How to fail at Valentine's Day class valentines

Last year, I scored big points with 3Po and Jammy by making awesome homemade Valentine's Day cards for their classmates.  They received lots of compliments on their Rocky Road Valentines and Yoda Valentines, and I quietly smugly added another notch to my Awesome Mom Cap.  I even took the time to take pretty photos and post instructions and downloadable printables (adding another notch to my Awesome Blogger Cap).


This year, class Valentine's didn't even register until 7:50 am today.  I realized that today was the last day of school for the week (we've got a 5-day holiday for Ski Week/President's Day) and Valentine's Day was on Friday, so of course the class parties would happen today.  The boys said that Valentine cards were optional, but that's what they always say!  I don't like the thought of them receiving cards from their classmates and not giving any in return.

I frantically scrounged around my various craft supply cabinets and managed to find a stash of cards that I had bought TWO years ago, when cards were 90% off.  I was supposed to have used them last year, but I went the DIY route.  I'm so glad I never got around to throwing these out!  Fortunately none of them had 2-year-old candy, just mini erasers :)

Of course, by this time, it was well after 8:00, so I quickly drove the boys to school, drove back home.... and started signing the cards myself.  This is definitely a new low for me -- forging my sons' handwriting and signing their Valentines cards!  I hate it when parents do their kids' homework, so I boy did I feel like a hypocrite.  How the mighty have fallen.

Just think of me as the Shaun White of Valentine's Day.  Some years, I'm like Shaun White in 2006 and 2010: unbeatable, wowing the crowd with fancy, gold-medal-worthy flips and spins.  Other years, I'm like Shaun White in 2014:  crash landing on my butt, shut out of the podium.