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"It&amp;#039;s Valentine&amp;#039;s Day and I hope that today finds you surrounded with the people you love. I do enjoy the concept of taking a special day out of the year to show those you love how much they mean to you, but the commercialism of it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. In years past I would have gone along with it (and boy, have I), but not this year. I&amp;#039;m in a different place now, with a new mindset and new goals. So here are the gifts that I&amp;#039;ll be giving my loved ones: The Gift of Realistic Expectations: I will not be giving my sweetheart the latest electronic gadget or a night of dinner, dancing and staying in a posh hotel. No roses, expensive chocolates, novelty boxer shorts (not a fan) or tickets to a sporting event either. In turn, I will ask him NOT to give me the same. No jewelry, expensive bouquets, dinners out or anything else unrealistic to our delicate budgets. Instead, we will give each other the gift of quality time. We have decided that we will cook dinner together, share a good bottle of wine and watch a movie. We both work hard and have four kids between us, so a relaxed night alone together is a gift in and of itself. Additionally, we will make each other a homemade valentine, constructed with thought and care in a way that no commercial card could compare to (sorry, Hallmark). The Gift of Time &amp;amp;amp; Memories: For my children, I filled the kitchen table with construction paper, markers and paint this weekend and we spent the afternoon making valentines for all of our loved ones (including each other). On Sunday, I let each of them have a friend over for a Valentine&amp;#039;s Day brunch, complete with heart-shaped pancakes, heart confetti spread across the table, red and white balloons and red homemade punch. Dessert was heart-shaped cupcakes and I ended the day with some chocolates and a hand-written note on their pillows. I vowed not to open my laptop, check my BlackBerry or clean the house during the day. Instead, I gave them my complete time and attention and really enjoyed the day with them. The Gift of Peace of Mind: Sometimes our dinners at the kitchen table are filled with stories about kids that my children know at school who don&amp;#039;t have enough money for this or that. One of my daughter&amp;#039;s friends had to spend two weeks at a mutual friend&amp;#039;s house because her mom couldn&amp;#039;t afford to purchase food for her or pay the electric bill. My daughter reported to us how scared and sad her friend was. I vowed to never let my children feel that fear. By not using this holiday as a reason to spend frivolously and instead find ways to express my love without breaking my budget, my kids can sleep well at night and feel secure knowing their mom is taking care of everything. How did you spend your Valentines Day? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a45996/happy-valentineas-day-643/>