I'm Mom, Me

14 love notes

I’m big on words…I remember things people say to me verbatim many times. I save cards and letters. I have a book of quotes where I write words that are strung together poetically with deep meaning. I really, really like words and I know the power they have. A kind word at just the right moment can literally be the difference between life and death.

All too often we are reactive in our lives…we wait until something drastic happens before we decide to speak up and clear our head and hearts… For the 14 days leading up to Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided to do something proactive with my love of words, my love of “love” and that warm and fuzzy feeling. I’m selecting 14 people in my life that I don’t tell nearly often enough how I feel about them. Sure, it seems logical to write a note to my parents thanking them for all the sacrifices they have made and continue to make to help ensure I live a happy life, but I’m also thinking about Mrs. Leesa who teaches my children gymnastics on Tuesdays. She is more than patient and works with all the kids in that class like they could be in the Olympics one day. Because of her patience, she is a gem…if you’ve ever had a “bad” teacher or “leader” you learn to appreciate the good ones that much more.

Are there people in your life who have no idea that they inspire you, make you smile, or that you appreciate something they said or did for you years ago? If so, you should consider participating in this challenge. Even if you just select 4 people... 

And I get it…I know this challenge is unappealing to some people simply because they don’t like to write. But here’s the deal…you can eliminate that excuse by saying your note has to be 14 lines or 14 words or less. It’s definitely possible. One of the most powerful sentences only has 3 words.

Finally, let me share that 2 of the people I’ll be writing letters to are my children. I’ve wanted to start a journal devoted just to each of them for quite some time, and now, I'm finally going to start. And throughout the year, I’ll write letters to them and use this in lieu of birthday cards and such. Hopefully, this will be priceless as they continue to grow and become adults.

14 Love Drops
If you’ve ever read a book on emotional development and/ or conveying love to another person, you’ve likely heard the phrase about “filling someone’s bucket, cup, or love tank.” I’m going to literally fill my children’s bucket with positive notes and words of affirmation. I found these cute little bucket tins from Target {dollar spot} and the little hearts are from the Dollar Store. I'll be filling the little hearts with a note for each of my babies!





14 Gifts
And for the hubs, I’m being extra cheesy and giving him a small gift each day starting Feb. 1^st. These small gifts have a corresponding tag that say something like, “Thanks for all you DEW” with a 6 pack of Mt. Dew or “You are BEARY, BEARY cute” with a bag of gummy bears. I’m sharing the little tags with gift ideas here, just in case you want to use them too.

Now, I’ve been preparing for this for a few days so if you want to participate but feel like you can’t start on Saturday, you don’t have to! You can start later and make it 10 Days of Valentine or 7 Days of Valentine.

What do you think of these challenges? Have you ever been on the receiving end or have you initiated anything like this before? This is my first time, so I’m curious to see how everything is received!

If you think you’re going to participate in one of the challenges I mentioned, please share which one in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!