Valentine's Day sneaked up on us this year since we had just returned from a week-long stay at a resort in Texas where we celebrated my parents-in-law's 50th anniversary. As I browsed through Facebook posts, I saw one mom who mentioned her family's annual candlelight dinner. That sparked something in me. I had already planned to serve a special meal of salmon and tilapia, but with her inspiration I stepped it up a notch and set the table with candles, crystal, and china. Pulling the dinner off was a bit challenging because I had kids in activities downtown until 6:30 p.m. I dropped them off, foregoing my usual Monday evening workout at the Y, and came home to do all the prep work and set the table before heading back downtown to pick them up. (When we got home, my husband was already home from work, and the kids thought he was the one who had set the table.) Many hands pitched in to cook the meal and it was served about 30 minutes after we got home. The candles, the conversation, and the food were all delightful, and my kids felt very loved since I made the effort to create a special atmosphere.
