My Valentine to You

My wish for you this Valentine's Day is to find love for yourself in your heart. I know lots of us are lonely, and Valentine's Day just seems to be rubbing it in our faces that we don't have what "other people" seem to have: love, partnership, someone to hold. I know how painful it can be to wake up knowing that people all over are getting cards, flowers, gifts, and hugs. Lovers are celebrating, going out to dinner, expressing their undying love for each other. If you're not in a relationship, that can hurt.

Please know you are valuable and worth loving. YOU ARE WORTH LOVING. And even if other people don't shower you with love on this day, please shower *yourself* with love.

*Walk into your bathroom. Look in the mirror. Look into your eyes, and say, "I love you." Seriously. Just do it. You need to hear those words. The results can be profound.

*Buy yourself some flowers, or a CD, or a bubble bath as a gift to yourself... just to say I love you.

*Care for your body the way you deserve to be cared for. Take this one day, and really, truly care for yourself. Eat things that nourish you. Rest. Enjoy something that brings you peace. Curl up with a book and some tea, or go out for a walk in the sunshine. Treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend or your most loved partner, so that by the end of the day you feel treasured and comforted.

And if you're so inclined, go back and read my post from last Valentine's Day as well.

How will I celebrate the day? Well, I used to buy chocolates. And I also used to bake. Chocolate cheesecakes, pies, frosted cookies, whatever. I would shower myself and my children with sugar as a measure of affection. But that all changed last year. I still wanted to do something special (and even *sweet*, since I rarely buy candy/cookies/etc anymore for the kids). So last year I bought a Chocolate Fountain. We used it last year and will use it again today. It's a real celebration for the kids! I bought a ton of fruit that I will cut up and place on the table for everyone to use with the fountain: seedless red grapes, banana chunks, apple slices, Clementine segments, strawberries, blueberries (on toothpicks), kiwis, fresh pineapple chunks. It's a great way to get tons of fruit into the kids, and I love it too. I just have to make sure I don't go overboard with the dipping!

So, that will be our day. I wrote Valentine notes for my children, we'll have our chocolate fountain this afternoon, and then I am grilling steaks (yes it in still freezing cold outside but I don't care). I plan to grill a ton of veggies, skip the potatoes tonight, and have a small piece of steak with the fat trimmed off. I will go for a walk outside when the sun is out, and I will bike 30 minutes. I might even strength train if I have time. (And yes I did bike last night for a half hour, and my calorie intake for yesterday was 1950).

Speaking of calories, here is how the week went:
Mon: 1481
Tues: 2764
Weds: 1589
Thurs: 1545
Fri: 1950
Average per day: 1866
So to keep with the 1750 daily average I am shooting for, I need to eat 2921 calories this weekend (1460/day average.) I think if I do that, I'll lose for the week.

Happy Valentines Day!