my 5 children miraculously made it to their parties with something in tow, until I get on social media and start looking at what all the other moms sent with their kids...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Here's the deal, I think these Valentine's are adorable. (I don't have a black heart)  But, these are not to impress the kids, these are to impress other mothers.  These are to say I love my children more than you because I spend time making these over the top Valentine's for all of my kids friends.  What, are you Vampires?  Do you sleep?  Who the heck has time for that crap?  Other Pinterest mothers are turning their noses up at each other and non Pinterest mothers feel like the a-hole parent.  Let's just stop.  Stop the madness.  Let's all go back to the good ole days where kids had to make their own dang Valentine's and mothers didn't have to spend a ton of time and money on crap that is thrown in the trash the day after.  All those kids want is sugar so throw them a Pixy Stix and call it a day.

A Letter to Robee on Your 3rd Birthday

Dear Robee,


Today you turn 3.  We will celebrate.  As per tradition in our family, you will wake up to balloons, donuts, banners and presents.  We will dote on you all day because in a family this big, you don't get a whole lot of undivided attention....but today is your day!  You have now been home for 10 months.  Some days it seems like we came home last week and some days it seems like you've been here for years.  Our relationship didn't flow naturally at first, it's taken some work.  I've made many mistakes and will probably make many more, I am treading in new water here.  Thankfully, you have always been quick to forgive and have loved me still even on my worst days.

There are things that I am going to grieve today.  The fact that we missed the first 2.5 years of your life.  The fact that we don't have any baby pictures of you.  The fact that you don't even understand what it means to be honored on your birthday, because it hasn't yet been celebrated.  The fact that we don't know anything about your birth mom, and I so wish we did.  I wish I knew her name so that I could talk about her more personally to you.  I wish that I knew her circumstances and the reason she felt like she couldn't take care of you.  I wish that I could write her a letter today and send her pictures of you, thank her for giving you life.  Tell her that you're safe now and so super happy.  That you have the most contagious smile and that joy exudes from your little body.  That you are obsessed with cars and always have more than you can carry everywhere we go.  That you like to give "face" kisses and leg hugs.  That you are speaking in complete sentences and learning to count.  That you would play outside all day everyday if we let you.  That you love to go to church and school and that you play so nicely with your friends.  That you eat constantly and are growing like a weed.  That you are loved beyond measure.

Silas Robel Green, even on our hardest days I wouldn't trade you for the world.  You have taught me patience beyond measure.  Showed me that my heart can love another.  Made my relationship with the Lord stronger.  Given me a heart for adoption like no other.  Even though you were abandoned, you were never forgotten.  You are going to do great things with your precious life, little one.  Thank you for making me a mommy again.  Although your siblings grew in my tummy, you grew in my heart and I am forever changed because of it.  Love you to the moon and back my little Ethiopian!

Mommy