February 14

Happy Valentines Day,  everyone!  We have had a pretty laid back day here at the Hull household.  We slept until a little past 8 this morning, which was really nice.  We brought the kids downstairs and gave them their Valentines.  Jeff and I got them cards and some candy.  Ninny and Papa bought them some new hooded sweatshirts and some more candy.  We did school, though Hayden had quite a bit of difficulty today.  He usually does on Mondays.  He is not a big fan of getting back into school and he was supposed to have this week off, but we are two weeks behind our schedule.  I didn't feel like doing school at all the week that my Aunt Skeeter passed away.  I was in so much turmoil and suffering from so much heartbreak that I just couldn't focus on teaching.  Then a few weeks ago Hayden and I both had strep throat which put the both of us out of commission for another week.  So instead of having a break, this week we are trying to get back on track.  We are still going to be finishing a week later than we planned, but that's no big deal. I won't get rid of any more breaks or anything like that.
Jeff has a show going up at the Paramount Theatre this week in the Brick Box.  It's a small venue that seats about 50 people.  He is directing a one act.  They are doing a series of them by Alan Ball ( the guy responsible for "Six Feet Under", "True Blood" & "American Beauty")  So even though he is here every day, he has to be gone in the afternoon and evening.  Mom and Dad left earlier to get their car serviced in Burlington and decided to go out to dinner, so it was just me and the kids this evening.  Our fancy Valentine's dinner was leftovers.  They had macaroni and cheese and I had some potatoes and some kielbasa.  Barnes and Noble also offered a free NOOKbook today even though it's not Friday.  "Pride and Prejudice: The Wonton Edition".  I guess they took the original and added in steamy love scenes...I suppose that it's appropriate for Valentine's Day.  And I'm just curious enough about it to probably read it at some point.  And it was free.  I rarely turn down anything that's free.....
So now, Hayden is finishing up his homework.  And Cebelle is playing with the dogs.  She keeps running through here and giving me kisses and telling me that she loves me so much.  I suspect that's because I gave her chocolate this morning and then let her eat candy most of the day.  I know that it's awful and I really don't do that kind of thing very often.  But most of the fun of being a kid is those days when you get away with things that are definitely not allowed in a normal day.
I put five seasons of "Secret Life of the American Teenager" in my Netflix instant queue.  Unfortunately, "Dawson's Creek" is only available on disc.... I figured Jeff isn't going to want to watch too much of that show, so I'm probably safe in enjoying it while he's off doing what he needs to do.
First I need to get around and get my kids ready for bed.  Which I suspect is going to be extremely difficult considering all the candy that I let the both of them consume today.  I  have a dentist trip tomorrow to get a couple of cavities fixed.  Luckily for me, my dentist is big on early detection, so we caught these tiny little blips before they even gave me any discomfort.  But they are on opposite sides of my mouth-so I am betting that my entire face will be numb when I return home tomorrow.  I'm sure that my children will find that hysterical.  But for tonight, I'm going to tuck my babies in and tell them on this day of love (just like I do every other day) how much I love them and how special they are and how blessed I feel to be their mom.  Then I'm going to curl up on the couch and wait for my Valentine to come home.  And I'm sure on this day of love (just like every other day) he will be glad to be home and talk with me and we will feel blessed to have found each other and to be spending our life together.  I hope that you are all snuggling up with your loved ones and counting your blessings, too!