The meaning of Valentine’s Day changes as we age; from the flower given to you by the boy who usually throws sand on you in the playground, to the ‘secret admirer’ love letters in your teenss, to flowers at the office indicating the seriousness of your relationship to your colleagues. Then comes kids…and quite frankly, after working, washing, cleaning and cooking the last thing you can be bothered thinking about is frocking up and heading out for a romantic night. No doubt that’s why many of us criticize and dismiss Valentine’s Day as another marketing ploy, this time for the greeting cards and floristry industries! But I believe Valentine’s Day should be celebrated. Every. Year. Its not about the money spent, its about the message delivered: love. And everyone feels better for hearing that they are loved. So how do you manage Valentine’s Day with small kids? Easy: Our neighbours gave us this tip for date night a few years back. Put the kids to bed, order take away, get dressed up, turn the music on, set the dining table (including a tablecloth!) and PRETEND you are out! Best of all? You can be in bed by 10.30, ready to take on the middle of the night prowlers! I also like the idea of going out for breakfast…its always so much easier and cheaper to get a babysitter (especially a grandparent) for 1.5 hours in the morning. You can also get a reservation ANYWHERE! Just not the best time to have more than one champas! But for us, this year, we are off to the cricket! Yep, the World Cup is on, Australia v England, and we’ll be at the day/nighter, with dinner in the MCC dining room, with my husband, brothers and 90,000 other my closest friends! And you know what? I can’t wait!!!